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Chapter 3

rulama

@rulama

OS 2: Finding Khushi

Part 4

Arnav walked into the house, Akash following him.

Nani, Mami, & Di were waiting for them in the living room.

Akash went to join them, but Arnav made to take the stairs to his room.

"Chotey!", Nani called.

Arnav shut his eyes. He knew the tone. She was furious. And Di would join her in cornering him today.

"Yes, Nani?", he looked at her, his face impassive.

"Ms. Kasyap packed her things and left the house at noon.", Nani bit out.

Arnav nodded.

"She said that you had both decided that you did not suit.", Di said.

"She said right.", said Arnav.

"You both decided? We don't believe that. You decided. And she went home crying. Isn't that the truth?", asked a wise Nani.

Arnav nodded. "I told her that we wouldn't suit. That we would be miserable living together. She thought about it and agreed with me."

"But she loved you!", gasped Anjali.

"She doesn't know me. And the little she knows is not very comforting.", Arnav said.

"You love her!", shouted Di.

"I don't.", Arnav was definite on this point. "I never did. I liked her. I still do. That's all."

Nani & Di glared at him.

"I thought it was better to stop the sagai before it happened than to get engaged & married and then divorced.", Arnav said.

Nani & Di looked at him with open mouths. But Mami nodded.

"Arnav Bitwaa is right. When he marries, he should marry willingly. Bhat ijj the ujj (use) of marrying when he does not want to get married,Hello Hi Bye Bye?"

"He should have thought of all this earlier, Manorama. Not after bringing Ms. Kasyap to stay here and announcing his engagement to her publicly!", Nani spit out.

"Saasumma! Ms. Kasyap is flying to London." Mami flapped her hands as though to show Ms. Kasyap flying. "And hamre Arnav Bitwaa ijj here, working, working, and working. Ab pachtaye hoth kaa, jab all birds chuk gayii khet? And flew away after having dinner?"

Arnav sat in his room, the laptop in front of him.A slight breeze ruffled the leaves of his plants and the surface of the pool.

His mind was churning, his head was pounding. Day and night, all he could see were her tear-filled eyes as she stood in his garden and looked into the hall when he was letting the whole world know that he was marrying Lavanya Kashyap.

And her pain-filled eyes as he stood on the veranda of her house and insulted her so thoroughly that she wouldn't dare to look him in the face again.

And her cold eyes as she stood in her office and made it clear to him that she was out of his life and staying there.

Eyes which condemned him for not having the guts to face what was brewing between them '. for taking refuge under Lavanya's pallu'..

Arnav knocked the laptop off the table. It fell on the carpeted floor. He stood up and paced the length & breadth of the room.

Why couldn't he get her image out of his mind? Why were her words ringing in his ears? Why couldn't he stay away from her?

He grabbed his car keys and rushed out of his room.

Mami, Akash, Di, & Nani watched as Arnav made a beeline for the door, not even noticing them. As he did every night.

Nani sighed, "This boy! When will he find peace? Driving around most of the night and working all day!"

Anjali said, "Why is he so upset, Nani?"

"It ijj not Ms. Kasyap. That ijj pukka.", said sharp Mami. "Akash Bitwaa, ijj there some other girlwaa in the ophice (office) that Arnav Bitwaa ijj interested in?"

"No, Mate. Bhai does not talk to any girls. He only shouts at everybody.", Akash said.

Nani & Anjali sighed.

"This ijj a mystery.", Mami declared. "Inbestigation karega padi!"

Arnav drove rapidly to Laxmi Nagar. He stretched his neck to get a good peek at her front door. It was open. Golden light in the front room revealed Devi Maiyya's idol and the furniture in the living room.

As he watched, Buaji came out of the house, a plate in her hand, and hollered, "O Sanka Devi! Aren't you coming home for dinner?"

Khushi replied from Happy Singh's workshop. "I am coming, Buaji!"

"If you don't come now, I will feed your dinner to the dogs, Nandkisore!", Buaji retorted.

"One minute, Buaji!"

He saw Khushi run across the road to her Buaji. She opened the latch of the gate with her elbow, her hands being covered with grease.

Buaji hit her head with her hand.

"Lo, dekho, Nandkisore! Parmeswari is covered in dirt! How will you eat food?"

Khushi giggled. "You feed me, Buaji. Just like you used to feed me & Jiji in our childhood."

Buaji glared at her. Arnav felt a smile stretch his lips.

"And this is not dirt, Buaji! This is grease."

"What were you doing, playing with grease, Nandkisore?"

"Happyji & I were operating on a car, Buaji. Grease in a car is like blood in a man."

"Grease ki bachi, come here!", Buaji pulled her by her ear towards the cot in the yard and pushed her on to it.

She sat next to Khushi, and began feeding her.

Payal came out, a tray with 3 tea cups on it. She joined Buaji & Khushi, and all three began talking & laughing.

Arnav sat watching them, smiling whenever Khushi smiled, filling his head and heart with images of her.

Once Buaji had fed her to her heart's content, she got up and left for the house. Payal carried the tray away.

The smile fell away from Khushi's face. She looked pale & ghost-like in the moonlight. Arnav gulped, a lump of pain and regret choking him.

She looked at the stars in the sky, anguish in her heart. She sat still, watching the tiny pinpoints of light till Buaji summoned her in.

Arnav sat outside her house, watching the lights in her bedroom go out. She would come to the window now. She would spend most of the night at the window looking at the stars, he knew from watching her every night.

Soon, Khushi came to stand at the window. She stood still for a while. As he watched, she hugged herself, her shoulders hunched. A tear slowly trailed down her cheek.

Arnav clutched the steering wheel. No more. She had to come back. To RM. To him. Nothing else was acceptable.

Part 3 : 77844153 Part 5 : 77994154

rulama2013-03-11 23:44:41