~CHAPTER 1: All That Is Gold~

5 years ago

TiaMaaaaa

@TianaWrites

...CHAPTER 1...

...All That Is Gold...

As the rain poured down mercilessly, Kalpi shivered. She had reached Delhi with Gauri but didn’t know where to go. She had no friends or relatives whom she could contact. Looking at Gauri shivering beside her she chided herself for bringing her along.

“I wanted to come, Kalpi. Don’t be so harsh on yourself. Now let us find a place to stay tonight. Tomorrow will be a new day. I am sure we will both be able to get a job somewhere.”

Kalpi smiled as Gauri had read her thoughts correctly, she remembered how her son was the exact copy of her and how he used to read her well. The mere thought of his rugged face and gentle eyes made her eyes fill. A big drop of the rain fell on her face and brought her back to reality she quickly collected her thoughts and turned to Gauri.

“You are right, Ma. Can you wait here for a few minutes? I will quickly go and check if we can get a room in the nearby lodge.”

“Sure, Kalpi. Don’t worry about me. There is that nice police man nearby if I would need anything. Here take the umbrella. I will take care of our bags.”

So taking the only umbrella they had, Kalpi disappeared in the rain.

****

Khushi had been walking so long, her thoughts had been bitter and her eyes so moist that she hit a girl rushing somewhere by mistake. It was only when the girl profusely apologised that she came to her senses. Pulling herself together, Khushi smiled a little.

“It’s okay. I was also at fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“I am really sorry I was in a hurry to find a room for us to stay that I didn’t notice. Sorry. Oh... where are my manners, you dropped your picture... Here let me help.”

“No no it’s ok...”

“Here... I am sorry....”

It was an old picture of Khushi’s parents along with her. It was taken a few days before they had passed away. When days were hard, Khushi usually liked to look at the picture and gather strength  from it. The picture was now soiled. She wiped the dirt away with her hands and looked up to see the girl looking strangely at her.

“Khushi? Is it really you? Khushi Kumari Gupta”

“Uh... I am sorry... Do I know you?”

“Khushi its me Kalpi. Don’t you remember me we studied together at...”

“At St. Joseph’s School in Lucknow. Oh Kalpi, I never thought that we would ever meet again.”

“I wouldn’t have recognized if it wasn’t for the old picture. The last time we met, we were just kids right?”

Khushi looked at the picture in her hands and wondered if meeting Kalpi was not just a coincidence.

“Right. I remember our hostel days and of course our promise of ‘Besties Forever’. How things have changed since then...”

Kalpi looked hard at the dishevelled looking Khushi wet throughout without an umbrella and then at her own crumbled clothes.’Yes’ she thought ‘things had changed’. They had been the toppers at their old school so meticulous and neat yet without a care in the world. Now Kalpi felt the burden she was carrying was too heavy to bear and Khushi’s state looked no different.

“Oh I am sorry what am I rambling about. What are you doing here in Delhi? If I remember correctly your parents are in Mumbai, right?”

“Uh... yes its a long story. My father is no more.”

“Oh I am so sorry. Your mother... Is she?”

Kalpi flinched a bit. If the memory of her dear father elated her, her mother disgusted her.

“She is with Pakhi... Uh, Khushi I am so happy to have met you. But I really have to go. I have to look for a place to stay tonight.”

“A place to stay? Why... Have you... uh?”

“As I said its a long story, I had to leave in a rush and we didn’t book lodgings beforehand so I need...”

“Then you can stay at my place.”

“Thanks, Khushi. But I think I’d rather...”

“No buts... Looks at the weather Kalpi, all the lodges will be full and I don’t think you will get any room to stay at this time of the night.”

“But... I...”

“Come on, Kalpi. For old times sake....”

Kalpi saw that the rain showed no signs of stopping and she knew Khushi was right.

“I don’t want to be a burden...”

“What nonsense you are talking. Come get your bags and we can start now.”

“Uh... Khushi, I have someone with me. She is uh... she had no place to stay and Baba brought her home and cared for her before his death. So I brought her with me... Uh is it... uh”

“Ofcourse Kalpi, any friend of yours is more than welcome. We live in a big house and there are plenty of guest rooms. Where is she now?”

Kalpi smiled at Khushi’s enthusiasm and was really happy to have a friend. She took Khushi’s hand and marched to the station where Gauri was patiently waiting.

“Ma, this is Khushi. My childhood friend from school. She has kindly offered us a place to stay for the night.”

“Not just the night Kalpi. You are welcome to stay as long as you want. Namaste auntyji. Kalpi talks nonsense about kindness. Isn’t it my duty to help my best friend when she is in need?”

“Thank you so much, beta. I think Kalpi is right, you are truly kind. I wish someday we would be able to repay you.”

“Oh aunty... Please stop. Let me get an auto.”

Khushi hailed an auto and ushered them both inside and gave directions to the driver. As the ride progressed, Khushi suddenly remembered her husband. She had invited her friends, she didn’t know if he would welcome them considering the circumstances. She just hoped Anjali Di was at home. She had grown close to her in the past few months. Closer than her own sister Payal, though they lived together now. She sighed at the irony and crossed her fingers hoping things will be better soon.

****

Payal had searched all over the house for Khushi and Anjali and she couldn’t find them. She sat down exhausted in her room with her head in her hands. She felt broken. After all she had sacrificed for Khushi, she was still unable to protect her. Her heart was so troubled that she felt like howling and screaming at the top of her voice yet she did not shed a single tear. Instead, she stood up and tooksome money from her purse and decided to go out and search for her beloved sister. Just as she was about to cross the threshold of her room, her husband of 10 months came.

“Uh... I am sorry. Have you found Khushi?”

“No. I was thinking of going out and searching for her.”

“Oh is it? Let’s take the car. I’ll come with you. I need to look for Di.”

“No thank you Aakash. I can get an auto or taxi.”

“I am sorry to mess with your plans, but has it really not entered your brain that its raining heavily and getting an auto is not that simple. I know we are not what we should be but can you please put our differences aside for once and come with me for the sake of our sisters. I swear I won’t even attempt to make amends in our relationship.”

Payal sighed. She had been so engrossed in saving Khushi that she had pushed him away so hard that he didn’t want to try again. She sometimes wished if she could reverse the clock and give him a chance. But the damage had been done and she didn’t see any way out in the future. She looked at him and nodded her head silently. They both exited the house silently after informing his brother.

****

Anjali sat in the waiting room of the hospital. The past few hours were a blur to her. It was around 5 PM that day when the fateful call came.

“Mrs. Jha? Your husband had been in an accident. He has lost a lot of blood and is critical. Will you please come to City Hospital. He wishes to see you.”

She had gone forgetting all his previous sins. The way he had looked at her and reached out his hands pathetically was too painful to look upon. With great difficulty he had told her how much she had meant to him. In his sorry life, she had been the only one who had been constant. When she had given him the news of him being a father, he had sworn to himself that he would reform for the child. When she lost the child within a few weeks, he had been devastated and not wanting to face her again, he had left. Somehow he had met Pia and in his brokenness, they had made love. She was pregnant nine months now. They had met with an accident on the way to the hospital. He had begged her to take care of her and his child as Pia had no known relatives to look after her. She had promised. He had smiled at her with tears in his eyes. As his time of departure drew near, he pulled her closer to him,

“I ha...ve alwa...ys love...d yo...u, Anji. Always... you.. were...m..my shi..nin..sta...ar”

With that he had taken his last breath. The doctor had given her his belongings and in it was an old photograph of her smiling. He had taken her picture one day when they had been lovers. Behind the picture was written in his neat handwriting ‘my Anji... my Star’. She sighed as she held it in her hand. She didn’t know when she would smile again like that. She looked up as she heard footsteps and saw the doctor coming.

“Mrs. Jha. I am sorry we were not able to save Pia.”

“And the baby?”

“She is healthy. You can take her home today if you want. I can make the papers ready for you.”

“Home?”

Reality struck Anjali. She had not thought that Pia would die. She had thought she would take care of Pia for a while and then when she is strong, she would just arrange a place for her to stay. She stared blankly at the doctor. Then a sudden thought struck her. Of course she could ask the doctor to send the child to some NGO home.

“Is there any shelter nearby which can take care of the baby?”

“Shelter? I thought you would take him with you. After all she is your husband’s child.”

The doctor looked confused, then seeing her state, he understood that she had not yet recovered from the shock of her husband’s death. He looked gently at her.

“I can arrange something for you Mrs. Jha. Would you like to see the baby first?”

Anjali looked at him and decided it would be too cruel to leave without seeing the baby first so she nodded her head slightly and let him lead her inside the ward. A nurse was cradling the wailing child. The doctor took the baby and handed her to Anjali. She looked as if she didn’t know what to do.

“Here hold her like this... Yes that’s right.”

The moment Anjali held the child, she opened her eyes and looked at her. Anjali was taken aback for the baby had Shyam’s eyes and she looked at her just as Shyam had looked at her minutes before he passed away.

“Uh... Mrs. Jha.. So about the home...”

Anjali shook from her reverie. She knew now she couldn’t leave the child alone so soon.

“Yes about that, Dr. Sam... I think the baby is too small to be left alone in a home now. I will take her home and nurse her a bit. I can bring her back in a weeks time and we can arrange a home right?”

“Yes... Yes... As you say Mrs.Jha.”

Dr. Sam smiled inwardly knowing that the baby would stay with Anjali for a lot more than a week.

“You can always call me if you need anything, Mrs. Jha.”

“Thank You. Doctor. Can you get her discharge papers ready?”

As the doctor and the nurses prepared the discharge papers, Anjali looked at the wailing baby in her arms trying in vain to soothe it. She decided she did not love the baby, she did not hate her either. She just pitied her.

“You know, it’s better if you start formula feeding her now. Here, we have prepared the feed for her. Can you feed her? Just hold her up like this and yeah thats right... that’s how you feed her.”

Anjali did as she was instructed thankful that the baby had stopped it’s dreadful wailing. She quietly nursed the baby. Dr. Sam looked at her feeding the child and his heart melted. It took him seconds to know that he had fallen for her. He had fallen for the broken woman feeding an unwanted child at his guidance.

****

Authors Note:

Khushi did not glitter when she offered Kalpi a home inspite of her circumstances. Kalpi did not glitter when she took the responsibility of her ex-lover’s mother. Payal did not glitter when she decided she would not break but stand strong and find her sister with her husband. Anjali did not glitter when she took the responsibilty of the little baby of her husband’s misteress. Instead these people did what they felt was their duty. Many times we fail to see the goodness in others. How true it is that in reality all that is gold does not glitter.