Tujhe poora yakeen hai?" Main bistar par fauran uthkar beth gaya.
"Abhi pakke se toh apun bhi nahi bol sakta par lagta toh aisa ich hai"
"Poori baat bata" Maine kaha
"Abhi nahi Adi bahi. Abhi kisi ke saath mein hai apun idhar"
"Toh ghar aa ja"
"Kal milen toh kaisa rahega? Aaj thoda timenikalna mushkil ho jaayega bhai"
"Haan koi nahi" Maine kaha "Kal aa ja"
"Theek hai Bhai. Abhi rakhta hai main" Chipku ne kaha aur line kat gayi.
Mujhe ab bhi tez bukhar tha. Badi mushkil se main bed se uthkar couch par aa betha aur ek cigarette jalayi.
"Chalo, andhere mein chalaye teeron mein se koi toh nishane pe laga" Maine apne aap se kaha.
Uske baad main agle 3 ghante tak bukhar se pareshan kabhi bistar par jakar let jata, toh kabhi drawing room mein aakar beth jata. Bimar hona koi pasand nahi karta par mujhe bimariyon se kuchh zyada hi pareshani thi. Jo takleef aur pareshani kisi bhi bimari ke saath aati hai, usse alawa bimar hote hi mere dil mein ek ajeeb si ghabrahat aur bechaini hone lagti thi. Is waqt bhi yahi haal tha. Bukhar se zyada pareshan mujhe meri ghabrahat kar rahi thi. Ek ajeeb si bechaini shareer mein ghar kar gayi thi jo mujhe ek jagah chain se bethne nahi de rahi thi.
Takreeban dopahar ke 2 baje dawraze ki ghanti baji. Darwaza khola toh bahar Saloni aur Nisha khade the.
"Tabiat kaisi hai ab?" Darwaza kholte hi Nisha ne puchha.
"Little better" Maine kaha "Hello Saloni ji, kaisi hain aap?"
"Meri chhodiye apni sunaiye. Suna bukhar ho gaya?"
"Haan chhoti moti baatein hain, chalta rehta hai" Maine haste hue keh hi raha tha ke Nisha ne apna bag ek taraf rakh kar mere mathe par haath lagaya.
"Chhoti moti baatein? You are burning in fever. Did you go to a doctor?"
"Yeah i did" Maine jhooth bol diya aur table par rakhi tablets ki taraf ishara kiya "Dawaile li hai"
"Khaya kuchh?"
"Haan biscuits khaaye the. Aur kuchh khaane ka dil hi nahi kiya" Maine jawab diya.
"Khana saath laayi hoon main. Abhi kha lena" Vo apne usi fikar karne ke andaz meinboli.
Vo dono andar aakar beth gayi toh main Saloni ki taraf palta.
"Aapki behen ka saman kahan hai?"
"Thats it" Usne room mein rakhe us eklaute travel bag ki taraf ishara kiya jo vo saath laayi thi.
"That all?" Maine hairani se uski taraf dekha"Thats all she had?"
"Yeah i know, its hard to believe" Saloni ne jawab diya "My sister was a shopping maniac. Har hafte naye kapde kharid laati thi aur yahan mujhe uske saman mein ginkar 2 salwar kameez, 3 tops, aur 2 jeans mili. Aur kuchh auraton ki zaroorat ka saman"
"Thats really weird. You think she wasn't earning enough?" Maine is baat ki taraf ishara kiya ke shayad uske paas paison ki kami thi jiski vajah se tangi mein kaam chala rahi thi.
"Thats not possible. Vo ghar se aayi thi toh bags bharkar apne saare kapde utha laayi thi. Agar usne yahan naya kuchh kharida bhina ho toh bhi uske paas beshumar kapde the" Saloni boli.
"Aur" Nisha ne baat jodi "Have you seen that hostel? Its pretty good actually. Agar vovahan rehna efford kar sakti thi toh aisa hi hi nahi sakta ke uske paas apni zaroorat ka saman kharidne ke paise nahi the"
Vo sahi keh rahi thi. Jis hostel mein Nisha reh rahi thi vo itna bada nahi tha par aaramka har saman vahan maujood tha. Har kamre mein Air conditioner, TV, Regerigatorjaisi cheezen thi aur bana bhi kisi achhe hotel ke kamron ki tarah tha. Aur iske liye vo har mahine ke paise bhi kaafi achhe khaase lete the.
"I think uska baaki saman kahin aur hai" Nisha ne kaha.
"Kya matlab?"
"Matlab ye ke ya toh uska koi aur bhi thikana tha. I mean vo yahan bhi reh rahi thi aur ek doosri jagah bhi ya phir she was planning to move out aur apna saman dheere dheere nayi jagah par shift kar rahi thi"
"And what makes you think that?"
"Jab ham vahan gaye toh kismet se vo khoosat hostel ki malkin vahan thi nahi toh maine kuchh ladkiyon se baat ki. Apparentlyfor last couple of months, Saanwli apne hostel mein kam aur bahar zyada rehti thi. Kayi kayi din tak nahi aati thi aur aati bhi thi toh apna kuchh saman utha kar phir chali jaati thi"
"Hmmmm, thats interesting" Maine apni aankhen malte hue kaha.
"Aankhen laal ho rakhi hain aapki" Saloni meri aankhon ki taraf dekhte hue boli.
"Yeah its coz of the fever" Maine jawab diya"Kuchh pata chala ke vo doosri jagah aur kahan ho sakti hai?"
"Nahi" Nisha boli "Vo vahan zyada kisi se bolti nahi thi. Bas uski ek room mate thi, vahi Maya jiska naam aapne mujhe bataya tha. Un dono ki aapas mein kaafi jamti thi. Uske alawa Saanwli kisi se zyada baat nahi karti thi. 3 mahine pehle Maya shaadi karke chali gayi aur hostel chhod diya. Tab hi se Saanwli ka bhi hostel mein hona na ke barabar ho gaya tha"
"Vo aisi hi thi" Nisha ne baat khatam ki toh Saanwli boli "School aur college mein bhi uske ginti ke dost the. Baaki kisi se Hi Hello tak nahi karti thi"
"Aur vahan hostel mein toh sab Saloni ko hi Saanwli samajh bethe the. Isi ko Hi Hello karne lage"
"Yeah even thats nothing new. All our lives we were both confused for each other" Saanwli muskurate hue boli.
"But mujhe laga ke aap pehle bhi ek baar ja chuke ho vahan?" Uski baat sun kar maine sawal kiya.
"Nahi pehle main gayi nahi thi, sirf phone par baat hui thi hostel ki maalik se"
Uski ye baat mujhe thodi ajeeb lagi coz mujhe poora yakeen tha ke usne kaha tha ke vo hostel gayi thi.
"Toh aapko saman laane se kisi ne roka nahi abhi?" Maine puchha
"Nahi maine pehle hi phone par us aurat ko inform kar diya tha ke main saman le ja rahi hoon. Koi aur aadmi tha uske office mein. Vo janta tha ke main aaongi. Paise bhi usi ko diye maine" Saanwli ne jawab diya.
"Us aurat ne aapse phone par puchha nahi ke use kaise pata ke aap uski behen ho?"
"Nahi she didnt ask" Saanwli ke ye doosri baat mujhe thodi ajeeb lagi "Maine kaha main uski behen hoon aur vo maan gayi. Aur aaj jab main gayi toh meri shakal dekh kar hi vo aadmi samajh gaya hoga ke main uski behen ke alawa koi aur ho hi nahi sakti"
"Yep, i agree. Anyways, saman mein kuchh kaam ki cheez mili?"
"Nahi" Nisha ne jawab diya "Sab kapde vagerah hi hain"
"Hmmm" Mera dil beth sa gaya. Mujhe badi ummeed thi ke uske saman se kuchh na kuchh toh milega.
Kuchh der hamare saath bethkar Saloni chali gayi. Shaam ki uski train thi aur usne hotel jakar apna saman bhi uthana tha. Jaane se pehle maine uska phone number aur address ek baar phir confirm kiya. Nishamere saath hi ruk gayi aur khana garam karne lagi.
"You know i dont feel like eating anything" Maine drawing room se use kitchen mein aawaz di.
"Thats coz of the fever but you gotta eat something" Usne jawab diya.
"Yeah i guess so"
"And also, vo kitchen se bahar aayi. Its not entirely true that we didnt find anything in Saawnli's stuff"
"How do you mean?" Maine uski taraf dekh.
"I found this " Usne apni jeans ki jeb se ek purana Nokia 3310 nikala.