Chapter 151
[NOCOPY]
(Thanx a million, Naughtymallu!)
FINDING KHUSHI
Part 42
Section 1
Mehendi was planned at RM, with the men expected to vanish & leave the women to beautify themselves.
Poor Ganesh, unused to the devious thinking of NK, Arnav, Gaurav, & Akash, drove Anamika to RM in the morning & obediently went off to work, burying himself behind his camera.
Gaurav phoned him. "Papa, Mama is having her mehendi done."
"Haan..." Ganesh murmured uncertainly.
"You should be here!" Gaurav said.
"Gaurav, err... Mami said that men are not allowed..." Ganesh explained.
"Papa, you need to start watching movies with Khushiji. Men are supposed to peek at the women & try to gatecrash the function." He explained the facts of life to Ganesh.
"Really?" asked a confused Ganesh.
"Really." Gaurav stressed. "Will you come over now? You can't let the boys' side down!"
"Chill." Ganesh smiled. "I will be there." He asked, "Gaurav, you took your medicines today, didn't you?"
"Yes, Papa."
"I don't want you tiring yourself making arrangements for the wedding." Ganesh was firm on the point. "The minute you feel tired, you rest. Got it?"
"Yes, Papa." said Papa's boy with a smile. "But will you come now?"
"Yes." Ganesh said. "I will be there as soon as I can."
"Bhai, where are you?" Akash asked anxiously.
"In the office. Where else will I be at this time?" Arnav asked. "Have you finished going through the Singhania file, Akash? I need it. Send it to the office through Mohan."
"Bhai, forget about the Singhania file." Akash advised. "I never thought you would go to the office today. Why did you...? Bhai, it is mehendi today!"
Arnav frowned. "Mehendi is for ladies, isn't it? Why aren't you here? Are you working from home today?"
"I am not working today, Bhai. And neither are you. You are getting married only once, and today is your only mehendi. Please come home soon." Akash beseeched.
Arnav frowned. He opened his mouth to refuse Akash, but before he could speak, NK snatched the phone from Akash.
"Nannav, it is a shame that you aren't here. Khushiji is here. She is looking beautiful in a green lehenga..." he paused, smiling.
Arnav swallowed.
"She was asking for you, and Di was teasing her, saying that you had left her alone and gone away. But it is OK. You have work to do. How can Nannav Singh Raizada waste half a day staring at his gorgeous bride writing his name on her palm with henna?" NK teased.
Arnav cut the call.
NK looked at his watch. "Nannav will be here in 30 mins. I bet you a packet of Lays."
The doorbell rang. HP went to open the door.
"Ganeshji or Chotey?" Anjali asked the ladies, a naughty smile on her face. "Who has reached home first?"
All giggled, especially Anamika & Khushi.
They watched Ganesh walk into the house, and stand undecided in the corridor. NK dragged him by the hand up the stairs, & Ganesh followed him, turning his head to smile sheepishly at Anamika who was having a fight to control her giggles. Khushi nudged her, and laughed along with all the ladies.
As Ganesh vanished up the steps, the bell rang again.
"Chotey!" declared his fond sister.
Khushi blushed.
"Hai Re Nandkisore!" Buaji exclaimed as HP opened the door to Arnav.
All smiled.
Arnav stole a look at Khushi, and stood mesmerised. NK ran down the steps, and tried to pull him by his arm. But Arnav refused to budge till he had looked his fill. Green lehenga, green choli with golden dots. Red dupatta' matching the blush on her cheeks.
"Nannav... Nannav..." NK tried to get his attention.
"Hhmmm...?" asked Arnav.
"Let's go up to your room." he invited.
Arnav followed him with great reluctance.
"How shall we get into the hall?" asked NK. "Anamikaji & Khushiji won't object. Payal bhabi will shut her eyes to us sneaking in. But Naniji, Maasi, & Di... and Buaji..." He stuttered to a stop.
Akash frowned. "How to get in without being caught? The mehendi girls and the ladies from the neighbourhood... The hall is filled with them."
"What shall we do?" Gaurav asked Scooby, who barked in excitement.
They thought for a while.
"Idea!" Gaurav exclaimed. All eyes turned on him. "Let's send Scooby down. When he sees all the ladies, he will get excited and run around barking. That will scare the ladies. Then we can slip in unnoticed."
NK frowned. "Scooby is a puppy, not a ferocious bulldog to scare the ladies."
"And if there is peda on any of the plates..." Arnav smiled.
All smiled thinking of Scooby's fondness for the sweet.
"How shall we get in?" NK paced the length & breadth of the room, racking his brains.
"It is a function only for ladies." Ganesh murmured. "Mamiji told me so."
Arnav sat back, watching the fun.
"Even if we sneak in, we will be caught." Akash said.
"If we dress as women...?" NK suggested.
Gaurav looked at his broken limbs, and sighed. "A lady with a broken hand & leg? They will catch on fast."
"And a lady of my size...?" Ganesh looked down at his huge body, flexing his muscular arms.
Arnav looked away, the image of Ganesh in a sari tickling him no end.
"Maybe we can peep in through a window..." NK suggested.
"Why don't you come in through the door?" asked Nani from the doorway, smiling.
All stood up. Scooby barked.
She walked in, and caught Arnav & Ganesh by their arms. "It is a family function, and you needn't be kept out. I told the guests that our family wouldn't be complete without you."
All stared at her.
"So you don't have to raid Payal's & Anjali Bitiyaa's clothes for ones that fit." she smiled. "Come down now."
"Nani, you are the best!" NK hugged her and lifted her off the ground, circling around with her.
She chuckled, and the others joined in.
Ganesh sat down by Anamika. She was dressed in a beautiful blue & green lehenga, the bright colours making her skin gleam. He smiled at her, and whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful."
"Thank you, kind Sir." she whispered back.
Then she handed over a few mehendi design books to him, and asked him, hiding a smile, "Which one would you choose?"
Ganesh looked at the pamphlets and booklets in his large palms, and looked helplessly at Arnav.
Arnav looked away to hide his laughter.
"Buaji was telling us that the grooms too apply mehendi. Isn't that right, Buaji?" Anamika asked.
"Haan, haan, Nandkisore!" Buaji supported her.
"As they all wanted to attend the mehendi function, Nani, they should all be given a chance to apply mehendi!" Anjali teased.
The men looked at each other. What had they gotten themselves into?
Gaurav whispered in Scooby's ear, "Hide your paws. Or they will colour it orange!"
Scooby quickly hid under Nani's chair, cowering behind the folds of her sari.
"Nani, we... we just wanted to see the function, not participate in it..." NK explained frantically. "Nannav, isn't that right?"
Arnav smiled as he sat by Khushi.
The playful argument raged on, the ladies insisting that the boys apply mehendi, and the boys trying to save themselves from the ignominy.
But Arnav & Khushi heard none of it. They were looking at each other.
"Are you going to write my name on your palm?" Arnav whispered in her ear.
Khushi smiled. "Why should I write your name, Arnavji? I will write Salman Khanji's name"
Arnav's eyebrows rocketed.
"I am marrying you. Not Salman Khan." he claimed.
"Acha?" the minx asked. "Looks like I will have to settle for you." she sighed.
Arnav glowered.
"Will you write my name on your hand?" Khushi asked, a smile twinkling in her eyes.
"Ofcourse not." Arnav got his own back.
Khushi glared at him, and turned away from him. She told the mehendi lady, "Please write LGR on my hand."
The lady & Arnav stared at her.
"Laad Governor Rakshas." Khushi clarified.
Arnav looked away to hide a smile.
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