OS - Dupatta, Part XIV, posted on 1/11 - Page 7

Khushi I think you better pay the telephone bill quickly, otherwise Bua will have an heart attack seeing her mobile bill, lets go and you show me too where to do it…..come lets get out of the house and have a heart to heart chat, Payal whispered pulling her outside once again…

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Anjali put down the tea tray and sat before Arnav on his terrace, so she said no?

Hmmm…..

What did you expect? To hear her yes?

Not really,,,Arnav replied thoughtfully, I mean I was not expecting her yes right away but I was hoping it will be a yes/no and then yes. I know she is under a lot of financial constraint, I even offered to take care of her family's need you know in an indirect manner but she thought I was asking her to sell her body to me…I mean she made it sound so cheap…..

Dekho Bhai, I know you are not wanting to marry because you are scared to get tied emotionally, I have not got married yet not because I do not want to marry but because I want to marry a person who will marry with for what I am, not sister of a successful man or by taking pity on my handicap…..

And you are elder to me by 8 years yet to find that man…Arnav observed…..

Chhote I can find him at 60, don't worry about me, I am happy the way I am, with my charity and rehabilitation centre for the handicap but then Chhote I feel if you truly want Khushi you put aside your beliefs for heaven sake and 'bend a little' be accommodative….just the way you do it in business….

You know di, once married woman start demanding many things….where is time for me to bear her tantrums….

Anjali shook her head, you were lucky that girls danced to your tunes all this while, they worshipped the earth you walked on, in fact kudos to Lavanya that she got some sense at last and decided to walk out, mai agar uske jagah hoti I would not have entered this house for a show even, lekin der aye dursth aye….you are a result oriented man….you know Khushi has her own mind too, she does what she thinks right, ha ha what is the guarantee that in 'live-in' relationship she will not throw her tantrums, she hardly lives by the rule book…for her, her family comes first, she will do whatever she deems right for them, you will soon find Khushi taking you and us under her fold…. Live in or married ….aur tumhe result se jab matlab hai why are you so concerned by the means? You want Khushi so get Khushi but then get her the way you can convince her to come to you….

Arnav got up walked up and down the terrace when he heard the gate opening, he watched Khushi entering with her sister Payal , well she must be needing the money real bad for if he knows anything of Khushi she would not have come otherwise…..

You have a visitor Di, someone has come to take her salary……

Khushi ayi hai, his sister's face beamed, getting up she hurried to go down….

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Khushi sat reading and circling the advertisement in the newspaper, yesterday Nani and Anjali were overjoyed to see her, infact they had even suggested that she should come and help them around the house, help Anjali with her work but the man watching her from his studio, Khushi did not need to look up to feel it, Khushi turned it down, I will come by once in a while, let me see if I get something on my own, phir aaplog toh haihi…she gave all possible excuses….before walking out with Payel, thank god she had taken Payal with her….

There was a knock on the door, Bua was sleeping on the sofa, her sister had gone for her bath, is it him again? Taking a deep breath Khushi got up, peeping in the eyehole she quickly opened the door…

Babuji? Maaji aaplog, saab theek toh haye na? Idhar achanak??!! Khushi hugged them but kept on asking…

Areh Babua what is wrong, tumlog kaha se agaye…with a big startle Buaji scrambled up….

Itna bara khushi ki khabar aur khushi beti ne humse chhupai….we had to come because the news is such, ha we have given you some 'sanskar' shaadi ki baath apne muh se nehi karte humare yeha lekin Jiji aap toh bol sakti thi?

Shaadi kiski shaadi…Bauji asked failing to understand anything….

Humari Khushi bitiya ki aur kiski? Babuji beamed….

Khushi ki, humari Khushi ki lekin kiske saath?

Areh Jiji kaal raath ko I received a call from Srimati Nayantara Raizada saying she wants Khushi's hand for her pota Arnav….she said she knows Khushi very well and they all love her very much, they will be delighted to have her as their Bahu…Khushi knows Arnav well, aaplog jaldi se ayiye and then see everything for yourself …waise haumare taraf se shaadi pakki hai aur jald se jald shaadi ho jaye Mata Rani ki ichcha se I don't want anything else in life….

Khushi flopped on the sofa now…..Naniji called….

Ha beta said as in the absence of Arnav's presents she is doing the job, biya shaadi ka mamla hai toh bade hi baath kare toh achcha hai….

Lekin woh ladki Miss na jane kya jiske liye Khushi jati thi unke yeha…

Ha Nani ji ne kaha, we did not approve of the girl so Arnav could not marry her and till then he had not met Khushi…mujhe yeh baath bahut achhi lagi Jiji unhone khol kar baath ki no hide and seek, she said I may have heard something, yes there were something but then we should move forward and forget past as past…so much so, Naniji arranged a car to bring us here, Jiji aap taiyyar ho jayiye, they are expecting us for lunch…..

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Arnav was engrossed in a design when his mobile rang….he answered it, there was silence and then got disconnected…Arnav continued with his design, it again rang…

Yes Khushi tell me what is it?

How..How do you know it is me….

In this world there is only one person I know who disconnects the line without speaking…

Tum shaadi karna chahate ho? She asked or shrieked on the phone to be precise…

Hmm I am 27 years old, a very marriageable age….

You want to marry meee? Khushi's exclaimed

Yes as 'Live In' is not acceptable to you, Arnav replied calmly….

But what makes you think I want to marry you?

Now from where did this 'I 'come from? You did not want to hurt your family, so the other alternative was to get married which is more acceptable to your family, abh bare bujurg also thought since it is marriage the matter should be left to them, just now your parents entered the house, I can see my Nani, Di and others welcoming them….now you can make all of them happy including me!!

Oh damn it!! As if I want to get married to you!!

Yeh kaisa baath hui, yesterday you said your family aur aaj tum kuch aur bol rahi ho….anyways, I can see now Nani is distributing ladoos laghta hai date fix ho gayi hai…..

Khushi banged the phone down…..Arnav looked at his mobile, well it is the result which matters, ghee agar seedha ungli se na uthe toh tera karo…went back to his drawing ….after the elders are through he would be called just to present himself and anyway as much as he can avoid such family sentiments as it is Nani is on 7^th heaven with the thought Khushi is coming to the house as 'bahu'….

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Khushi glared at the phone, kya huwa Khushi, Payal asked her sister seeing her so agitated….

Now he is saying he wants to marry me as I did not want to 'Live In' with him…yeh kya baath hui….

Tujhe toh khushi hona chahiye Khushi, a man like him is thinking of marriage…see the change in him…

Kuch toh baath jaroor hai Jiji, aise kaise shaadi ke liye raazi ho gaye…..

Ha re 'Shanka Devi' stop worrying for a change and accept he is now willing to get married, aur dekh everybody is so happy, Nani, Anjali Didi they all love you, so they must have convinced him to have a change in heart…aur aisa kaha likha hai that he cannot change his mind?

Khushi remembered Lavanya's face, the hurt look of being rejected….Lavanya agreed to 'Live together', so she came to stay in his house, Khushi did not agree, so marry her, after Khushi who and does the word marriage have any weight for him or just another arrangement like 'Live In'…..Khushi shook her head…no no something is not right…this cannot go on….

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