Us raat ke baad shehar ne usey pehchan’na band kar diya tha.
Ya shayad usne shehar ko.
Subah hui, magar roshni mein koi farq nahi aaya.
Kuch din aise hote hain jo raat ke baad nahi aate — woh sirf raat ka silsila hote hain.
Mark Torio kamray ke aik kone mein baitha tha.
Kursi par jhuk kar, kohniyan ghutnon par, jaise jism ka wazan kam aur sochon ka zyada ho.
Table par chai ka cup rakha tha.
Us par jami hui halki si jhaag bata rahi thi ke woh cup kab ka thanda ho chuka hai.
Mark ne usey haath bhi nahi lagaya.
Darwazay par dastak hui.
Mark ki gardan aik pal ke liye sakht ho gayi.
Aankhen darwazay par thehar gayin — jaise dimaagh ne pehle hi jawab de diya ho, magar dil maan’ne ko tayar na ho.
Kyun ke uske ghar ka darwaza sirf aik hi shakhs ke liye khulta tha…
jo ab zinda nahi thi.
Dastak dobara hui. Is dafa ruk kar, wazeh.
Mark utha. Qadam bhaari thay, magar seedhe.
Darwaza khola.
Samne Josh Warner khara tha.
Grey coat, collar theek tarah se jama hua.
Chehra bilkul neutral — na dosti ka ishara, na dushmani ka.
Josh ki aankhen Mark ke chehray par nahi, uske kandhon par theen
jaise yeh andaza laga raha ho ke saamne khara aadmi bojh utha sakta hai ya nahi.
“Mark Torio?”
Josh ne kaha. Awaaz flat. Sawaliya nahi, tasdeeq jaisi.
Mark ne halki si gardan hilayi. Uski aankhen Josh ki aankhon se nahi milin. Yeh Josh ne note kar liya.
“Aap andar bulaayen ge,” Josh ne kaha,
“ya main yahin khara rahoon aur hum dono apna waqt zaya karein?”
Mark ne aik qadam peeche hat kar darwaza poora khol diya.
Josh ne flat mein qadam rakha.
Usne idhar udhar dekhne ki koshish nahi ki — lekin jo cheez chhupayi gayi thi, usay foran dikh gayi.
Table par ulti rakhi hui tasveer.
Josh ne baithtay hue coat seedha kiya.
Baithnay se pehle Mark ki taraf dekha — jaise ijazat nahi, uska chehra parh raha ho.
Mark khara raha.
“Hamesha kharay rehtay ho jab baat Hazel ki hoti hai?”
Josh ne achanak poocha.
Mark ki palkein aik dafa jhapkeen. Bas aik dafa.
“Baithnay ka dil nahi,” Mark ne kaha.
Josh ne halka sa sar hilaaya. Jaise kisi baat ki tasdeeq ho gai ho.
“Hazel Turner,” Josh ne naam is tarah liya jaise kisi zakhm par ungli rakh di ho.
Mark ki jabeen tan gayi. Uske hont aik pal ke liye jaise kuch kehna chahte hon — phir chup.
“Log kehtay hain,” Josh ne kaha,
“tumhari zindagi do hisson mein bati hui hai. Hazel se pehle… aur Hazel ke baad.”
Mark ki aankhen ab Josh ki aankhon se mil gayin.
Is dafa nazar hatayi nahi.
“Kuch log,” Mark ne dheere se kaha,
“zindagi nahi badaltay. Woh sirf zindagi ko sahi jagah par rakh detay hain.”
“Hmmm…… Tum mafia se achanak bahar aaye,” Josh ne kaha.
“Koi deal nahi.
Koi dushman nahi.
Bas… nikal gaye.”
Mark ke chehray par bohot halki si muskurahat aayi — lekin aankhon tak nahi pohanchi.
“Tumhein ajeeb lagta hai?” Mark ne poocha.
“Nahi,” Josh ne foran jawab diya. “Mujhe khatarnaak lagta hai.”
Woh ruka. Phir dheere se bola:
“Masla yeh hai… tum apne aap ko be-gunah sabit karne ki koshish bhi nahi kar rahe.”
Mark ne jawab nahi diya.
Josh utha. Darwazay ki taraf jaty huye ulti pari hui tasveer k pas ruka
Josh ne tasveer ki taraf dekha. Seedha nahi kiya.
Ruk kar peechay murha.
“Aik baat yaad rakhna, Mark,” usne kaha, aankhen seedhi, awaaz dheemi,
“Jis aadmi ke paas kisi ko kho dene ki wajah ho — us par shak lazmi hota hai.
Tumhara past saaf nahi hai, Mark.
Magar mujhe yeh bhi pata hai ke har bura insan qatil nahi hota.”
Josh ne darwaza khola.
“Main phir aaoon ga,” woh bola.
“Is dafa sirf sawal nahi laaoon ga.”
Darwaza band ho gaya.
Mark ne gehri saans li.
Pehli dafa us din. Woh table ke paas gaya.
Tasveer seedhi ki.
Hazel ki tasveer wo muskura rahi thi — bilkul usi tarah jaise woh usay dekhti thi jab woh khud se bhaag raha hota tha.
Mark ne tasveer ko dekhtay hue gehri saans li, tasveer sene se lagai aur aankhen band kar li.
Phr dhemi or dard bhari awaz mai kaha.
Tum mujhe un andheron se nikaal laayi thi,
Aur khud gehre andheron mein kho gayi.
Ansu uski band aankhon se behne lage,
Aur woh usi dard mein doob gaya jis se woh pichlay aik saal se bhaag raha tha.