Chapter 25
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[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]
SAVING KHUSHI
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Part 12
The next three days were terrible for the Raizadas and the Guptas who were staying back in RM at Nani's request. Day and night they hovered around Anjali's room; the doctor visited her four times a day. Her mental state was unstable, her physical condition was even worse. Anjali cried day and night, choking over the spoons of soup or juice her sisters-in-law tried to ease down her sore throat.
On the third day, Anjali called Arnav, and whispered to him, her voice raspy after being choked by Shyam's heavy arm.
"Chotey, I want a divorce. At the earliest. I don't want my baby to be touched by the shadow of such a lowlife, a man who was willing to kill it for money..."
"Sshhh... I will take care of everything..." Arnav promised.
That evening, Mr. Roy, the lawyer came home to meet Arnav & Anjali.
Arnav & Akash helped Anjali down to the living room, and all the family members, including the Guptas gathered in the hall to give her moral support.
As Mr. Roy discussed the fine details of the divorce proceedings with them, Mr. Singhal called Arnav.
"Mr. Singhal?" Arnav asked, surprised.
"I need to see you immediately, Mr. Raizada. There is something you need to know. Urgently." His tone was sombre.
"Come over. We are all at home." Arnav said.
"Right now?" Mr. Singhal asked.
"Right now." Arnav confirmed.
Mr. Singhal dropped in just as Mr. Roy was about to leave.
Arnav introduced the lawyer to the private detective.
Mr. Singhal's face tightened. "Were you discussing getting a divorce?" he asked bluntly.
All looked at each other, surprised.
"Yes." Arnav affirmed.
"Then can you stay to hear me for 5 minutes, Mr. Roy?" Mr. Singhal asked.
Mr. Roy looked at Arnav, surprised, and then nodded.
All, including Anjali, sat down to hear him.
Mr. Singhal looked in to Arnav's eyes, his face serious.
"When I was gathering information about Shyam, I found out that he used to travel a lot. Sometimes Lucknow, sometimes Kanpur, sometimes Allahabad, sometimes Varanasi... I wondered why he was doing so. I thought he might have some family somewhere. So I asked my men to dig deep in to his past, dig out everything they could get... One of them called me here when we were tackling Shyam here, three days back... I went to check the details... and I am afraid the facts are bad..."
Every face was pale. Even Mr. Roy feared the worst.
Mr. Singhal said, "Shyam Manohar Jha married Anjali Raizada in 2010."
Arnav nodded, his eyes firmly fixed on the detective's face.
"But before that, in 2005 in Allahabad, he married Vimala Thripati, the daughter of Mr. Dayashankar Thripati, the lawyer under whom he trained."
All gasped. Anjali's eyes widened larger then saucers.
Arnav caught hold of her hand, comforting her silently. Bitterness filled his heart. Would this pain never end? Would the public humiliation of Di never end?
"Mr. Thripati died two months after the wedding, leaving behind a successful practice and not inconsiderable wealth. Shyam stole from the clients, sold his wife's properties, made bad investments, and at the end of three years, turned his wife in to a pauper. He also gave her two sons."
Anjali looked at Mr. Singhal's kind eyes, not knowing what to do, what to say, what to understand...
"In 2008, he married Saraswati Mishra in Kanpur. She was the only daughter of her aged mother. He met her while fighting a case for them. He won the case, & married her in a small ceremony at her home, citing her mother's ill health as the reason for keeping it low profile. The mother died a week after the wedding, and Shyam lived off the money he got by selling her land and house. After turning her in to a pauper, he moved her and their three children, one daughter and two sons, in to a rented house."
Tears filled the eyes of the ladies and trailed down their cheeks. Anjali alone remained dry-eyed, unable to take in the terrible things she was hearing.
"Then he married Anjali Raizada in 2010." Mr. Singhal said with a sigh. "Only his marriage with Vimala Thripati is legal. Saraswati Mishra & Anjali Raizada are not his wives." He put it as lightly as he could.
There was perfect silence in the hall.
Then Mr. Roy said, "We don't have to get a divorce then."
Arnav nodded.
"We can charge him for bigamy too." the lawyer said.
Arnav nodded.
"I will hand over the proof." Mr. Singhal promised.
Mr. Roy nodded and got up to leave. Arnav showed him out and returned to the hall to sit by his Di.
"The... the... scoundrel..." NK's face was red with anger.
Akash's fists were clenched.
"Kamina kahin ka! Travelling all over Uttar Pradesh to marry girls, Hello Hi Bye Bye!" Mami exclaimed, clutching Anjali's hand.
Mr. Singhal continued, "The reason he travelled so frequently was to visit these women."
Arnav nodded.
After a long moment of silence, Anjali finally asked, "The money... was he taking money from us... to give to...?"
Mr. Singhal smiled wryly. "I wish. Both Vimala Thripati and Saraswati Mishra have been beggared by Jha. They are struggling to make the ends meet. Vimala Thripati works at a stitching centre in Allahabad from morning to night daily, and Saraswati Mishra makes sweets at home. She walks along the streets of Kanpur, carrying her 2-year old daughter and the bag of sweets, knocking on every door to make a living..."
Anjali buried her head in her hand.
"The children..." she whispered.
"It is a hand-to-mouth existence for all 5 of them..." Mr. Singhal said softly. "And both of them don't know about the other women..."
Anjali looked at the detective.
"They think that they are Mrs. Jha. Vimala has no idea about Saraswati or you. Saraswati has no knowledge of Vimala or you..." Mr. Singhal explained. "They married Jha in good faith... just as you did."
"Chotey..." Anjali was at the end of her tether.
Mr. Singhal stood up to leave. Akash & NK showed him out.
Arnav carried his weeping sister up the steps to her bedroom. On the way up, she clutched her stomach in pain.
"Akash, get the car!" Arnav shouted. "NK, call the doctor and let her know that we are coming in!"
A few hours later, Anjali opened her eyes in the hospital and looked in to her brother's tear-filled eyes.
The silent enquiry in her eyes forced him to say, "I am sorry, Di... The baby..."
Anjali looked at him for a long moment. Then a lone tear trailed down her cheek.
She said, "Chotey... at least my child escaped..."
Arnav looked at her, a question in his moist eyes.
"It is better to die than to live as Shyam Manohar Jha's son or daughter." Her lips trembled, but her voice was firm.
Arnav lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it repeatedly.
They brought Anjali back to RM the next day. As she settled down in her bed, Arnav made to step away. She caught hold of his arm.
"Chotey..."
"Haan, Di?"
'Chotey... the children... the two poor women..." Anjali mumbled.
Arnav looked at her pale countenance with tender eyes.
"They shouldn't starve..." Anjali whispered, exhausted.
"I will take care of them, Di." Arnav promised.
Anjali let out a sigh of peace and slipped in to sleep.
A few hours later, Arnav looked at the weary faces around the bed.
"Why don't we all get some sleep?" he asked. "The nurse is here to look after Di anyway."
All nodded.
Nani said, "Chotey, I will sleep with Anjali Bitiyaa."
He nodded, and gently shooed everyone out of Anjali's room.
While Khushi had a shower, Arnav contacted the lawyer and set up a monthly income for Vimala & Saraswati.
When she came out in her blue salwar suit, a towel in her hands, Arnav went to wash away the grime and the bitterness of the day away from his body and mind.
When he emerged dressed in his white casuals, Khushi was not in the bedroom. The door to the poolside was open, and a balmy breeze was ruffling the dull curtains of his room.
He walked out to see her standing by his recliner, looking at the stars.
He joined her silently, and looked up at the dark sky, lit by thousands of stars. They stood silent, side by side.
Then Khushi said softly, "Arnavji, remember... one night you asked me if your mother would be happy with you?"
He looked at her, silent, waiting.
Khushi smiled gently. "Your mother will be so proud of you today, so happy with you..."
Arnav looked at her smiling face.
He said in a pained voice, "I let her marry that... that... rat. I could not stop her from losing her baby... How can she be proud of me?" It was a cry from the heart. "She expected me to look after Di..."
"Di is not your puppet. Or a doll. She has a mind of her own. She fell in love with Shyamji. You didn't force her to love him. She decided to marry him. You didn't bind her hands and feet and force her to the mandap. He turned out to be rotten, and she is facing the consequences of her actions with courage. She knows that she is responsible for her life and her decisions... She does not blame you for the tragedy in her life. Nor does anyone else." Khushi said softly.
Arnav looked at her with hope in his eyes.
Khushi hugged him close to her, throwing her arms around his shoulders.
"You cannot control other people's lives. You cannot live other people's lives for them. You can only stand by and support them when things go horribly wrong. That is what you have done. That is why I said your mother will be very proud of you today..." she whispered in to his ears.
Arnav hugged her tight, his eyes shut tight to prevent the hot tears from leaking out.
"If you were my son, I would smother you with kisses today, bury you under my love... You dealt with the evil man effectively. You kept your family together. You took care of your Di. And you are going to help those poor women and their unfortunate children... What more can a good human being do in such a situation?"
"Khushi..." he whispered.
They remained locked in the tight embrace for long minutes, letting the moonlight fall on them like a blessing.
Then Khushi pulled away and yawned. "Arnavji, I am feeling so sleepy..."
Arnav smiled slightly to see her rubbing her eyes like a child. He bent and gathered her in to his arms and walked over to their bed.
He laid her softly on its warmth, and Khushi sighed in pleasure. As he made to leave her, Khushi pulled him close. Arnav got in to bed with her and cuddled close.
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