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Update 10: Gyarah Baje
Raat mein sote hue mujhe pata tha ki kal subah gyarah baje mujhe kahin jaana hai. Aisa lag raha tha jaise kisi ne appointment mere calendar mein daali ho aur main use dekh raha hoon, par usne mujhe consult nahi kiya.
Neend achhi nahi aayi. Do teen baar utha, pankha dekha, phir let gaya. Doosra phone side table par pada tha, mera apna phone takiye ke neeche.
Subah paanch baje maine haar maan li. Utha. Chai banayi.
Doosra phone khola. Kabir ke chat mein purani conversations mein scroll kiya.
Pichhle Sunday ka message mila. Kabir ne ek location pin bheji thi. Neeche address tha: Kurla West, LBS Marg ke paas, ek chhoti si gali mein "Bharat Motors" naam ki dukan.
Uske neeche mera reply tha: "Theek hai, gyarah baje pahonch jaunga."
Doosre phone se apne phone par kuch bhejne ka mann nahi hua. Maine notebook nikaal ke address haath se likh liya.
Kitchen mein baithke chai peete hue, khidki se baahar dhoop aa rahi thi. Sunday ki subah thi. Baahar bacche cricket khel rahe honge kisi society mein, koi maa apne bete ko doodh peene ke liye chilla rahi hogi.
Main ek aisi jagah jaane ki taiyaari kar raha tha jahan kabhi maine jaane ka faisla nahi liya tha.
Nahaya. Kapde badle. Simple jeans, ek grey T-shirt. Wo T-shirt jo pichle saal Kabir ne mera birthday par diya tha.
Dono phones jeb mein daale.
Nikla.
Kurla tak local train se pahoncha. Weekend tha, isliye bheed roz se kam thi. LBS Marg ke paas utra aur notebook mein likha address dekh kar chalna shuru kiya. Bharat Motors dhundhne mein pandrah minute lage. Wo ek gali ke andar thi jahan sirf second-hand bike aur car ke garages hain, tel aur grease ki mehak hawa mein jami hui hoti hai.
Gyarah bajkar saat minute ho chuke the jab main pahoncha.
Kabir already wahan tha. Wo ek purani neeli Yamaha ke bagal mein khada tha, uske saath ek Bengali buzurg the jo dhoti aur ek loose shirt mein the. Kabir bike ka handle pakde tha, thoda upar-neeche kar raha tha.
Mujhe dekha toh usne haath uthaya. "Aa gaya. Chal, ye dekh."
Koi salaam nahi, koi surprise nahi. Bilkul aise jaise pichle das saal se hum har Sunday gyarah baje Kurla mein milte the.
Bengali buzurg ne mujhe haath jodkar namaste kiya. Kabir ne unhe introduce karaya, "Ye Ganguly da, seller. Aur ye Dhruv, mera dost."
"Engine start karke suna," Kabir ne mujhe kaha.
Ganguly da ne key di. Maine key li. Bike start ki. Engine ki aawaz aayi.
"Kya lagta hai?" Kabir ne poocha.
"Mujhe kya pata," maine kehna chaha. Par kehne ke bajaye maine ek pal suna aur bola, "Aawaz toh theek lag rahi hai."
Kabir ne sar hilaya. "Tune pichhle hafte kaha tha ki tu Ganguly da ko mechanic ka number bhej dega. Bhej diya?"
"Nahi, aaj shaam tak bhej dunga."
"Kar dena bhai. Service karvani hai delivery ke baad."
Mera koi mechanic nahi tha. Andheri mein ya kahin aur. Par maine sar hilaya jaise ye sab meri zimmedari ho.
Kabir ne bike ki ride li. Main pillion baitha. Hum LBS Marg par gaye, ek U-turn maara, wapas aaye. Bike ki condition achhi thi, kam se kam chalne mein. Wapas aakar Kabir ne Ganguly da ke saath price ki baat shuru ki. Wo dono Hindi mein baatchit karte, phir kabhi Ganguly da Bengali mein kuch bolte. Main thoda side mein khada raha.
Beech mein Kabir ne mud kar mujhe dekha.
"Waise Priya ko tune kuch bola toh nahi?"
"Nahi."
"Good. Pichhli baar ki tarah lecture mat dena. Mujhe pata hai ye stupid idea hai, par karna hai."
Maine kuch nahi kaha.
Pichhli baar. Kaunsi baar. Main toh aksar bolta hi nahi tha.
Shayad doosra Dhruv bolta tha.
Baatchit mein aur pandrah minute lage. Price tay hui, Ganguly da ne kuch papers dikhaye, Kabir ne token amount ke liye UPI kiya.
Hum dono gali se nikle. Kabir ka mood achha tha.
"Chal, lunch. Wo kone wala parathe wala hai na, wahan."
Hum paidal chale. Dhoop tez ho gayi thi ab.
Parathe wale dukan par hum baith gaye. Ek plastic ki table, do plastic ki kursi. Kabir ne aloo ka paratha order kiya, maine gobi ka. Do lassi.
Khaate hue Kabir apne phone par kuch dekh raha tha.
"Waise," usne kaha, "pichhle Sunday toh bada bol raha tha number bhej."
Chapati ka tukda mere hoth tak aaya, phir wahin ruk gaya.
"Kiska?"
"Priya ki cousin ka. Bhool gaya?"
Maine paratha plate mein rakh diya.
"Haan," maine kaha. "Bhool gaya."
"Tune khud kaha tha ki tujhe number chahiye, ek baar milna hai. Ab Priya teen din se puchh rahi hai mujhse."
"Bata dena thoda kaam hai, baad mein karunga."
Kabir ne mujhe dekha, jaise wo kuch aur kehne wala tha. Phir usne shrug kiya aur wapas paratha khaane laga.
Maine Ananya ko coffee ke liye poochhne mein chhe mahine laga diye the.
Main lassi ke glass ko dono haath se pakde hue baitha raha.
Kabir ne khaana khatam kiya. Usne apna phone nikala.
"Ek second, tujhe wo bike ki photo bhej deta hoon. Ye jo maine abhi engine ki li thi, kaam aa sakti hai baad mein."
Usne apne phone mein gallery kholi. Photo select ki. Phir WhatsApp khola. Search bar mein "Dhruv" type kiya.
Do results aaye.
"Dhruv"
"Dhruv M"
Kabir ne bina rukhe upar wala select kiya. Photo bheji.
Meri jeb mein doosra phone vibrate hua.
Kabir ne apna phone rakh diya aur lassi ka aakhri ghoont piya. "Chal, bill de. Main bike ke paperwork mein busy ho jaunga poora din."
Maine paisa nikala. Bill diya.
Doosra phone meri jeb mein tha. Kabir ki bheji hui bike ki photo uske andar hogi.
Mera apna phone bilkul silent tha..
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