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R&R Part 02
R&R Part 03
Hello All! Here's part 4 :)
R&R Part 03
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to comment- May your dreams be full of Arnav Singh Raizada.
R&R 04- Growing up
He didn't know, and she wanted to keep it that way.
Clutching the innocuous packet to her chest, she hurried away from the building and got into the car, asking the driver to take a longer route and stop by the temple. Waiting at the base of the temple, she turned to look up at the dozens of people clamoring up and down the stairs, busy in their own lives, their minds focused on their own wants and prayers. She wondered if any of them had faced a dilemma like hers. Paying the man in the makeshift shop, her hands reached for the same plate of flowers at the same time as another customer. "Sorry," the man apologized. "Go ahead, you can have this one," he added kindly. Nodding at him, she started walking towards the stairs, her mind miles away recounting a similar scene years ago.
Three years, she counted. She had been at this exact same temple purchasing flowers when she had picked up the same plate as him. He'd handed the platter over to her, charmingly saying that he hoped she'd put in a prayer or two for him as well for giving up his claim. As they'd walked up the stairs together, someone had bumped into her causing her to lose her footing and almost toppling down head first. He'd come to her rescue then, very gallantly catching her in his arms and helping her right herself. Over the next few months, she'd caught sight of him frequently at the same temple, impressed that as a man, he'd shown such commitment in his visits to the temple. But that wasn't the only reason, she recalled. It had been another chance meeting in a series of many, both surprised and happy at seeing each other again. She had been completely immersed in listening to him, walking together towards the exit when a man in a hurry to leave had rudely shoved her aside. Instead of apologizing, he had insulted her and her disability.
"If you can't walk properly then why bother coming out in public and holding the rest of us up! You.." The man had no chance to finish his sentence, finding himself sprawled on the ground seconds later, holding his cheek where he'd been slapped. Hard. She had looked on in amazement as her companion drew out an apology for her from the terrified guy before warning him that the next time around, he'd find himself with no legs at all if he displayed such uncouth behavior. It was the first time that someone other than family had stood up for her- not making her feel as though she was any less of a person for having an injury. It was in that one instance, she thought wistfully, that she had fallen in love with him. It hadn't been long before weddings bells had rung, the banners proudly reading their names: Anjali weds Shyam. She had been ecstatic- and deeply in love. That he was an orphan just like her made her want him more, a need to give him a family to call his own, their own.
How would he react? How will the family take it? Anjali worried. Handing over the pooja plate to the pandit, she closed her eyes and folded her palms, praying for strength and determination. She had to work this out herself, a streak of trepidation shooting through her as she recalled the overload of information she had unearthed recently.
Her brother had withdrawn into a hard shell since Lavanya had left. Initially, she had chalked it up as a natural reaction to the breaking of his relationship, but he seemed to be getting worse. And she knew her brother too well to believe that he would be in this state due to a broken engagement. At one point, he had come home in such a temper that she'd assumed that the deal he had been looking forward to had failed. Akash had looked confused and surprised when she had asked him about it, informing her that the meeting that afternoon had in fact concluded very successfully. She had made her way to his room then, where she knew her brother had been keeping himself sequestered for hours at an end, staring into space. Stopping just outside the door, she had seen him standing with his head bent, looking at something in his hands. With a sudden cry of frustration, he had flung what he'd held onto the ground, only to stare at it for a few minutes before picking it up again and dropping it into a drawer nearby. Unaware that his actions had a witness, he'd proceeded to his garden to be alone. Suspicious and desperate to pull her brother out of the veil of loneliness he had surrounded himself in, Anjali had stolen into the room to look at the object in the drawer that seemed to incite such a reaction from him.
Mother's anklet? Tell her you love her?, she had looked at the paper, unable to immediately comprehend what Lavanya had apparently written to Chote. Who is she talking ab.. her thought had ended abruptly as she remembered clearly the face of a girl explaining why she couldn't accept a new pair of anklets' the one that she wore were her mothers'. KHUSHI-JI?! Her eyes wide, she had read the secret missive again to make sure that she hadn't misunderstood anything. The enormity of the discovery had stunned her. As bad as she felt for Lavanya, Anjali had been unable to keep her spirits from soaring as she left his room. Her chote was in love! How had she not noticed it? Before anything else happened, she'd decided that she would have go speak to Khushi-ji alone. If there was even a remote chance that she had feelings for Chote as well, Anjali had determined, she'd find a way to bring them together.
Jerked out of her musings, she received the prasad and made her way back to the car. Only a week since she found out, she sighed adjusting herself in her seat. Yet, so much had changed. She grimaced as she caught sight of the same road where her car had broken down on the way to meet Khushi-ji.
For two days after reading Lavanya's note, she had tried unsuccessfully to catch hold of Khushi-ji on the phone. As the second evening rolled by with no return call, Anjali had taken it upon herself to speak to the girl that very day. Informing no one of her plans, she had ordered the driver to take her to Khushi's residence when in the middle of the journey, the car had encountered ngine troubles. Not having the patience to wait until it was fixed, she had started walking towards her destination, going in a roundabout way, which resulted in her approaching the modest house from the back. As she got closer, she'd seen that the house had been decorated. Maybe they just haven't gotten around to removing them since Diwali. As she'd reached the farthest window, she had seen a small gathering in the living room.
"Haath aage badhaao bitiya." She heard Khushi's buaji coax someone loudly. Curious, she had tried looking around to catch a glimpse of the people at the center of the commotion. Getting closer, she'd bent a little to see better between the people standing in her line of vision. She had watched Khushi-ji slowly lift her hand as a man in a green sherwani clasped it immediately, his other hand poised to mount the ring he held onto her finger. Dread filling her by the second as she faintly took in the scene, her breath grew shallow as she recognized the bracelet, a one-of-a-kind charm hanging off the man's wrist, skirting in and out of the green and gold embroidered sleeve as though cruelly teasing her. She had stood there rooted in terror, wanting to know but not wanting to see as the crowd shifted to give her an unobstructed view of her husband exchanging rings with the girl her brother may love.
Her life as she had known it had ended in an instant, she thought bitterly as she stared at their wedding picture hanging above their bed. Her phone rang, his name flashing repeatedly. She forced herself to tamp down the bile rising in her throat and took a deep breath before answering the call.
"Hello."
"Hello Rani Sahiba, how are you? Missing me?"
"Hmm," she replied noncommittally, observing the picture still. We look like such a happy couple.
"Mad at me? I'm so sorry Rani sahiba, but the work here is such that'"
"No that's ok. When are you coming back?" she asked. I have to act as if nothing has changed. He can't know.
"Woh kya hai Rani sahiba, I'm going to have to stay back in Lucknow for a few more days. My friend is in some trouble- he needs my help. But if you want me to, I'll decline and come home straight away'," he trailed off, sounding piteously self-sacrificing.
How could I have not noticed before?, she thought disgusted. The long absences, the excuses to prolong staying away from home- it all made sense now.
"You do what needs to be done. I'm sure you are absolutely correct in staying back. Aap to sab ki madath karna chahte hain," she couldn't help adding snidely. He didn't seem to notice the sarcasm behind the remark ' no, Anjali wasn't the kind to use sarcasm or say anything mean. He would never doubt the sincerity behind her statement.
"Thank you so much. Mujhe pata tha aap mujhe sabse behtar samajh thi hain," he added sweetly before saying goodbye.
How could I have been so wrong about him? Anjali contemplated staring at his face smiling down at her from the portrait, the pain of his infidelity still burning hot.
She had been very nearly out of her mind with grief as she had made her way back home that day. He was supposed to be in Lucknow. How'? Why..? Oh god what am I going to do? She'd lain awake in bed the entire night, alternately crying and then promptly trying to talk herself out of admitting that she had seen her world come crashing around her. Just as dawn broke, she had come to the awful realization that being in denial would only ruin lives further, as hers most assuredly had. With more gumption than even she realized she could exhibit, she had gotten in touch with a family contact, Mr. De Silva, whom she knew to be discreet enough to conduct a thorough investigation on such a sensitive matter. She had been called into his office this morning and had left with all the information she'd required - and some that she wished she could forget. Over the period of an hour, she had been bombarded with pictures of her husband in various instances with Khushi-ji and her family. She had heard the entire story - their Lucknow encounter, his stint as a paying guest and the rumors regarding them giving way to their engagement- everything, in excruciating detail. He had known her all along and never once mentioned it. He played us all for fools!
As if that wasn't horrendous on its own, the investigation had come up with proof of Shyam embezzling money on the accounts he was involved in for AR Enterprises; quite a few people had come forth with knowledge of his bribing tactics to get his work done as well as cover his tracks with credible witnesses. This information had brought her out of the shock of his unfaithfulness, a deep and all consuming rage replacing it instead.
As she had made her way to the temple that morning, everything had started becoming clearer- the frequent requests for money to help his "friend", his reluctance in meeting Khushi-ji at home, his abrupt MIA acts every time Khushi-ji was in the vicinity, his evasiveness every time she questioned him about a case that kept him away for long periods. Even the jeweler who had called to ask her if she'd liked the new ring made sense now. Ha! And I thought the poor man was growing senile in his old age and mixing up clients, Anjali chided herself as she aimlessly wandered the halls of her home. He'd even insisted that Mr.Shyam Jha had placed the order in person, indignant that he never made a mistake in recognizing old clients. She hadn't believed him, responding that her husband was not even in town at the moment to be placing such an order in person.
Taking over the tray of tea from Om Prakash, she made her way to the back yard. As she turned around the corner, she caught sight of her brother absentmindedly watering his plants. One pot was overflowing and his pants had water and mud marks on them, which he seemed to have not noticed. She was immensely grateful that it was she who had discovered Shyam's deceit, she decided seeing at the forlorn look on her chote's face. There was no telling how he would have reacted if he had found out about it first. Her beloved brother tended to be irrational when it came to his only sisters' happiness. He probably wouldn't even have told me, she smiled sadly. He would have tried to hide it, fix it himself thinking that doing so would protect me.
Gathering herself up and keeping her head tall, she strode towards her little brother. Nobody messes with my family. He had always taken care of her and for the first time, she had a chance as the elder sibling to protect him instead... and hopefully, return to him, his happiness too. It was time she stopped being the overly protected princess of this house. It was time to finally grow up, she decided, resolute in doing whatever was needed to make things right. She was no longer a Jha. She was a Raizada and she would bloody well prove it.
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Hindi words explained:
pooja: prayer
pandit: priest
Haath aage badhaao bitiya: put your hand forward, dear (or child)
sherwani: A traditional North Indian attire for men
Rani Sahiba: My Queen
Woh kya hai..: The thing is...
Aap to sab ki madath karna chahte hain: you just want to help everyone
Mujhe pata tha aap mujhe sabse behtar samajh thi hain: I knew you understand me the best
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
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