Chapter 18- Har virah ke baad bastha hai basera

Anjali woke up to the sound of her phone ringing.

Without opening her eyes, she clicked to answer and was greeted by the most cheerful voice in the world.

"Good morning, Anjali Aunty"

"Good morning, sweetheart" she said, smiling into her pillow. "Aaj itne savere savere Anjali Aunty ki yaad kaise aa gayi?"

"Aaj humare school me fancy dress competition hai" Pari said, her voice turning accusatory. "Aap bhool gayi na?"

Anjali squeezed her eyelids shut. Damn, she had forgotten.

The daunting prospect of planning and executing a con on her razor sharp brother had left little time or mind space for anything else in the past week. But that was hardly a fitting excuse to give a five year old.

"Aapko saare bol yaad hai?" she asked, hoping to divert Pari's attention away from her slip up.

"Haan, humne Dadi ke saath abhyaas kiya" Pari said, still sounding stiff.

"Aapko darr toh nahi lag raha?" Anjali asked.

Pari made a nuh-huh sound and said, "Papa humare saath aa rahe hai, aap kyun nahi aa sakthi?"

With a sigh, Anjali sat up and pushed aside the covers.

"I'm so sorry, beta" she said, "Aaj hume bahut zaroori kaam hai lekin hum shaam ko aapse milne pucca aaenge, ok?"

After a beat of silence, Pari said 'Ok' in a small voice.

"Vaise, aapke Papa hai kahan?" Anjali asked.

"Papa?" Pari said, perking up at once. "Bluetooth pe kisiko zorr se daant rahe hai"

Anjali couldn't help giggling. How typical.

She heard some muffled voices in the background.

"Dadi keh rahi hai ki ab hume jaake tayaar hona hai" Pari said, "Humne aapko best of luck kehne ke liye phone kiya tha"

Anjali chuckled. Because she was smarter than most kids of her age, it was easy to forget that Pari was only five years old.

"Best of luck toh hume aapko kehna chahiye, gudiya" she said, "All the very best Ms. Pari Mathur aur aapko yaad hai jo humne aapse kaha tha?"

Although she couldn't see her, Anjali knew Pari was nodding with her pony tail bobbing up and down.

"Haar aur jeeth se badkar hai competition me bhaag lena kyunki jo parti'pate karthe hai voh bahut brave hote hai"

"Participate" Anjali said, smiling that Pari remembered her words almost exactly. "Very good aur competition ke baad hume phone karna mat bhuliye"

Pari promised to call and said goodbye.

Anjali disconnected the call and sat staring at her phone. She felt a stab of regret that she couldn't be there to see Pari do her little pirouette in the ballerina costume they had picked for her. She was sure that Pari would be the star of the show.

They had decided that it wouldn't be appropriate for Anjali to visit her school, it was still too soon. But noting how progressively harder it was becoming for her to keep her distance, Anjali wondered if it wasn't in fact too late.

But the last thing she wanted was for the little girl to have to go through another heartbreak if things didn't work out. And if there was one thing life had taught her, it was just how fragile relationships could be.

The thought of fragile relationships sent a jolt of awareness through her.

She shuffled out of bed and practically ran down the length of the first floor corridor, ignoring the nagging pain in her leg.

The first sign of something amiss was that the doors were slightly ajar.

"Chotey?" she called, knocking softly. "Khushiji?"

There was no reply.

She pushed open the door and stepped inside, her heart racing.

Anjali had unlocked the door the previous night as soon as she was convinced that Chotey and Khushiji believed themselves to be locked in. With Khushiji in her fifth month of pregnancy, Anjali hadn't wanted to take any chances. She'd resigned herself to hoping they wouldn't try the doors again.

Her heart sank at the sight of the empty room. She checked the bathroom and the poolside before lowering herself to the chaise, awash with disbelief.

They had left? Just like that, without a word?

Tears stung her eyes and she covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from crying out aloud.

She wasn't naive and knew that, as Chotey had said, things couldn't be set right overnight. All she'd wanted was for them to spend a romantic night together so that the memories of their shared past might warm Chotey to the idea of coming back someday.

A ripple of anger shot through her disbelief as she realized that this had to be entirely Chotey's doing.

She was no stranger to his temper or cantankerous ways having practically raised him through his teenage years.

She stood up and wiped her tears, telling herself to draw strength from the fact that she knew him so well. If he was stubborn, she would out-stubborn him.

She walked back to her room, refusing steadfastly to give up on her mission just yet. She freshened up and decided to share the latest developments with Nani.

Anjali's heart leapt to her throat when coming to the staircase landing, she spotted Khushiji sitting on the steps with her head bent low.

"Khushiji?" she said, in surprise.

When she looked up, Anjali could tell she had been crying. Her eyes looked puffy and red and there were tear stains down both her cheeks.

On seeing Anjali, Khushiji quickly wiped her face and attempted a smile.

"Aap yahan kya kar rahi hai?" Anjali asked, scanning the deserted living room and turning back to her. "Aur..aur Chotey kahan hai?"

"Di, voh.." Khushiji began but her lips started quivering and fresh tears appeared in her eyes. She threw her arms around Anjali and sobbed.

"Khushiji" Anjali said, trying to pat her back reassuringly as panic turned her blood to ice. "Hume bataiye kya hua?"

"Di, humne unhe rokne ki bahut koshish ki lekin voh bahut gusse me the" Khushiji said, "Voh nahi ruke..chale gaye"

Anjali pulled back and stared at her.

"Humara jhagda ho gaya" Khushiji said, sniffing. "Humne bhi gusse me aake unse ulta seedha keh diya, humne keh diya ki hum unke saath nahi jaenge"

"Kya?" Anjali said, struggling to comprehend. "Lekin voh gaye kahan?"

"Pata nahi, Di" Khushiji said, in a small voice. "Hume lagtha hai ki voh ghar gaye honge..voh humara phone bhi nahi utha rahe hai"

Her voice broke at the last few words.

Swallowing her confusion, Anjali put an arm around her sister-in-law.

"Khushiji, aap rona bandh kijiye" she said, "Arey, aap toh Chotey ko achi tarah se jaanthi hai, thoda shaant hote hi vaapis aa jaenge"

To her horror, instead of looking relieved, Khushiji dissolved into tears again.

"Voh nahi aaenge, Di" Khushiji said. "Unhone kaha ki agar hum yahaan rehna chahthe hai toh shok se reh sakthe hai lekin voh kabhi vaapis iss ghar me nahi aaenge"

Anjali's expression turned incredulous. Khushiji was rather theatrical to begin with and was it possible that pregnancy hormones were messing her quarrel with Chotey into dramatic proprtions?

Then again, Anjali didn't need any convincing to believe that her brother was capable of saying the most hurtful things in a fit of rage.

"Khushiji, aapko aise nahi rona chahiye" she said, trying to restore some semblance of normalcy. "Aapke aur baby ke liye acha nahi hoga..aap fikar mat kijiye, hum Chotey se baat karthe hai"

Khushiji wiped her eyes as Anjali dialed her brother's number.

There was no answer.

Gathering the worst from her expression, Khushiji swallowed hard and turned away.

Just as Anjali was trying Chotey's number for the third time, Nani and Mami entered the living room.

"Khushi bitiya" Nani exclaimed on seeing Khushiji and hurried forward at once. "Kya hui gava?"

To spare Khushiji, Anjali gave them a brief narrative of what had happened. Before they could finish expressing their outrage, Akash and Payal appeared for breakfast and Anjali had to repeat it to them.

"Kya?" NK bhai all but screamed when he heard. "Nannav Khushiji ko yahaan chod ke chala gaya? He has lost it, uska dimaag sharaab ho gaya hai"

Khushiji became visibly upset and Payalji hurried to bring her water while Akash led NK bhai away whispering the difference between sharaab and kharaab.

Tears pricked Anjali's eyes when she saw Khushiji gulp down the glass of water.

Had she even eaten last night? Anjali wondered as she realized that her clever plan had not only spectacularly backfired but she was once again the kindling to their flare up.

She remembered Khushiji once complaining in jest that Anjali and Nani should have coddled Chotey less and been stricter with his upbringing.

"Tab shayad iss Laad Governor ko jhelne thoda aasan hota" she'd said, whining about his short fuse.

Khushiji had been absolutely right. Chotey seemed to be under the impression that he could get away with just about anything under the garb of his short temper. But not anymore, Anjali decided.

If he was angry with her, he had no right to take it out on poor Khushiji.

Looking at her now, Anjali's heartstrings tugged painfully. Why had fate designed for her to be the cause for all of Khushiji's strife?

"Payalji, aap Khushiji ko andar leke jaiye" Anjali said, standing up. The fastest way to reach Chotey was through Aman. "Hum abhi aate hai, hum zara.."

"Di"

Anjali heared his voice and turned around so fast, she lost balance.

Payalji and Khushiji grabbed her from either side and steadied her as she spotted Chotey standing at the door with a small duffle bag in hand.

"Chotey!" she whispered, clutching her heart.

"Yeh kya paagalpan hai Chotey?" she asked, angrily as she hobbled down the steps. "Aisa kartha hai koi? Tumhe pata hai Khushiji ki kya haalath ho gayi hai aur hum sab kitna pareshaan hai?"

He bent his head low.

"Tumhe kya lagtha hai, tum gusse me kuch bhi kar sakthe ho aur koi kuch nahi kahenga?" Anjali asked, spitting fire.

"Aur aapko kya lagtha hai Di" he said, "Mazaak sirf aap kar sakthi hai?"

Her mind busy churning out further accusations, his words didn't register at first.

He stepped forward and holding her hand, turned her around to face the staircase.

Anjali simply stared.

Nearly everyone was laughing and Khushiji came bounding down the steps with a hundred watt smile on her face.

"Anjali bitiya, humka yakeen nahi aavat hai ki tum so eejily April Fool bani rahi" Mami said, with a high sounding laugh. "Hello hi bye bye"

"Par..?" Anjali turned to her brother who was smiling shyly at her.

"I just went back to bring some clothes and necessities" he said.

On hearing his words, Anjali didn't pause to think but simultaneously began to laugh and cry.

"Chotey, iska matlab tum ghar.." she said, raising a hand to his cheek.

He nodded.

With a cry of relief, she hugged him and slapped his arms at the same time.

"Sorry Di" he said, hugging her back. "Aapko itna pareshaan kiya, actually sab Khushi ka idea tha"

Anjali heard a loud, indignant sound behind her.

"Kya?" Khushiji demanded, loudly.

Anjali pulled away, looking from one to the other.

"Kya kya?" Chotey said.

Khushiji narrowed her eyes and keeping them fixed on him, she turned to Anjali.

"Di, yeh jhoot bol rahe hai" she said, "Yeh sab inka plan tha"

"Yeah, right" Chotey said, "Di already knows ki nautanki kaun kartha hai"

"Haaw" Khushiji said, pulling Anjali aside and stepping up to face Chotey. "Aap ne hi kaha tha ki hume rone ka natak karna hai jab tak aap vaapis nahi aate aur ab aap..aap paasa palat rahe hai"

She waved a finger at his nose that he flicked away.

"Khushi, everyone knows ki aise crazy ideas kiske ho sakthe hai" Chotey said, "Kyun, Akash, Payal? Tum dono ko toh yaad hoga and Nani.."

"Yeh jhoot bol rahe hai" Khushiji protested when looking around the room desperately, she realised that no one believed her.

Anjali had just admitted that her sister-in-law had a flair for the dramatic, why then couldn't she shake off the nagging suspicion about her brother? After all, living with Khushiji was bound to have its effects.

"Ab phati sadee, bina saboot ke hum tumhri baat par kaisan vishwas kare" Mami said, "Where is proof?"

There irony in Mami's words wasn't lost on anyone. After a moment of hushed silence, Nani broke into titters and everyone followed suit. Everyone except Khushiji who said in a serious voice, "Hum sach keh rahe hai"

"Khushi" Chotey said, in a most patronizing way as he reached for her hand.

Predictably, she snatched it back. Blowing her bangs out of her face, she imitated his tone and said, "Arnav"

There was a collective gasp in the living room.

Khushiji's eyes widened and she stepped back, colour filling her cheeks.

"Humara matlab hai..Arnavji"

Anjali couldn't help laughing and the rest of the family was in splits as well.

How long had it been since they had all laughed this way?

As Akash and NK bhai came up with increasingly ridiculous ways to settle the issue of whose idea the prank was, Anjali interrupted.

"Ab kiska idea tha, isse hume koi farak nahi padtha" Anjali said, catching them both by the ears. "Lekin sazaa toh hum inn dono ko denge aur kya sazaa de sakthe hai, iske baare me koi ideas ho toh bataiye"

They continued to blame each other, trying to wriggle free when all of a sudden Khushiji froze and the colour drained from her face.

Anjali let go and noticed the laughter vanish from her brother's face.

"Khushi, kya hua?" he asked, holding her hand.

"Laat maara" Khushiji whispered, her voice barely audible.

"What?" Chotey asked, crooking his ear towards her. His breathing was turning shallow from panic.

"Baby ne laat maara" Khushiji said, her face slowly lighting up with wonder. "Arnavji, yeh dekhiye"

She grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly.

Chotey stared blankly for a few seconds and then his jaw dropped open.

"Aapko pata chala?" Khushiji asked, breathlessly.

Dumbfounded, he nodded and Anjali saw the unabashed tears in his eyes.

Straightening up, he pulled Khushiji into his arms and for several seconds they were lost to the world.

Anjali looked around and saw Nani wiping her eyes, while Akash and Payal held each other and Mami looked on with a comical expression of surprise.

Even after several seconds, Chotey was unable to speak as he led her to sit on the sofa, one hand on her tummy as the rest of the family converged around them.

"Nannav mere bhai" NK bhai said, "Lagtha hai ki tumhara beta footballer banega"

"Beti" Chotey finally managed to whisper. "It'll be a girl"

"Jee nahi" Khushiji said. "Ladka hoga"

Anjali stood in her place, tears streaming down her cheeks as they began to bicker once again and everyone pitched in with their two cents.

Watching her family, Anjali felt that for the first time in a very long time her heart was becoming whole again.

One day, she decided, it would be worthy of someone's love and strong enough to face hardships.

"Di" Chotey called, distracting her from her thoughts and the impulse to make an important phone call.

"Yahaan aaiye na" Khushiji said, shifting to make place for her.

Anjali walked to the sofa and sitting down, placed a hand on Khushiji's baby bump.

What a story she would have to tell her nephew or niece, she thought excitedly.

Looking from Chotey to Khushiji, she knew that after thirty three years and two failed relationships, she had only just understood what love was all about.

They had proved to her that it doesn't matter how different or alike two people are, only that they be passionate about each other.

It would be a story of passion in love and in hatred, the story of Arnav and Khushi.

What name do I give it though, she wondered as she finally felt the baby kick and looked up smiling.

'Har raat ke baad hota hai savera

Har virah ke baad bastha hai basera'

THE END

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