Chapter 119
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[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]
[NOCOPY]
(Thanx a million, Naughtymallu!)
FINDING KHUSHI
Part 28
Section 2
Anamika looked at Ganesh. He was driving through the night, his big body relaxed in the spacious seat of his luxury vehicle.
"Ganesh?" Anamika whispered.
Ganesh stood on the brakes. "What is wrong, Anamika?"
"Are you lonely?" she asked.
Ganesh looked at her for a moment, his eyes inscrutable. Then he navigated the vehicle to the side of the road and parked it.
"Why do you ask?" Ganesh queried softly.
"Khushi and Anjali were saying that it is a pity that you are not married, with a family'." Anamika came to a halt.
"It is a pity that I am not married, Anamika. Because I have always wanted to marry and have a family." Ganesh said softly.
Anamika stared at him, her face vulnerable, for a moment. Then she turned her head away.
"But I have never felt lonely. I have you and Gaurav." Ganesh said, his voice low but sure.
Anamika looked out through the window.
They sat in the car, silent, waiting...
"Ganesh, did we... is it because of us... that you didn't get married? I mean, did we stop you from having a life?", Anamika finally asked.
"Yes, you did." Ganesh was blunt.
Anamika looked at him, heart-felt regret in her eyes.
"To take the example of Khushi, when her heart is set on jalebis, rabri won't do the job, however good it might be." Ganesh smiled.
Anamika stared at him, her eyes wide in shock.
"When my heart was set on you and Gaurav, no other woman would do, no other family would do." Ganesh explained.
Anamika felt tears sting her eyes.
"Don't cry, Anamika. I didn't tell you the truth to upset you. But maybe twenty years is too long for me to remain silent about my dreams." His voice was soft and soothing, love and care evident in it.
Anamika dried her eyes, looking out at the road.
"I would like to marry you, Anamika. And be Gaurav's father. Think about it, hhmm?" Ganesh smiled at Anamika's averted face.
She remained silent.
"Listen, if you don't want to marry me, it is alright. Things will go back to what they werebefore. I will be a father to Gaurav and a friend to you. Don't worry, OK?" Ganesh said mildly.
Anamika nodded.
Ganesh started the car and drove towards Anamika's house.
"Khushi... Khushi...what the hell are you and Di up to?" Arnav was furious. His fingers holding the phone were trembling.
Khushi frowned, setting aside the laddoos she had been making.
"Hell?" she asked, perplexed. Then she laughed. "Not hell, Arnavji. Heaven. When Anamikaji and Ganeshji get married..."
"Khushi!" the lion roared. "Anamika must be in her thirties..."
"Thirty-nine, Arnavji!" Khushi said cheerfully.
"And Ganesh must be..."
"Forty-five.", Khushi helped him.
"Khushi, what I am trying to get into your and Di's heads is this. You have no right to force the idea of marriage down their throats. They are old enough to make decisions about their lives." Arnav fumed.
Khushi grimaced. "Acha? And what have they done these 20 years? Looked at each other like small children look at gola (ice candy) on a hot day! Offo!" she was very vocal about her disgust at their tortoise-like pace in matters of the heart.
"Khushi..." Arnav tried to put in a word for Anamika and Ganesh, and their right of choice.
"They are 39 and 45 now. What are they waiting for? To hit century? Why do they want to marry when they don't have teeth and are ganja (bald)?" Khushi was genuinely perplexed.
"Khushi..." It had to be said that Arnav tried.
"Life is so short, Arnavji. We should enjoy each and every day, shouldn't we? Aap hi sochiye, had Anamikaji and Ganeshji married earlier, they would now have a vanar sena (army of monkeys) of naughty children and Gaurav would have many brothers and sisters to fight and play with."
Arnav rolled his eyes.
"Arnavji! Just imagine! How would your life be without Anjaliji, Akash Jiju, and Nanheji?"
Arnav opened his mouth to reply, but could not find anything to say.
"How would your life be without me?" she asked, a smile in her voice.
"Khushi..." Arnav looked around his garden for inspiration.
"Peaceful, but as dull and drab as your curtains. As boring as your laptop. As lonely as a flower in your garden that a bee does not hum around."
Arnav was silenced.
"We are not forcing Anamikaji to marry Ganeshji, Arnavji. We are just telling them..."
"That it is a good idea to get married before they are too old, too bald, and too toothless to marry." Arnav smiled.
"Ab aaya na truck pul ke neeche!" Khushi exclaimed, popping a laddoo in her mouth.
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