Chapter 74
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...Continued from the previous post.
[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]
Arnav was sitting on his recliner, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands, when his phone rang. 2am. Who would ring at this time? Khushi...
He dived for the phone.
"Khushi..."
"Arnavji..."
"Khushi... Are you crying?"
"Are you alright?"
"Haan... Khushi, what is wrong?"
"Why did you leave me alone? How many times did I ask you to stay back with me?" Khushi cried.
"Khushi?"
"Aap ko pata bhi he, how difficult it was to breathe when you pulled your hand from mine and went away at the airport?" she complained.
"Khushi..." his voice held all the regret in the world.
"I thought I would go mad. Without seeing you. Without hearing your voice. Dreaming of you at night and waking up to see that you were not there..."
"I am sorry, Khushi..."
"What is the use of being sorry after hurting me?" Khushi wept.
"Khushi, Khushi, don't cry. Please don't cry..."
"How can I not cry? You are far away from me. You are always far away from me... I keep looking for you, but I can't find you anywhere..."
"I am always with you, Khushi. Always. Where ever you are. You can't cut me out of your heart, Khushi. Did you have a nightmare, Khushi?" Arnav asked kindly.
"Arnavji, I want to see you. Arnavji..." she wept, her love overruling her head.
"I will be there as soon as possible, Khushi. Don't cry, Khushi. I will start immediately. Don't cry, Khushi. Please..." Arnav croaked, swallowing hard.
Devi Maiyya had heard his plea.
"Girija Deviji, I would like to return to Delhi, to my husband. As soon as he comes to get me..." Khushi whispered. "Will it be terribly inconvenient for you...?"
"No, Khushi. Forget about the inconvenience to me. You should be happy. That is more important." Girija Devi cupped Khushi's face. "Khushi, your parents named you 'Khushi', hoping that you would be happy all your life, not just spread khushi in the lives of other people all your life. Remember that. Make sure that you are happy before making the world happy. If you are miserable, but keep smiling and hiding your misery, you are not doing anybody a favour. Samjhi tum? If you hide your pain, no one will know that you are unhappy. People will take you and your feelings for granted. They will take advantage of you, and you will be powerless to stop them once you fall into that habit."
Khushi looked in to the kind eyes of the wise lady.
"You won't be able to express your pain and get it out of your system. You will hoard all your unhappiness within you, in your heart, till it become a huge boulder that you can't lift anymore. You will become more and more unhappy as each day passes by, till you feel that you will go mad if you don't get out. You will have to leave everything, everyone who matters to you, and run away one day. As you did now. Have you understood me?" Girija Devi smiled.
Khushi threw her arms around the matronly lady and hugged her thoroughly.
Khushi nodded, grateful tears trailing down her cheeks. "You are right, Girija Deviji. You are so right. In the end, everything became more than I could bear... I won't hide my feelings anymore. I was wrong to do so. You are so right, Girija Deviji." Khushi wept. "How did you know?"
Girija Devi chuckled. "Hum to antargyani he! Aur thodi badmash bhi."
Khushi had to chuckle through her tears.
"If you find it impossible to live in the normal world, if you need refuge at any point in your life, Khushi, the gates of this school will be open to you, always." the lady reassured her, patting her back.
"Tiwariji, I am sorry. I am leaving today or tomorrow, whenever my husband comes to get me..." Khushi apologised.
"Aranya Kand in Ramcharitmanas is only one kand. There are many more kands in the book and many more kands to come in our lives. Good, bad, sad, happy. They have to come one after the other, in a cycle in our lives. You can't remain stuck in Aranya Kand all your life. Tum jao, khush raho." Tiwariji smiled.
Khushi touched his feet and took his blessings.
"Lord Rama & Sita Maiyya should remain together, always. Their bond is not of this world, but of many births."
Khushi nodded.
Tiwariji handed over a box full of jalebi to her. "For you." he said.
Khushi threw herself at him and hugged him till he was short of breath.
One of the ladies who worked as a cleaner walked in to the kitchen at that moment, and fainted at the sight of khadoos, akdoo Tiwariji being hugged by a girl.
Khushi wore a gorgeous pink saree with silver work, and waited in her room for Arnavji to come. Her bags were packed and waiting near the door.
"Khushi..." he stood there, dressed all in black, his eyes hopeful, eager.
Khushi ran across the room and threw herself at him.
His glad arms closed around her, pulling her as close to his heart as possible, burying his face in her neck, breathing in her familiar jasmine scent...
All he could do was chant her name. But Khushi had no problem airing her views.
"Kya haal bana rakha he? I told you, you are not Devdas. You are Arnav Singh Raizada. Long hair. Beard. You have become so thin..." She wept all over him, raining wet kisses on his forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, neck...
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