Arnav woke up just in time to see his wife's eyes flicker open. As was their 'aadat', his hand was still snugly in hers and one of her legs was thrown over his hip without abandon.
She squinted in the morning light but unlike in the past didn't recoil with horror. With a shy smile, she lowered her leg and sat up.
"Good morning" he said, sitting up and stretching.
Perched at the edge of the bed, she turned to observe him closely.
He raised his eyebrows in question and in a flash, the previous night came back to him.
Today was supposed to have been the day of their wedding, he thought regretfully.
When she continued to peer at him as though searching for some external manifestation of his grief, he gave her a small smile to let her know he was ok.
"Aap haath muh dhoke aiye, hum chai banathe hai" she said, shuffling out of the bed.
Arnav held her back by her wrist and said, "Khushi, aaj chai main bana doon?"
She whipped around, sending her hair flying in the opposite direction.
"Kya?" she said, loudly. "Arnavji, aapne koi mannat maangi hai kya? Ke Amma ke haathon baar baar hume thapad dilvaenge?"
With a sardonic smile, Arnav remembered that both times in the past Aunty had slapped Khushi on his account.
"Amma ko chodiye, Buaji ne apne Damaadji ko chai banathe dekh liya toh pura ghar hi ghuma dengi aur hume" Khushi said, pausing to take a breath. "Aur hume chai toh kya pura din kuch nahi khilaengi. Aap rehne dijiye, chai hum bana lenge"
"Drama queen" Arnav muttered as she freed her hand and started marching out.
Just as Arnav got out of bed, her phone began to ring.
"Nanheji ka phone hai" she said excitedly, clicking to answer.
"Aapko bhi good morning Nanheji" she said. "Ji, hum theek hain. Aap bataiye, kal raat toh aap gayab hi ho gaye?"
She listened for a minute and exclaimed, "Kya? Aap farmhouse kaise pahunch gaye?"
What on earth? Arnav found himself wondering as Khushi turned to him, her look of confusion changing to a small smile as NK spoke.
"Ek minute, haan" she said, "Aap apne Nannav bhaiya se hi baat kijiye, yeh lijiye"
She handed him the phone with an encouraging nod and turned to leave, tying up her hair in a knot.
"Nannav mere bhai, kaise ho?" NK said, his voice unusually subdued.
"I'm fine NK" Arnav said, "Tum farmhouse me kya kar rahe ho?"
"It's a long story Nannav" NK said, "But ab main vaapis ghar aa gaya hoon. Actually Nannav, Akash bhai aur maine tumhare liye ek bachelor's party organise ki thi"
Arnav listened with surprise as NK explained that the plan had been for Akash to pick him up after dropping Khushi's family home while he saw to the arrangements at the farmhouse.
NK had waited for them for a few hours, panicked when they didn't receive his calls and driven back home.
"I'm really sorry Nannav" NK said, "Akash bhai ne mujhe sab bataya"
Sighing, Arnav found that it was still too soon to be talking about last night.
"Ghar me sab kaise hain?" he asked, "Di ne subah ki divayi li? And Nani?"
"Everyone is fine Nannav" NK said, "Di ko Naniji ne davayi di and Naniji ko Payal bhabhi ne. Sab theek hain but bahut sad hai, including me"
NK's voice cracked a little at the end.
Was he crying? Arnav wondered. The thought that one of the most cheerful people he knew was feeling low made the weight of his own grief bear down heavily on him.
"I know, NK" he said, "Listen, mujhe abhi bahut saari arrangements karni hai, I'll talk to you later. Ghar me sabka khayal rakhna"
NK promised to do that and made Arnav promise to let him know as soon as the wedding ceremony was confirmed.
The only way he could deal with this emotional overload was to get busy, Arnav decided as he rummaged in his bag for a towel and clothes. And the first order of business was to call Aman.
An hour later, Khushi was helping Buaji with breakfast when the doorbell rang.
Arnav strode into the living room.
"Main dektha hoon" he called, opening the door.
He accepted the package and tipped the orderly.
"Khushi, ek minute mere saath aao" he said, heading for their room.
She wiped her hands on her salwar and hurried after him.
"Iss me kuch paise hain, dhyaan se andar rakh do" he said, handing her the package.
She raised her eyebrows at him.
"Shaadi ke liye jo bhi arrangements karni hai, uske liye" he explained, "I don't want ki Aunty ya Buaji kisi cheez ke liye spend karen"
With a grateful smile, she took the package to the almirah.
"Arnavji, iss me kitne paise hain?" she asked, "Aap bata denge toh hum hisab rakhenge"
There was a loud knock on the door.
"Ten lakhs" Arnav said, turning to open the door.
"Dus lakh!" Khushi cried out.
"Shhh" Arnav said, looking back at her.
"Dus lakh!" she repeated in a whisper, her eyes round as buttons. "itne paison me Lakshmi Nagar ki saari ladkiyon ki shaadi ho jaegi"
Arnav rolled his eyes, "Paise bach jae toh vaapis kar dena, ok?"
She made a production of putting it away safely and locking the almirah.
Shaking his head at her nautanki, Arnav opened the door to find Buaji waiting.
"Damaadji, Sanka Devi, zara dekho toh, tumse milne kaun aaya hai Nandkishore" Buaji said.
Arnav had a rather strong hunch as they followed Buaji out and realized he'd been right when he spotted Akash and Payal in the living room.
With a loud squeal, Khushi ran into her sister's arms.
Feeling vaguely envious of their uninhibited exchange of affections, Arnav directed his attention to his brother.
In the brief moment when he'd asked for his car-keys back from Akash before leaving, an apology had been on his lips. But unable to formulate the appropriate words, Arnav had decided that it wasn't the right time or place for it.
Now as he watched Akash looking at the sisters with an embarrassed smile on his face, he wondered if he should go ahead. Only, he still didn't know what to apologize for exactly. Was it for imagining that he had control over Akash and Payal's relationship? For all he knew, Akash might have asked him to go to hell if Arnav had asked him to leave Payal. Try as he might, Arnav couldn't guess what Akash's reaction would have been and felt vaguely thankful that it would remain a hypothetical question.
Before he could say anything, Akash spoke.
"Bhai, Aunty ne bataya ki voh panditji se baat karne jaa rahe hain" he said, "Toh agar aap abhi free hain toh we can finish the meeting with Mehta and Mehta"
Arnav decided to take that as a hint to let bygones be bygones. Maybe someday there would be a time for explanations but it wasn't today. And at the moment the deal with Mehta and Mehta sounded like just the distraction he needed.
He turned to Khushi who had broken away from her sister and was observing the two of them.
"Bas ek-do ghante ka kaam hai" Arnav said.
She nodded slowly.
Buaji and Aunty entered then, forbidding anyone from leaving without breakfast.
"Fikar math karo, Babua" Buaji whipered to him as they sat down. "Garima ne Sanke Devi ke khatir puri aloo banaya hai lekin humne
tumhre liye dukaan se bread-jam mangaya hai"
Grinning, Arnav whispered his thanks.
Everyone was making an effort to keep the conversation light as they ate and Arnav felt grateful for that.
When they finished, Payal said,
"Akash, hum kuch der yehin rehna chahthe hai"
Akash looked from Payal to Khushi and nodded. Arnav knew that the sisters probably had a lot to talk about. Unlike men, women had an inherent need to discuss everything to death. He wondered if the lack of communication among the male species was a sign of their evolved intellect or their primitive minds.
"Theek hai, main ghar jaate waqt tumhe pick up kartha hoon"
"Hume bhi nikalna chahiye Garima" Buaji said, "Panditji intezaar kari hain"
"Haan, Jiji. Payaliya, Khusi, apne Babuji ka dhyaan rakhna" Aunty said, heading for the door. "Hum jaldi aavat hain"
As Buaji, Aunty and Akash made their way out, Arnav hung back. When Khushi came to close the door he said,
"Khushi, are you sure you don't mind? Tum theek toh ho na? I mean..."
"Hum theek hai, Arnavji" she said, gently prodding him out of the door. "Aap jaldi jaiye aur jaldi vaapis aaiye"
He made her promise to call as soon as Buaji and Aunty returned before heading for his car.
************************************************************************************************************
"Laad Governor kahike" Khushi said, putting away their breakfast plates. "Itni achchi puri aloo bani thi lekin nahi, voh aur unke bread-butter"
Jiji walked into the kitchen after settling Babuji in front of the TV.
"Dekho na, Jiji'" Khushi began but stopped when her sister walked up to her, holding her hands to her ears.
Before Khushi could say anything, Jiji began to do uthak-baithak.
"Jiji, yeh tum kya kar rahi ho" Khushi said, holding her by the shoulders and stopping her.
"Hume maaf kar do Khushi" Jiji said, her eyes filling with tears. "Tumne humare liye itna kuch kiya aur hum tumpe hi gussa hote rahe"
"Uffo Jiji, ab bas bhi karo" Khushi said, turning back to the dishes. "Ek toh vaise bhi hum Arnavji ki baaton ka vishwas karke uloo ban gaye aur ab tum yeh sab kahogi toh hume apni bevakoofi ka aur ehsaas hoga"
"Kya bol rahi ho Khushi?" Jiji asked, wiping her eyes.
"Jiji, tumhe kya lagtha hai? Voh Laad Governor sach me aapki shaadi rukva dete? Apne hi bhai ki shaadi rukva dete?" Khushi asked, waving the ladle in air. "Ek hum hi mile the unhe, bevakoof, jo darr ke unki baaton me aa gaye"
Jiji shook her head and said, "Pata hai Khushi, hum bhi kal raat yehi sochte reh gaye. Agar tumne unki shart nahi maani hoti, toh kya voh sach me'"
"Kabhi nahi Jiji" Khushi lied.
She didn't think it was necessary for Jiji to know just how serious Arnavji had been. Revealing secrets had already cut the size of her family in half, the last thing she wanted was Jiji to think poorly of Arnavji even if the very same thought had plagued her endlessly in the past.
"Unhe jaan ne ke baad hum yakeen se keh sakthe hain ki voh kabhi aisa nahi karthe" Khushi said, sounding falsely cheery. "Voh uss waqt hum unhe jaanthe nahi the na, isiliye itni aasani se unhone hume dara ke rakha tha"
Jiji managed a small smile but still looked thoughtful.
"Ek pal me hume Arnavji pe itna gussa aata hai ki unhone humari behen ko itna tang kiya" she said, "Lekin doosre hi pal hum kal raat ke baare me sochthe hai. Unhone jis tarah tumhara saath diya, uske baad hum unse naraaz kaise reh sakthe hain?"
Khushi's fell face thinking about last night.
As much as her heart swelled at the thought of Arnavji supporting her, she couldn't shake away the feeling that what happened wasn't a good omen.
Being orphaned at an early age, she'd come to believe that the only reason for relationships to end was the hand of fate. The fact that in real life relationships ended for far less lofty reasons was something she couldn't wrap her head around.
Jiji took the washed dishes from her hands one by one and began to wipe them dry.
"Khushi, tumhe Lucknow ke Sharmaji yaad hain?" Jiji asked abruptly. "Vohi jinki beti Jyothi ne Khan baba ke bete ke saath bhaag ke shaadi kar li thi?
Surprised, Khushi nodded.
"Unhone gusse me aake kasam khayi thi ki voh Jyothi ki shakal tak nahi dekhenge" Jiji said, "Lekin kuch dino ke baad voh khud Jyothi aur Aamir ko ghar kele aaye the aur unke beech sab theek ho gaya tha"
Khushi turned off the tap and turned to her sister wondering if her point was what Khushi suspected it to be.
"Jo log ek doosre se pyaar karthe hain, voh zyaada din door nahi reh pate" Jiji said, putting away the dish-cloth. "Chahe unke beech kaisi bhi naraazgi ho, waqt ke saath sab theek ho jatha hai"
"Jiji tumhe sach me lagtha hai ki humare saath bhi aisa hi hoga?" Khushi asked hopefully, praying to Devi Maiyya for Jiji to be right.
"Tum dekhna Khushi" Jiji said, raising a hand to pat Khushi's cheek. "Aisa hi hoga, aur fir Di aur Dadiji toh tum dono se bahut pyaar karthe hain"
Forcing her thoughts away from the members of her now estranged family, Khushi changed the topic before her eyes turned most.
"Jiji, tumhe kabhi Lucknow ki yaad aathi hai?" she asked, as they put away the dishes into the kitchen racks.
Jiji smiled, "Haan Khushi, hume Lucknow ki bahut yaad aati hai, khaskhar humare ghar ki"
"Aur humara mithai ka dukaan" Khushi added, "Aur Bankelal chaat wala, Patelji ki choodiyon ki dukaan, humara purana school'"
Reminiscing over their shared past, Khushi was surprised by how long it had been since she'd spared a thought to these memories.
"Kitni ajeeb baat hai na Khushi, hum sirf kuch din yahan rehne aaye the aur ab yahin ke hoke reh gaye" Jiji said.
"Haan Jiji, zara socho agar uss din hum Sheesh Mahal me Arnavji se nahi milthe toh hum sabki zindagi kitni alag hoti"
Still smarting at the humiliation she'd faced that day Khushi couldn't help adding with a humph, "Aur aasan bhi. Voh Laad Governor toofan ki tarah humari zindagi me aaye aur hume pata hi chala ki kaise sab kuch badal gaya"
Jiji smiled, gently shoving Khushi's temple. "Paagal. Zindagi aasan zaroor hoti Khushi, lekin shayad hum dono ko kabhi sache pyaar ka ehsaas nahi hota"
Sacha pyaar, Khushi found herself wondering as Jiji went to check on Babuji. Her life would undoubtedly have been easier if she'd never met Arnavji but Jiji was right, she would also never have experienced the giddy passion of true love. The kind of love that she imagined only existed in Salman Khanji's movies.
"Khushi, jaldi aao"
Jiji called a few minutes later.
Snapping out of her reverie, Khushi hurried to the living room to fing Jiji standing behind Babuji, turning up the volume on the remote.
"Dekho toh, tumhara waala gaana aa raha hai" Jiji said.
Khushi turned to the TV, a smile splitting her features as even more memories came flooding back.
"Roop suhana lagtha hai, chaand puraana lagtha hai, tere aage ho jaanam"
Before stopping to think, she pulled Jiji forward and started dancing, serenading their father.
Her usually shy Jiji didn't hesitate to copy her steps on seeing the smile it brought to their father's face.
"Hai re Nandkishore!"
Khushi froze, her hand up in the air and turned to see Buaji and Amma at the door.
Jiji hastily turned down the volume and adjusted her saree.
Buaji was clutching the side of her head mumbling about the two of them acting more like kids than married women.
But Khushi noticed the sheen of tears in Amma's eyes.
"Haan, Jiji" Amma said, "Humare liye toh ee dono hamesha humari choti bachiyaan hi rahengi"
Jiji hurried to bring Buaji a glass of water as they sat down.
"Bitiya, panditji keh rahe ki kal shaam ko bahut acha muhurut hai" Amma said, placing her hand on Khushi's knee. "Aur hum unhe paise de toh voh saari vyavastha khud kari hai"
"Bus khaana and photu ki jimmedaari humri hai Nandkishore" Buaji added.
When Khushi brought up the issue of money, Buaji and Amma shouted her down, refusing to listen even after she informed them that it was Arnavji's wish. They insisted that they could very well pay for their daughter's wedding and that it was part of the custom. Khushi gave up and asked them to take it up with Arnavji himself when he returned.
She called to inform him of panditji's decision and found herself smiling at how relieved he sounded.
He said that a photographer would be no problem at all and agreed to her suggestion of asking Shuklaji to make arrangements for dinner at Buaji's home as it would only be a few guests.
Praying to Devi Maiya for everything to go smoothly this time around, Khushi found herself thinking of something she had been too preoccupied to consider before. And if the wedding ceremony was the following day, she needed Jiji's help at the earliest.
"Jiji" she said, turning to her sister, "Tum mere liye ek kaam karogi?"
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