Pados Wali

Maine glass le liya, kyunki politely lena hi hota hai. Usne mujhe dekhte hue kaha, “Aapko raat ko neend kam aati hai. Corridor me jo awaaz hoti hai, na? Woh aapko disturb karti hai.”

Mere gale me kuch atak gaya. “Aapko kaise pata corridor ki awaaz?”

Uski aankhen mere pet pe ruk gayin.

“Shayad mujhe bhi neend nahi aati,” usne kaha. “Kabhi-kabhi ghar aapko sone nahi deta.”

Main ne door thoda aur khola tha, par woh andar nahi aayi. Bas wahi khadi rahi, jaise usse meri threshold par khade rehna hi pasand ho.

“Akash se boliyega, raat ko balcony ka darwaza band rakhein,” usne aise casually bola jaise koi weather update de rahi ho. “Kuch cheezein khuli jagah se andar aati hain.”

Uske jaate hi main glass ko dekhte rahi. Nariyal paani tha ya kuch aur, mujhe nahi pata. Maine sink me udel diya.

Us raat se sapne badalne lage.

Pehle sapne me main ek lambi, andheri gali me thi. Mere haath me bacche ke kapde the, aur koi peeche se halki halki singing kar raha tha. Main mudti toh koi nahi. Bas ek aurat ki khushboo.

Dusre sapne me main apne flat ke living room me thi. Sofa par Akash soya hua tha. Main kitchen se aayi toh dining table ke neeche se kisi ne mere bachche ki chhoti si hansi nikali. Main jhuki toh wahan Madhavi baithi thi, pair cross karke, bilkul shaant. Usne ek ungli apne hothon par rakhi aur bola, “Shh. Abhi toh uska naam bhi nahi rakha.”

Main ne neend me hi cheekh di.

Akash uth gaya. “Kya hua?”

“Woh… woh yahan thi.”

“Kya?”

“Madhavi. Sapne me.”

Akash ne takiye ko seedha kiya. “Shruti, bas. Aise sapne pregnancy me aate hain. Subah chai piyo aur so jao.”

“Tumhe samajh nahi aa raha,” maine rote hue kaha. “Woh mujhe dekh ke lagta hai jaise—”

“Jaise kya?” usne hard tone me bola. “Jaise woh koi witch hai? Please. Society me ek odd neighbour aa gayi aur tumne horror movie bana di?”

Mujhe us waqt pehli baar Akash se sach me nafrat jaisi feeling aayi. Itni tez nahi, par enough ki main uski taraf dekh bhi na paun.

Agli subah jab main balcony me kapde sukha rahi thi, neeche society ke gate ke paas Madhavi khadi thi. Usne mujhe dekhkar haath hilaya.

Aur phir, bina hile, bina awaaz ke, usne apna sir thoda sa tilt kiya.

Jaise koi jaanwar smell se kisi cheez ko pehchanta hai.

Akash

Akash ka dimag hamesha seedha kaam karta tha. School me maths, college me accounts, office me numbers. Uske liye duniya me agar kis cheez ka pattern mil jaye toh cheez kaam ki ho jaati thi; warna woh usse noise maan leta tha.

Par Shruti noise nahi thi.

Ye baat usse der se samajh aayi.

Woh thaki hui si lagti thi. Pregnancy se pehle bhi usme ek tez, almost impatient kind of honesty thi. Par ab uski awaaz me kabhi-kabhi dar chhupa hota tha, aur Akash har baar us dar ko kisi aur naam se bula deta—stress, hormones, mood.

Kyuki uske ghar me uski maa bhi aise hi bolti thi. “Itna drama mat kar,” “Thoda control kar,” “Sabko tension hoti hai.” Akash ne bachpan se ye seekha tha ki ghabrahat ko narm banake bol do toh log sambhal jaate hain. Shayad isliye usse lagta tha woh helpful hai.

Lekin Shruti ke chehre pe jab woh aadhi raat baithi hoti, aankhen khuli, toh uska woh formula fail ho jata.

Ek din office me uski manager ne kaha, “Tum distracted lag rahe ho, Akash.”

Akash ne laptop screen ko dekha. Uske mind me quarterly report thi, par pichhle do hafton se usne ek bhi sheet bina galti ke finish nahi ki thi. Ghar se call aata toh woh irritate ho jata, aur call na aaye toh aur zyada tension.

Usne lunch break me apne dost Raghav ko call kiya.

“Bhai, ek weird neighbour aayi hai,” Akash ne low voice me bola.

Raghav ne hansi dabai. “Weird matlab kya? Bina makeup ke ya bina shaadi ke?”

“Yaar serious ho ja.”

“Okay, okay. Bol.”

Akash ne do minute me sari baat bata di—Shruti ka overreaction, neighbour ka alag tarah se observe karna, sapne, society ka weird vibe.

Raghav ne ek second chup reh kar pucha, “Aur tu kya feel kar raha hai?”

Akash irritate ho gaya. “Main kya feel kar raha hoon ka matlab?”

“Matlab tu Shruti ko samajh raha hai ya bas usko calm kar raha hai?”

Question seedha tha, isliye Akash ko pasand nahi aaya.

“Main uska husband hoon,” usne kaha. “Calm karna mera kaam hai.”

Raghav ne dheere se kaha, “Haan. Par sometimes log calm nahi, bas heard feel karna chahte hain.”

Akash ne kuch nahi bola. Kyuki us waqt uske pas bolne ko koi achha jawab nahi tha.

Sham ko ghar aake usne Shruti ko kitchen me dekha. Woh ek cup me adrak wali chai bana rahi thi, par smell aate hi uske chehre par halki si jhijhak thi. Akash ne notice kiya ki woh us chai ko peene se zyada uske cup ko dekh rahi hai.

“Sab theek?” usne poocha.

Shruti ne shoulder ucha diye. “Madhavi ne phir kuch bola.”

“Ab kya?”

“Bas kaha balcony ka darwaza band rakho.”

Akash ne apna bag side me rakha. “Toh band rakho. Itna simple hai.”

Shruti ka chehra tight ho gaya. “Tum isse aise bol rahe ho jaise maine alarm bajaya ho.”

“Shruti—”

“Main dar rahi hoon, Akash.”

Ye sentence seedha tha. Nanga. Akash ko uska weight samajh me aaya aur phir bhi usne us weight ko dhang se pakda nahi.

Usne thoda slow bolne ki koshish ki. “Main samajh raha hoon, bas—”

“Nahi. Tum samajh nahi rahe.”

Woh chup ho gaya.