Chapter 15
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[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]
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Darlings, I wrote a short story for a competition by IndiReads. I have been selected as one of many finalists. The story has been posted on Facebook by the publishers for the readers to vote. They will pick the winner based on the number of votes the stories receive.
If you can make the time, pls read my story. IF YOU LIKE IT (and only if you like it) please vote.
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If you can make the time, pls read my story. IF YOU LIKE IT (and only if you like it) please vote.
https://www.indireads.com/a-midnight-encounter/
Pls leave ur comments & likes here
https://www.facebook.com/indireadsbooks?hc_location=stream
Smita
Part 4: Day 10
Section 1
Arnav walked the length & breadth of his room all night, thinking furiously. In between, he paused by the bed and gazed at Khushi's moon-like luminous face, looking relaxed in sleep.
He had to fight two battles at the same time. One, he had to keep Khushi with him even when the eleven... he looked at the clock... no, ten days ended. Two, he had to expose Shyam's true face before his Di.
Khushi's words ran through his mind. She and Mami looking for him, butting heads with Shyam, looking at the airport security video clips... her views about Shyam... His ego, his greed for money, his persuasive tongue, his willingness to stoop to any level to get what he wanted, even murder and kidnapping, his lack of love for Di, his belief that Arnav would do anything for his Di's happiness... As her words rang in his head, the germ of an idea took birth in his brain.
Greed for money... ego... his snake-like tongue... his lack of love for Di... his belief that Arnav would do anything for his Di... Yes, his idea could be used, but it would be a gamble. A very big gamble. The risk was phenomenal but...
He looked at Khushi's face. She would be with him. She would stand by him, whatever happened. Her words rushed into his mind. Her views about how much his family loved him, how they would support him... He nodded. He would have to take them in to his confidence. His usual working-alone mode wouldn't help him here. He would need help from his family.
Khushi woke up in the morning, her eyes automatically looking for him on the bed. His side of the bed had not been slept in. Khushi sat up, anxious, to see Arnavji sitting on his recliner looking at her. They stared at each other.
"You have a plan, don't you?" she asked. His composed face and his bright, intent eyes were a giveaway.
Arnav nodded. "I have one day, at the most, two, to put it in place."
Khushi looked at him, silent.
"I need your help." Arnav Singh Raizada was not ashamed to say it. Not to Khushi who had seen him at his lowest, imprisoned by the kidnappers.
Khushi nodded.
"I need to talk to the family. And get in touch with Mr. Roy, my lawyer."
Khushi nodded.
"I want you with me when I talk to the family." Arnav stated.
"My presence will do more harm than good." Khushi warned.
Arnav smiled slowly. "I will risk it." he said. He got up, walked up to her, and hugged her.
A moment later, Khushi tried to free herself from his hold.
Arnav pulled her tighter into his arms.
Anjali refused breakfast.
Her whole family, with the exception of Khushi, tried to cajole her into eating atleast a few morsels.
Anjali refused, bleating that she wanted her Shyamji with her. Nani and Mami had tears in their eyes, and Payal, NK, & Akash looked anxious and lost at Anjali's firm decision to starve even if it harmed her unborn child.
Arnav motioned his family to leave Anjali alone. Unwillingly they left the room and went down to the hall. Arnav asked the nurse he had summoned that very morning to keep a close watch on Di, went to lock the gate at the mouth of the steps from the yard to the terrace, and walked in to his room on quick feet.
"Khushi, here's the key to the gate at the foot of the steps from the terrace to the yard." he said, handing it over to her for safekeeping. "Today, Shyam won't be able to get in even if Di calls him."
Khushi took a deep breath of relief.
"I am going to talk to the rest of them. Come with me?" he asked.
Khushi laid down the comb, and silently accompanied him down.
HP was setting the table for breakfast. Arnav called him aside.
"HP, I want you to do something." His voice was soft. Khushi looked at Arnav.
"Ji, Arnav Bhaiyya?"
"In Di's room, I noticed that the glass of the windows and the door leading to the garden are not very clean." Arnav said.
HP's eyes almost popped out of his head. Arnav Bhaiyya was going to kill him now. He stood still, anticipating his speedy execution with trepidation.
"I think you should clean them now. Di is awake now. She will be disturbed by the noise if you do the cleaning once she falls asleep." Arnav said.
HP swallowed, staring at his master. What had happened to Arnav Bhaiyya? He was not angry? He hastened to agree, "Haan, Arnav Bhaiyya, I will do it now. Right now."
"And, HP, ask a maid to change the curtains in Di's room. NOW." Arnav said.
"Yes, Arnav Bhaiyya. Right now." HP ran to get the maid and the cleaning supplies to clean perfectly clean windows.
"I hired a nurse this morning." Arnav whispered to Khushi. "Now Di will have company all 24 hours."
Khushi looked at Arnav.
"HP & the maid will be in the garden, right outside Di's room till we return. Di won't be able to call Shyam, & even if he graces us with his presence, he won't be able to get in without being seen."
Khushi nodded.
"Now, let's tackle the family." Arnav said as he caught hold of her hand and led the way to the hall.
After breakfast, Arnav got his entire family in to Nani's room.
In his quiet way, he explained all about Shyam, everything that Buaji and Amma had told him, all that Khushi had said, his experiences during the kidnapping, capping it with the details of Shyam's visit the previous day.
"Anjali Bitiyaa! How sad she will be when she realises..." Nani could not control her tears.
"But if we don't do anything, Shyam might kill her and the baby." Arnav said softly.
There was perfect silence in the room. A pin dropping to the ground would have sounded like a bomb blast.
Arnav began to draw a picture of his plan, taking their help and ideas to flesh it out.
Soon he had an army of people willing to help him put his plan in place if it meant freeing Anjali from the evil clutches of Shyam.
Soon Arnav led the entourage to Anjali's room. Khushi waited outside the room. As the others went in, Arnav reminded them, "Remember what I said, we need to get Di's phone. When Di is distracted, take her phone. And Payal, call the nurse out & take her phone from her."
All nodded.
The nurse stood up as the family walked in.
Anjali was watching HP clean the window energetically, her eyes furious. The maid had finished changing the curtains, and was ready to leave. Arnav looked at his Di's angry face and sighed inwardly. This was just the beginning.
He motioned for HP & the maid to leave them alone. They left.
Payal asked the nurse softly to come out to the corridor, taking all her belongings with her. The nurse accompanied her out.
"Can you leave your phone downstairs when you are sitting in Di's room, Monaji? Just for 2 days?" Payal asked nicely. "We don't want Di to be disturbed by the ringtone. I know you can keep it on silent mode, but we would like you to keep a close watch on Di. If you are distracted by calls..." Payal smiled kindly at her.
The poor nurse nodded her agreement and handed over her phone.
"We have arranged for you to stay in the room next to Nani's. I will leave your phone there. Please come down with me. I will show you the room." Payal offered.
The nurse took her bag and walked down with Payal.
"How are you, Di?" Arnav asked, his eyes looking for her phone. It was on the bedside table to her left. Arnav quickly sat on her bed on her right side. Anjali had to turn her head to look at him. "I asked HP & the maid to clean this room. It is not good for the baby if the air the mother breathes is polluted..."
Mami quickly slipped to Anjali's left and clambered on to the bed, effectively covering Anjali's view of her phone, thereby aiding her Saasumma in conducting the grand phone theft.
Arnav cupped Di's face. "Di, please have something to eat."
"No, Chotey." Anjali was adamant.
Nani took Anjali's phone and passed it to Akash.
"Di, if you won't eat, atleast have a glass of milk." Arnav pleaded.
Anjali was about to refuse, when Arnav added. "For me?"
Akash slipped the phone in to NK's hands.
Anjali faltered. Her love for her husband was great, but not so great that it could wipe away memories of a shared childhood and the deep love she had for her papad ka tukda.
She looked at the strain on his face, and then nodded, slowly. "You took your medicine, Chotey?" she asked softly.
Somewhere inside Shyam Manohar Jha's deluded wife, Chotey's Di still resided.
Arnav nodded, hugging his sister close, pressing her head against his shoulder so that she could not see NK slip out and pass the phone to Khushi.
Standing on the lawn of Sheesh Mahal after their uncle had thrown them out, he had vowed to protect Di, to make sure that she was safe and happy all her life. And he would do it, inspite of her efforts to endanger her own life. He wouldn't let any slimy Shyam harm her.
Khushi left the place immediately, rushing to her room and cutting Anjaliji's phone dead. NK ran down to get a glass of milk for Di.
"So we have cut all means of contact between Shyam & Di." Arnav told his family, Khushi sitting by him.
NK said, "The gate is locked. He can't call her. He can't walk in through the front door. No contact possible, Nannav, mere bhai!"
"Bhat if he traijj (tries) to come in laike (like) a thieph (thief) at night?" Mami asked.
"I will sleep with Anjali Bitiyaa at night, Chotey." Nani declared. "The nurse can rest in her own room at night."
All nodded. With Nani sharing Anjali's bed, Shyam would not be able to converse with her even if he managed to crawl in to the house.
"I don't want to increase security outside. " Arnav muttered. "If Shyam sees more guards than usual, he might get an inkling'"
"Don't worry, Bhai. We are here with her." Akash said, putting an arm around Arnav.
"Payaliyaa and I will sit with her throughout the day, Arnav Bitwaa. Let me see who comes to meet her, Hello Hi Bye Bye!" Mami said.
"I will work, sitting in the garden outside Di's room." Akash said.
"I will give him company." NK said.
Arnav nodded.
"I am going to the office." Arnav told all of them. "Mr. Roy will be meeting me there. I need to set things in motion."
All nodded, their faces grave.
Arnav put on his coat & picked up his bag, preparing to leave Nani's room. He looked at Khushi.
She got up and walked along with him to the main door.
He put the bag down and pulled her into a hard hug.
Khushi stood still in his arms, caught unawares by his hug. Slowly her arms went around his shoulders. Otherwise she would fall down when he let her go, her limbs being too weak to hold her up.
A long moment later, he whispered in her ear, "Thank you, Khushi. But for you..."
Khushi smiled wryly. "But for me, you wouldn't have had to deal with such a mushkil situation."
Arnav smiled, burying his face in the lush waves of her silky, fragrant hair. "If you are the mushkil in my life, you are also the solution. The only solution."
To all the New Readers,
For technical reasons, Smita is unable to post her FF. Hence I am posting it for her, in order to get our daily ration of her stories.
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