Teri Lakeerein

20. Tera Sahara

"Inspector Sahiba, aapne humse ek baat kahi thi," Karishma remarked.

Haseena looked at her with a questioning gaze. Karishma had suddenly showed up at the thana and almost dragged her off to the tea stall.

"Yahi ki hum bahut simple-minded hain—jo dil mein hai wahi zubaan par."

Haseena smiled at the memory and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Kya aap bhi waisi hi hain?"

The SHO paused mid-sip, Karishma's line of questioning catching her off guard. However, as she was about to speak, Karishma interjected.

"Nahi hain".

Haseena waited for her to continue, unaware of the ongoing conversation's context.

"Aapko pata hai, humein na aapka muskurahat bahot pasand tha-

Haseena didn't interrupt, but she noticed the use of past tense and sensed something was amiss.

-Matlab, bahot kam dekhi humne aisi smile jo dil se nikalkar seedha dil main utar jaae. Aapki hamare dil tak pahunchi thi, lekin wo kabhi aapke dil se thi hi nahi".

"Ek minute, miss singh. Aap kya keh rahi hain, hum samajh nahi paa rahe" Haseena interjected, puzzled at how a simple tea outing had escalated into a precarious situation.

"Kuch din poorv, humne aapko call karke suchit kiya tha ki hum aapke sath mela nahi jaa payenge. Toh aapka uttar pata hai kya tha?"

Haseena shrugged and replied, "Ji, ki hum samajhte hain. Kuch zaroori aa gaya hoga".

Karishma chuckled as Haseena recited the exact words. "Isme aapko kuch galat nahi laga?"

Haseena gave it a serious thought before shaking her head in negative.

"Aapka jawab itna sateek, itna kendrit, itna suljha hua tha. Aapne humein avsar hi nahi diya apna baat rakhne ka"

"Ms. Singh kyunki hum samajhte hain zimmedariyon ko. Aapne khud humein invite karke agar cancel kiya toh koi majboori hi rahi hogi. I understand".

"Ji, humne aapko baar baar zor daalkar manaya, aur fir antim sthithi main hum nahi aa paye, aur aapne hamari majboori samajh li? Aapko tanik bhi krodh nahi aaya humpar?"

"Isme bhala ghusse ki kya baat-

-Hum ye nahi keh rahe ki saamne wale ki vipda ko samajhna galat hai!" Karishma roused from her seat, her eyes pained.

Taking a deep breath then, she continued, "Uske baad bhi, aapke maathe par koi shikan nahi thi".

"Hum aapki baat nah-

Haseena was interrupted once more, prompting her to roll her eyes in frustration. She wondered, what was the purpose of this roundabout conversation?

"Aapko bura nahi laga?"

Haseena flinched infinitesimally at the question, but it was so slight that Karishma couldn't perceive it.

"Kyuki humein laga. Humein bura laga ki aapko mele ki aashayein dekar, aapko kuch anokha dikhane ka wada dekar, aapko umeedein dekar, humne aapko niraash kiya. Humein bura laga! Bahot bura laga!" Karishma gazed directly into Haseena's eyes, which seemed to soften her expression.

"Aapko guilty feel karne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Hum sach keh rahe hain, humein bura nahi laga. Hum niraash nahi hue".

"Aur kyun nahi hui aap nirash? Kyun nahi laga aapko bura? Kyun aapne humse muh nahi fulaya? Kyun aapne ladai nahi kari? Kyun koi taana nahi kasa jab humne wapas kahi jaane ki baat kari? Kaahe aapki muskurahat tas se mas nahi hui? Kaahe?"