Ranveer hadn’t run away from his child bride and carved a life for himself away from his family only to return after fourteen years and get together with the same girl. Dammit! Why did life have to be so complicated?
Ranveer waited for Jeetu to complete his tale before saying, “I didn’t know anything about this. I just decided to come home on my own.”
Daadaji was extremely surprised to hear this bit of news just as the rest of the family was. That probably meant that Surendra wasn’t even aware that Veera had been found or rather that Veera had found them.
Dinner was over by now and Veera didn’t even realise what he had eaten, his mind far away from food. He began to wonder whether he had made a mistake coming back home at this point in time. Everyone shifted to the main hall where Daadaji held court.
Daadaji said, “Jeetu, call your father immediately and tell him Veera’s home.”
Jeetu got up to obey his grandfather. Ranveer stopped him saying, “Wait a minute, Jeetu. Don’t you think it’s very late? Pappa’s probably asleep.”
Jeetu stared at Veera, trying to understand the hidden meaning in his brother’s words. Both of them knew quite well that Surendra never went to sleep before 11 pm. Veera’s eyes clearly instructed Jeetu not to make the call.
Veera looked at his Daadaji who was staring at Jeetu, waiting for him to phone his father. Realising that it was up to him to avoid the situation, Veera said, “Why don’t you wait for the morning? Let Pappa sleep peacefully. After all, he’s staying at someone’s home. It might not be the most convenient moment to give him news of my return home.” His fingers were crossed for the second time that night as he willed his grandfather to agree with him.
Daadaji looked from one grandson to the other and thought for a minute before saying, “Maybe you are right Veera. Let’s not disturb your father till morning.” But the intelligent old man sensed that something was not quite as it should be.
Ranveer told his family of his adventures since the day of his marriage. Even the kids stayed up to hear their Chacha’s life story while he glossed over the difficult days before he met Dave and Jane. Daadaji had tears in his eyes as he listened to how his grandson had educated himself with the foreigners’ help and set up his own flourishing business.
“But Veera, didn’t you think of coming back home even once? Just to see your Daada if no one else?” asked Daadaji pathetically.
Ranveer wanted to wipe out the pain from his grandfather’s face. They had been so close once upon a time. He held the wrinkled hand in both of his and said, “I did come Daadaji. I came back when Dave insisted that I should let you all know that I am safe.” He paused, wondering how to tell what came next. Everyone looked at him eagerly, waiting for him to continue. Ranveer looked at his grandmother and said softly, “When I came here, I saw Daadima dead. I just couldn’t face you all as I felt so guilty. I believed that my running away had caused her early death.” A frown appeared on his face as he wondered who had died at that time, giving him the impression that it was his grandma.
Jeetu explained, “Veera, you probably came when Athiya died. She had come to visit us and unexpectedly died of heart attack. It’s sad you thought it was Daadima.” His lips drooped, feeling sorry that they had lost Veera for a second time due to a mistake.
Silence reigned in the house for a few minutes while everyone absorbed the conversation.
“So, Veera, you have become a city man through and through, it seems,” said Daadaji, feeling quite proud of his younger grandson’s achievements. “Your wife and her parents will also be so happy to know about this. You know, it was by chance that Mohan and his wife came here last week. What a coincidence that you also decided to come back to us at the same time. It all must be the grace of God and your mother’s prayers.” Sona nodded her head, tears of gratitude flowing from her eyes in a continuous stream. She was holding on to her son’s hand that she had not let go from the moment she set eyes on him.
Ranveer felt smothered at the mention of his wife and parents-in-law. Could he never escape his marriage? Will he ever be able to explain to his family members that he was in love with someone else? They couldn’t force him to set up house with his wife of fourteen years, of course. But Ranveer didn’t want any more animosity between him and his family.
From what he heard, his father had been extremely upset at his disappearance and had turned quite bitter over the years. How would he react to Ranveer’s bid to divorce his wife?
It was quite late when everyone finally went to sleep. Ranveer insisted on sleeping on the sofa in the hall, his favourite place since childhood. He had grown up a lot since then, but somehow he felt that he would be able to regain the peace that he had lost over the past few days by lying there. But sleep eluded him as Ranveer’s mind tortured him endlessly through the night and no amount of positive thinking could bring him solace as he tossed and turned on the old sofa.
Thirty-seven
Ranveer woke up quite late the next day as sleep had evaded him till 4 am. The children hadn’t gone to school to celebrate their uncle’s return. Ranveer decided to take the two of them, their mother Meena and his own mother Sona to the market early in the evening. In his eagerness to get back home, he hadn’t bothered to get any gifts. Jeetu had decided not to go with them as their grandfather had asked him to stay back.
The BMW was parked in the compound as he and Jeetu had got it from outside quite late at night. The kids were quite thrilled to see the car and were excited about taking a ride in it. After settling the four of them in the car, Ranveer answered his nephew’s eager questions patiently while driving the couple of miles to the main market. He knew the route like the back of his hand and wasn’t at all surprised that he could remember it very well.
The moment they got out of the car, Ranveer’s cell phone pinged - once, twice and five more times. There were seven SMSes in all. Four of them were from Abhimanyu and the rest from a strange number. Abhimanyu had tried calling him and wanted Ranveer to call him urgently. Wondering what could have happened for the generally cool and unruffled Abhi to send such imperative messages, Ranveer decided to wait for some more time as he gave his undivided attention to his family members.
After shopping for clothes and toys for the kids and saris for the women of the family, Ranveer took his four relatives to a shop selling men’s clothes. As he encouraged the women to check out clothes for the male members of the family, Ranveer excused himself to call Abhimanyu. Abhi picked his cell immediately and for the next few minutes Ranveer listened to him with awe on his face, not able to control his jaw from dropping. His lips stretched in a wide grin as he made Abhi repeat his news.
Chanda was his wife. The woman he had fallen in love with was the same one as the child whom he had married fourteen years back. Ranveer felt dazed. Talk about coincidences! This was but incredible! He instinctively called Chanda on his speed dial and was quite irritated to get the message that the number was temporarily disconnected.
Ranveer automatically checked the other three messages on his phone. They were all from the same number. It was from someone called Ram Maheshwari. The first message was a request that Ranveer call back ASAP. Maheshwari sounded familiar. Ranveer thought for a minute and realised that it was Chanda’s surname. This was obviously someone from her family. A grin split Ranveer’s face as he realised that this person must be one of his in-laws.
Ranveer checked the second message to see that it contained Chanda’s new contact number and the address to some hotel in Mount Abu where she was staying just now. So that’s where Chanda had gone. But why would she change her number?
Just then Ranveer recalled that his own father had gone to Chanda’s house in Jaipur. Oh, then there was a chance that Chanda was being persuaded to get back together with her husband who had dumped his child bride. What must she have been? Ranveer screwed his eyes to think. Chanda was twenty-two today. That must have made her eight when she had married him. Ranveer grimaced. What a terrible thin
g to happen to a kid!
No wonder she had gone into hiding at Mount Abu. Ranveer checked to see that his mother and sister-in-law were quite busy while the kids were playing with the toy robot that he had got them. He decided to call Ram Maheshwari.
Over the next few minutes, Ranveer found out that Ram was his eldest brother-in-law and he had been right in guessing the reason for Chanda having taken refuge at Mount Abu. Ram informed him that Chanda’s new number was also not accessible. Ranveer came to a quick decision and told Ram that he would rather go meet her personally and break the news.
Ram agreed that it was an excellent idea and wished him the very best.
RAM AND LAKSHMAN DECIDED to return home and were extremely satisfied with a job well done. They didn’t bother to tell their parents the true state of affairs and decided to wait for Ranveer to bring Chanda home. Another day or two didn’t matter at this point. They didn’t want to spoil her moment of glory.
JEETENDRA CALLED HIS FATHER as his grandfather looked on. He still didn’t know why Veera had stopped him but couldn’t deny his grandpa’s request. He called Mohanji’s home and after the preliminary enquiries, requested to speak to his father. Surendra came on the phone and Jeetu promptly gave the receiver to his grandfather.
Choudhry Daada’s voice broke as he told his son the good news that his younger son was back home. “What?” asked Surendra, “Is that true, Pappa?” Father and son spoke for some time as Daadaji explained how Veera had decided to return on his own. He advised his son to stay put until Veera got back home from the market where he had gone with the kids and the women of the family.
Ranveer was in a tearing hurry as he returned home with the others. The excited ladies and kids brought in all the gifts as Ranveer got out last. He had tried calling Chanda on the new number but had been unable to get through. Now, he had also lost the signal after leaving the market. He decided to leave immediately and go to Mount Abu.
Not wanting to create too much excitement, he called Jeetu aside and explained the whole situation to him. Jeetendra was equally amazed when he heard Veera’s story. He had returned home to divorce his child wife and had discovered this morning that his bride was the same woman he had fallen in love with in Delhi. What a miracle!
“Will you please explain this to everyone Jeetu? I don’t want to waste any time finding Chanda. If I sit down to explain, I might not be able to go today. If I leave now, I’ll be able to reach Mount Abu before night falls.”
Jeetu was nodding vigorously even before Ranveer finished talking. He could well understand that his brother was eager to go meet Chanda as soon as possible.
“Don’t you worry, Veera. You go on and find Chanda. I’ll explain the situation to everyone.” A small frown appeared on Jeetu’s face as he wondered loudly, “Will you come home again? Or will it be a long time before we see you?” he asked, his eyes suddenly damp with unshed tears. He didn’t want to lose his brother all over again. He had missed him so.
Ranveer hugged Jeetendra close as he said, “Of course you’ll see me soon, Jeetu. I’ll visit you all more often and you must bring everyone to Delhi as soon as you can, of course.” He took out his pen, made a note of the house phone number, wrote out his own cell number and house address on another piece of paper and gave it to his brother. He walked into the house in a rush and touched Daada and Daadi’s feet before hugging his mother. He told them that he had to leave in a hurry but would be back in a few days and will bring his father and wife home with him. Before they could recover enough to question him, Ranveer had got into his car, reversed it and left the compound.
He drove at a steady speed of 80 km an hour once he left town. The GPS was a great help as he navigated through unfamiliar territory. While he thought of stopping to call Chanda when his phone picked up a signal, Ranveer decided not to waste time taking a break. He would surprise her. A smirk kept tugging Ranveer’s face as he recalled Chanda’s comment on how rarely he smiled.
He loved her! There, he had finally admitted it to himself. He loved Chanda and she was his. She was also definitely attracted to him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have run away when her father-in-law, Veera’s father, had gone over to her home. Ranveer visualised her amazement when she found out that Veera and Ranveer were one and the same.
There came a thought from deep down. Would Chanda forgive him for leaving her in the lurch after getting married to her? Would she understand that he had felt smothered at the thought of becoming a responsible family man at the young age of thirteen?
Ranveer shook his head to clear it of all morbid thoughts. If she liked him as much as he believed she did, Chanda would definitely forgive him. And there was no sense in trying to change the past. What was done was over! Ranveer for one had no regrets. In fact, he felt that the jigsaw of his life had fallen in place quite perfectly.
On that cheery note, Ranveer hummed along with the blaring music on his car radio as his car ate up the miles greedily.
CHANDA REMOVED HER CELL PHONE from her jeans pocket to check for any messages or calls. She had been surprised at not having received any from Ram and Lakshman. They had called her both in the morning and evening every day.
There was a possibility that she had been out of range when she went trekking. But they had returned by 4 pm. Chanda had been so tired that she had slept for a while. It was past 7 pm and her brothers hadn’t called.
Chanda noticed that her phone had gone off. She smote her forehead as she realised that it had no charge. That was stupid. She plugged her cell into the charger and switched it on after a couple of minutes. Surprisingly, no messages came through. Possibly, no one had tried to contact her. With a sigh of relief, Chanda decided to go down for dinner leaving her phone back in her room. She sent an SMS to Ram’s and Lakshman’s phones saying that she was fine.
RANVEER REACHED MOUNT ABU in about an hour and a half and went in search of Chanda’s hotel. He stopped to call her cell one more time. This time it rang—and rang—and rang. A small frown creased Ranveer’s forehead as he wondered at it. No point sweating over it, he decided. He checked the route once more on his GPS and took a right turn to reach Hotel Hillock.
Parking his car, Ranveer got out and stretched his legs. They felt cramped after that long ride without a break. Pocketing his car keys, he walked into the hotel reception to enquire about their guest.
The dining room was on the left and Ranveer’s head turned with a jerk when he heard a woman’s laugh. She was sitting at a corner table laughing her head off at a joke. A wide grin split Ranveer’s face as he changed direction and walked towards the dining room.
Chanda caught a man walking towards her in her peripheral. His swagger looked familiar. The smile was wiped from her face when she looked up to see Ranveer walking towards her.
What was he doing here? And how had he found her? Oh God! She had so wanted to sort out the snarl of her child marriage before meeting him again. That’s why she was hiding out here. There was her father-in-law staying with her parents, waiting for her to get back with her errant husband of fourteen years. Here was the man she loved who had come looking for her. Chanda felt torn. Would he still want her after hearing the story of her life?
Chanda’s lips drooped!
Thirty-eight
Ranveer didn’t notice the sad expression on Chanda’s face. He was too delighted to meet her again, especially after the anxieties of the past few days. And the thought that she was already his wife thrilled him to bits.
He walked towards her with his arms stretched, ignoring the other two people seated at her table. “Chanda!” he called out softly as he pulled her out of her chair.
Chanda was mesmerised by the expression on Ranveer’s face. His face seemed to glow with joy. What must have happened to bring that on? She couldn’t quite believe that meeting her could have done that to him. She got up and was quite startled to be pulled into Ranveer’s arms in a tight hug. Just as he would have kissed her on the spot, Chanda managed to place her
hand on his mouth and shook her head slightly, drawing his attention to the rest of the crowd dining there. Until then, Ranveer had had no eyes for anyone other than the love of his life.
Ranveer removed his arms from around Chanda but refused to let go of her hand as he turned around to view the large dining room. It was almost full. Before Chanda could say anything, he said, “Let’s go up to your room if you’ve finished your dinner.” Chanda was done except for the dessert in the buffet but she had lost her appetite for it.
“What about you? Don’t you want to eat?” asked Chanda, wondering where he had sprung from.
Ranveer shook his head vigorously even before she could complete her questions and dragged her out to the reception. She guided him to the lift and took him to the second floor where her room was located. Neither of them spoke on their way while Ranveer continued to hold her hand.
Chanda’s heart was beating too fast while her throat felt choked. Time was what she had sought as she had waited for Lakshman to come up with a solution. It looked like time was what she didn’t have as Ranveer had found her at her hideout. She did wonder how he had managed to do so, though.
She opened the lock with trembling fingers and placed the card key in its slot as the lights went on. Before she could move further, Ranveer had entered the room, locked it from inside and dragged her into his arms. Holding her close, Ranveer placed a finger below her chin to raise her face to his. Chanda’s eyes automatically closed when he placed his masculine lips to her soft ones in a loving kiss.
Time stood still in the room as Ranveer kissed her passionately, his hands moving restlessly on her back. She was wearing too many clothes, it seemed to him. Without taking his lips off hers, he managed to remove her denim jacket. Chanda’s hands seemed to move of their own volition as she began to pull down the zip on his bomber jacket.
The Runaway Bridegroom Page 16