Chapter 13:
Scene 1:
Location: Maheshwari mansion, dining hall
Sanskar was telling his feelings for Swara to his parents.
Sanskar: I gave her tears and expected that she would love me?
DP: what you did with her? You forced marriage with her? That means Shekhar was right?
Sanskar: no dad! She married me just to get out of her house because they were forcing her to marry a guy. And I helped her because I thought she will start thinking well about me. But she didn’t. She loved another guy. I lied to her that he has married a girl but still she was not ready to live with me. And after escaping, when she called me for divorce, I refused. I was joking and somewhere, I also hoped that she would come back to me but no. She never showed up again. I had given her this right in marriage papers but she didn’t read them in haste. (His breathing rate gets higher and he coughs) I….. I deserve this. God is doing justice with her. She would have gone through the same pain and now…..(laughs) now I!
DP: Sanskar! Stop talking. You are having a panic attack, please!
AP: DP! Let’s take him to his room.
DP: yeah! (They start taking him to his room. He is feeling dizzy)
Sanskar: I…… I have to bear this. And I am…. I am ready. I can’t sleep even a single night since previous ten years. I take sleeping pills and sleep. She is around me every time. To get rid of her illusions, I work twenty hours in a day. She is my ll…..love and life yeah!
AP: DP! Call the doctor. This never happened before.
Sanskar: (sleepy tone) why doctor mom? I am fine, see! (tries to stand but fails and stumbles. DP holds him)
DP: stop it, Sanskar! What the hell are you trying to do?
Sanskar: (laughing) hell? This is hell. My life is hell. I made my Swara’s life hell so how can I live peacefully. Swara…..my Swara……my wife…. She is…..very very beautiful. I love her. I want to see her once. Where is she?…I love her. I love her. I….love…..her. I…..(gets unconscious and falls on floor)
Scene 2:
Location: Maheshwari mansion, DP’s room
AP: (crying) DP! What happened to him?
DP: don’t worry, everything will be fine!
AP: how would it be fine? Don’t you see his condition?
DP: he feels alone. You have to make him agree for this marriage. All his worries would end.
AP: but we can’t force him.
DP: yeah! Mistake is mine.
AP: what do you mean?
DP: if I haven’t done that, maybe he and Swara would have been together. At least he would not have been suffering from depression.
AP: what are you saying, I can’t understand. What have you done?
DP: let it be, AP! You would not understand. What did doctor tell?
AP: doctor told that he started taking sleeping pills and anti-depressants in young age so it has adversely affected his brain. That’s why these panic attacks and migraine attacks are happening. He will gain consciousness after twenty-four hours. I have switched off his phone.
DP: what? Sleeping pills and anti-depressants? Is he crazy? He is again trying for a slow suicide? This idiot will never change. He is destroying his life. (He barges in Sanskar’s room and checks his entire luggage. He finds anti-depressants and sleeping pills. He takes all these bottles and keeps it in his own locker.) now I will see how would you take these pills again, my idiot son!
AP: we have to make him agree to forget Swara. I can’t let him destroy his life.
DP: (shouting) are you blind or what? Can’t you see the level of his madness for Swara. The girl for whom he has wasted ten years of his life and is ready to waste his whole life, do words can cover up for him? Give him some time. Maybe he overcomes his feelings! (AP looks on helplessly)
Scene 3:
Location: Maheshwari mansion, Sanskar’s room
DP and AP are sitting on the side of bed. 20 hours are passed. AP is crying.
AP: I can’t see him like this. Look, he is all pale. How weak is he!
DP: don’t worry! Once he gains senses, I will talk to him. He will be fine! (they see Sanskar moving) he is gaining consciousness. Make something good for him. He will have special dinner tonight.
AP: ok! (leaves the room and DP holds his hands)
DP: my son! Don’t worry! I will never let anything happen to you. Yeah! (Sanskar wakes up shouting)
Sanskar: (shouting) Swara! (wakes up and finds himself in his room) dad!
DP: how are you, my son?
Sanskar: (tries to control his tears and smiles) I am all fine.
DP: you know you should not try to make your parents fool. I know you are trying to hide your tears but no use! Let them flow. (Sanskar cries his heart out and after some time, DP resumes talking) what happened?
Sanskar: (slowly) I am missing Swara. I miss her so much dad!
DP: you are saying as if she was living with you and now she has gone somewhere?
Sanskar: no but…. I am addicted with her. I think I…. I am obsessed with her. I fear of this obsession. My heart is fluttering. Is she fine?
DP: she will be fine!
Sanskar: how can you say that?
DP: because after two and half a years after your marriage, she contacted me. (Sanskar stood up) and if she was contacting after so much time and telling that she is safe, it means that she was in good hands. She was fine and not having any problem.
Sanskar: (almost shouting) what? (his expressions changed to happiness) she contacted you? What was she saying?
DP: she was asking for divorce! (Sanskar’s face fell) you were at the house but I told her that you are dead. (Sanskar felt like banging his head on the wall nearby) before I could tell her about anything else, she cut the phone. I tried to contact her again but couldn’t. That number was of some PCO. She believed me because she knew you tried to suicide four times. And she was a witness of fourth one. After some days, she sent a letter and some money. It’s about thirty thousand. And if she is sending thirty thousand after two and a half year of escaping, that means she is alright. I know I am at fault. I should have told you but I thought of your career. I wanted you to concentrate on your studies.
Sanskar: (angrily) but why did you told her about my death?
DP: because I didn’t wanted her to come here again. I am sorry beta! Think with calm mind. There were much more problems running and if Shekhar got to know about her contact with you, he would have killed you.
Sanskar: where is that letter? (DP took letter and money from his pocket and handed it over to Sanskar. He took it and read it)
LETTER
“Dear Uncle DP!
I am really sorry about Sanskar’s death. May he rest in peace! May God forgive him! I am sending you the money which Sanskar spent on me.
Swara Gagodia”
Sanskar kept looking at her letter for next fifteen minutes. At last, DP shook him.
DP: Sanskar! Are you listening me? (no response) Sanskar! (no response) what the hell is wrong with you man? (shakes him) speak up something. Are you dumb? (Sanskar looked blankly at him. He was barely controlling his tears and his lips were continuously shaking as if he was trying not to produce any sound. He got up and ran out of the room.) now where are you heading to? (Sanskar didn’t speak) he is screwed up! (Sanskar went to his car and drove out of the house. AP came running to DP)
AP: now where does he go?
DP: don’t know!
AP: what?
DP: don’t worry. He will be fine. He just needs some time.
Scene 4:
Location: unknown road, Sanskar’s car
Sanskar was feeling very low. He felt like he is standing where he was standing ten years ago. He saw his and Swara’s illusions. They were fighting. A smile spread on his lips. He then remembered DP’s words. He took out her letter from his pocket and stopped car on a lonely place. In car’s light, he started reading the letter again. He again saw the illusion of Swara sitting with him. She was crying with hiccups. He thought.)
Sanskar: (in mind) how would she have felt when she heard of my death? Would she have cried? No, why would she cry over my death. She would have been very happy because she was free. (Something flashed in his mind) free? If she thought that she was free, then she must have married someone. Married? (his eyes welled up with tears and he felt suffocation. He got off the car and went a little away. He again read the letter and caressed where his name was written. How she would have felt while writing his name. He then caressed her name written there “Swara Gagodia”. He started chanting her name) Swara Gagodia, Swara Gagodia, Swara Gagodia, Swara Gagodia, Swara, Swara, Swara…… no, it should be Swara Sanskar. Yeah! It’s Swara Sanskar because….. why Swara Sanskar? She never accepted this marriage. (crying) do I deserve this? No, I deserve worse than this. (he was dying inside thinking that she would have married someone and maybe it’s Adarsh. He hated Adarsh before also when he met him first time but now the first time, he thought that what if he was in place of Adarsh. At least, he would have had Swara in his life along with her love. The thought of her marriage was killing him just like the thought of her being in red light area was killing him sometime before. He felt suffocation even in open air. He started panting heavily. He dialled his servant’s number) yeah! Pack my things and send it to the airport. I am going to Mumbai. (cuts the call) oh God! I just want to see her once.
Scene 5:
Location: Maheshwari mansion, dining hall
His parents were doing their breakfast.
AP: where is Sanskar?
DP: he will be in his room. He is disturbed and needs time. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.
AP: Hari! Tell Sanskar to come and have breakfast with us.
Hari: madam ji! He went to Mumbai.
DP: Mumbai? But when?
Hari: last night sir! He called me and told me to do his packing and send his luggage to airport.
AP: when did he book tickets?
Hari: I don’t know.
DP: you can go now! (Hari leaves)
AP: (crying) what if he does anything wrong?
DP: don’t worry! He is changed now. I am thankful to Swara for bringing this much change in his personality. I did a mistake that I told her about his death. What could I have done at that time. When I asked him about his involvement in her, he refused straightaway.
AP: maybe he was not willing to tell at that time. I hope he is fine.
DP: yeah! Hope so.
Scene 6:
Location: Mumbai, apartment
Sanskar shared apartment with Lakshya in Karachi. When he reached there, Lakshya was in hospital. So, he stepped in his room and sat on his bed. Face of Swara flashed in front of his eyes and he remembered all the previous happenings. Tears fell from his eyes. He cried so much that he was again getting a panic attack. To relax himself, he was searching for anti-depressants in his luggage but couldn’t find. He felt frustrated.
Sanskar: (panting heavily) what the…. H….hell! Where are my……pills. (He couldn’t stand and fell down. After some time, Lakshya came. He was surprised seeing him and ran to him)
Lakshya: Sanskar! Is that you? Oh my God! What are you doing there? (Sanskar barely opens his eyes and Lakshya’s eyes went wide with horror) Sanskar! What happened dude? (holds him and lays him down on bed) speak something?
Sanskar: my…..p…..pills. (Breathes heavily)
Lakshya: you lay here. I will bring. (He searches in Sanskar’s luggage but can’t find) where are your pills?
Sanskar: relaxing pills…….I forgot….ha……
Lakshya: what? You take relaxing pills? You idiot! Do you want to die?
Sanskar: Sw…..Swara….Swara Gagodia……Swara Sanskar…..
Lakshya: close your eyes and try to sleep. And don’t talk. (Makes him drink water. He turns to go when Sanskar catches his hands)
Sanskar: sit! Please….. I will die.
Lakshya: why are you talking all this rubbish. What happened to you? Tell me!
Sanskar: I….. Swara. I love Swara. I….I want to….to see her. just once! (tears rolling down his cheeks) just…..once. I want to see her befor I die. At least once (He was begging and crying like a child and Lakshya couldn’t understand what he should tell to Sanskar)
Lakshya: you are crazy? Here your condition is deteriorating and you want to see Swara? Like seriously……
Sanskar: please! I want to…..see….see her before I die. Please I…..
Lakshya: (shouting) shut up and keep your rubbish with you only. I will not let anything happen to you. Do you get it? (Sanskar can’t open his eyes) stay with me, don’t you dare shut your eyes. Speak something Sanskar! (his hand falls on bed as he has fallen unconscious) Sanskar! (he immediately calls his family doctor)