JALEBI by Jalebi Jane (EPISODE 008)
"MATLAB?!" came Khushi's exclamation.
Oh, I do so wish our Heroine had managed something more stylish, more sophisticated than that----however, who am I to judge, Sisters? If Arnav Singh Raizada had expressed a wish to court me, I'm not sure I would have managed much better. Speech itself might have eluded me.
Arnav responded in English. "I want to court you. Spend time with you away from the office."
"Why?" Yet another brilliant question from Khushi.
"Can you not guess?"
"But you hate me!"
"Hate is a strong word."
"You threw me out of a window!" came her rejoinder. Now she was finally beginning to sound like a Heroine.
"I hope you will bring that incident up less often after our wedding. Such memories will not foster marital harmony."
Khushi's jaw dropped and all she managed was a spluttering gasp of outrage. Outrage at his casual audacity.
"Besides," he continued, as he came around the desk and approached her, "my past behaviour will be forgiven once you realize that I was acting out of passion."
Yes, she heard his words, but as she was at the same time taking measures to widen the distance between them, it was a moment before all his nonsense could be responded to. "You should seek help, Mr Raizada. You've clearly lost your mind," she said, with a quick glance over her shoulder to confirm that she was nowhere near any open window. Even irony had its limits.
"I believe that is common in such cases."
"Such cases?" she frowned.
He gave a shrug. "Pyaar etc."
To which she gave a laugh. "Pyaar?!"
He ignored her sarcastic tone and said, "ever since our first meeting, I have felt a pull towards you which made me uncomfortable. It caused me to treat you badly. But when I heard you speaking with Miss Khan earlier, I realized what I felt for you. I'm speaking now because I cannot deny it to myself any longer."
And as he was piling these unwanted words at her feet, she was shaking her head with astonishment and disbelief. She said, almost as though she were speaking to herself, "this is a trick. It must be! Some scheme, some diabolical scheme, you have conjured up to torment me."
"Believe me, the torment is all mine," Arnav said, in a low voice.
It was as though she did not hear him. For she continued, "even if----if it was not a trick!----if I believe that you are sincere----which I know you are not!----do you imagine that I return your feelings?" She punctuated the word feelings' with an overtone of disgust. "Our first meeting taught me to fear you," Khushi said, "but each subsequent encounter has proved to me that I do not fear you. I despise you. You are arrogant. You are conceited. And to hear the word pyaar' fall from your lips is abhorrent to my ears." Her words were tumbling out with heated energy. Almost as though they were delighted to finally be given full voice. She continued, "if the situation of my family was not so desperate, I would not have remained here once I learnt that you were the same ASR whose name is above that door." As she said those words, she pointed in the general direction of the entry to the building, and then turning that same finger and pointing it at him, she added, "and our contract is the only reason why you have allowed me to remain. You have since that very first day set out to sabotage me. To force me to resign. Can you deny that?"* Khushi ought to have given him a chance to reply, but she motored on. "We endure each other only because of constraints, Mr Raizada. For me it is economics. And for you it is pride. But when the contract expires, I know you will find some feeble excuse to dismiss me and will rejoice never to set eyes on me again."
Throughout this, Arnav had remained silent, Sisters. His only reaction, if we may call it that, was a slight arch of his brow. But when she ceased, he left her to return to the other side of his desk. From beneath it, he retrieved his briefcase, opened it and removed from it a folder.
As he unzipped the folder, he said, in a voice devoid on any emotion, "come here."
I wonder why Khushi went to him. I certainly would not have, Sisters. But her mojri-ed feet carried her forward and brought her to his side.
By this time, he had a piece of paper in his hand. He showed it to her. She looked down and saw that it was their contract. His bold brash signature taking up inches of space, while her small flowy script was tucked under his confident scrawl.
"This is the only copy, correct?" he asked, though they both knew it was.
She nodded.
Khushi had never requested a copy from him. And in this moment, she regretted that neglect. One should always demand a copy of any contract one signs. And more so when dealing with a cunning mastermind such as this man.
She was thinking all this, berating herself silently, when he wrapped his fingers around her wrist, and led her to the door which separated his office from Aman's.
She resisted, but it was futile. His grip was of iron.
Through that door they went and did not stop until they were opposite Aman's desk.
Aman came to his feet at once. He was not surprised to see his employer for Arnav flowed in and out of the office without warning and without knocking. But he felt some surprise in seeing Khushi in tow.
"Confirm that this is the contract which exists between Miss Gupta and myself," Arnav stated, holding the sheet up to Aman's eyes.
Aman examined it and gave a nod.
Arnav continued, "you are now witnessing the contract rendered null and void." And as he spoke, Arnav strode to the paper shredder and slipped the contract between its sharp teeth. He turned to look at Khushi as he pressed the red button.
Khushi watched the machine devour the piece of paper which had shaped her reality for the past twenty-three days.
*This dialogue was significantly influenced by the proposal scene in Jane Austen's -Pride & Prejudice-.
Jalebi Jane
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