Chapter 41
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[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]
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Section 1 A
Khushi slept, exhausted by her outburst, the relief of having voiced her till-then hidden feelings making her seek her bed without having dinner.
Arnav paced the room, stealing glances at an oblivious Khushi, thinking furiously about every word she had uttered, regretting every word he had spoken to her in anger, ruing every action of his that had hurt her...
Only 5 more days... just 5 more days...
How could he let her go? How could he live without her? Without seeing her, without touching her, without hearing her laughter and her Aaj Mausam He Suhaana series... How could he live without her? How would she live without him?
Khushi woke up feeling tired. Her eyes looked at the ceiling with disinterest. Another day to be lived through. She sat up, and her heart picked up its beat. Arnavji was sitting at the foot of the bed, looking at her.
''Khushi..." he started.
She quickly left the bed. "Ek minute.." she muttered. She needed time to compose herself after the display of her pain last night. She escaped to the bathroom.
With the door locked behind her, Khushi talked to herself. "He will try to persuade you, make you change your mind. Don't fall for it. Don't give in. You have to go in 5 days. Be strong. He Devi Maiyya, give me the strength to hold back my tears, to hold on to my resolve..."
She walked out of the bathroom, wiping her wet face with a towel. He was still waiting.
"Khushi, sit down. We need to talk." he began, patting the bed by him.
Khushi pretended not to see it, and sat down on the recliner.
"Khushi, I ...I am sorry I hurt you... so much..." he said.
She looked at him. His eyes were slightly red, and it looked as though he had not slept at all. His face was drawn and he looked very serious.
Khushi nodded.
"Khushi, in...in 5 days... our marriage will come to an end.." he stuttered.
"Ji." Khushi was calm.
"If you leave RM and go to Laxmi Nagar..." Arnav paused.
Khushi looked at him.
"Both families will want to know why."
Khushi nodded.
"There will be tears, recriminations..."
Khushi looked down at her lap, at her fingers that were tightly clasped together. That was the part she dreaded the most. The disappointment of both families, the tears, the humiliation her family would have to face once the neighbours found out that she was back to stay... If only she could leave Delhi... If only she got a positive response to the many job applications she had sent...
"Khushi"
She dragged her mind from the pit of sorrow that was waiting for them, and looked at his wan face.
He said, "Khushi, I have done many stupid things to hurt you...I have been a fool...
Khushi did not think that statement required any response. Nor was it one she could contradict.
"But the worst was the contract marriage." he confessed in a low voice.
She looked at him.
"Your helplessness, your tears when I forced your hand... your confusion at my demand... your tears as I married you..."
Khushi looked away.
"The tears that both families shed that night... the insults you had to bear..."
Khushi blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay.
Arnav got up from the bed and came to kneel down in front of her.
"And all of it was for nothing. I was punishing the innocent while the criminal went scot-free..." He put his arms around her waist and hugged her.
"It is over, Arnavji. Chodiye ye sab!... Khushi had no desire to rehash the past. Living through it had been bad enough.
"It is not over, Khushi. It is not over till our families know the truth." Arnav said.
Khushi looked at him, wondering what he was up to now.
"Khushi, I want to tell them the truth about our marriage. Today." he said, his face pale but determined.
Khushi stared at him in horror.
"They should know that you were not to blame. That the slap that Amma had given you on our wedding day should have fallen on my face" Arnav demanded.
"Pagal he aap?... Khushi screeched. ...What is cooking in that brain of yours? Why...? How...? What..?" Khushi gasped, unable to rein in her thoughts and form intelligible sentences. She drew in a deep breath to calm herself. "Why should you tell anyone anything? Why should we tell them about the contract marriage? Let us part after 5 days. When they ask us, we can just tell them that we don't want to continue with our marriage, that we don't want to live together..."
"Khushi.." he cupped her face. "They won't believe us. The whole world knows that I love you."
She stared at him, still angry.
"And the whole family knows that you love me." he stated.
Khushi gasped. How did he know? She had never said the words...
"They will never believe us if we try to give them excuses like incompatibility and not wanting to stay together..." Arnav said.
Khushi stared at him.
"Most importantly, I am fed up of lies and half-truths, Khushi. It is time to acquaint our families with the whole truth. The bitter truth. My family should know their bahu and your family should know their damad."
"...You are making a bad situation worse..." Khushi said, her hand on her forehead. "My family... your brothers... you will fall in their eyes!"
"I know. But this confession is long overdue." Arnav said.
"Arnavji, don't do this." Khushi said.
"Khushi, let me do it. For you." Arnav insisted.
"It is not necessary" Khushi protested.
"It is necessary, Khushi. Your family should know that the child they adopted would never knowingly put them to shame. That she has never strayed from the values they taught her. They will be able to accept you back in to the family with an open heart... And my family should know the true worth of Payal and you.."
Khushi sighed. "Arnavji.."
"Let me do it. If not for you, then for myself. So that I can live with myself, Khushi." He buried his head against her stomach. "...Please, Khushi..."
Khushi knew that it was terrible idea, but she could refuse him nothing. She nodded her agreement.
Arnav looked at Khushi's pale face. She was folding her clothes, arranging them in neat piles on their bed.
It was a gamble. The risk was huge. But it had to be done. It had to be done if something had to be salvaged from their marriage. Arnav drew in a deep breath.
"...I have asked Nani to invite Amma, Babuji, & Buaji for lunch." Arnav said.
Khushi paled.
Arnav rushed to her and hugged her tight. "Don't worry, Khushi. It will be alright. I will make everything alright, Khushi." Arnav promised.
She nodded slowly.
The Raizadas and the Guptas relaxed in the living room after a sumptuous lunch.
Arnav sat by Khushi, looking at all the happy faces. He could feel the tension in Khushi's frail body, could see how her fingers were clutching the ends of her dupatta.."
He put his arm around her.
"..He said I have to take protein supplements to build up my muscles, to becoma haiwaan (devil) and bhaktimaan!" NK was talking about the personal trainer he had gone for at the gym.
..Hai Re Nandkisore! Do you become haiwaan if you go to the gym? Bitwaa, why go to gym? Go to an akhada instead!" Buaji's big eyes were round with horror!
"Balwaan, NK Bhai!" Akash hissed. "And shaktimaan!"
NK frowned. "Who is that? Is he someone like He Man?"
"And I told Mrs. Sinha, if you lets your girl bear (wear) choti choti clotheswaa and phly (fly) around on a scooter at 12 o'clock midnight, she bill (will) phly abay (away) with some naalayak one day and you won't even know! Hello Hi Bye Bye!" Mami said.
Nani and the others nodded, smiling.
There was a lull in the conversation.
Arnav said, "Amma, Babuji, Buaji, Nani, Mami, Di, we need to tell you something"
All eyes turned to look at them, curious.
Khushi trembled. Arnav pulled her closer to his warmth.
All the members of the family looked at Khushi's pale face and Arnav's protective stance.
Nani could not hold back her joy. "Chotey! Khussi Bitiyaa! You are giving us such khush khabri"
Arnav & Khushi looked at each other, perplexed. What was so good about their imminent separation and pending divorce?
The whole family laughed and smiled, so happy for the pair. One by one all of them rushed to hug them and offer their congratulations.
Arnav tried to ask them what was going on, but the ladies were in no mood to let him speak.
"You naughty boy, Nannav!" NK teased.
"Bhai, Khushiji, congratulations!" Akash hugged him.
Nani hugged them and cried over them. "How happy your mother would have been today, Chotey!"
His mother would have been happy about Khushi leaving him? Arnav looked at her, astonished.
Buaji took some money out of her bag and proceeded to ward off the evil eye. Payal and Amma hugged Khushi. Babuji looked on with happy tears in his eyes. Anjali hugged and kissed Arnav & Khushi, weeping all over them.
"Di..." Arnav tried to speak, to ask what was going on, but Mami cut in.
"Payaliyaa and Akass Bitwaa and Arnav Bitwaa and Khussi Bitiyaa got married on the same day, Saasumma! Now Arnav Bitwaa and Khussi Bitiyaa are goings to have a baby" she started.
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