The Third Seatbelt

Baarish zor se car ke windshield par pad rahi hai. Road ke traffic lights wet glass par shimmer kar rahe hain. Car parked hai. Cabin foggy hai, intimate.

Dashboard glow. RAGHAV (36), polo shirt mein thoda rumpled, steering wheel ke paas baitha hai. NEHA (34), seatbelt pehne, sunglasses on, passenger seat par. MINI (16), school uniform mein back seat par, earbuds neck par latke hue.

Raghav car keys ko chhupane ki koshish mein ghumata rehta hai.

Bas do minute mein nikal jayenge.

Do minute tumhari definition mein hamesha

20 minute hote hain.

Mini window se bahar dekhte hue pretend karti hai ki usne suna hi nahi.

Arre, aaj toh rain bhi attendance le rahi hai.

Aur tum bhi.

Mini ke lips pe chhoti si smile aati hai, phir gayab.

Raghav phone uthata hai, route check karta hai.

Umbrella bag mein hai na?

Neha tissue box ki taraf ishara karti hai.

Tumhare baad sab kuch bag mein hi hota hai.

Umbrella, patience, responsibility—sab.

Mini finally bolti hai, without looking at them.

Mummy, papa, aap log directly ek dusre se

baat kar sakte ho na? Main middleman nahi hoon.

Silence.

Raghav awkward laugh deta hai.

Arey beta, hum toh bas—

Bas kya? Bas normal ho gaye hain.

Rain aur tez.

Normal log ek dusre ko dekh ke baat karte hain.

Aap dono phone, mujhe, ya weather report ko

address karte ho. Ek dusre ko nahi.

Raghav ka face soft hota hai.

Neha, main bas aaj fight nahi chahta tha.

Neha sunglasses utarti hai. Uski aankhon mein thakaan aur gussa dono.

Fight tum nahi chahte ya sach nahi chahte?

Sach? Sach yeh hai ki tum mujhe har baat mein

judge karti ho.

Aur tum har silence ko ‘theek hai’ samajh lete ho.

Mini tissue box se ek tissue nikaal kar fold karti hai.

Toh bol do na. Main sun rahi hoon.

Dono Mini ko dekhte hain.

Main bas chahta tha ki aaj function pe hum

normal family lagen.

Normal family hoti kaunsi hai, Raghav?

Jahan koi kisi se baat hi na kare aur bas smile

karte rahe?

Exactly.

Raghav Mini ke haath mein do car keys dekhta hai.

Mini, yeh extra keys kahan se aayi?

Mini seedha un dono ko dekhti hai.

Mere paas rakhi thi.

Kyun?

Kyuki agar aap log alag-alag ghar se nikal jaate,

toh function se pehle milte hi nahi. Aur agar yeh

ride cancel ho jaati, toh aap log phir se message

pe hi baat karte. Ya matlab, baat bhi nahi karte.

Raghav aur Neha stunned.

Mujhe pata hai aap log fight kar rahe ho.

Mujhe yeh bhi pata hai ki last time jab maine

aapko dinner table pe chup dekha tha, tab se kuch

theek nahi hai.

Mini ki awaaz controlled, par aankhen wet.

Toh main ne socha… ek car mein phans jaoge,

toh shayad bol hi doge.

Outside, a horn blares. Rain intensifies.

Neha ka face crack karta hai.

Tumhe yeh sab karne ki zarurat nahi thi.

Mujhe karna pada.

Kyunki aap dono ek hi car mein bhi alag-alag

duniya mein ho. Aur main beech mein seatbelt ki

tarah hoon—tight, useful, aur invisible.

Silence.

Raghav slowly car keys dashboard par rakh deta hai. Neha tissue box ko band karti hai.

Meri galti hai. Main baat avoid karta raha.

Aur main thak gayi thi, isliye chup rahi.

Mini un dono ko dekhti hai. Raghav umbrella uthata hai. Neha apna phone pocket mein rakhti hai.

Good. Ab function pe jaake fake smile kar lena.

Ghar aake asli wali kar lena.

Raghav aur Neha ek dusre ko dekhte hain. Phir dono ek chhoti, real hansi mein phoot padte hain.

Mini apni seatbelt kholti hai.

Chalo. Late ho rahe ho.

Raghav car door ki taraf dekhta hai. Neha sunglasses ko haath mein pakad leti hai.

SUPER: THE THIRD SEATBELT