“Fluorescent, but functional.”
Sameer ne hand to heart rakha. “Itna romantic feedback pehli baar.”
***
Pushpa Gupta ne phone par “sirf chai” kaha tha. Ghar pahunchne par dining table par matar-paneer, aloo ki sabzi, raita, salad, kheer aur do sizes ki rotis thiं. Sirf chai shayad kitchen mein kahin akeli ro rahi thi.
Pandit Ramswaroop courtyard mein chair committee set kar rahe the. Rinku ek fan ka loose regulator theek karne ke bahaane se maujood tha. Pushpa ne Mehak aur Sana ko itne pyaar se bithaya ki Chirag ka suspicion confirm ho gaya.
“Amma,” woh kitchen door par fुसफुसाया, “chai bola tha.”
“Ladkiyan khaana nahi khayengi?”
“Par poora interview setup kaahe?”
“Tum chup raho. Achhi plates nikaalo.”
Lunch shuru hote hi Pushpa ne Mehak se lab ke baare mein poocha. Pehle genuine interest—patients kitne, shift kitni. Phir sawal halka sa mud gaya.
“Ghar ka khaana bana leti ho, beta?”
Mehak ne roti ka tukda toda. “Ji, basic. Sana better banati hai.”
Sana ne turant kaha, “Mujhe witness mat banaiye.”
Pushpa hansiं. “Roti gol ho jaati?”
Table par aadha second ka sannata.
Chirag ne paani piya. Usse bolna chahiye tha. Uske dimaag mein sahi line aayi—Amma, yeh kya sawal hai—but muh tak pahunchte-pahunchte Pushpa agla sentence bol chuki thiं.
“Hamare Chiku ko gol roti pasand. Waise kuch bhi kha leta.”
Mehak ne bahut tameez se smile ki. “Aunty, roundness geometry hai, character certificate nahi. Aur Chirag ji ko agar sirf gol cheez chahiye to bearing se shaadi kar sakte hain.”
Rinku ke muh se hansi nikli, usne khaansi bana di. Sameer table ke neeche Chirag ke pair par kick maari.
Chirag finally bola, “Amma, humko roti ka shape nahi chahiye. Khaana hum bhi bana lenge.”
“Chai mein chini tak bhoolte ho,” Pushpa boliं.
Pandit Ramswaroop kitchen se apni plate lekar aaye. Us par teen rotis thiं—ek Uttar Pradesh ke map jaisi, ek triangle aur ek aisi jiska koi recognised geometry se sambandh nahi.
“Aaj roti humne beli,” unhone kaha. “Jo gol wali maange, bhookha rahe.”
Table ki hawa toot gayi. Mehak hansi, Pushpa ne Panditji ko ghoora aur khana aage badha.
Lekin Mehak ne note kar liya tha: Chirag bola, par der se.
Lunch ke baad terrace par hawa thodi halki thi. Neeche Sameer aur Sana Rinku se Ghanta Ghar tak fastest route par lad rahe the. Chirag Mehak ke paas aaya.
“Sorry,” usne bina roleplay ke kaha.
“Kisliye?”
“Amma ke sawal ke liye. Aur hum late bole.”
Mehak railing ki taraf dekhne lagi. “Aapki mother buri nahi hain.”
“Pata hai. Par sawal phir bhi bekaar tha.”
“Mujhe roti se problem nahi. Mujhe job description banne se problem hai. Receptionist, bahu, cook—insaan baad mein.”
“Hum aisa nahi—”
“Aapne socha, phir bola. Kabhi-kabhi beech ka samay saamne wale ko akela chhod deta hai.”
Chirag ne defence nahi diya. “Agli baar jaldi bolenge.”
“Agli baar line bhi achhi honi chahiye.”
“Practice kar lein?”
Mehak ki smile wapas aayi. “Bad-joke clause.”
“Yeh serious offer tha.”
Neeche courtyard mein Pushpa Sana ko kitchen dikha rahi thiं, ya shayad kitchen ke bahaane information collect kar rahi thiं.
“Sameer ke ghar mein kaun-kaun?” Pushpa ne kheer ke bartan par lid rakhte hue poocha.
Sana ne paani ka glass rakha. “Unki mother nahi hain. Father se relation thoda formal hai. Woh zyada apne aap rahe hain.”
Pushpa ka interrogation wala chehra ek pal naram hua. “Tabhi har waqt mazaak karta. Khali ghar se aane wale bachche awaaz saath leke chalte hain.”
Sana ne unhe dekha. Yeh observation usne Sameer ke incident template se nahi nikala tha, par sahi laga.
“Aapko Sameer pasand hai?” Pushpa ne seedha poocha.
Sana lagbhag khaans di. “Hum log… consider kar rahe.”
“Kya consider? Ladka ya parcel?”
“Dono mein tracking zaroori hai.”
Pushpa hansiं. “Bas ek baat. Iska style dekhke yeh mat samajhna paisa bahut hai.”
“Main shirt ko bank statement nahi samajhti, Aunty.”
“Achha hai. Aur apna kaam mat chhodna. Job chhoti-badi kuch nahi. Apna paisa apna sahara.”
Sana ko roti wala sawal yaad tha; isi aurat ke andar contradictory duniyaan ek saath rehti thiं. Ek taraf bahu ki gol roti, doosri taraf ladki ka apna paisa. Shayad log spreadsheet nahi hote jisme har row consistent ho.
Terrace se Mehak aur Chirag neeche aaye. Pushpa ne turant poocha, “Beta, bura to nahi laga?”
Mehak ne choose kiya ki polite jhooth nahi bolegi. “Thoda laga tha. Par Panditji ki rotis ne mood theek kar diya.”
Pushpa pehle surprised huiं, phir boliं, “Hum purane type ke sawal pooch lete. Tum seedha bol dena. Yeh Chiku to baat ghuma deta.”
“Amma, hum yahin hain.”
“Isliye bol rahe.”
Pandit Ramswaroop ne courtyard se minutes announce kiye: “Nishkarsh—roti shape-neutral rahegi. Agla vishay, mehmaan station kaise jayenge.”
Sameer ne turant kaha, “Hum shortcut se le jayenge.”
Chaar log ek saath bole, “Nahi.”
***
Station jaane se pehle Chirag unhe Ghanta Ghar ke paas purani chai-shop par le gaya. Din dhal raha tha. Clock tower ka face dusty roshni mein tha aur neeche wahi endless movement—coolies, families, vendors, office se lautte log.
“Bachpan mein Amma ke saath yahan se nani ke ghar bus pakadte the,” Chirag ne Mehak ko bataya. “Har baar hum poochte ghadi itni upar kaahe. Amma bolti thi taaki late aadmi ko door se sharam aaye.”
“Aapko asar nahi hua?”
“Hum punctual late hote.”
Sameer tea stall owner ko jaanta tha. Usne chaar kulhad order kiye, phir dekha ek buzurg coolie apna heavy trunk cart par chadha nahi paa raha. Bina announcement ke Sameer gaya, trunk ka doosra handle pakda aur utha diya. Purple shirt par dust lag gayi. Coolie ne paisa offer kiya; Sameer ne haath jodkar mana kiya aur wapas aaya.
Sana ne poocha, “Hero shot miss ho gaya. Kisi se video nahi banwaya?”
Sameer ne kulhad liya. “Har cheez content nahi hoti.”
Woh simple sentence Sana ke andar expected jagah se gehra gaya.
Tea stall par Rinku bhi aa gaya, kyunki Kanpur mein plan agar ek aadmi ko pata chale to teesra apne aap pahunch jaata hai. Usne Sameer ke dust stain ko dekha.
“Fight?”
“Trunk.”
“Hum hote to one-hand lift.”
“Tumhare garage ka jack one-hand lift karta,” Chirag bola.
Rinku ne women ko action-movie relationship theory samjhani shuru ki: “Dekho, pyaar mein pehle misunderstanding, phir villain, phir climax mein train—”
Mehak ne Sana se kaha, “Train waala part aaj hi hai. Baaki cancel kara do.”
Sana boli, “Framework weak hai.”
Rinku ne hurt hokar Sameer se kaha, “Tumhari consultant dangerous hai.”
“Premium hai,” Sameer bola.
Station ke liye nikalte waqt Pushpa ka packed dabba Chirag ke bag mein tha—parathe, achar aur chaar logon ke liye kheer. Mehak ne insist kiya kheer upright rahe. Chirag ne sample part se bhi zyada seriousness se dabbe ko hold kiya.
“Dekho,” usne kaha, “reliability trial practical ho raha.”
“Abhi station door hai,” Mehak boli. “Result journey ke baad.”
***
Shaam ko Kanpur Central pahunchte hi unke planned train ke cancellation/delay ka announcement hua. Display board par revised information, platform par logon ki bheed aur phone apps par conflicting status.
Sana ne kaha, “Bus le lete hain.”
Sameer ne traffic time check kiya. “Weekend road jam. Pushpak ka Kanpur-to-Lucknow leg available dikh raha. Charting ho chuki, current booking try karte.”
Chirag ne eyebrow uthayi. “Aaj supervisor mode?”