MM- Ch 10

Daijaan knew that for a girl to be so close with someone meant either that person is someone special and familiar or that moment is very special.

She edged forward wanting to catch a few words of their conversation and only heard ‘6 am it is then! Behind this house right? Near the fields! I will see you there’ Maan confirmed to Geet who nodded happily and then Maan walked away inside. Geet leaped up in joy and was dancing around with excitement as she also started to make her way inside.

Just then she spotted Daijaan and immediately straightened up! Not wanting to give away her little plan so she came over and hugged Daijaan saying ‘I am so excited DJ, Meer’s wedding is going to be so much fun & I have so many plans running in my head on how to decorate the house with colourful drapes and flowers…She tugged at the old lady and said ‘umm…let’s go in and see where everyone else is’!Daijaan noted Geet’s attempt at cover up but she knew it must be an important secret otherwise Geet always came to her first with confessions of her big and small plans. So, she kept mum and smiled knowingly that she will uncover her Geet’s little secret with the rise of dawn and know what the real deal is.

In many ways, Daijaan was the elderly version of Geet. Warm and loving, playful and still full of mischief; just the greys in her hair was a proof of her old age and her wise thoughtful lessons, poetic words were an ode to the wisdom she held.. So a situation like this demanded Daijaan to turn into Agent DJ spying on her otherwise usual jasoos partner!

Wali Ullah’s family were just wrapping up their talks and taking Behroz’s leave, when Maan requested to go for a morning walk in the fields next day to see the earthy sunrise and experience the village life. He asked for Haider to join along. Haider who was already tensed with his own doings was failingly trying to steal Meer’s attention throughout the rest of the evening. Meer not wanting to create any drama avoided Haider’s willfull eyes and strictly kept herself occupied with Dadima and Haider’s sister, Noora. Haider didn’t really care for Maan’s silly desires, his mind was too preoccupied to think anything of it.

Mohinder happily obliged to be the guide and Geet jumped in asking to tag along with her father since she usually does go on those morning walks with him.

Daijaan was quietly watching Geet and Maan’s exchange subtle looks and smiles. She could see that Geet felt at ease with his constant looks and stares and this made Daijaan wonder why Geet was comfortable with this young stranger boy already! What was so special about him? She saw that he had a way with everyone despite his young age. His presence was a magnum that even men much older wouldn’t hold so well. 

Daijaan thought to herself that this young boy will grow to hold a position where his influence on others would be stronger than most around him.

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As the dawn came upon the Handa Household, Geet was up and ready for her morning walk with her father. Mohinder who had a busy day ahead didn’t notice the unusual excitement in Geet but Jassi ji did. She asked Geet why she wanted to go with her father today despite it being the day of haldi and so much had to happened already.

Geet just played away that she is excited to go and show dulha bhai and his friends their lush green fields and enjoy the fresh pure air of Hoshiarpur.

As Mohinder and Geet approached Behroz’s house, where Haider and Maan were meant to meet up with them. Geet saw that her father was preoccupied in his own thoughts. So she said ‘Bauji, you have a lot to get done today right?’Mohinder nodded at his daughter.

Geet went on to ask ‘then why did you agree to give Dulha bhai and his friend a tour of our fields and village today?’

He replied ‘Because they are our guests and anyway when will they get a chance to come here again? Haider should know about the place where our Meer grew up’.

Geet then said ‘ if that’s the case then let me take them around with Nakul kaka and you get on with your errands with bade baba (Behroz)’ Mohinder looked at his daughter curiously but didn’t get a chance to question her as  Maan and Haider were approaching so he greeted them first.

Haider came forward to hug him. Geet then quickly said ‘Bauji, you have a lot to do for tonight, I can show Dulha bhai around and we will be fine together. I will ask kaka to join us as well and we will be back in an hour or two to have breakfast here with you and bade baba’.

Mohinder although wasn’t sure of her daughter’s plans, but he thought to let the kids wander around with Nakul on guard with them. Maan noting Geet’s plans added to it further ‘Haan haan uncle, we don’t want to waste your time. We will be fine together and it would be fun to see Hoshiarpur with Geet as well’.

 Mohinder saw that Haider was very quiet and looked like he didn’t hear much of what was being discussed so he put his hand on his shoulder and asked ‘ you okay beta? Do you not want to go out for a walk this morning?’

Haider looked at him and said ‘No, uncle I’m okay. Just tired but I think the fresh air would help me’  and in his mind he thought help him to clear up his mind and figure a way out of the mess he created last night!

With Mohinder walking away to meet Behroz and get the prepartions started. Geet led Maan and Haider around the house towards the fields. 

Maan was constantly whispering with Geet asking her why they are not meeting Meer straight away to which Geet said ‘She has no idea about this!’

Maan exclaimed loudly ‘what?! Then how were you planning to bring her out with us? She is the dulhan everyone is watching her!!’

Geet smiled mischievously and said ‘And I am Geet Handa, no one can stop me from doing what I want!’

She looked ahead at Haider walking a few steps fasters and lost in his own thoughts. She walked up to him and said ‘Dulha bhai, I wanted to ask if you want to see the water mill first or the plains behind the haweli?'

‘Umm you don’t need to call me dulha bhai Geet, you can just call me Haider and I don’t mind whatever you both decide’. Geet could sense his deflated mood but decided to ignore it and instead said ‘Okay, so I will just decide since I know this place so much more’. We will get to the water mill first, where Nakul kaka will join us’.

Until last night Maan had no opinion of Geet besides that she seems a happy go lucky girl but right now he thought of her as stupid. Tagging Nakul kaka or whoever he is with them will no longer keep their plan a secret. He thought he should put some sense in her and spoke to protest against her plan.

‘Let’s go to the fields behind our house FIRST!’ we are right HERE anyway!’

 

‘No, let’s come BACK to it in the end! That way we can spend longer HERE’ Geet affirmed.

‘NO, it makes no sense, we will have Nakul kaka with us the whole time then and she won’t come either if she sees us all with him’ Maan replied edging closer to Geet with his anger also edging forward and he whispered the last few words to her.

Haider looked at the two and said ‘who won’t come with us?’And Maan anyay we are new here, let her lead.You don’t have to be the boss everywhere!’

Geet smirked at Maan but smiled at Haider and said ‘I am just trying to make the most of your time dulha bhai, that’s all’.

‘I just told you don’t call me Dulha bhai’.

‘But you are going to be a dulha and you are our bhai since Meer di is getting married to you, right?’ Geet asked innocently.

Haider didn’t know how to respond to her question but just blinked and started walked ahead again.

Geet followed him and could see Maan sulking behind.

They reached the water mill and since it was still early morning only a few men were around. One of whom recognized Geet and came upto the trio.

Geet said ‘Sasriyakal Kaka, yeh Haider bhai, Meer Di ke mangetar aur yeh unke dost. Woh yahan ghoom ne aye yahan ka sab dekhne..Kya aap inhe mill aur yahan ki jheel dikhayenge?’ (Hi Uncle, this is Haider, Meer Di’s fiancé and his friend. They want to visit all the things here, will you show them the mill and the lake behind?’

Nakul Kaka was a friendly middle aged man, the village ppl know him as Mr Know it all. He works with Mohinder and is as close as their family member.  Knowing that they are guests to the family, he very happily took Maan and Haider on a small detour whilst Geet followed them loosely, she mostly greeted the people she saw and was busy talking to the young girls walking by who were now standing in a group staring and laughing at the two shehri boys!

Although this walk was a farce for Maan but now trailing along the path from the mill to the lake, he truly was appreciating nature’s beauty in its simplest yet glorious form. Even Haider who seemed lost in thought much of the time, on Nakul Kaka’s insistence went up the small staircase on the mill and couldn’t help but feel uplifted with the views of the golden morning rays smiling down on the vast green fields ahead. The small bustle of workers making their way with tiffins in their hands into the fields greeting each other as they would on any morning before start of their day felt refreshing and new to his ears than the usual drowning sounds of horns and screeches in Delhi.

Geet stood waiting on a small walking bridge just behind the mill across the small wind of the lake as Nakul Kaka led the boys on to the same bridge from the otherside. She then told Nakul Kaka not to feel obliged to come along with them to the fields which are close to the Haweli anyway and requested him to stay put and not delay his day’s work any longer so he could come to the events on time in the evening.

Maan watched her interactions closely with the people around her and couldn’t help but compare her to girls he knew similar to her age or if not older but with half her energy and wit. He noticed that she was glowing under the morning sun in her pale yellow shalwar kameez and almost resembled the beaming bright sun with her light hearted talks and genuine laughs. 

He chuckled at his thought of comparing her to the sun as just last night glancing her through the net dupatta he was mesmerized by her moon like innocence. He told himself ‘Sambhal ja Maan, warna yeh suraj chaand taaroun ke chakkar main tera diwala nikal jayega’! (‘Be careful Maan, otherwise between these thoughts of Sun and moon and stars you will be the next to take off on an orbit!’).

As they approached the fields the clouds had appeared and the soulful smell of promising rain was in the air. Geet led them under an old banyan tree with thick old trunks hanging from all its sides. Its shade like a canopy and now with the light breeze the scene looked like just out of an old hindi movie with the fields of Punjab lush in the background, earthy plains with swaying trees and monsoon clouds looming above.

They could see the boundary wall of the Haweli from nearby. Geet ran towards one end of the wall where it was slightly dipped as if the top few concrete blocks were taken off.  As Haider sat resting under the tree, Maan stood and followed Geet with his eyes. He saw that she was picking up things off the ground. Preplexed he walked a few steps ahead to focus on her doings. Geet by then had started aiming the now identified pellets of stones at a window in the haweli. Maan thought she will wake up others with it and if this was her idea of getting Meer’s attention he now thought she was not only stupid but also looney!

He was about to hastily catch up with her, when he suddnely saw Meer opening the window, her head covered in her dupatta. ‘Kya hai Geetey! Itni jaldi subah phir agayi! Aaj toh pata hai na main nahi a sakti!’ (What Geet?! You have come so early again… you know I can’t come today’)

‘Yeh yeh I know but you have prayed right?! So then just come for a few minutes. I need to show you something! And only you! I did so much hard work on it… Pleeaaasse just come for a few minutes’.

‘Uff Geet whenever you comeby in the mornings like this you waste my day by showing me nonsensical things! Can you spare me today! I don’t have time for it I need to speak to Baba before he leaves his room for breakfast’. Said Meer.

‘No! Just come now other wise the next pellet is going to be thrown on Daijaan’s window and you know what happens after!’ Geet threatened to her friend.

‘Geet! You won’t do that! You know how important it is for me to speak to Baba today. I trusted you! Stop being so childish’ Meer said frustratingly.

‘I am not!! Just come for a few minutes! And Anyway Baba must be still reading his Qur’an. I won’t waste your time after this pakka!! But Daijaan will pakka waste it for sure with telling both of us off’Geet pleaded.

A few minutes later, Maan saw Meer climbing over the small edge of the wall and jumping off the field side, he could see she was berating Geet but she was just walking ahead laughing at her friend instead.

Maan turned around to look at Haider who still had his eyes closed and head laid against the trunk of the tree. Rather than wake his friend he sneakily chose to walk to behind the tree and watch the milan scene unfold.

As Geet led Meer to the tree, Maan could hear the frustration in Meer’s voice when she said she needed to be home and that Geet should understand not everything is a child’s play. He smirked knowing her soon to be reaction!

Geet just kept on saying ‘Sorry Di, but it won’t take long and then we can go back khushi khushi!’

Upon hearing some noise, Haider opened his eyes and was stood surprised just as Meer looked at him and at Geet in surprise. Geet looked on between the two and chirpily said ‘baat karni thi na aap ko pehle insey karley’(You needed to talk right, so talk to each other first) and walked away towards the fields again.

Maan thought Geet would join him behind the tree but saw her walk away from the two, so he followed her trail after awkwardly saying hi to Meer.

‘Hiii..I mean Salaam’ Haider said.

‘ Wasalaam… umm Mujhe jaana haan, Geet pata nahin kya soch rahi thi’ (I need to go, I don’t know what Geet was thinking)

‘No, no wait…I really need to talk to you. I am sorry for last night’. Haider blocked her way

Meer looked at him with hurtful eyes and said ‘well, it’s not going to change much’.

Haider stepped closer and with guilt laced in his words he said ‘Yes it has changed a lot… I saw another side of it. I saw it through you Meer’.

‘Main kuch samjhi nahi’ (I don’t understand) said Meer perpelxed

‘I know I am stupid, but you made me see things differently. Like the goodness of the situation…and it cleared things inside, I mean my mind. Haider didn’t know how to convince her of his change of heart so he took her hand in his and said ‘I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a fool but I.. I ..I want to’

Aah just say it Haider! He said to himself and haider bent on his knees with Meer’s hand still held tight in his and asked ‘Will you marry me Sameera?!







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Thank you for reading my work and any comments/ suggestions would always be welcome. 
A new turn in Haider's life and Meer to Sameera... small transition of names may become significant later.. keep on reading to know what turns Maan's and Geet's life takes!