Chapter 7
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OS 1 : Knowing Khushi
Part 4 : A Plan in the Making
Khushi's phone rang.
She juggled her bags, and with great difficulty, managed to fish out her phone.
"Hello!", she gasped.
"Khushi...", the husky voice murmured.
The world stopped for a moment, & then began to move at a very slow pace, as though in slow motion. Like in the movies.
"Ji...", she quavered, her voice just a breath.
"Can you come to the office now?", the soft voice asked.
She hesitated. "But..."
"Shyam is at home, watching a movie with my family. He won't see us."
"I will come.", she said.
Arnav heard another voice.
"Bitiyaa, will you take the karela?", the vendor asked.
"Nahin, Bhaiyya. I will come later for the vegetables."
"Khushi, where are you?", Arnav asked.
"Ji, in the sabzi mandi near your office. I will be there in 10 minutes.", she promised.
"Use the front door this time. I have informed the security, the receptionist, & my private secretary."
"Ji.", Khushi had to smile. "Shukriya."
Arnav looked up as Aman led Khushi into his office. She was in a parrot green anarkali, her cloth bag hanging across her torso, her hair in a neat plait, her eyes wary. She looked like his plants after the rain, all fresh and bright and thriving.
Arnav nodded at Aman, and showed Khushi a seat.
They stared at each other for a few moments in silence.
Finally, he said, "You were right."
She heard the pain, the sorrow, the sense of betrayal behind the words.
She just nodded.
After a few more moments of silence and shared pain, Khushi asked softly, "Will you help me stop the sagai?"
"Yes."
Khushi sagged back in her chair, weak with relief. "Thank you." He watched her lips tremble in relief.
A few more moments of silence later, the unlikely partners in Operation Flushing Shyam Out spoke at the same time.
"When is the sagai...?", asked Arnav.
"What shall we..?", asked Khushi.
Both looked flustered at each other, and then Arnav asked, "When is the sagai?"
"Next week. The 15th. At home. Between 5 and 5.30 pm."
"We have just 4 days...", Arnav mused.
"Ji.", Khushi sighed. "Amma & Buaji are busy shopping for clothes and jewellery... Jiji is so happy for me... Babuji is helpless... and the rascal is smiling all the time..."
Arnav clenched his jaw. Shyam deserved to be beaten to pulp for cheating on his sister who thought that the sun, the moon, & the stars rose out of Shyam Manohar Jha's backside.
"Do you want to deal with Shyamji without letting your sister know or do you want her to find out what kind of a man he is.", Khushi asked simply.
Arnav looked at her. His face was impassive, but he was filled with amazement. With her simple & direct way of tackling things, she had placed her finger on the most complicated and crucial part of their future plans. The crux of it...
Arnav swallowed. "She has to know. It will hurt. Very badly. Because she is blindly in love with her husband." Arnav shook his head in disgust. "Her husband!" He looked at Khushi with a stern face. "I will get him out of her life. Once & for all."
Khushi nodded.
"How can we tell her that...?", Khushi quailed.
"I am not going to tell her anything. I am going to show her.", Arnav declared.
"Show her?", khushi asked.
"That he is living in your house, that he is going to get engaged to you...", Arnav was certain.
"You are going to come to our house on the 15thwith your family?", Khushi paled.
"Yes. Di has to see her husband's true face with her own eyes.", Arnav was decided on this.
Khushi nodded slowly. After a moment's silence, she said softly, "When caught out, Shyamji will say that I and my family trapped him into staying with us, that my Buaji tried to force me on to him..."
Arnav stared at her.
"He will do anything, say anything to save his own skin. He is a coward as well as a cheat." Khushi met his eyes. "Your sister will believe him. Your family will think that we tried to entice Shyamji into marrying me..."
"I have proof that you didn't. I got him investigated.", Arnav said.
Khushi smiled sadly. "It is OK. What does it matter what your family thinks of me & mine? What matters is that I don't have to marry him and that your sister will be free of him. Once & for all."
They sat staring at each other.
"Khushi, save my number in your phone under some other name."
"Ji."
"Call me when he comes to your house to stay. I need to start dropping hints to Di so that the whole thing does not come as a shock to her."
"Ji."
They sat in silence.
"Acha, hum chalte hein. You must have work to do.", Khushi got up.
"Is the sabziwala waiting for you?", Arnav asked.
"Ji.", Khushi smiled. The smile suddenly died, and a look of horror passed over her face. "What is the time?"
"One."
Khushi hit her head with her hand. "He Devi Maiyya! Buaji will make khichdi of me! She asked me to get karela & bhindi to prepare lunch, and I am here, karela & bhindi are at the mandi, & Buaji will be waiting for me with a belan in her hand!"
Arnav tried not to smile. He watched her walk out, talking to herself, "Khushi Kumari Gupta, you are dead today. Buaji is going to call you all the names under the sun... Sanka Devi, Parmeswari... You are dead!"
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