CHAPTER 64
MRITYUNJAY'S PAST
(Using short scenes to describe the story.)
"Jay, I am telling you I will complain in your school one day that you are bunking."
"I don't care."
While playing with his 6-month-old sister in his arms, 10-year-old Mrityunjay quickly responds to his mother's words by showing his tongue, which the baby imitates. He then smiles and resumes lovingly engaging with his sister, who is giggling after seeing her big B, who loves her so much.
"Pakhi… Mumma gets very angry when I come home to meet you. From tomorrow on, I will put you in my bag and take you with me to school. My friend loves to play with you. You get a ride, and I don't get scolded. problem solve..."
After listening to Mrityunjay, his grandparents, mother, and aunt also start laughing because Mrityunjay loves his sister so much that today he jumps over the back wall of his school and bunks his classes again during the lunch break. He has come back home just to play with her, and that's why his mother is scolding him. She says.
"God… Sometimes I feel that I am not Pakhi's mother; he is her mother and has gone mad in such a bad way with her sister. He always wants to be around her, and Pakhi also keeps looking for her brother all the time. If he is in front of her, Pakhi doesn't care where I am."
However, their mother's comments don't bother either brother or sister because they are so preoccupied with one another.
"Please, Pakhi’s sweet little mummy, feed her milk."
Pooja deliberately teases her son to trouble him, due to which he starts staring at her with a little bit of fake anger. But again, the laughter echoes in his house, and along with this laughter, the voices of two more people's laughter start resonating there. They all turn and look in the distance, and then Mrityunjay's father and maternal uncle are standing there. Pooja quickly ran toward her brother.
"Bro, I miss you so much."
Mahendra (Mrityunjay's father) leaves Pooja (Mrityunjay's mother) with her brother Ranvijay Bundela, who has been able to come back from London after almost 3 years today because he has established his business there and it has become very difficult for him to get out of there to meet his only sister.
Pooja starts crying as soon as she comes into her brother's arms. Mahendra sits beside Mrityunjay and his 6-month-old daughter, Pakhi, who is enjoying her brother's pampering. He softly says this to Mrityunjay.
"Your mother becomes emotional and receives so much love when she sees her brother; conversely, if you lavish your sister with affection, she will complain to you. Very bad."
"Exactly..."
Mrityunjay, a very innocent and pampered child, far away from the negativity and violence, immediately agrees with his father and says so loudly.
"Uncle, stop loving your younger sister... She has a big complaint when I love my younger sister. First, stop loving your sister, then I will ask Mumma, "How does she feel when her brother did love her?"
Everybody starts laughing, including Ranvijay. Pooja quickly runs after Mahendra because she knows he is the one who provoked him; he always bothers her with his naughtiness.
"I know; it's your doing, mom and dad. Look at your son."
"Beat him. You are free to do anything."
Sunaina quickly comes and shields in front of her brother, Mahendra, jumping here and there to save himself. There is a very beautiful atmosphere there. Ranvijay looks at Sunaina with a sweet smile and comes forward to take Pakhi in arms for the first time, but Mrityunjay quickly hides her in his embrace and says,.
"You have come from outside, and when we come from outside, then we have to touch the children only after washing our hands. You don't know that much... You have no idea how many bacteria are in our hands. What if my Pakhi gets infected with that bacteria?"
"Bro, please, you can't win with this little mummy."
Sunaina starts laughing very loudly at this irritating way of poking Pooja. Rannvijay, seeing Sunaina smiling, starts going to wash his hands, but he immediately turns around, holding Mrityunjay's cheek, kisses him, and then runs away to wash his hands from there. Everybody laughs at his mischief and looks at Mrityunjay, but he innocently says this to Pakhi.
"It's okay; no germs will attack you, my princess."
Mrityunjay's affection for his sister captivates everyone's attention; they all adore his bond and love for her.
*******
Ranvijay comes there for 15 days, and he likes Sunaina so much. He is constantly staring at Sunaina, and his sister Pooja's perceptive eyes have not taken long to catch this up at all. So Pooja is currently sitting in her brother's room with her daughter Pakhi. Mrityunjay has been sent to school with great difficulty. Puja teases her brother and tells him.
"Quickly tell me, since when do you like my sister-in-law? If you had told me earlier, by now you would have been married to her, and Mrityunjay might have already got a cousin, sister, and brother."
"From your marriage... I wanted to tell you earlier, but after your marriage, first the death of our father, then after a year, our mother's death stopped me. After that, when good offers started coming from abroad, I had to settle my company there, and by God's blessings, you know very well that everything went so well that I never looked back. I thought you must have found a good boy for your sister-in-law by now, as we never talked about her in the past years, and I was afraid too because everything has changed, but she is still not married. This time, I can't stop myself from thinking about her more. I will try to leave everything... If she comes into my life—I mean, being in the mafia—it's not my choice. You know it very well."
"I know, bro.... But I am happy that even after being in the mafia for so many years, you have never done anything wrong, due to which people there respect you very much. I definitely talked with Mahendra. He doesn't know about your being in the mafia, and he will not find a better guy than you for his sister. Because I know soon you will leave the mafia and settle into your life... And I am very happy that you and Sunaina got married soon."
**************
Sunaina is sitting in front of her family with her eyes down and is not making eye contact with anyone. Everyone in the family is very happy because, really, they can't get a better boy than Rannvijay for their Sunaina. Mahendra is the happiest today because, for many years, he has been trying to convince Sunaina to get married, but she is not ready to accept his request.
Mrityunjay jumps with joy while making his sister sit on his shoulders. Ranvijay notices Sunaina and wants to talk to her, so he says to her parents.
"If you don't mind, I want to take Sunaina out for a walk with me for a while so that she can get to know me better."
No one in the house has any objection to this at all, so they all immediately ask them to leave. Rannvijay takes her to a park where people are present, and Sunaina does not have any uncomfortable feelings, so both of them go to the park and sit comfortably.
"Sunaina, if you have any problems, you can tell me."
"You are a very nice man, Ranvijay, but I cannot marry you because I am in love with someone else. We have both been together since college. I was never able to say anything at home because he first went out of the country to study. When my family members started insisting on getting married, I clearly told them that I had to do a job first. Only after that do you have to think about marriage, for which they should not raise this matter; it was just a plan for waiting for him. After that, he came here and joined his father's business, and now he has been able to settle down a bit. He will soon come to my house for our marriage alliance. But before that, you talked about our relationship at home. I cannot understand. How will I tell you all these things at home? .... "
Like Rannvijay, the ground slips from his feet. He never thought she was in love with anyone, but he knows very well that no one can insist on someone's love. So he smiles and tells her.
"You don't need to panic at all. I will go back soon, and tomorrow I have to go to Delhi for some meetings. After that, I will go back to London. I will end our relationship by reaching there. But don't forget to tell me whenever you get married. I like you very much, and I will always say that my happiness is your happiness. Don't worry, I am with you in everything."
She smiles instantly because she hears the truth in every single word.
****************
Mrityunjay is sitting with his sister playing in the same room and has a photo in his hand, seeing which he is making his face again and again because he had preferred his maternal uncle to be the bridegroom for his aunt in his mind. But today his aunt showed a photo of the person with whom she likes to marry.
"He is good, Mayu."
"It's okay, but I like my uncle more than him. Yes, he is handsome, but my uncle is awesome. Very, very handsome, rather than this man, and very strong."
"He is also very good."
"What do I know, whether this man is good or bad? I once saw him from afar. At that time, he also took you with him in the car. That day also, you gave me chocolate and said, Don't tell anyone in the house. I never said anything to anyone except Pakhi. But tell me one thing: if you marry him, who will marry Mama JI (uncle)?
Sunaina gets upset hearing this, as she also feels bad that Rannvijay has agreed to do everything for her, but she cannot do anything for him. But before she can think of it, her landline phone starts ringing, and the ringing of the phone does not reach everyone's ears. That's why she immediately sits near the table, picks up the phone, and sits on the same ground because she knows whose phone this is.
"Jagdish … How long have I been waiting for your phone? ... I thought that I would call you, but then I thought maybe you must be busy with some work. Jagdish, now I cannot stop the whole family again and again. My marriage conversation started in the house. Please come home with our marriage alliance as soon as possible."
" Sunaina… I have called you because I want to tell you... My marriage is fixed with Shweta, the daughter of my father's best friend, and I cannot marry you... I just want to tell you to forget me and never wait for me."
"Jagdish looks; if you are joking, then it is a very bad joke... I am asking when you are coming to my home."
" Never… And today we are talking to each other for the last time."
"You can't do this, Jagdish... Stop your nonsense. We have been in a relationship for 5 years, and you are talking rubbish on the phone... How dare you? Look, Jagdish, it is a very bad joke... Behave yourself.... I am waiting for you to come to my house and talk about our marriage, and you are here with me just joking like an idiot."
" Sunaina… Stop behaving like a fool... I made my intentions clear. I am not interested in marrying you. I want to marry Sweta."
"And what about the relationship between us? We have already moved very far in our relationship. You can't ditch me like this."
"I said, forget everything. Say goodbye."
Only beep sounds are left there, the phone still in her ear, and she tries to convince herself that what just happened here is not at all true; it is a bad dream. Jagdish, whom she loves, can never tell her such things. Jagdish loves her very much, and she knows it very well. She doesn't understand what happened here a few moments ago.