INTEZAAR

6. || Yaad ||

That's the thing about Love, no matter what, it always brings you back home.

Coming back here, a place which has been his comfort place, his safe heaven, his home, is surely something Arhaan Ahmed didn't expect when he boarded his flight to Delhi. But then who are we to decide the destiny. Our decisions in the presents reflects in our future. And certainly coming here is not at all a bad decision.

This place is where he found himself so many years ago, a place where he found his love, his family, his people who actually cared for him.They still do and he knows that but thins happened, and he lost them all. While coming here,he never thought of this hug, a hug from his Maa after everything he did. He expected slaps, slaps like he used to get, every time he did a mistake in the past. But the bone crushing hug is melting this stone hearted businessman.

Here he is not a businessman anymore. He is again the broken guy who used to hug Siara every time he used to get bullied in school, the young college guy who cried after failing his first test, the nervous man who hug her tight before going for his first meeting. Today he is not the cunning Arhaan Ahmed whose one look can bury people six feet deep. Today he is just Arhaan. Siara's boy Arhaan. And he never expected this to happen like this.

"Ap gussa nahi ho, Maa?" He finally asked Siara without breaking the hug.

"Maa hun, kaise naraz rehti." She answered him taking towards the living room , making him sit and keeping his cookie jar in front of him.

"Maa toh ap uss...uski bhi hona? toh?"

"Toh kya?"

"Toh apko toh naraz hona chahiye na Maa."

"Aree woh kyu bhala, saalon baad beta ghar aya hai mere, aur main naraz hojau, haaye aisa din bhi na aye kabhi. Aur raha baat uska,toh wo tum ussi se kar lena. Mera baat karon tum mere se. Maa ko bina bole chale gya, sharam bhi nahi ayi na badmash."

"Sorry.. Maa"..

"Maa ko koi sorry nahi bolta bachey, baith ab aur kahi nahi jana."

"Maa.. ap naraz kyu nahi hai mere sey,?"

"Naraz kyu hongi main bhala, tujhe New York jana tha, toh chala gya, apna dream pura kiya tune. Wo ban gya joh tujhe banna tha. And I am so proud of you beta, you become so successful. Toh naraz kyu hongi?"

"Par maine galat kiya na?"

"Galat toh maine bhi bohut kuch kiya hai na, aur tune wahi kiya joh maine tujhe sikhaya tha. I always told to follow your dreams bacchey, and you did that only. Remember once I told you that, there will be always some prices you have to pay for everything, and you did have the courage to pay that. You did pay it beta. Your dreams costs you your love. But you did fulfil it. And for happiness, you always know where to find it."

"But still Maa, I did.. a mistake right? So scold me. Please"

"Arhaan,.. Remember when you were in class 12th, before your finals, you just refused to study chemistry. Every time I asked you to, you were ready with another excuse. And then one day finally I slapped you, and you cried for the whole hour. Like seriously my 17year old mature son, cried because I slapped him. But then I made to study chemistry. And you topped in that subject.

Beta that was something I can do, and I will teach you everything I know. But gives different situations to everyone. I know you want me to scold you for what you did. I won't. Because only followed your dreams, something I taught you to. And beta you paid a lot for it. "

"And.."

"And her? She did what I taught her. And if you want me to scold you because you left without me. Then no I won't beta. Because she left you too.

If you think you broke her heart, then I know she broke yours too. If she suffered a loss, then you suffered much more. And if I didn't scold her, why would I scold you? What you did was wrong, but what she did was not right too.

We all have our faults beta. And if you hurt she,she killed my son too. So no I won't scold you."

"How can you love me so much?"

"Because you are my Arhaan, I will always love you. I don't need reason to love you. A mothers' love is always unconditional."

"Maa..." Hugging her he kissed her forehead. Today this home witness another reunion, a mother met her son after years. Arhaan knew Saira Atif will always stand for him, even if it's the end of world, she will stand besides him, telling him his is not wrong, the situation is. And today she again proved herself. Her living by here by herself and not with her daughter is itself proof how much is missed Arhaan. Being here makes her feel that she was close to him.

Arhaan was afraid that when he left maybe he ended everything, but then there's something called a mother's love, that never changes. He always knew one day he have to come back, and that day Saira would be the first person to hold him. But now after listening to her, he regrets. He should have taken Saira along him.

This place no matter how much good is, the people over here are horrible. That was the primary reason Saira left Delhi years ago and moved to Lucknow, where she met the 17years Arhaan. She bacame his friend, Saira was in her late thirties that time, and closet person to him. From that time a story started. Something which deserves a much more better conclusion that it got years ago.

.............

Coming back to this place, The Khan Haweli is something Seher thought she would never do, when she left. This place had been a witness of all the best and worst memories and moments of her life. Here breezes touches her face like lingering kisses on them, plays with her hairs taking her back to the memory lanes . This is the place where she is supposed to actually feel a part of warmness she had been lacking for a long time.

Kisse hain, baatein hain
Nagme hain, shikve hain
Kisse hain, baatein hain
Baatein bhool jaati hain
Yaadein yaad aati hain

The past is playing in front of her eyes. This is the place she used to call Home for the longest time she could remember. From bumping on the corridor at midnight, to sneaking in to the kitchen , from her welcome as a daughter, as the best friend of the son of this haveli to her farewell without a goodbye. This place had been a witness of her laughs, her pranks, her childhood, her love, her pain, her tears finally her downfall.

Yeh yaadein kisi dil-o-jaanam ke
Chale jaane ke baad aati hain

Two years ago she left this place leaving everything behind with a broken heart and a bundle of responsibilities. She was 23 that time, a fresh MBA graduate. Delhi NCR is certainly not the place Seher ever wanted to settle down. That too somewhere she lost her last hope too. But life never gave her much option. So she chose Delhi, somewhere she had her most cherished memories.

Today standing on the porch of The Khan Haweli, she don't have the feeling of home coming, all she have is feeling nostalgic. But not the feeling of being home. She is not home. Home is where heart is. And her heart is not here, not anymore.