Chapter 10

rulama

@rulama

[MEMBERSONLY]

[NOCOPY]

RECALLING ARNAV - II

Part 10

Section 1

Standing in the temple, holding on to Khushi's arm as though afraid she would bolt, Arnav called his Mama.

"Mamaji, please come back to Lucknow with Akash, Payal & NK," he asked.

"Kya hua, Arnav bitwaa?" Mamaji's smooth forehead became wrinkled. "Is Khussi bitiyaa alright?"

"Yes, she is fine. Mamaji, she has agreed to marry me. I want this done at the earliest, without any fuss," Arnav said, his voice low.

Mamaji sat down in relief. "She agreed? Thank God," he said.

"Yes," Arnav too heaved a sigh of relief.

"We will set out tonight," Mamaji promised. "You make the arrangement at your end."

Nani, Mami and Anjali hugged and kissed Khushi and wept all over her.

Nani said, "Chotey, my Khussi bitiyaa has a kind heart. No other girl would have forgiven you."

"I know, Nani," Arnav agreed fully with her.

"Don't hurt her anymore, Chotey," Nani warned him.

"I won't, Nani," he said.

"If I see her crying again, I will leave your house, Chotey, and move in to some ashram like your Dadi," Nani threatened.

"No, Naniji," Khushi exclaimed.

"He has hurt you too many times, Khussi bitiyaa. If he does it one more time, even Devi Maiyya will not forgive him," Nani said.

"I won't hurt Khushi any more, Nani," Arnav promised. He turned to Sasi Gupta, Garima and Buaji.

"I don't deserve Khushi, but..." his voice trailed away.

"It was not completely your fault, bitwaa," Garima sighed. "Your father and my connection..." she shook her head in distress. "And we hid the truth of Shyam from you. That was not the right thing to do."

"What do you want, Titliyaa?" Buaji asked her niece.

"I would like to marry Arnavji, Buaji," Khushi said in a low voice.

"Then why aren't you happy, Nandkisore? I thought you would be dancing all around the house when you decided to marry Arnav bitwaa," Buaji asked.

"Like a Titli, Hello Hi Bye Bye," Mami added.

Khushi smiled slightly at Mami. "I am scared, Buaji," she admitted. "After everything that happened..."

"She is right to be scared," Arnav said.

"My Khussi bitiyaa has to leave every thing familiar once again and come to Delhi to be shouted at by you," Nani sighed.

Arnav looked at Khushi's wan face and said, "Khushi, you don't have to come to Delhi with me immediately after we are married. Why don't you stay back in Lucknow after the wedding? I will come down during weekends. I can work here just as I do in Delhi. You can join me when you feel comfortable."

All faces brightened at Arnav's offer. Khushi nodded.

Suddenly Buaji gasped, "Hai Re Nandkisore! How will we conduct the wedding in Lucknow?"

All turned to look at her in shock.

"Everyone thinks that you two are already married. How can we go to the temple and ask the priest to marry a couple he thinks is already married, Nandkisore?" Buaji hit her head with her hand.

All gaped at her.

Mami gasped, "That ijj true. Ek running marrijjwa followed by temple marrijjwa? People will ask kostins."

"If we conduct it here at home?" Nani asked.

"We can get the priest from another town," Anjali suggested.

"The neighbours will know. How can we hide it from them?" Garima asked.

"Shall we marry in Delhi then?" Arnav asked. "I will bring Khushi back here after the wedding."

Nani pursed her lips. "The whole of Delhi saw your dramatic runaway marriage on Payaliyaa's marriage day."

"They also saw Khushiji sitting before the havankund crying because her groom did not want to marry her," Anjali said, grimacing.

"I don't think the women of Delhi are ready for a hat-trick, Arnav bitwaa," Mami shook her head in disappointment.

Arnav looked at Khushi with wounded eyes. What would they do now?

"Kanpur," Sasi Gupta whispered.

All looked at him in surprise.

"Pandit Deendayal Tiwari," he said softly.

Garima gasped. "You are right. He can conduct the wedding." She turned to the rest. "He is the main priest at Devi Maiyya's temple in Kanpur. He is our family friend."

Buaji said, "He will definitely agree, Nandkisore. And we don't have to tell him the whole sorry tale of two earlier weddings, Nandkisore ki jai ho!"

All nodded in relief.

"Let Mamaji, Akash, Payal and NK get here first. Then you call Tiwariji," Arnav suggested.

"Yes, that is the right thing to do, Nandkisore," Buaji said.

They travelled to Kanpur in two cars to fix and conduct the wedding.

Arnav looked in the rear-view mirror for glimpses of Khushi sitting with Anjali and Buaji in the back seat of his car. NK occupied the front passenger seat.

Arnav looked at Khushi's serious face with anxious eyes.

"Tho Khushiji and Nannav, you are going to get married finally," NK remarked happily.

All smiled at him.

"But without band, baaja and barsaat," NK pouted.

All laughed.

"Baraat, Nanheji," Khushi laughed, the serious look vanishing as though it had never been.

Arnav heaved a sigh of relief.

"Third time lucky, Khushiji," NK comforted her. "Don't worry about the other two times."

Khushi nodded.

"This time make Nannav sign a contract for life, Khushiji," NK smiled. "Don't let him go."

All smiled.

"If he scolds you, we can put frogs in his bed," NK said. "Akash and I did it when we were kids," he laughed.