As promised, a quickish update since I have been dyinggg to write this part hahaha. And so it all sort of came out! And...as a warning its getting a bit long so I have decided to split it into two parts. First one is now and the second one...well you have to wait😆😉
Also, would love it if some of the silent readers comment as well - with this being the epilogue hehe😛😛😛 I know there is another part pending but still😃
Epilogue - Part 1
Mumbai, 10 years later
The alarm blasted out loud, making the little girl sit upright in her bed. It was still dark outside. She cursed him and turned off her alarm. If it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't have had to wake up this early. She grumbled and rubbed her eyes. It was 4 o' clock in the morning. She had just about six hours to finish everything. She cried out as her little feet hit the cold wooden floor. Where were her slippers? Why did her feet always land at the wrong place?
Her lips curved into a faint smile as she glanced out her window towards the dark and abandoned house. Her new neighbours were arriving today. The house won't be dark anymore. It was going to be inhabited by people.
And... her best friend. Her best chum. The tree in the backyard swayed in the breeze as if to wish her a good morning. Oh yes, now every morning will be amazing, she thought, as she stepped into her bathroom.
***
The little girl smiled as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her long straight hair looked perfect. She had chosen a pretty yellow kurti and jeans for the day. There was now one last thing remaining - her colourful bangles. She smiled as she slid them on her arms. Their sweet jingle made her smile. She glanced at her bedside clock again - 4.30 a.m. Now she had to undertake the hardest task of all. Her entire day's planning depended on that one task.
She crept out of her room, a naughty smile creeping into her face.
***
They were in a deep slumber. Warm and comfortable inside the blanket. She was cocooned in his arms, her head resting on his arm which was wrapped tightly around her. The little girl stood beside them, suppressing a giggle as her hand went out towards their alarm clock. Her deft little fingers carefully rotated the alarm hand so it came to rest at 4.30. And in less than a second, the alarm blared out through the room, suddenly breaking the silence.
"Kya hai, Meethi! Abhi toh itna andhera hai. Alarm band kar." He mumbled in his sleep.
"Main kyun karoon? Tum karo." She stirred, pulling up the blanket over her ears and going back to sleep.
The little girl giggled silently and brought the alarm closer to their ears. If they weren't going to get up, she was going to make them!
"MEETHI!" He shouted out.
His eyes were still closed. Ok, he asked for it, the little girl thought.
She crept into his bathroom and filled up a glass with water.
Her giggles got louder as she poured the glass of water over his head, making him sit upright, his hair wet from the cold water. He looked like he had just seen a UFO land into the room.
"Khushiii" His scream rang out as he got out of bed and lifted up the little girl in his arms, her laughter now echoing across the room.
She shrieked out with laughter as they came down on the floor side by side, laughing uncontrollably. This was how every morning started. This was how Khushi Arjun Rawte liked to wake up her father. Oh yes, it was always her, not her mother who woke him up.
***
It was 4.30 in the morning and Arjun Rawte was rolling on the floor with his 8-year old daughter. Khushi. Their Khushi, their happiness. He loved to look into her deep dark eyes every morning, which held an uncanny resemblance to his own. But that was where the similarity with him ended. When he looked at her, he saw the little Meethi who used to live in this very house, so many years ago. Khushi was so much like her mother - his Meethi. His wife.
"Papa. Mission mumma." Khushi pointed at her mother who was still asleep, the blanket pulled over her head.
He glanced at her sleeping form, her hair peeping out of the white blanket and smiled.
"Partner, itni subah subah kyun? Abhi toh itna andhera hai..." he asked her.
"Aapka dimaag abhi bhi so raha hai kya? Date toh dekho! Aaj Sunday hai! Woh log 10 baje aane wale hai. We only have like... 5 and half hours now, papa!"
"Oh haan! Tera boyfriend."
"Woh mera boyfriend nahi hai ok? He is my best friend. Ab samjhe ya...samjhaon?" She jumped up on him and settled on his chest, a smirk on her face.
He laughed as she shot back her trademark glare at him. She resembled him so much when she did that. And he loved it.
"Samajh gaya, partner. Ab chal, sleeping beauty ko uthate hai."
They crept up on the bed, next to the sleeping Sakshi and shrieked into her ears, "Goodmorninggg!"
***
She jolted upright on her bed and looked into the mischievous eyes of her daughter and husband. She groaned as she glanced outside her window. The sun wasn't up yet. Then why were these two up? It wasn't even a school day! And, she had had to stay up last night, helping Khushi with her homework whilst Arjun had been busy watching TV.
She rubbed her eyes and was about to plop back into the bed when a pillow hit her. Sounds of laughter reached her ears as she moved the pillow aside, her hair even more messed up now than before. And Sakshi Rawte didn't like to get her hair messed up. That too, when she was groggy from sleep.
They were rolling on the bed, doubling up with laughter. Ok, if that is what they want, three could play at this game, she thought.
She picked up the pillow and flung it at Arjun, whose laughter stopped instantly.
"Awesome, mumma! Kya shot tha! Papa clean bold ho gaye."
She was just about to hi-5 her daughter when another pillow hit her in the face. And then, the war started.
Pillows and cushions flew from one end of the bed to the other as the three of them jumped about on the bed. Feathers were flying all around the room, giving it the appearance of a snowfall.
They only stopped when the phone rang.
His hair sticking up from all sides when he picked up his vibrating phone and said, "Hello?"
"Hello? Sir, aap ready hai?" Shree's voice reached his ears from the other end of the phone.
"Huh?"
"Aaj 6th hai na? Sunday. Woh..."
"Oh...haan...woh."
"Woh..." Arjun glanced at his clock and said, "10 minutes. Hum 10 minute mein wahan milte hai."
"Great. Ab aapki wajah se hum late ho gaye." Khushi stood on the bed, straightening her ruffled hair.
"Kya, Arjun. ACP hoke time pe uth bhi nahi sakte." Sakshi spoke, holding back a laugh.
"ACP Arjun Rawte kabhi late nahi hota! Main tumhe dus minute mein neeche milta hoon!"
With that, he rushed out of the room, oblivious of the fact that a stray feather was stuck in his hair.
***
"Shree Chachuuu!" Khushi ran into the arms of her favourite friend. Shree lifted her up in his arms and said, "Goodmorning ACP Khushi! Aaj khush toh bahut hogi tum?"
She laughed and replied, "Haan! Lekin khush tab hoongi jab papa neeche aayenge."
"Par sir ne toh kaha dus minute..."
"Hiii Khushi!" Lisa joined them and handed the car keys to Shree.
Khushi suppressed a laugh and said, "Kya chachu, aap ab bhi drive nahi karte?"
"Haan Khushi. Specky andhere mein gaari chalane se darta hai." Lisa burst out into laughter.
"Oye! Tu phir shuru ho gayi?"
Khushi cleverly interrupted them and said, "Acha acha, Anushka kahan hai?"
Lisa replied, "Arrey, woh itni subah subah aake kya karegi. Woh ghar pe hai, mom ke saath...use hum baad mein le aayenge."
Khushi pouted. Three-year-old Anushka was like her little baby sister and she adored her.
"Chalo. Lets go." Arjun came out of the house, dressed in a blue t-shirt and jeans, a bucket of paint in his hands. Sakshi followed him, dressed in a white kurti and jeans, trying her best to straighten his still-messed up hair.
Khushi giggled as she spotted the little feather still stuck on to her father's hair.
"Uh...sir." Shree hesitated as he too spotted the feather.
"Kya hai?" Arjun asked.
Sakshi burst out into laughter as she noticed the feather and reached out to take it out of his hair.
Arjun's signature glare didn't really work as everyone burst out into laughter.
***
"Arjun tum theek se nahi kar rahe."
"Chup reh. School mein first aata tha drawing mein."
"Please. Last se first? Aur yeh painting hai! Drawing nahi!" Sakshi giggled as she dipped her paintbrush into the bucket of yellow paint.
They were settled on the floor of the empty bedroom facing the garden. Both were clad in white aprons, which was now covered in yellow paint. They were painting the walls of what was to be the bedroom of Khushi's best friend. It was now nearly dawn, and they were still struggling to finish up the last remaining wall of the room. Sakshi's side appeared very neatly painted. Smooth yellow paint covered up her side of the wall, which was slowly merging into a patchy yellow coloured wall. Arjun's side.
Birds were beginning to chirp outside. A light breeze blew in through the open window that kept blowing loose strands of her hair into her eyes. She brushed the strands away, irritably, which resulted in a line of yellow paint across her cheek.
"Hah!" Arjun pointed at her cheek and roared with laughter.
She touched her cheek and got more paint on her fingers. Great.
Her lips curved into a smile as a mischievous thought occurred to her. She dipped her paintbrush into the paint and sprayed the yellow paint at Arjun's shirt.
"Main bhi first aati thi! Modern art mein. Ab dekho tumhara t-shirt kitnaaa sundar lag raha haii." She said in a sing-song voice.
"Meethiii!" He shouted as he glanced at his ruined t-shirt. It was revenge time.
He dipped in his own paintbrush and sprinkled paint at her. She tried to duck, but he was too quick. Her white kurti was splattered with yellow paint. She shouldn't have worn white today. She should have known.
"Oh God. Aap dono ko thodi der akela bhi nahi chod sakti," Khushi's voice stopped them midway, their arms holding their paintbrushes in midair.
"Aapse better toh Shree chachu aur Lisa chachi hai. Kamse kam humne ek room khatam toh kar liya!" Khushi stormed into the room and glared down at her parents who were covered in yellow.
She tied back her hair with a bandanna and grabbed the paintbrush from her father.
"Kya papa. Aap theek se nahi kar rahe ho!" She glanced irritably at her father and dipped the paintbrush into the paint.
Arjun crossed his arms and said, "Lo! Aa gayi Xerox machine."
"Papa! Uss naam se nahi bulana!"
"Xerox machine."
"Mumma! Papa phir se mujhe Xerox machine bula rahe hai."
"Arjun!" Sakshi threw him one of her glares.
"Tu wahi toh hai. Apni mumma ki chalti phirti Xerox copy."
Sakshi whispered into her daughter's ears, "Ignore, ignore."
They giggled together and started painting the wall.
He stared at the pair of them as their elegant fingers swiped the brushes to and fro on the wall, painting it a smooth yellow. Their smile, their laugh, their chirpiness, was so alike. Sometimes, it almost seemed as if he was living with two Sakshis. He smiled as he eyed the pair finishing up the wall. To think, this room used to be his own. So many years ago.
He wondered what the little Arjun would have thought if he had known he would be painting his own room with his best friend and daughter, years later.
Minutes later, he stood at the window of his freshly painted room. It looked different now. The rays of the sun now entered into the room, falling upon the bright yellow walls, giving it a warm glow. From the window he could see the tree they used to climb as children. His Meethi, and him. The tree still remained in the garden. But the garden was no longer overgrown. The grass was now neatly cut and flowers bordered the fences. Lillies, daffodils, daisies and roses. The house was going to be inhabited again. It won't be deserted anymore.
As he stood at the window, he felt her arm upon his shoulder.
"Sab kuch abhi bhi waisa hi lagta hai na? Par, kitna kuch badal gaya hai."
She stood beside him, her face, arms and clothes covered with yellow paint. She looked like a mess. And that was the way he loved her. Her dark eyes held a touch of nostalgia, he could see. He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead.
"Hmmm. But tu abhi bhi waisi hi hai."
She smiled and snuggled against him, breathing in his scent as she loved to do every morning now. His wish had been fulfilled. He woke up to see her face everyday and he went to bed in her arms. She was his now, forever. His wife, Sakshi Arjun Rawte.
He smiled as they gazed at the tree together, his mind going back to the past again.
So many years had passed, and yet, it seemed like yesterday that he used to live in this very house as a child. Sometimes, it felt like it had been another person altogether.
It all seemed so unbelievable. Come to think of it, it was now almost 10 years since his marriage to his best friend, his one and only, Sakshi. They had moved in to Sakshi's previous residence immediately after they got married. His own house, however, had remained empty. As he had wished. Until now.
He stared at the empty tree in the garden, and a thought occurred to him.
"Main abhi aata hoon," he whispered to her, "Khushi ko ghar ke andar rakhna. Garden ki taraf mat dekhne dena."
"Tum kya karne wale ho?"
"Dekhti jaa."
He winked and walked out of the room.
***
Sooo how was it? I know it was long...lol😆 How do you like Khushi? 😳 It was the perfect name for her 😃
Dont forget, I still havent introduced her best friend..so wait for it 😉
Please do do dooo leave your comments!🤗
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