He drives out rashly...and he reaches a lonely place...comes out of his car and just screams his heart out... and it echoes back to him as if he is screaming at himself. he just sat there for hours...All alone.

He gets back to his mansion...from the entrance of KM, he gets to view the entire place...its not less than a palace but the real charm is missing...There's an absolute pin drop silence as if the soul and true spirit just vanished from this place. He would get a warm welcome with the cling of her bangles and sound of her anklets...as if she ran to some place to hide and get a glimpse of him ...did she really? and he used to find it so irritating..and today he is missing it to hell as if he has been let off. He is really not liking this place without her ...but his false ego is still not permitting to accept it. He walks at a slow pace towards his room just to invite himself into another killing silence...He straightway hits his bed and his heart is beating with harsh restlessness filled with a strange fear...which he had never experienced before. His eyes getting moist...Sleep has become his biggest foe.

He decides to work out so that he will get tired and maybe have a peaceful sleep...when he moves to the Gym to control over himself but there too...the previous day's incidents are repeating itself...As if she is hugging him again And all what followed is putting him in to shame...He is clenching his fist again and hits on the wall again and again making him bleed but he is least affected as he is more hurt now with the pain that he has been giving Geet... He just leaves from the Gym failing to calm his restlessness and he stops on the way when he gets to see Geet's room..and he is slowly dragged towards it ... In this one year he never even passed by this room then, what's happening now? Why is he doing this? he doesn't have an answer. He steps inside closes the door behind. The room is still filled with her fragrance and surprisingly, his restlessness is calming down...He gently lies down on the bed where she has been sleeping for nearly a year now and gradually his mind calms down completely as he feels as if he's cocooned with the warmth of his wife...YES...HIS WIFE...and and he instantly drifted into a peaceful sleep without even giving him self a chance to explain what he just thought..."HIS WIFE?"

Next day morning..

His eyes opens gradually as the sun rays tickles his eyes...He remembers being dragged to this room but doesn't remember when he hit the bed and when he drifted into deep sleep... the best sleep that he had ever in his life...Now, he is lazy to get up and remains relaxing himself on the bed as if his heart and soul doesn't want to leave this place...Just then, the land line telephone starts ringing and no one is picking it up. He gets really frustrated as its still not attended...he takes the phone which is in side table near the bed and simultaneously Shanti managed to attend to it...

Shanti:

Geet:

Maan is still lazily lying on this bed in Geet's room and he simply blinks and a smile touches his lips. As if her voice is giving the best dose of medicine to his restless mind...and he closes his eyes to hear her talk further.. rather this is the first time he is hearing her talk for this long...

Shanti:

Geet: Geet is so excited to hear her voice...(How are you?)

Shanti: (How are you? How are everyone at home?)

Geet: she gulps and continues again...(Me and everyone fine here) and She remains quite for a second and continues...(I was not able to reach Dadima on her mobile. Thats why I called on land line. Is she fine?)

Shanti: (She is fine...She was remembering you so much...She didnt even come out of her room yesterday as you were not around) Shanti takes a long sigh...

Geet: (Did she have her food and medicine on time?)

Shanti: (Yes she did...you dont worry...I am there na)

Maan is really moved with her caring nature and true concerns for his Daadima. Also he is amused with the bond she shares with Shantima.

Geet: (Hmm..so, tell me more...how are everyone? And..And..)

Shanti: (And who dear?)

Shanti knows very well about Geet...she must be missing her Maan Baba who is stone hearted and doesnt even care about the current consequences..Least does she knows how desperate Maan is getting to hear "How is Maan?" just once but Geet doesn't even mention his name...rather pretending to avoid him but unable to...at the same time Maan could sense she is not taking his name but curious to enquire about him and unable to.

Geet: (How is Nakul Kaka?)

Shanti takes a sigh...and replies...(What will happen to him? He is all fine and hefty )

Geet giggles at Shanti's spontaneous answer for her husband (Nakul) and takes a long sigh continues..Her giggle is again drawing Maan's special attention. He is all lost in some new feeling.

Shanti:

Geet:(especially I want to eat halwa-Poori made by you)

She sound so cute...as if she is a 6 years old kid. Again winning a smile on Maan's face but also putting him into shame to have hurt her innocent and caring soul.

Shanti: (You should have reminded me about this day before yesterday )

Geet: (Day before yesterday)

she is telling this all lost...remembering all what she went thro that day and shanti could guess her restlessness. Even Maan could get what she means and he is restless too

Shanti:

(What happened is happened...now come back soon...and the day you come back, I will make all your favorites...just come back..this place looks deserted without you)

Geet:

she doesnt sound confident and again making him restless.

Shanti: (You were mentioning something to me...like tiket for exam)

Geet laughs again at Shanti's innocence...

Geet:

Shanti: (Yes...did you collect it?)

Geet: (I will collect it tomorrow)

Shanti: (Do study and do your exams well...Daadima and myself will keep special pooja in the Ganesh Temple)

Geet: (Ok Ma...I have to take your leave...I will call Daadima later)

Shanti:(Take care of your self)

Geet: (You too and also take care of Daadima)

Geet and shanti bid goodbye...hiding their own emotions which is obviously audible to each other as well as Maan and he couldn't believe a tear escapes his eyes too hearing her voice. It really hit him so hard that he is no where in their conversation. Will she ever take his name again?

By now, the morning rays have captured the entire room. He gets out of the bed... moves towards the extended side of the room where the cupboards, study table, book shelf and few other shelves were kept. He first gets to see study table. It had some rectangular mark of dust.. The table also had some papers, notes, books, he curiously checks all of them... A smile touches his face now. He was really feeling proud of her now...wish he gets an opportunity to tell her this in person...Her notes had neat handwriting and it had some statistics related theories and problems...her writing was so neat...he didnt know why he just hugged that book... and he had called her "chote shehar ki anpadh gawar"...how will he ever make up for all what he has baselessly insulted her...He goes to the other corner where he sees a huge basket with rolls of wool and various other varieties of yarn and lots of crochet and knitting pins ...and a sewing machine...he felt he has seen them somewhere..but where?

(Those Yarns, wool and sweing machine were your mom's) ...Just then he turns towards the owner of the voice...its none other than Shantima...She would so lovingly call him Maan baba and he is extremely moved by the way she has called him SIR...

Maan:

Shanti:

There is a moment of silence...its so true that she was like an innocent kid and he has literally thrashed her with his harsh words and behavior

Shanti:

Shanti gets to see Geet's notebook which has been holding it protectively and she gently shakes her head and smiles sadly and continues..

Shanti: (She has completed 2nd grade exams for BA I guess...I dont understand all this. I am illiterate you see). She is telling this as Shantima is also hurt with Maan's thinking about Illiterate people

Maan:

He knows she was hurt with the word illiterate...but she doesnt react and she continues..

Shanti: (So, What was I saying? Geet got her exams results)

Maan walks back his eyes turns red fuming at himself and all what happened on that day plays in front of him. Even though, there were a couple of times when she had stepped into his room to give him coffee or food and he outrightly objected to this saying there are servants to do this job and she need not bother but YES..that was the day he was so very frustrated...He had followed up with the detectives whom he had arranged to source his Pari and they were still unable to trace her or get even any clue of her. This is the regular status update he has been getting from them and he was bloody upsetting mood when he was getting into his room and that's when Geet followed him to his room and invariably, she reminds him about that so called marriage and all these thoughts were simply fueling his anger and he literally shouted at her for walking in to his room and that's it...she never ever dared after that...

_______

(A mini flash back...)

A routine evening when he is back to his mansion after a day long work on one end and yet another day passes by where in he has not found any details about his PARI and his key sourses have also not been successful in this regard. He straight away walked into his room he heard Geet's anklets sound following him and she just walked in to his room...ofcourse she was so very excited to share something but he got triggered with the fact that she keeps walking into his room for some or the other reasons inspite of clearly explaining her the rules.

Geet: (Maan...hmm..I wanted to tell you that...My...)

Maan: he could make out she stopped then and there...

Geet: (Hmm..I...My) She trembles in fear and not able to frame right sentence)

Maan:

He could hear her silently walking backward and once she was out of his room, she ran away as fast and far as she could.

(Flashback ends)

_______

He again closes his eyes and clenches his fist..he was so proud to be such a perfectionist...but NO...he is wrong...everything is wrong in him. and with what shanti continues, his devilish ego is finally thrown out of him...

Shanti:

Maan: (Shantima..please don't tell such words)

Shanti: (Don't call me Mom... You belong to a high category...and I am a ordinary servant )

He kneels down in front of her and tears started to pour out of his eyes.. and Shanti couldn't control herself anymore...She is finding Maan in the same critical condition which Geet went thro all these days especially that saturday evening when she kneeled down, literally giving up on every single hope...and no way shanti can see her maan baba breaking down like this...

Shanti:

She gets down to his level and pats on his cheeks... He is all lost and no response...She checks his forehead and she found his body has started to get warm..and doubts if its indicating initial stage of fever...and also notices his right hand which has deep wound and scratches ...probably because of continuously hitting his hand over the wall. Shanti calls out for two servants one she asks to bring breakfast and the other servant to get the first aid kit and she gets back to Maan who has still been sitting down...

Shanti:

Maan: He tells this all lost and with a teary eyes...

Shanti is really getting worried for him now. She finally decides to give in to his vulnerable condition and starts calling him baba again...

Shanti:

Maan:

He looks lost...and she continuously pats on his cheeks..and he comes to his senses... she helps him to get up and makes him lie on the bed arranging the pillows. the breakfast and the first aid box reaches the room.

Shantima:(What have you done to yourself Maan Baba?)

she tries to feed him the breakfast...but he refuses to eat.

Shantima:

Maan quietly takes the breakfast plate and starts eating. But still with every passing second, he is getting more and more restless and desperately wants to meet Geet. Meantime, Shanti gives him a glass of water with some tablet for fever and painkiller and she treats his wound and puts the band and could see he is feeling much better now.

shantima: (its just 2 days past since Geet left from here and you are facing this condition...then think about Geet ...all what she went thro in this one year?)

All he could do is to shut his burning eyes and feel what all she went thro.

Shantima:

She pauses and Maan looks blankly at her

Shanti:

Maan is literally hit hard with this question...of course she too deserved to share her opinion..if not as a husband - wife, as a friend...FRIEND!! he closes his eyes again...

Shanti: (Have you ever thought about it? How this one year went for her?)