“Kanpur?” Sarita ne pehla reaction diya, jaise distance map se zyada cultural ho.
“Ji.”
“Kya karte?” Vinod ne poocha.
“Industrial unit mein junior technician.”
“Salary?”
Mehak ne jitna maloom tha utna approximate bataya. “Exact unse poochna hoga. Main guess nahi karungi.”
“Apna ghar?”
“Uncle ke portion mein rent.”
“Growth?”
Mehak ko irritation hui, par questions mein poori burai nahi thi. Lab mein bhi patient ko cost aur timing chahiye hoti; “dil achha hai” receipt nahi hota.
“Woh skilled hain. Company chhoti hai. Stability… discuss karni hai.”
Sarita boliं, “Beta, pasand alag, shaadi alag. Tum roz Lucknow mein, woh Kanpur. Job ka kya? Tum chhodogi?”
“Maine chhodne ki baat nahi ki.”
“To woh aayega?”
“Abhi decide nahi.”
Vinod ne kaha, “Pehle milwao. Hum mana nahi kar rahe. Bas ladka WhatsApp par achha bolta ho, usse ghar nahi chalta.”
Mehak almost boli ki Chirag WhatsApp par bhi hamesha achha nahi bolta. Usne sirf kaha, “Main bhi isi liye jaldi nahi kar rahi.”
Us raat Chirag ne call par poora account suna. Pehle mazaak aaya—“Interview mein vernier le jaayein?”—phir usne khud rok diya.
“Exact salary bata denge. Savings kam hai. Amma ko help karte. Factory ka order issue bhi.”
Mehak ne poocha, “Dar lag raha?”
“Haan. Tumhare papa humko reject kar denge to?”
“Main koi tender nahi jo lowest bidder ko mile. Decision mera bhi.”
Chirag kuch pal chup raha. “Isliye love karte.”
Mehak ne aankhen band kiं. “Proper wala?”
“Proper, GST included.”
“Bad joke.”
“Nervous joke.”
***
Hazratganj ki side-road par us Thursday traffic waise hi slow tha. Ek delivery van ne wrong angle par turn liya, uske peeche e-rickshaw band hua aur teen lanes ne ek-doosre ko blame karna shuru kiya.
Sana office se Aastha Diagnostics ja rahi thi. Mehak ki shift khatam hone wali thi. Uska e-rickshaw jam mein ruk gaya. Driver ne engine off karke kaha, “Madam, paanch minute lag sakta, aadha ghanta bhi.”
Do vehicles peeche Sameer rented scooter par tha. Ring box uski shirt pocket mein. Plan tha Zafar Chacha ke stall par chai ke baad propose kare—simple, public, Mehak-Chirag nearby. Usne Sana ka white dupatta pehchana.
Woh scooter side stand par laga kar vehicles ke beech safe gap se aage aaya.
“Sana!”
Sana ne palatkar dekha. “Aap yahaan?”
“Plan tha surprise.”
“Boundary policy kiski copy ki?”
“Surprise destination, stalking nahi. Mehak ko maloom.”
Peeche horn baja. Traffic hil nahi raha tha. Sameer e-rickshaw ke side khada hua. Ring box pocket mein bhaari lagne laga.
“Hum chai stall tak wait kar sakte,” usne khud se zyada kaha.
Sana ne uska nervous face dekha. “Kya hua?”
Sameer ne ek saans li. “Dekho, setting glamorous nahi hai.”
“Aapki shirt enough glamorous hai.”
“Please beech mein insult mat karo, speech bhool jayenge.”
Usne ring box nikala. E-rickshaw driver ka mouth open. Adjacent auto mein do college students turant attentive.
Sameer road par ghutne nahi tika—grease aur moving traffic dono the. Woh bas Sana ke saamne khada raha.
“Hum tumko Taj Mahal, bungalow, business empire promise nahi karenge. Courier counter chale ya na chale, hum loud rahenge, kabhi stupid bhi. Par jab tum correction karti ho na, lagta koi humko chhota nahi bol raha—koi maan raha ki hum better kar sakte. Sana Saxena, tum humare saath… matlab… shaadi—”
Peeche driver chillaya, “Bhaiya, side se bike ja rahi!”
Sameer half-step e-rickshaw ke kareeb hua. “Shaadi karogi?”
Sana ne ring nahi dekhi. Usne Sameer ko dekha. “Business aur wedding alag decisions hain?”
Sameer blink kiya. “Abhi?”
“Haan, abhi. Agar main haan bolun, iska matlab yeh nahi meri salary automatic capital.”
Sameer ka face serious hua. “Alag. Full consent ke bina ek rupiya nahi.”
“Job main continue karungi.”
“Haan.”
“Bad news pehle bataoge. Fix karke baad mein confession nahi.”
Sameer ne halka sa pause liya, phir kaha, “Koshish nahi. Rule.”
Sana ne haath aage badhaya. “To haan.”
E-rickshaw driver ne sabse pehle clap kiya. College students ne “woo” kiya. Sameer ne ring uski ungli mein pehnayi—size thoda loose tha.
Traffic police volunteer aaya. “Proposal ho gaya ho to gaadiyan move ho rahiं. Road clear rakhiye.”
Sameer scooter ki taraf bhaaga. “Haan bhai, ho gaya!”
Sana e-rickshaw mein baithi hansi rok nahi pa rahi thi. Jam khul gaya. Proposal first gear mein hua, acceptance ke saath traffic bhi second mein chala gaya.
Aastha Diagnostics ki lane tak pahunchkar Sana utri to Sameer bhi scooter park karke aaya. Ab crowd nahi tha, sirf chemist shop ki light aur clinic se nikalte do staff members.
“Ring loose hai,” Sana ne ungli dikhayi.
Sameer ka chehra gir gaya. “Exchange karwa denge. Humne tumhari finger ka size Mehak se poochha tha.”
“Mehak pathologist nahi, ring-size specialist bhi nahi.”
“Surprise operation mein data limited tha.”
Sana ne ring ko doosri ungli par try kiya. “Kal resize. Aaj safe pouch mein.”
Sameer ne hichkichakar poocha, “Tumko bura to nahi laga? Traffic, auto, random audience?”
“Mujhe bura lagta agar aap road block karke filmi stunt karte. Aapne nahi kiya.”
“Police volunteer ka pressure tha.”
“Phir bhi.” Sana ka tone naram hua. “Speech achhi thi.”
“Kaunsa part? Better kar sakte wala?”
“Bad months promise nahi kiye. Woh.”
Sameer ne pehli baar proposal ke baad bina grin ke uska haath pakda. “Bad month aaya to?”
“Spreadsheet kholenge.”
“Romance?”
“Uske baad chai.”
“Order ulta nahi?”
“Situation par depend.”
Clinic ka door khula aur Mehak bahar aayi. Usne unke joined hands, Sana ki ungli aur Sameer ka nervous face dekha. “Aap logon ne mere bina kya kar diya?”
Sameer ka grin wapas full brightness mein aaya. “Breaking news.”
***
Zafar Chacha ke stall par baad mein planned audience ko late news mili. Mehak ne Sana ko hug kiya. Chirag ne Sameer ko itni zor se gale lagaya ki ring receipt pocket se girte-girte bachi.
“Abe hum plan mein the,” Chirag bola. “Humko bina liye propose kar diya?”
“Traffic emotional tha.”
Mehak ne Sana se dheere poocha, “Sure?”
Sana ne ring ghumayi. “Haan. Business spreadsheet separate.”
“Romance queen.”
“Due diligence queen.”
Chirag excitement mein Mehak ki taraf mudा. “Hum bhi—”
Mehak ne ungli uthayi. “Affection race nahi hai.”
Woh ruk gaya. “Hum bas bolne wale the chai aur?”
“Jhooth.”
“Thoda.”
Later, stall se side mein, Chirag ne kaha, “Pressure nahi. Par hum tumse love karte. Proper wala.”
Mehak ki aankhen naram huiं. “Main bhi. Proper wala. Lekin shaadi tab jab hum dono taiyaar, na ki Sameer ne traffic mein kar li isliye.”
“Theek. Humara proposal stationary hoga.”
“Aur road block nahi.”
“Terms noted.”
***
Family negotiations ne romance ka volume turant kam kar diya.
Sana ke ghar Kusum Ji sabse pehle pahunchiं. Sameer clean cream shirt, polished shoes aur ek folder lekar baitha. Kusum Ji ne namaste ke baad seedha shoes dekhe.
“Polish fresh hai,” unhone kaha. “Daily?”
Sameer ne sach bola, “Special occasion. Daily mein kabhi-kabhi reh jaata.”
“Handwriting sample.”
Sameer ne folder se budget sheet nikali. “Yeh chalega?”
Kusum Ji ne tilted letters dekhe. “Structure ab bhi weak, lekin accounts dikha raha. Improvement.”
Pandit Ramswaroop aur Pushpa Kanpur side ke elders ban kar aaye. Sameer ke father ne phone par formal approval diya par shaadi planning mein bhaag kam liya. Is absence ko kisi ne dramatic speech nahi banaya; Sameer ne jokes zyada kiye, Sana ne table ke neeche uska haath pakda.