Jai sipped in his favourite Latte macchiato when Som rushed into the cafe. Untimely rains in the night had drenched him, he dripped from top to bottom and dropped himself on the chair before Jai.
" Damn! You're dead wet!! " , Jai exclaimed.
Som started rubbing his head with a kerchief while Jai ordered a Frapuccino for him.
Without wasting time, he talked.
" Som, I need a job for a girl, who needs it desperately. "
Som tucked the wet kerchief in his pocket.
" Which girl? " , he asked, not very casually.
Jai took sometime, and then cleared,
" The girl, I'm supposed to be cheating on Bhoomi for. "
Som stared unblinking at Jai.
---
Next morning
The room was too big and comfortable for Sonara.
Last night while enrolling her into this hostel, Jai had paid for probably the best room, for a month in advance. And Sonara had decided she won't stop him.
Plus, who didn't want a bit of a luxury, once in a lifetime??
The room had a double bed, a dresser, two chairs with a centre table, a bedside stand, one big cupboard. And a little balcony.
The washroom was common, but very close to her room, in the corridor beside.
The room had a tiny kitchenette, with an electric heater and some utensils.
Sonara sighed. Such peace, after long...
The room had another great thing. Plenty of windows. She now stood before one. It didn't vibe being a morning at all. Rains had been blurring the city since last night. There was a temporary halt now but the sky was overcast.
Humaira sat on the bed with two plastic dolls, giggling and cooing in her self made language. Sonara stared at her and a warmth filled her heart. She walked over and plopped kisses on her daughter's cheeks. Humaira giggled louder and grew very serious the next moment with the doll's dress. Sonara thoroughly enjoyed these changing expressions on her little one's face.
She sometimes wondered whom Humaira would ultimately look like. As of now, she found her own traces on her daughter's face. Maybe someday she'd look like her....father.
A heaviness suddenly gripped her heart...
Sonara had a childhood friend. Zaraa. By turn of fate, Zaraa had been married to the same village Sonara was forcibly taken to following the so called marriage, but only after Sonara had run away with her child.
It was from Zaraa that Sonara got to know, he had died, drinking....
A drop formed at the corner of her eye. Was she too mean to him? Could she not be a bit softer?? Yes, he had committed a grave mistake. But he did love her....
Could she not give him a second chance?? Was she right in snatching a father's rights, or a child's, to have a father??
A tremendous pain struck Sonara all of a sudden, and she couldn't help but wail. And wail.
Little Humaira stopped every job, as she watched her mother thrash her body on the bed beside her, crying vehemently...
The phone began ringing.
----
Sonara sat uncomfortably on a bench, while Jai and Som sipped tea at one of the famous 'Mumbai Cutting Chai' stalls.
Sonara realised, Som was time and again glancing at her. Jai kept sipping, staring distantly at the road.
Som returned the glass, and raised his voice,
" Sonara, I think I have got a job for you. Jai told me everything. I wonder why he didn't care to tell earlier, specially when he's been knowing you for quite sometime now. "
Sonara looked at Jai, who was still sipping the tea unmindfully.
Som walked a bit closer.
" We own a confectionery. My father owns, I mean.
I can get you recruded as a saleswoman there. I believe you are literate enough to read product names and price tags, all you need to do is serve the customers with the products they ask for. Nothing else. You don't have to deal with money matters, don't tense.
Can you do this much?
The salary is good. The exact figure you'll be confirmed later. "
Jai was now looking at Sonara. Sonara too looked at him, questioningly.
Jai shrugged,
" Can you do it Sonara? You cannot have a more reliable and permanent job than this, I swear. Som and Shergil uncle are the most trustworthy people you'll ever find. "
Sonara now cleared her throat.
" I think I can do the job, but....... "
" But? " , both spoke together.
Sonara now felt a bit embarrassed, but she had to clear on this.
" I hope you won't have a problem with a Muslim woman working at your food shop..... "
Som now looked at Jai, who was pursing his lips and scratching his stubble.
Som next looked at Sonara.
" We have eight staffs working in the shop, of which three are Muslims. Any more queries? "
Sonara sighed. And blushed a bit.
" I'll do the job sir, thank you so very much! "
She looked into Jai's eyes, who smiled reassuringly.
---
Bhoomi sat in the gardens. Her father would be returning anytime now, and she was bored indoors.
She took a magazine, and settled in the sun.
But, hardly read a word.
Her visions blurred every now and then.
Why did Jai do this to her? Left her for someone else!!
Bhoomi could forgive every mistake of the person she loved more than herself....but not the fact that she was not worthy in his eyes any longer, someone else was...
Bhoomi would have never taken this decision, had she not overheard Jai and Som's conversation that day. Som could never be wrong about his best friend!
In a moment, Bhoomi got the answer to Jai's every changing behavior, every indifference.
He had someone else in his life now..
And, didn't even care to let her know of that.....
Streams flowed down her eyes and cheeks. Even after Jai didn't visit the whole day after that bar incident, Bhoomi had only believed that he was caught in family affairs.
How foolish of her to keep blindly trusting a man, whose behavior was slowly changing for worse.......
A tap on her shoulder. Som.
Som settled on the garden chair before him.
" You have still got so much pain in the ass for Bava, then why on earth did you break up altogether? "
Bhoomi wiped her cheeks.
" Because he doesn't have an ounce of a single emotion for me left. I'm just an extra. The twelfth man in his life. "
Som stared at the ground for sometime.
" I know you broke up only because you feel he loves someone else.
I just returned, meeting the girl I saw that day with Jai.
Trust me, she's not his girlfriend. "
Bhoomi now stared awkwardly at Som.
---
Jai was quite startled to see his entire family settled in the lounge. He next realised it was weekend.
Siddhi called him.
" Jai, come here! I've got to talk to you. "
Jai panicked. Did people here get to know something of Sonara??
Jai came and settled uncomfortably on the sofa.
Dad and Maya didn't seem much interested though. Maya was nudging her phone while Raghav flipped the newspaper.
" Coming straight to the point, isn't it time you join business, Jai? "
Siddhi asked.
Jai first of all heaved a sigh of relief. And then choked once again.
No. It wasn't time. No time would be a time he would join business. Because he won't. But did he have the gut to declare that?
" Speak up Jai! What plans do you have ?? " , Siddhi was growing impatient.
This time, Maya and Raghav too had stopped there respective jobs.
Once again, Jai went completely blank. And stared at the floor.
Why life?? Why so many hurdles altogether?????
" He needs some time Mom. He's going through some turbulences. Can we discuss this tomorrow night? "
Jai now stared at his savior, and felt like hugging her to death.
Thank you, Maya!!
----
Some bonds are getting stronger. Do you get which and which??