Rishabala SS : Something Wonderful

Part Five

RK was lying on his bed as he listened to one of his conversations with Madhu that he had recorded. Lately he started recording their conversations, and replays it later. As he listened to one of their midnight conversations he realized that Madhu was right, he did talk a lot about food. But she said she likes it. RK thinks with a chuckle. He wondered whether Madhu got back home. She was supposed to go for shopping with her mother. Today was his day off and Madhu had gone out with her mother!!! He chuckles realizing how bored he was feeling on his off day. Before he utilize his day off to the max and now he is simply sitting at home wondering whether Madhu will call. He decided to check whether she got back home. He dials her number. She picks the call on second ring. “Hello Madhu!” “Hi Rekha… How are you?” she asks back. “Oh you are still with your mother.” he says as she calls him Rekha if her parents were around her when he calls. “okay, I will talk to you later, then.” “Okay. Bye.” saying that she hangs up the call. She had told him that her father had told her not to talk to him. He wanted to ask her then why she still talked to him but then he was a little scared to ask. As he felt that his relation with Madhu was like a bubble that with a prick it could be broken. They were friends, maybe more but their situation was not favorable. He knew one fine day Madhu is going to realize this was not going anywhere and break it off.

RK was watching tv and munching on some chips while the family cook made their lunch. He hears his phone ringing and picks it up to see Sultan calling. “Sultan! My Brother! What’s up?” RK asks happily. Sultan was his favorite cousin, more like his brother. “RK… you heard about the proposal?” Sultan asks. “What proposal?” RK asks. “My mother is going to send my proposal for Madhubala, the girl you were engaged to.” Sultan asks. RK’s heart stopped beating for a second. “How can she send that?” RK asks in shock. “I know. I told her that, she can’t send the proposal without asking you. She said masi gave her approval.” Sultan informs him. “Mom gave her approval?” RK asks shocked. “Yes. So I wanted to ask you whether you have any issues if we proceed with this.” Sultan asks RK. RK wanted to scream that he had issues with it then realized that he can’t do that to Madhu. She has a life and she can’t wait for him. He did ask her, although indirectly and she didn’t say anything. Madhu had a right to a happy life and who was he to stop that? “No, I have no issues.” RK says as he hung up the phone.

How can she do this? Why can’t she leave Madhu alone? Obsessed with getting her married! As if Madhu is her daughter!RK cribbed and cursed as he paced in his room. It is not like Madhu was in love with me; she can marry whoever she wants! Then what about me? What will I do?

RK's phone rings again, and seeing Sultan’s name he picks up the call without the usual pleasantries or bromance. “Yeah?” RK barks into the phone. “Wow! Is everything alrite?” Sultan asks confused. No! Suddenly you have become the bane of my existence.“Nothing... what is it?” “I was just checking out her photo in facebook, I can’t view her albums just her profile pic, so I was wondering who is she in this? There are two girls in the pic.” Trishna and Madhu! “How would I know?” RK asks irritated. “You are on her friends list. Just check and tell me, which is Madhubala.” Sultan tells him. I don't have to check to tell who Madhu was!RK sighs loudly and says “Obviously the pretty one.” “Both are good looking.” Sultan says. “The prettier ONE!!!!” RK says irritated. “Haaayi… I was hoping that. You know what RK... I am in love.” Sultan tells him much to RK’s fury. “You don’t even know her!” RK says in jealous disgust and anger. “I feel like I have known her forever!” “SHUT UP AND GO TO HELL!!!” RK says and was about to hang up. “What happened? Uncle pissing you off again?” Sultan asks laughing. NO you!!!! “Okay… sent!” Sultan mumbles while he waited for RK to reply. “Sent what?” RK asks. “Friends Request to Madhubala.” Sultan tells him. “So, what happened with Uncle and you? Is he pressurizing you for marriage again?” He sent friends request to Madhu? What next? Wedding invitation to me???? Madhu won’t like him… Sultan is an idiot! Madhu likes men with brains. But then if she sees Sultan’s photo? That bloody blue eyes and the muscles and falls for him??? “I guess you are not in a good mood, will talk to you later. Bye.” “Sultan.. take off your display picture.” RK orders. “Why?” Sultan asks confused. “What if she sees your photo and rejects you without even meeting you first?” RK asks. “Why would she reject me? I have blue eyes and muscles! I am good looking.” Sultan says offended. Exactly!!!! “She hates muscles and blue eyes!” “Really?” Sultan asks heartbroken. “Yes.” “But how do you know that?” “I was engaged to her, remember?” “But I thought you didn’t talk to her?” “I did talk to her twice before she called it off.” RK says wondering when did Sultan grow brains. “Oh! Then I guess, I will take it off. Thanx bro! You are the best.” Sultan says and hangs up while RK started feeling guilty. He is my brother; I shouldn’t have done this to him. But why did he have to come between Madhu and me.

“Rishu…” RK looks up to see the other bane of his existence walking in as if she didn’t just topsy-turvy his whole universe, in other words his mother. “Rishu, come down. Lunch is ready.” “How could you do this?” RK accuses her angrily. “Do what?” “How could you let masi take Sultan’s proposal for Madhu?” “Who is Madhu?” Radha asks confused. “MADHUBALA!!!” “What is wrong in Sultan marrying Madhubala? And why are you getting worked up over it. It is not like she is your fiancé, she is your ex-fiance.” RK didn’t know what to say to that. Stomping his foot in frustration he says “Stop eating my brains!” “I know, you might have difficulty facing Madhubala after what happened. That is why you are getting worked up. But we all need to move on.” Radha tells him gently. “Come down for lunch, Rishu.” Saying that she starts to walk away. And to the absolute shock of his mother, for the first time in his life those four golden words were uttered by him, “I am not hungry.” And finally, Radha realized that RK’s outrage at the proposal was something deeper than facing Madhubala.

A while later, Madhu calls up RK. “Madhu, I am not in a good mood, I will talk to you later.” RK tells her as soon as he picks up the phone. “Oh!” Madhu says disappointed, “Is everything fine?” “Yeah… I just need some time off.” “Is there is anything I can do?” Madhu asks sadly. Yeah! By not marrying Sultan!!!!“I will call you later, Madhu.” “Okay… by the way, who is this Sultan?” “SULTAN??? Why?” “I got a friends request from him in FB. You are the only mutual friend.” “Reject him!” “Okay. Who is he?” “My cousin! He is an idiot.” RK says in blind jealousy. “Okay. You call me when you want to talk.” Madhu tells him and hangs up the phone.

Madhu was mopping around thinking of RK. “Madhu Roma asked me to come online, bring me your ipad.” Malik tells her as he walked in. Without thinking absentmindedly Madhu brings her ipad and gives it to her father. “Is everything alrtie?” Malik asks seeing her gloomy face. Madhu shakes her head with a fake smile and walks off as he took the ipad from her. Malik watches as Madhu switched on the tv and sat there sulking. He decides not to irritate her but to give her sometime before asking her what the problem was. He turns on skype and was about to call Roma when he saw the contact right next to her. Contact name was RK but the picture was that of Rishab Kundra. Being a father he just couldn’t help snooping and started checking the skype history.

Somewhere else a very love struck Sultan was looking at Madhubala’s facebook profile picture. “Madhubala… My love!!! “ he says as he lovingly looked at Trishna.