Chapter 13

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Harvest Moon Chapter 13

KHUSHI sat on a stone bench under a Peepal tree just outside the school. She had finished her work for the day and before beginning her long walk back to the house, she decided to take a breather. She picked up her phone as it rang. 

"Hello " I received a number of missed call from this number "" A woman said from the other end of the line. "May I know who is on the line?"

Khushi looked at the number on the dialling screen and realised it was Santosh Gill, her mother's friend who she had been trying to contact for a long time.

"My name is Khushi Gupta " " Khushi said tentatively. "I am your friend Gauri's daughter."

"Excuse me?" the woman was clearly surprised.

"My mother Gauri and you studied together in SD College in Moga." Khushi reminded the woman.

She was silent for a few moments. "I am not interested in talking to strangers." She said sharply.

"Santoshji please don't put the phone down!" Khushi pleaded vehemently, "Mrs Shobha Sehgal " your class mate " gave me this number. I need to speak to you about my mother and you are the only one who can help me."

"I am sorry  ""

"Auntyji, I understand you can't trust some stranger over the phone. I have a picture of you and my mother standing in front of the college. I can show it to you if you agree to meet. Please." She implored.

Santosh Gill relented albeit reluctantly telling Khushi she was available in Amritsar only till the end of the week after which she would be flying back to Canada.

Khushi put the phone back in her purse with a sigh. This news didn't thrill her the way it would have done a few weeks ago. It was one week since Arnav had left and she hadn't heard form him since. 

The horror of Arnav's parents' deaths had been playing in her mind over and over again. No child should have to deal with something like this in his or her tender life. Tears filled her eyes when she thought about the trauma the two small children would have faced growing up, knowing their father was a cheat and the life they had led was a lie. 

From the time she had met Arnav, he had always been assured of himself, cool and collected. Even though he had been angry during their arguments, he had bounced back pretty soon. That is why it bothered her so much when he chose to walk away from her instead of confronting her about the issue. She could still remember the cold fury on his face that night. She wished she could talk to him but she didn't have the nerve to call him.

A horn of a car brought her out of her reverie and she looked up to see Manav waving her in.

Khushi got into the car. "What are you doing here Manavji?"

"I got the feeling that you might want some company," he said with a smile, "Well, that's not the truth. I am the one who wants company; Anjali has gone to Delhi for the court case and I don't have anyone to have lunch with."

"Court case?" 

Manav was silent for several minutes as he manoeuvred he vehicle on the road and Khushi thought he was going to avoid her question. "It's a property dispute case that's started a few years ago. Arnav will fly from Amritsar and join her in Delhi."

"But Arnavji has gone to Batala."

"Batala is just half an hour from Amritsar, Khushiji," He paused. "Didn't Arnav tell you? ."

Khushi fell silent.

"Let's not go home for lunch. I will take you to nice restaurant here."

Khushi nodded her assent, various thoughts running through her mind. 

The restaurant was quite small and simple with just a few tables but it was fairly neat. Since it was still quiet early, it was empty. 

Once they were seated and had placed their order Manav looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "Khushiji, what's the matter ?" he asked her directly, "you looked forlorn sitting there on the bench."

Khushi decided she need a confidant very badly and moreover she hoped she could get some information from Manav. She told him about the article, Arnav's outburst and his subsequent departure from Faridkot.

"Did you try to find out about his background?" Manav enquired as politely as possible. 

"No Manavji " I have no idea who sent me that e-mail." She said earnestly. "Why would I do something like that?"

"I am sorry," Manav's voice came down a notch. "Look Khushiji, both Arnav and Anjali are extremely sensitive about the subject of their parents. They don't like to talk about it."

"What a horrible thing to happen to two small children," Khushi said with feeling, "and their mother " so terrible for her."

Manav's face took on an even more sombre expression."The suicide note signed by both the parents said that they no longer wanted to be burden on this world and since they couldn't live without each other they wanted to leave this world as a family."

Khushi's eyes widened with shock. "What are you saying?"

"It seemed like Arnav's mother was very well aware of her husband's misdeeds and supported him. The suicide was a joint decision and " even the kids were meant to die that day."

"No!" Khushi was appalled.

"I am sorry Khushiji but that's the truth," Manav said. "Arnav doesn't really care about his father " they weren't close " but it is what his mother did that he could not comprehend. His mother doted on him and Anjali. The three of them were thick as thieves."

"Somehow I can't believe a mother would want to kill her own children."Khushi said shaking her head.

"On the contrary, you would be surprised to know that such mothers do exist," Manav said, "there was a case of a woman who drowned four of her children in the lake. She was diagnosed as a normal person."

"And that is not all," Manav continued. "This property dispute case that Arnav is attending is against Shikha's family. Arnav's dad left the house in Arnav and Anjali's name and Shikha's family is fighting it." Just then, Manav received a call and he excused himself.

Khushi sat quietly digesting what she had just heard from Manav. She was only now able to understand why Arnav had left without wanting to talk about it. It was better not to know about one's parents rather than knowing such a horrible truth about them, thought Khushi.

As they drove back to Raizada house Khushi looked at Manav. "You miss Di don't you?"

"Since she and I began to work together " I have sort of gotten used to her being around all the time." He replied.

She asked him the question she had wanted to ask for a long time. "Why haven't you told Di you have feelings for her?"

"Woah! Where is this coming from?" He laughed uncomfortably. 

Khushi shrugged her shoulders. "Am I wrong?" 

"Why haven't you told Arnav ?" He raised an eyebrow countering her question with one of his own.

He hadn't denied it so her hunch was right. "It's complicated."

"There you go," he said, "don't forget that Anjali  is my best friend's sister, a divorcee and is older to me by couple of years. She would never accept it even if she did have any feelings."

"Exactly!" Khushi exclaimed, "Those are the very reasons why you will have to tell her first, don't you think?" Khushi pointed out. "

Manav shook his head in exasperation. "I don't want to ruin the friendship we share. I will not be able to bear it."

When Manav and Khushi entered the Raizada house, they saw Mamaji and Mamiji seated in the living room.

"This is not Delhi Khushi," mamiji said caustically, "here, you can't just go off with anyone when your husband is not in town." She looked at Manav.

Khushi was taken aback by the direct comment. "Oh?" Khushi said in surprise. "Let me ask Arnavji if he has a problem and then get back to you."

Mamiji's face went red with anger and she walked away from the living room in a huff, followed by a harried Mamaji.

"She doesn't like me for some reason," Manav chuckled.

"I don't think she likes anyone much," Naniji walked up to them with a smile."

"I have invited Manavji for some tea Naniji," Khushi told the old woman, "would you like some?"

"No Khushi bitiya," Naniji declined, "I will have it in my usual time around five in the evening. You go ahead."

Khushi brought the steaming cups of tea on a tray to the living room and saw that Naniji and Manav were deep in some serious conversation.

She realised Manav had told Naniji about her anonymous e-mail and the reason for Arnav's sudden departure.

"Khushi bitiya," Naniji began sombrely, "Don't blame yourself for Arnav's behaviour. You have every right to know about the past " you are married to him. There should be no secrets between a husband and wife. 

"There's another reason why he left like this." She looked at Manav. "You many not remember but his parents' anniversary is coming up very soon."

Manav took a sip of his tea. "Arnav refuses to do the ceremony," he explained, "Naniji gets it done at a nearby temple."

"I want the ceremony to be done in our house, at least once before I die," Naniji lamented, "In spite of all her faults, I know in my heart that my daughter would never have planned to kill her children like that." She looked at Khushi with a plea. "He needs to forgive them Khushi " or else he will not have peace in his life."

The next morning, Khushi got off at Amritsar bus station. Slinging the knapsack on her back, she hailed an auto rickshaw and gave him Satosh Gill's address. As the vehicle trudged along in the busy traffic of Amristar, Khushi thought back about the conversation she had with Naniji the day before. She looked into her purse and saw the letter she found yesterday. What was she doing ? Arnav's life was disturbed because of what he believed about this mother. He needed to find out the truth about his mother. She instructed the driver to take her back to the bus station.

After getting off at Batala, Khushi walked the muddy path along the fields following the directions that a fruit seller at the bus stop at given her. She looked up to see the sky bluer than ever and took in some fresh air into her lungs. She was thankful for her sneakers that she had pulled on at the last moment. She wore jeans and a thin shirt on her tank top and realised that it was the best thing she had done with the sun shining steadily overhead.

When the turning she was looking for wasn't anywhere in sight Khushi began to wonder if she was lost. She tried calling Arnav but his phone was unreachable. Just as she began to have thoughts about what a big mistake it was to come to see Arnav on a whim, she heard the sounds of a vehicle coming in her direction and she saw a man on a two wheeler.

"Stop!" She waved her hand at him.

The man applied brakes with full forced and stopped little ahead of her .

Khushi retraced her steps. "Can you tell me if I am close to the Raizada farmhouse?" She enquired.

"Yes madam, you are," He seemed perplexed, "I work for Arnavji. You can tell me what you need."

"I am in his wife. Is Arnavji at the house?" She checked her phone, "it's lunch time."

"Madamji, he is at the fields," he said in a rush, "there has been a situation "" he hesitated.

"What situation? Tell me quick!" She commanded.

"One worker's child has " has wandered close to a " a snake pit," he stuttered, "Arnavji and other workers are trying to save the child."

"I will come with you " Khushi said surprising the man. "Let's go!" Khushi sat pillion and the man took off in full speed.

When Khushi reached the site of the incident she saw Arnav all alone approaching the child cautiously while the rest of the workers took a distance away watching the spectacle. She saw the snake pit about a few feet from the child. As a ton of snakes intertwined together like one large lumpy mass, slithering over one another grossly, goose bumps broke out all over her body and her heart began to pound wildly. 

Khushi realized that the child was no more than three and was too small to understand what anyone was saying. From the conversation that was going on amongst the crowd Khushi found out that the child's parents had left him with the boys's aunt and gone to a nearby village. The young girl, supposedly the child's aunt incharge of the child sat on the ground, bawling.

"Haven't they called a snake catcher or something?" Khushi asked the man who had brought her here.

"They are on their way madamji," the man explained, "but the problem is the child keeps going closer and closer to the pit. There may not be much time."

"Arnavji!" Khushi yelled out unable to hold herself any longer.

Arnav's head turned in shock. "Khushi?" he mouthed. Then he turned back just in time to see the child taking a step toward the pit. Since there was no time to lose anymore, he ran upto the child, grabbed him and ran as fast as his legs could take him."

Arnav brought the child to safety and was lauded by the workers for his bravery. He saw Khushi standing at distance and approached her.

"Khushi " what are you doing here ?"

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Khushi demanded her eyes blazing with anger."

"What?" He shrugged his shoulder surprised at her sudden outburst.

She came up to him. "How could you put your life at risk like that?" She continued, "What if something had happened to you?"

"Khushi, calm down," Arnav held her shoulder, "I have been working in the fields for a long time. I am used to all this."

"Well _ I am not used to it " don't do this again!"

"Khushi, are you serious?" Arnav retorted, "of course I will do this again if a life is at stake. These people work for me and I can't let them down."

In spite of the fear for his life, Khushi understood that what he was saying was right. Her  admiration for him grew hundred fold.

"By the way " what the hell are you doing here?" He demanded.

"I " I" Khushi was a loss for words, "Naniji wants you to come back home for the ceremony!" She blurted out in haste.

"What ceremony?" Arnav's eyes narrowed while he tried to figure out and then his eyes widened as the truth dawned on him. "What the "?" He swore, "You wasted your time coming here. Just go back!" He walked toward a Royal Enfield which he seemed to have everywhere at his disposal. 

Khushi walked up to him. "Listen ""

"I don't understand why you have come all the way just to tell me that!" he shouted angrily, "Did you need money? Is that why you are really here? " He started the bike in one kick. "I have applied for an additional credit card and it will be here soon "

Khushi's anger rose and she turned away but before she could take a step Arnav grabbed her hand. "Where are you going?" 

"I am looking for the man who brought me here," she said trying to free herself from his grip, "I want a ride to the bus stop."

"Get onto the bike," Arnav said, "I will drop you."

"No thank you " I will manage ""

Arnav pulled her closer making her stop mid-sentence. "Khushi " " His brown eyes simmered, "just sit."

As her body suffused with heat, Khushi acceded and sat behind him. When the bike turned into the mud road through the fields and turned into the highway Khushi sat silently refusing to hold him in spite of the breakneck speed at which Arnav drove. Soon he turned into a lane and stopped in front of a farmhouse.

When they alighted from the vehicle Khushi spoke up. "Why have you brought me here?" Arnav parked the bike and walked into the house. "I want to go to the bus stop!" She said following him into the house.

Arnav turned toward her. "You can go back after lunch," he said. The bike ride seemed to have calmed him considerably.

"I don't want to ""

Arnav raised an eyebrow, "You may not want to but you have to," he said, "there is a bathroom inside the room there. Freshen up and I will set up the table."

She wanted to protest but she really was hungry and so she swallowed her pride and walked toward the room. 

The room was small but well furnished compared to the farm house in Ferozepur. It was obvious that the house was new from the looks of the furniture, the freshness of the paint and the shine on the bathroom fittings. She longed for a hot shower but she decided that could wait until she returned to Faridkot. There was something very important she wanted to tell Arnav but she didn't want to bring it up when he was in such a grumpy mood. She would just wait until he came back to Faridkot. This whole trip was a bad idea.

Khushi came out of the room and saw the Arnav was already waiting for her at the small dining table for four. Khushi didn't realise how hungry she was until she put the first morsel in her mouth. After that she and Arnav ate up their lunch in silence, each afraid to bring up any topic for the fear of unpleasantness.

Once lunch was done, Khushi helped Arnav clear up the table.

"Don't worry about the dishes " Daler will take care of it in the morning."

Daler was probably the man who had dropped her earlier, Khushi surmised. 

"Okay I will get going then," Khushi said and hurried into the room to fetch her knapsack. When she came out of the room, she saw Arnav leaning against the wall. "Shall we go?" She began to walk toward the door.

"They planned to kill us as well, you know." His voice was low but Khushi heard him very well. There was anguish and angst in that statement and she stopped in her tracks.

"Arnavji "" She turned around her face twisted with concern.

"Not all details were printed in the papers!" His eyes blazed with fury. "I didn't realise it myself " not until I was fourteen when I accidentally evesdropped on  Mami talking to her friend one day. Di and I confronted my grandmother and she denied it of course but she didn't have any proof. Di and I didn't even know until that day that it was the kheer that had poison in it. 

"That fateful night, mom came to us with a bowl of kheer and gave it to us. She had told Di to sleep in my room that night. We told her we were too full from eating at a friend's birthday party but she insisted that we have the kheer. When she got called away by my father, we quickly threw the kheer out of our window and showed her the empty bowl when she returned. We would have been dead if we had eaten the kheer.

"Can a mother kill her own children Khushi ?"

Hearing his anguish, Khushi dropped her bag and ran upto Arnav and put her arms around him, holding him tight. "You mother didn't try to kill you Arnavji!" She whispered into his ears.

Arnav held her arms and pulled her back. "How would you know that?" He demanded angrily.

Khushi went and picked up the purse from the floor and took the letter out of it. She handed it to him. "Your mother left a letter for you."

Last night, she hadn't been able to sleep thinking about her conversation with Manav and Naniji. Naniji had told her that all documents that were shipped from Delhi were kept in a box in the attic. She had sat up all night going through the papers and had found this letter written by Arnav's mother. She probably never realised that her letter was not going to be found for so long.

My dear Anju and Arnav,

If you are reading this letter, it means that I am no longer in this world. But don't be afraid because I will always watch over you where ever I am. 

I don't know if you will understand what I am going to tell you but I fervently hope that you do. 

When I met your father, I did not know about his other identity. He was a handsome and dynamic businessman and me, a young and naive girl, fell in love with him the moment I saw him. We got married and he swept me away with his charming ways and flamboyance. We lived the lifestyle of the rich and elite and once you both were born I was in bliss. 

But soon we began to get calls asking for Rakesh Malik repeatedly and finally he confessed to me about his past life. He told me that a friend had framed him in a real estate fraud and in order to escape from the police, he was forced to change his identity and though his name was fake, his love for me wasn't. I tried to leave him for keeping such a significant information from me and came and stayed with your nana and nani. Both of you were so small; I could see the worry on my father's face and the look of derision on my sister-in-law's. I decided not to tell them a thing. When your father came to Punjab and begged me to forgive him I acceded and went back to him, convincing myself love would conquer everything.

After this, we moved to a different house " this house was in a remote area far from the city. He told me that we should tell the neighbours that we had returned from Australia so that the police couldn't track us back here. We sent the children to an elite school on the outskirts of the city. Whenever I was in doubt he would tell me that the love that was there between us was something rare and that we should be united in everything we did.

A few years later, I found out about the other family he had. He told me the woman was the sister of the man who had framed him. He told me that he had tricked him into marrying his sister who was slightly deranged. They had a daughter from that union. I didn't how what to do. Then the calls began again. He was becoming more and more disturbed each day and a fear began to take root in me.

Then one fine day, he told me that we all had to leave this world together as it was not meant for us. He told me to add poison in the kheer and give it to you kids first. I wasn't going to do it. I added sleeping pills in your kheer instead  and gave it to you hoping you would fall into a deep sleep and be unaware about what was going on in the other room. 

As for myself, I deserve to die for naively believing in the lies he told me and for not having stood up for myself and my children. My only regret is that I will not be around to see you grow into the beautiful people you are sure to become. I love you my dears and I hope to be a better mother " in the next life. 

Please forgive me my darlings.

Your loving mother

Sharada

Arnav's face had turned pale as he read the letter of the woman who he believed had tried to kill him. As he looked up at her, his face was rife with anguish. 

His voice shook. "Where did you find it?"

"In the attic," she whispered, "It was amongst all the drawings you had made as a child."

"Has Di seen this letter ?" 

Khushi shook her head. "Di is still in Delhi attending her friend's wedding. Naniji thought it was best to wait until she returned. She doesn't want her to be upset."

Khushi went to him and took him in his arms wishing at the moment that she could take away some of his pain. Arnav's tears soaked into her shirt and he held on her like she was an anchor.

"I think I will go and lie down for sometime," he said after a few minutes. He walked back slowly into the room and lay down on the bed with the letter on his chest. "Khushi " " he said as his eyes closed, "I " I just need to sleep for a few minutes." Then he was out like a light.

Khushi covered him with the comforter and switched on the fan. She closed the door of the room and stepped in the living area. She sat on the sofa and called Naniji and told her everything that had happened. She decided close her eyes for a short power nap.

When Khushi woke up a little later, the room was quiet dark and she checked the phone to see she had dozed off for almost an hour. She went into the bedroom to wake Arnav and found him shivering even while covered with a comforter. She touched his forehead to see he was running quite a high temperature. He had turned unnaturally pale and was sweating profusely in spite of the cool fan air.

She wondered what had caused this sudden change. She decided to take off his clothes and sponge him to bring the temperature down. She switched on the bedside lamp and began to sponge his face, his neck and shoulders, his chest and his stomach. 

When she moved her hand down his leg, she spotted the twin puncture marks on his ankle and her heart almost stopped. That looked like a mark made by a snake bite!  

She picked up her phone and was about to call Manav when she realised that would be too late. She began to look for Arnav's phone and searched for Daler's number in the contacts. She told him what happened. Daler was at the doorstep in less than thirty minutes.

Daler drove the Jeep and Khushi sat in the back with Arnav, his head resting on her lap. Once at the hospital, the doctors quickly admitted him into the emergency.

"Dalerji," Khushi said as she waited outside, "how could Arnavji survive a snake bite for such a long time?" It was easily two hours since the snake bite. 

"I think sirji was bitten by a snake that had swallowed a frog. Usually snakes are very lethargic when they eat something and they don't release their poison with full force at a time like that. Sirji had Waheguru's hand on him madamji." 

After sometime the duty doctor came out and informed her that they had administered the anti-venom and that he would be alright. He also told her that they would have to keep him overnight for observation.

Khushi thanked him and went into the room, Daler in tow. Soon she persuaded Daler to go back home, assuring him that she would be there to take care of Arnav.

"Please don't hesitate to call me if you need me Madamji," Daler assured her before he left.

Khushi sat on the narrow cot that was kept along the wall a few feet from Arnav's bed, looking at Arnav. As she saw the steady rise and fall of his chest, she felt her own heart calming down and she sent a silent prayer to the Almighty. 

At that moment she had to admit to herself that she wouldn't be able to bear it if anything had happened to him. She knew she hadn't stopped loving him " not even for a moment.