"Yeh byah nahi hoga"
Dadiji's dramatic proclamation was met with stunned silence.
"Nahi, aap aisa nahi kar sakti"
Amma's voice pierced the air in the room, shrill and awkward.
Khushi was somewhat surprised that it was her Amma who had spoken first. Even though Dadiji's face was mask-like as always, Khushi could see anger simmering beneath the surface. And Amma looked terrified. What was going on?
"Hum aisa hi karenge" Dadi said, the hatred in her voice almost palpable.
Khushi turned to the others in the room with the hope of some explanation and saw that everyone wore a look of profound shock, just like her.
She looked from Amma to Dadiji and back,
"Amma, yeh sab kya hai?" she asked, stepping towards her mother.
"Bolo Garima, in sabke sawalon ka jawab tum dogi ya hum de?" Dadiji asked.
Amma's face crumpled, tears appearing in her eyes.
Khushi watched her in dismay, grasping at straws trying to fathom what was going on. Had there been another altercation between Dadiji and her family? Come to think of it, Amma had seemed rather worried the day before when she returned from Arnavji's special garden.
Dadiji never missed a chance to mock Khushi's parents, her mother especially, for not being around for the wedding ceremonies despite being repeatedly reminded of Babuji's medical condition. But they were here now, weren't they? Then what was she going on about?
"Lekin, aapne to kaha tha ki aapne hume maaf kar diya" Amma whispered, choking back sobs.
"Hum jeeteji kabhi tumhe maaf nahi karenge" Dadiji said.
"Amma" Khushi said, pulling her mother away from Dadiji's scalding gaze. "Kya baat ho gayi, aapko kis baat ki maafi maangni padi?"
But Amma had succumbed to tears on hearing Dadiji's words and clutched Khushi's arm, helplessly.
"Sumi, yeh sab kya ho raha hai?" Naniji asked, coming to stand beside Dadiji.
Dadiji threw Amma a look of derision and pulled something out of her palloo.
"Tum kya bataogi, hum batate hai sabko" Dadiji said.
When she held it up, Khushi realized that it was a photo.
"Jis aurat ke vajah se yeh ghar sansaar tabah ho gaya, jiske vajah se Anjali aur Arnav anaath ho gaye, who dusri aurat aur koi nahi" Dadiji said, pausing to draw her breath. "Garima hain"
The silence in the room was now deafening.
Dadiji threw the photograph towards them and Khushi's gaze followed it to the floor. She had but a seconds glimpse of it and even though it looked quite old, Khushi had no trouble recognizing her mother or even the man in the picture. Arnavji's hazel-brown eyes were definitely a paternal trait.
Amma sobbed, her hands folded before her and shaking her head furiously as if that would make Dadiji take back her words.
"Yeh aap kya keh rahi hai Dadi?" Di asked, her face fraught with lines. "Aisa kaise ho saktha hai? Zaroor aapko koi galat'"
"Koi galat fami nahi hai" Dadiji said, "Yeh sach hai aur agar aapko humari baaton par vishwas nahi hai, toh iss tasveer ko dekhiye"
Naniji who was standing nearest, bent down and picked up the photo.
Her eyes widened when she turned it around and she swayed on the spot.
"Sasuma!" Mamiji exclaimed, running to her side to support her.
Holding on to Mamiji's arm, Naniji turned to Amma.
"Yeh kaisan ko sakath hai?" she asked, in a low voice. "Yeh tasveer'"
Mamiji took the photo from Naniji's hand and let out a loud gasp.
"Ee photo mein Jijaji ke saath ee Garima hi hai" she said to the room at large. "Iska matlab'"
"Aap jawaab kaahe nahi deti" Naniji said, letting go of Mamiji's hand and turning towards Amma. "Hum sab yeh janna chahat hai ki yeh tasveer kab ki hai? Aur Sumi jo baat keh rahi'kya voh sach hai?"
Why wasn't Amma saying anything? Why wasn't she protesting, outraged by the insane accusations?
Di walked up to Amma now, a dazed look in her eyes. For the first time in all the months of knowing Di, Khushi noticed the crow-feet at the corner of her eyes, the lines around her lips and the age in her countenance.
"Aap aise chup nahi reh sakthi" Di said, her pitch raising. "Hume bataiye ke sach kya hai"
"Hume maaf kar dijiye bitiya" Amma said, reaching for Di's hands.
Di recoiled in horror.
"Yeh baat sach hai?" she asked and then repeated it to herself, "Yeh baat sach hai"
Khushi turned to her mother, a voice in her mind yelling for her mother to stop apologizing and to set the record straight. But before she could say anything, Jiji hurried to Amma's side.
"Amma" Payal said, "Aap maafi kyun maang rahi hain, bata dijiye in sabko ki yeh sab sach nahi hai"
Khushi looked at her sister, relieved that she'd said exactly the words that her own mind was struggling to formulate.
"Aapne humari Mamma ke saath'" Di trailed off, too overwhelmed to speak. Her hand rose to cover her mouth but she took a deep breath and continued, "Aapne unke saath aisa kyun kiya? Aapki vajah se unhone apni jaan de di"
"Aye Garima" Buaji said, shoving Khushi aside and taking Amma's arm. "Tum chup kaahe ho? Suna nahi yeh sab kya kahat rahe? Jawab do eeko, aise chup-chap khadi rahogi to sab yehi sochat hai ki yeh Dadiji joun sab kahi who sach hai"
Khushi wanted to scream at everyone to just stop it in the way Arnavji did when things got out of control. But her mind and voice seemed to have lost their connection as the implications of Amma's silence sunk in.
The only thing she managed to say was, "Amma"
Sheer panic, as always, directed her towards Devi Maiyya and she found herself sending up silent prayers for strength. There had to be an explanation to this surreal scene. It was a misunderstanding, surely it was.
"Amma" she said, louder this time and shook her mother's hand to snap her out of her trance.
"Humara vishwas kijiye" Amma said, her voice tremulous. "Hum nahi jaante te ki voh shaadi-shudah the, ke unke do bachche bhi hain...unhone yeh baat humse chupakar rakhi"
Khushi hand flew to her mouth and she let go of her mother's hand.
"Lekin jis din hume pata chala, humne unse saare rishtey thod diye" Amma said, her pleading eyes fixed on Khushi. "Lekin tab tak'bahut der ho chuki thi. Khusi, humpe vishwas karo bitiya"
Khushi felt her mother's work-worn hands on her forearm and looked into her wet eyes. The same mother who had taught her many years ago that 'Sach bolne wale hamesha aankhon se aankhen milakar baat karte hai aur jo jhoot bolte hai wohi nazar churate hain'.
Amma might not be her birth mother but it didn't take Khushi more than one glance into her eyes to know that she was speaking the truth.
"Jhoot bol rahi ho tum" Dadiji said, "Tumne sab kuch jaan booj ke kiya, kyunki tum ek giri hui aurat ho jo pasion ke liye kuch bhi'"
"Bas kijiye Dadiji" Khushi heard herself say.
A white blaze of fury clouded her awareness. She didn't know where the words were coming from but simply that she couldn't stop them, "Aap badi hai lekin iska matlab yeh nahi ki aap humari Amma ke baare me aisi ghatiya baatein karengi aur hum chup rahenge"
She heard Mamiji's loud gasp and sensed the disapproval emanating from the others. She refused to look at them now, unwilling to allow their expressions to weaken her resolve. She clutched Amma's hand in hers and said,
"Agar humari Amma keh rahi hai ki unhe pata nahi tha, toh yehi sach hai" Khushi said, her gaze and voice unflinching. "Humari Amma jhoot nahi bolti"
Amma let out a soft whimper of relief and bent to kiss Khushi's hand.
"Yeh jaanti thi ya nahi, isse hume koi farak nahi padta" Dadiji said, looking away with disgust. "Hum sirf itna jaante hai ki iski vajah se humne apne bete aur bahu ko kho diya aur ab hum iski parchayee tak is ghar pe padne nahi denge"
Dadiji strode forward and grasped Khushi's hands.
Blindsided, Khushi couldn't bring herself to retreat or even snatch her hands away when Dadiji slid the kangans out of her wrist with particular ferocity.
Her jaw dropping with disbelief, she turned to the others in the room.
Naniji and Di were both crying but they neither protested nor made eye contact with her. Mamiji stood apart, her arms crossed and with her nose up in the air.
Buaji's hand was on her head and Jiji looked on, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Nahi, aisa mat kijiye" Amma said, appealing to Dadiji with folded hands. "Anjaaney me hi sahi, galathi toh humse hui hai na toh sazaa bhi hume milni chahiye, humri bitiya ko sazaa mat dijiye"
"Hum iss anath ladki pe fir bhi taras khake isse apna lete" Dadiji said, turning her piercing gaze towards Khushi now. "Lekin, isne damaadji ke saath jo kiya, uske baad hum isse kabhi nahi apnaenge. Isne saabit kar diya ki yeh tumhari hi beti hai. Waise bhi, jis ladki ko tum jaisi aurat ki parvarish mili, usse aur umeed bhi kya kar sakthe hai"
"Yeh aap kya keh rahi hain" Amma said, looking stricken and turning to face the others in the room. "Khushi ne aisa kuch nahi kiya, aap sab toh sach jaante hai"
"Kaisa sach Masiji?"
Shyam's voice had a ringing quality to it, clear even from across the living room.
Khushi stumbled backwards, Payal's hands across her shoulder stopping her from falling.
Amma averted her gaze from the man walking forward.
"Maasiji, kis sach ki baat kar rahi hai aap?" he asked.
"Babua, tum beech me naahi bolo tho behtar rahega" Buaji said, fixing him her unforgiving gaze.
"Arey Buaji, thak gaye hum wahi baat sun-sunke" he said, slapping his fore-head to show his apparent frustration with the subject. "Hum bhi vakil hai, sachayee saabit karne ke liye saboot ki zaroorat hoti hai aur aap sab bina koi saboot humpe ilzaam lagate ja rahe hai. Ab bas kijiye"
Looking at his profile, Khushi felt a surge of revulsion. She hadn't known the extent of evil in the world or the depth of her own capability to hate until she met Shyam.
But just then memories of another similar night of confrontations left her feeling drained. She didn't have the energy to fight, to plead her innocence all over again.
"Madhumathiji, Shyamji is ghar ke dammad hai. Unke saath pehle bhi bahut nainsaafi hui hai lekin ab hum aisa nahi hone denge. Behtar yehi hoga ki aap sab yahan se chale jaye"
"Nahi" Amma cried, sinking to the ground. "Aisa mat kijiye, Khushi Arnav ke bina nahi reh paegi, aisa mat kijiye"
Jiji let go of Khushi and rushed forward to help her mother, silent sobs rocking her own petite frame.
"Tumhe lagta hai sach jaanne ke baad Arnav iss ladki se shaadi karega? Uski shakal bhi dekhega?" Dadiji asked, unsuccessful in her attempt to mask the triumph in her eyes. "Nafrat karega voh tumse aur iss ladki se. Humare pothe ke aane se pehle aap yahan se chale jaiye, isime apki bhalai hai"
Khushi took a step backwards, closing her eyes to block out Dadiji's words. But that didn't help tune out the now muted voice in her head that told her that unknowing as she had been, her mother was the 'other woman' this family held a grudge against, that her own integrity was being put to question yet again and finally that Dadiji was calling off the wedding.
Khushi saw curtains falling and darkness enveloping her.
"Arnavji"
His name on her lips was her surrender against the battle to stay conscious.
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