Masoom Mohabbat Chapter 5

Jassi ji realized that time was ticking away so she asked to begin the preperations for the sagai as she led Maan to a guest room in the back of the house so he could freshen up in the meantime.

A while later Maan freshend up and was walking out when he noticed a door on the side of the guest room leading to a back courtyard of the haweli and saw Haider pacing across the veranda clutching his stomach.

Maan leaned on the door and called his friend out ‘ Kya haal hai janab ka? Why are you pacing away over here… I’m ready to rock and roll in your procession to doom buddy!’ Maan laughed at his own sarcastic joke!

Haider still looked worried and said ‘ Tujhe yahaan mazaak sujh raha hai, meri yahaan phatt rahi hai’ ! (You think you have the time to joke here, Im shitting myself here!)

Maan said ‘Kya phatt rahi hai, tera salwar!’ he laughed. (Really shitting in your trousers! )

Haider now getting further annoyed at his friend teasing him pulled him by the collar and raised his voice and said ‘Abbe saale haan!! I said yes to the engagement but Abbu went one step further and asked for the wedding to be done now too…like in a day or two!! Meri toh soch soch kar phatt gayi yaar!! (I am on my nerves end just thinking it through man!)

He put his hand on his stomach and said ‘Havoc inside since we left home and I have been twice already since we came here… I came to look for you as an excuse coz now this is my thrice!!! He raised his three fingers indicating the number of times he has been to the toilet so far!

Maan looked bewildered at his friend then placing his hand on his shoulder he burst out laughing howling ‘you have got the runs!! And that too now!!! Wah wah what a timing Yaar’!

Suddenly from a window above, they heard a loud giggling noise. Maan looked above to see who else has joined him in his laughter session. His laughter died in his throat and he stood with mouth ajar frozen with his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

There stood Geet with her pretty pink net dupatta flaring in the wind off the side of her shoulder… laughing away holding her stomach, pointing at the two men down below and looking back in the room she stood in.. As she would look back her stray strands of ringlets bounced across her cheeks and her jhumkis.

Maan stood mesmerized at the sight of her: with a petite and slim frame bent over with laughter. Her laugh crystal clear and carefree. Her plump face devoid of any makeup and yet still bright and radiant without a tinge of worry.

Haider looked up too and just then Meer came towards to the window to grab Geet away from the window.

‘Come here, move away from the window Geeeeet!!… Abhiii what will they say!!’  Meer trying hard to shush Geet’s hyena laugh and move her away from the window before anyone else hears her laughing at the guest of honour: the Dulha and his best friend!

As Meer came in sight of the window she glanced back at the two men standing below them.  Each shell- shocked and staring with mouths wide open. Meer also laughed and chuckled lightly breaking Haider’s trance like state. He too looked back shyly at Meer and raised his hand to awkwardly wave at her. Meer timidly stepped behind Geet who was still laughing away, trying to breathe at the same time with the huffing and puffing. Meer also raised her hand to wave slightly at her future husband whom she is finally seeing after so many years but in that moment Geet in a jerk turned around towards her and in the process Meer’s hand tugged on Geet’s shoulder and pushed off her dupatta. With the strong breeze in the air, the light net dupatta got carried away in the wind towards the courtyard below.

Shocked at her dupatta flying off her shoulder,Geet instantly stopped laughing and tried leaping forward to catch the corner of her dupatta from the window and yelped ‘ Hayye Rabba meri Chunni’. (Oh gosh! My scarf!)  Meer screeched ‘Geeett’ and held her back so she doesn’t fall through the window.

Maan’s spell broke when he heard her yelp. In an instant he ran forward in the courtyard to get a hold on the flying piece of fabric and jumped high to catch it in his hand.

He held the piece of net  sequined cloth in between his hands and looked through it at its owner.
Mesmerized he whispered her name gently

‘Geet’!

Geet looked straight down at Maan with a look of surprise and with sudden anxiousness marking her face. Maan could see her lips quivering even from down below.

Meer finally pulled Geet back and Said ‘Chal yahaan se, Ma ko pata chala toh kacha chaba jayengi humein!’ (Let’s get away from here!! If Ma comes to know of this she will eat us alive!!)

Haider watched Maan who was still holding the dupatta and staring at the window even after the girls ran back in their room. 

He hit his friend on the shoulder and whispered annoyedly ‘Dekha ab unne bhi maloom hogaya ke mujhe diarrhea shuru hogaya hai! Khudaya tu dost hai ya dushman!!! meri help karne ke bajaye meri hi khilli uda raha hai!!’ (See what you done… now they know as well that I have got diarrhea! Are you really my friend or feud!! Rather than take me out the situation you happily joked at my expense!!!)

Maan finally looked at Haider and half hazardly said ‘Pehle Tu washroom ja relieve yourself and Sagai ka waqt hone ko hai’. (You go to wash room first, the engagement ceremony is about to happen!)

Haider who suddenly felt the tides of urgency in his bowels gushing forth, he rushed back in the room to use the bathroom.

Maan followed him and waited for Haider to get done. He had the ruffled dupatta in his hand and the image of her laughter was replaying all over his mind. He felt as if he was given a new set of eyes which he couldn’t take off her. Her name was common and simple yet it felt good to spell it with his lips. He was confused at his own reaction since he thought he has seen more flaunting beauties in the hydes of Delhi  but there was something strangely attractive about that young girl and he looked forward to meeting her again.

Haider walked out of the bathroom exhausted. He wiped his face with a towel he found on the bed and said to his friend ‘Main kya karoon yaar, Abbu has put me in such a state of stress! I mean I thought engagement now and Shaadi later but he has set his mind on taking her back with us.

‘Waise tujhe problem kya hai? Ladki toh tujhe pasand hai na, Bhabhi toh pyari lagi mujhe?!’ (But what’s the problem? You like the girl right and she looked nice to me)

‘Mujhe kya problem hai! Tune uski saheli se nazar hi kab hatai aur Bhabhi ko dekha! Agar woh bhi tujhe pyari lage toh Teri bhi shaadi karwadoon kya mere saath!!’  (What’s my problem!?  When did you get the time to take your eyes off her friend that you even noticed her standing beside? If you also thought that ‘her friend’ is nice then shall I get you hitched and married to her too?’

"Arre apne gale ka phanda mere gale kyun baan rahe ho bhai mere" (Why are you trying to hang me along with yourself!?) said Maan holding his hands around his neck to show him the phanda!

"Wohi toh! If you like a girl will you marry her straight away??! No right! But I don’t know why Abbu doesn’t understand this!! He thinks getting me married will tie me down, now that I am just finishing college and he is afraid I will fly off somewhere."

Maan looked thoughtfully at his friend and said "try talking to her then".

Just then Noora, Haider's younger sister came looking for them, asking them to hurry up and join the rest in the hall where everyone is waiting. 

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Note: Tadantadaa.... Pehli Mulaqat ka nasha kaisa laga?! As a note to the scene where Maan saw Geet through the net dupatta standing at the window and whispered her name mesmerised! Well  I imagined this iconic scene from Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam except that Maan is holding the dupatta in his hands and looking up...

Next chapter will be here tomorrow