#3 ArShi FF: Lost Memories*EPILOGUE*pg67*29/09 - Page 18

Khushi's birthday was nearing. Since the discussion about their past that binds them, Khushi was like a person hit hard on her head. But As Khushi said to Arnav, She tried to take in everything she has been told, including the different face of her Mama. And all along this, she clearly avoided any conversations with her guardian for 17 years as she did not want to overload her mind that was already overflowing!

Though this was a good sign for the Raizada's it was surely not anywhere near good for someone else. The Rajan's Duo. Mainly the elder one. He was actually getting tensed at not being able to talk or be in touch with his niece for nearly a month. And the fact that her birthday was just few weeks away made his blood pressure more high.

Aran, has left any hopes he had not hearing from Khushi. The little crush, or lets say Lust he had on her faded away as he didn't see her for a long time. And this mad Daksh even more furious. But this calmed Akshita. Altogether, Daksh who was now totally blinded by angry and anxiousness of the vast property slipping out of his hands, started planning his next move, that may be a CHECKMATE for Arnav!

The past two nights have been anything but peaceful for the two newly wed people in Shantibhavanam! Both the nights, Khushi had her worst nightmare returning to her with full force making her writhe against Arnav, while Arnav held her close calming her and putting her to sleep again. Never again the topic of their past nor her mama popped up. And as Arnav had already informed the elders about it, they were also careful around her. This made Khushi a little relaxed. But only a little. Though she smiled outside, the tension brewing inside was clearly visible.

So Two days later, one evening when all the men and Lavanya were out for work, Khushi and Devyani were busy making dinner and then clearing the kitchen counter. Devyani saw that Khushi was in deep thoughts but did not complain. She just helped her to ease up. As they stepped out of the kitchen to the living room, Khushi suddenly turned to Devyani.

Khushi: Damu, can I see the old family albums?

Devyani, if surprised or hesitant, did not show it.

Devyani: Why pari?

Khushi: I want to see Amma Appa, Maa papa everyone. I want to know how I was like, how Arnav was like. It is like there is a big hole in my brain damu without knowing all these!

Devyani: See Pari! You don't need to stress! You will remember things gradually! There is absolutely no hurry.

Khushi: But Damu, how can I just stay calm when something pops up in my mind in a flash and just disappears leaving you all looking at me with hopes. I thought that in those 8 years nothing significant would have happened except for that accident which I obviously did not want to remember. But after listening to Arnav, I want to know about it Damu. I want to know about Arnav, our bond, the love you all showered on us, how I was adored by his parents, how he was treated as their own by my parents. Please.

Devyani: Ok Pari. But if it is anything beyond your tolerance we are going to stop it there. We have got you after 17 years Pari. We don't want to lose you. Your memories are not that important than your life. We have enough memories to share and we have more life to make new memories.

Saying Devyani moved in to bring the still memories of her family. But then she did not know what she had uttered was of so much importance, nor Khushi realized it. But life makes us realize things of such importance at a very crucial time where we might be regretting for choosing to ignore these words of wisdom.

Soon Devyani was out with a big scrap book like Album. They both sat together and turned the pages, reliving the times. First few pictures were of young Pratap and Devyani standing in the background of a small house. Then slowly another couple joined him who had resemblance to Khushi. They were Rajiv's parents, Khushi's paternal grandparents. Then later there were 2 boys putting hands around their shoulders and beaming at the camera. Arjun and Rajiv.

Slowly the old pair grew old while the boys grew to be young lads. Both of them radiated the spirit to do something extra ordinary. Then there were various pictures of them doing mill work or doing something utterly crazy like pulling each others legs with the elders laughing merrily at them.

Then came the picture of the boys with their respective wives. All 4, Rajiv, Anjali, Avantika and Arjun were very happy from the look of it. Khushi was overwhelmed to see her parents and in laws in this merry way than in her agonizing nightmare. Soon the standard of their clothing changed showing their growth. Then came a picture of Arjun and Avantika in hospital smiling with teary eyes looking at a very healthy boy baby in their hands. The baby had a frowning cross look which Khushi can identify among many. She gasped!

Khushi: Damu? That is Arnav!

Devyani(smiling): Yes! The difficult boy right from the birth! Very choosy about the people who can have access to him. He was very close to Rajiv bitwa right from the day of his birth.

And that was clearly seen in the next picture where Rajiv and Anjali were holding Arnav of few hours old in their arms as he who frowned in the last picture was giving one of his rare smiles to her parents which can melt anyone's heart, including hers.

Khushi: He is a charmer! His smile is enough to have people to get mesmerized!

Devyani: He certainly is. But he did get mesmerized by one little wonder!

Khushi frowned as she traversed the albums chuckling at her baby Arnav growing with all his mischief. He was actually one naughty handful! But then in one picture he was sitting on the floor with a newborn baby on his lap who was looking at him with big hazel brown eyes and smiling wide!

Khushi(breathing): DAmu?

Devyani: Yes Pari. That is you! you were 4 hours old! And can you believe that just few minutes before this click you were crying your lungs out!

Khushi: But the baby looks at peace and its smiling?

Devyani(chuckling): That was the magic! Anjali bitiya had some problem in feeding you so Rajiv bitwa and Avantika had taken her to the doctor. But by then, you were hungry and right from then you were not the one to tolerate delay in getting your tummy full. Pratap ji and Arjun bitwa who just then entered after signing their big deal were aghast seeing you cry like that. We all tried our best to calm you. Chote who came with Arjun to see the new baby, who had the whole house on wheels making people forget him, got angry seeing you cry like that. He was attention seeker right from that age.

Then itself he hated seeing you in tears. So he asked for you from Arjun bitwa. But we were afraid that being small he may drop you. But he was stubborn. So Pratap ji made him sit on the floor by the bed and Arjun laid you on his lap. And to all our surprise, the moment you went in his lap and he put his hand around you, you stopped crying. He looked down at you and you looked up at him and that's the first time you opened your eyes. You smiled and made him smile.

In fact seeing that big smile he clapped his hands and said KHUSH, which Rajiv bitwa, Anjali bitiya and Avantika bitiya who were entering the room heard and decided to name you the same, Khushi. So apparently, chote was the one who named you. And as Arjun and Rajiv bitwa bagged the biggest deal for AR so far on your birthday, that name became permanent and you became their gateway for luck and happiness. That is why we started calling you Pari!

Khushi was taking in everything carefully. She until she met this family thought that though she was unlucky to lose her family in such a small age but was luck enough not to remember the accident but have someone to rise her with so much affection though his family, her mami did not approve of her. But two days ago she learnt that she has been unlucky to be driven off the wonderful family she could have and today she learnt that she was not someone unwanted in this world but was the lucky charm for people close to her. The world that she was living in 17 years, was proving to be something totally false.

Devyani: Pari! If its getting too much, lets leave and you may take rest.

Khushi: No! Tell me more. I never felt so wanted! Please Damu.

If only Devyani could strangle Daksh! What has he done to their lively Pari!!! Khushi turned to another page where she was kissing a then flushing Arnav on various occasions. She frowned and Devyani explained.

Devyani: When you both grew you turned out to be so inseparable. The school in which your fathers studied were boys school and they enrolled Arnav in it and next year when you were being put in different school, Chote put up the biggest tantrum ever in his 4 years. But you like a big girl consoled him and gave him a kiss on his cheek making him smile that was glowing better than the moon on full moon night. So from then on whenever he was going through something he could not handle, you would give him a kiss, a perfect solution for him to ease and for you to be relieved seeing him smile.

Soon your stress easing kisses, turned so frequent that it popped out in any time and as Chote started seeing the teasing glances, he would flush. But never once he stopped you nor we did. We adored your bond so much. Once After watching a movie you kissed him to prove your point making him look at you in disbelief and bewildering Anjali bitiya.

Saying Devyani chuckled. Khushi had seen that particular scene flash in blur before their marriage and now the images only got clear. Khushi's until then white face turned light shade of pink knowing something like this from her Damu.

Khushi silently turned next the pages with the images of her kissing Arnav still lingering on her mind. Before it may look like she was in charge of kissing him and he was the one blushing like bride. But now it was just the opposite. He never left a chance to tease her with his manly lips while she was the timid demure one!

As her hands kept turning without much capturing those pics of various gathering in the family, one particular picture caught her attention. Because she was seeing a completely different Akshita in it. She was seeing a completely smiling out of her heart and glowing Mami whom she had never seen. Devyani who saw her halting on that particular picture let out a shaky breath.

Devyani: This was taken just few weeks before you all left to Kanyakumari. When I took all of your birth charts to pandit ji to study them which I do on regular basis, I found out that there was some bad time coming. So he suggested a Shudhikaran Pooja. And Your mami Akshita was very much part of our family then though her husband was creepy enough. That particular time, she was so happy. We were too. Never once we imagined to have such a bad news hitting us!

Khushi: Why was mami so happy? To reunite with her friends?

Devyani: That was just one part of the truth. Poor child learnt to compromise with her life at earlier stage. She did not have the guts to oppose the marriage that her family was posing on her like your Amma. Anyways! She was happy because She recently found out that she was pregnant for a second time!

Khushi frowned. Second time? But Aran was elder than her. She asked the same to her Damu.

Devyani: Archana is not her daughter. She is Daksh's daughter. His first hung herself leaving a year old daughter with him to raise while he set down to hunt a new mother for his daughter and a wife to give him his son! And Akshita set well for his conditions so he married her and within a year he had aran. In that dark home, her son was her only light. And the news of one more joining the light made her happy beyond the sadness that enveloped her.

Khushi(gasping): But she never had another..

Devyani: I don't know what happened Pari. Suddenly the accident rocked us and then with Daksh taking you and his family left Tamil NAdu completely leaving us of no clue of what was happening in the family. It was shocking to learn after 17 years that Akshita's reason for happiness never made to earth! Poor bitiya. She deserved that much happiness.

That was something that Khushi never expected. If her Mami was so kind, so polite or anything her Damu explained, why had she been cold and hostile to her. Never in these 16 years, she has seen her Mami smiling. She was like a robot. She did what was she asked for without showing any emotion. But whenever she was Around Daksh Khushi has noticed her shaking lightly. Oh this was too much to take in for her.

By the time she finished that big album she was updated with many things. Like how possessive and protective was Arnav about her and she about him, how much they used to irritate each other, how they teased each other with the odd names Kuku and annu. Yes! Khushi learned how that name popped in her head when she asked Arnav why she called him that and when he asked her to name him something opposite to it in Ooty. So it was nothing new! It was all there in her head. She also learned about her parents and Arnav's parents. The love they showered on each other, they loyalty they maintained and how the ladies never minded the men's friendship and how they were really fond of the elders and vice versa.

She also learned that then local inspector, Mr. Prakash Bhatnagar's son Bharat Bhatnagar also joined the men in their business and soon with his hardwork was nominated as working partner, and now his son Aman Bhatnagar was working Partner with Arnav just the same way. Once the men had the name of AR stamped over Tamil Nadu and Arnav made the empire vast all over India with Aman by his side Khushi thought proudly!

But she was still not able to remove that one disturbing thought of her Mama. A little more than a month was not enough to forget the 17 years relationship with her uncle. Soon it was night and the Men and Lavanya were there for Dinner. As usual Dinner was noisy affair but Khushi managed to not to get involved which was noticed by her husband. Once they were in their private room, taking her in his arms on his bed he asked her.

Arnav: What is wrong Khushi?

Khushi: Today me and Damu went through our family Album.

Arnav: You didn't have to..

Khushi: But I wanted to. Don't worry I am managing better. But something is disturbing me.

Arnav: You know that you can share with me!

Khushi: Damu said a lot about Mami. But it was completely different! I never knew that mami she was talking about!

Arnav: As you 2 days before said, Life teaches us many things and makes us change drastically given to a fatal situation.

Khushi: Does it have anything to do with her losing the said baby? Her second pregnancy?

Arnav(frowning): You never knew about it?

Khushi: No! When I was in Melbourne I was not staying with them and after I returned, I don't remember seeing her going through neither pregnancy nor a miscarriage!

At the mention of Melbourne, Arnav fisted his palm that was until then caressing her hair softly. He needed a lot of control not to burst!

Arnav: Then may be we should ask her?

Khushi: Do you know something about it?

Arnav: No! I also learnt it from Dadaji later only!

Khushi: Dadu? Damu said that she learnt it only when she arrived to Mumbai!

Arnav: Dadaji did not wanted her to worry!

Khushi: There is more to it right?

Arnav: May be! But for now, You need to rest! You have already worked that brain of your much! So lets sleep.

Khushi: Do you see me as a patient Arnav? or a Mentally ill person?

Arnav: Where did that come from?

Khushi: Since the night we discussed about Asylum, not once you dared to initiate things between us. I can see that You care for me, but its not enough for me Arnav! I feel that we are falling apart.

Arnav: No Khushi! I Love you! just like ever before, if not more! We can never fall apart! Not after I got you back 17 years later!

Khushi: Words are not quite enough for me to believe.

Arnav starred at her for a moment and then he lowered his face to hers kissing her full lips. The whole night he burned down every ounce of her doubts in the passion and love he had for her and she tried to bury that little nasty thought about her Mama with the love she had for Arnav. Totally that night became reunion of two tormented souls after a very long time.