my first EDK post

EDK –
(at some time after armaan and riddhima have talked about tammy and his previous life)

They are sitting out in the lawn of his house, late at night, on the ground. He’s leaning back, she’s leaning against his legs, both are relaxed and just feeling at peace with each other and with life, now that all the secrets and misunderstandings and tension is over. Yes, Tammy is still in Armaan’s life, but now that Riddhima knows about her, Armaan feels he can handle anything.
Ri: Armaan?
Ar: mmm?
Ri: ek baat poochun?
Ar: poocho.
Ri: Armaan, tumhe Priti se kabhi pyar nahin hua?
Armaan frowns and gets tense again. Riddhima turns over onto her stomach, so that she is lying next to him, her face very close to his.
Ri (very lovingly): Nahin, Armaan. Main tum par shak nahin kar rahi hun. Aur agar tum kuch nahin bolna chahte, to mujhe koi farak nahin padta. Lekin main sirf yah soch rahi thi … ki tum itne saal … itne achche dost the … pyar kaise nahin hua? Sunne mein voh bahut achchi lagti hai.
Armaan thinks deeply before replying.
Ar: Tumhe Rahul ne Priti ke bare mein kya bataya?
Ri (trying to think): Usne kaha ki Priti voh pehli ladki thi, jsse Rahul sachcha pyar karta tha. Yeh bhi kaha ki voh bahut sundar thi, aur bahut pyari bhi thi. Sab ladke uspe marte the, lekin tum aur voh sirf dost the. Aur tum dono second year se dost the.
Ar: Usne kaafi theek kaha. Voh bahut sundar thi, aur bahut pyari bhi thi. Lekin uske bare mein ek baat thi, jo sivaye mere shayad koi nahin jaanta.

Flashback
Armaan in basket ball court late at night, in second year of medical college, still fighting with his own demons, the hatred he felt for his father, the pain at being torn from his mother and the love-hate feelings for his younger sister, remembering his family, feeling so alone, so far from them and now added to all that, the loss of his beloved grandfather, the only person who understood him and loved him unconditionally. He’s walking alone in the basketball court, when he notices Priti sitting on one of the spectator stand seats, her head buried in her arms and her shoulders shaking with tears. Very awkwardly, he goes to her – he doesn’t know her so well – and touches her gently on her shoulder.
Ar: Priti?
Priti looks up : Please, leave me alone.
Ar (awkwardly) : Sorry. Just thought … if you need any … help …
He turns and starts walking away.
Priti: tum yahan itni raat ko …?
Ar: Main yahan aksar aata hun. Raat ko koi yahan nahin hota.
Pri: to tumhe bhi akela rehna achcha lagta hai.
Ar: Kabhi kabhi akele rehna bahut zaroori hai.
Pr: true. Bahut log yeh samajhte nahin hain.

Present
Ar: That was how it started. We used to meet very often after that, and just sit together silently. Bahut dino tak koi baat nahin hui. Phir ek din …

Flashback – again in basketball court.
Armaan and Priti sitting together in spectator seats.
Pr: Armaan, tumhe pata hai, jis din hum yahan pehli baar mile the, us din main ek hafte baad college vapas aayi thi.
Ar (surprised): really? I hadn’t noticed ki tum absent thi. Kya hua tha? Ghar gayi thi?
Pr: haan.
Ar: Kyun?
Pr (very flatly and expressionlessly): my mother had tried to commit suicide. Teesri baar.

Present

Riddhima gasps in shock.

Armaan looks at her.

Ar: Uski kahani aur meri kahani bahut milti thi. Alcoholic father, voh neurosurgeon the, unka bhi license cancel ho gaya tha. Voh bhi Priti ki ma ko marte the, but Priti ki ma ke paas koi paise nahin the, koi ghar nahin tha. Voh majboori mein unke paas rehti thi, not out of choice, like my mother. Jab Priti ne medical college join kiya, to usne apni maa se vaada kiya ki paanch saal mein, jaise hi voh doctor ban jayegi, job haasil kar legi, to voh apni ma ko apne baap se dur le jayegi. Priti bahut strong thi – itne saal vo hi apni ma ka sahara thi. Jab voh medical college ke hostel gayi, to uski ma bahut akeli padh gayi aur baap ki maar aur badh gayi, jo voh nahin seh sakti thi. Isliye suicide ke attempts. Har bari Priti would rush home, try to look after her, get some neighbours to help, then come back to college. She was determined ki voh college khatam kare, taaki voh jaldi se jaldi independent ho. Lekin use bahut bura lagta tha, ki uski ma, who was her only living relative who loved her, could think of trying to leave her – she felt so betrayed by that, as much as by her father’s lack of love.

He sighs.

Ar: Ab tumhe shayad samajh aayega ki hum ek doosre se pyaar kyun nahin karte the. Hum dono bahut karib the. Lekin … how do I explain it to you … voh aisa time tha … hum dono ke liye … ki hum andar se khokhle ho chuke the. We had lost faith in all relationships. Hamare apnon ne itne dhokhe diye the, ki kisi par vishwas karna hamare liye bahut mushkil tha – balki namumkn hi tha. Hum ek doosre ke liye sahara the, we knew what the other had gone through, we could understand the pain, so we knew what we wanted from each other. I think issi liye, humne aur doosre karibi dost nahin banaye – neither of us was ready to handle it. Agar main chup rehta, Priti could understand, she would give me some space and not get upset – koi bhi doosri ladki aisa karti kya? And the same for me with her. Jab voh bahut depressed ho jati, she would lash out at me – no other guy would have taken it, lekin main samajh sakta tha.
Ri: so you were good for each other …
Ar: As friends – we were very good for each other. Lekin agar hum kuch aur hote, we would have been a disaster.
Riddhima looks questioningly at him. Armaans sighs and holds her hand.

Ar: humein rishton mein vishwas nahin raha tha. Aur agar hum saath hote, at the first sign of trouble, or maybe a fight, we would have come apart. Kyunki humein vishwas hi nahin tha ki rishte tik sakte hain, is liya hum rishta nibha hi nahin pate. Ab jisse uski shaadi hui hai, uske do bhai aur ek behen hai, aur sab paas rehte hain, sab ladte jhagadte hain, aur sab bahut karib hain. Voh unke saath bahut khush hai – family kya hoti hai, rishte kya hote hain - usse shaadi ke baad hi pata chala.
Aur mujhe – tum mil gayi …

He kisses her on her forehead gently, lovingly, tenderly and smiles.

Ar (softly): meri Riddhima … meri basket … kabhi sharmilee … kabhi spitfire … jiske liye sabse zyaada zaroori use parivar tha … uske papa uski nani, uski di … jo sirf rishton ke sahare jeeti thi … jise ek rishte ke jhooth se itna dard hua, ki voh toot ke meri bahon mein ro padhi … phir apni ma ko bejhijhak apnaa liya … jo rishton ko nibhane ke liye apne aap par jhoota ilzam le sakti thi …
Ri (equally softly): aur aaj jo is rishte ke liye, apne Armaan ke liye - kuch bhi kar sakti hai …
Ar: kuch bhi?
Ri: Kuch bhi.
Ar: to shaadi karo na. Kab karogi? I want you with me now, always.
Ri (simply): yes.

Armaan looks at her in surprise. She has always been putting off the wedding date, and he has been waiting patiently for her – partly because the courtship has been so loving. She looks back at him and laughs.

Ri: what? Nahin karni kya?

Armaan laughs back.
Ar: No chance of that! Aaj haan bol di, to kal hi main Dr. Shashank se baat karta hoon.

Riddhima hides her face against him and mumbles something.
Ar: Kya?

She looks up at him.
Ri: Aaj nahin kar sakte? Ghar jaane ka man nahin kar raha.

He groans and kisses her again, then gets up and pulls her to her feet.
Ar: Come on, ma’am. Stop putting wicked thoughts into my head. Isse pehele ki main tumhari baat maan jaaun, I’m taking you home.

Laughing, holding hands, they go to his car.