SS ArHi:Reflections & Revelations final ch, Nov19 - Page 2

"Why?" she thought, unaware that in her distress, she had said the word aloud. Really, it made no sense to her that after trying her damndest to avoid this very situation, she found herself alone, thoughtless and trapped between one very solid wall and a pair of dark stormy eyes that warned her against attempting any escape. She tried to tamp down the panicked laughter that was bubbling in her as she faced the fact that it was twice today that she'd asked herself that same question. For two very different reasons, she realized.

Khushi Kumari Gupta had woken up that morning knowing that it wasn't just any other day. The hustle and noise in her humble home served as a reminder to the festivities surrounding her. She was a soon-to-be bride. And today was her haldi and mehendi ceremony. No, it wasn't just any other day. But it didn't feel special either. Not to her. The dozens of ladies surrounding her had bathed her body in haldi and milk, teasing her about her upcoming nuptials. They vowed to make her irresistible to her husband - 'the wedding night is so important,' they had tittered, the knowing ones laughing raucously. They assumed her silence was shyness, her lack of enthusiasm - tiredness, and the absence of a smile on her face to be nervousness. People only saw what they wanted to anyway. Her still wet hair open in waves parted only by a thin mang tikka, skin glistening from the haldi and milk, and dressed in an elegantly embroidered yellow salwar, she had come out into the front yard where all the guests had gathered for the traditional mehendi ceremony. She had lifted her eyes up to see her soon-to-be husband looking at her with a wide smile. As their gazes met, he had inclined his head slightly in a gesture meant to convey that he thought she looked pretty. She hadn't been able to return his smile even then, opting instead to walk over to the dais where a young lady awaited her with the mehendi. The artist had barely begun applying a design on her palms when a rush of jeeps interrupted their gathering. A small group of men had made their way in, purposefully inquiring about someone. Upon being directed to the person they wanted, the leader, a uniform clad man had stood in front of Shyam-ji, disdain dripping from every pore.

"You are hereby arrested on charges of fraud, theft, and bribery. You have also been found to be in violation of the Hindu Marriage Act for intention to commit bigamy," the officer stated, nodding for his subordinate to continue reading the civil rights. Shocked and outraged by this, her buaji and Shyam-ji both had started arguing with the man while the news spread through the rest of the crowd, some inching closer to see the action. Khushi had not been prepared for what followed soon after that.

Distracted by the commotion in the center of the yard, no one had noticed a long car pull up behind the jeeps. A woman got out and started making her way through the spectators, dragging a younger man along with her. "Why are we here Di? I thought you said you wanted to tell me something very important," Arnav ground out, hating that he was back in this side of town. At her house. "You'll know in a minute," Anjali had said ominously. "But here? Why are there so many peo.." he trailed off as he caught sight of Khushi's ashen face. Getting closer to the clearing, they caught the end of Khushi's aunt's tirade.

"Ee ka ho raha hai? Shyam babua ko ka kahat ho aap! Where is your proof?" buaji huffed, incensed at the allegations being laid against her darling babua.

"Would his wife's testimony be proof enough?" Anjali countered smoothly, her voice loud and clear. Looking over to her husband, she had seen him go stiff at her voice, his face white with fear as he turned to look at her.

Arnav's stomach churned painfully, his anxiety increasing as he took in his brother-in-laws' presence, a trapped expression on the man's face and surrounded by police at what looked like Khushi's wedding celebrations. He questioned his sister. "Di what is going on here? What is jija-ji doing here? And the police?"

"You see chote," she answered, "your jija-ji has been hiding things from us. Haven't you?" she inquired, directing her gaze and words at her husband. Her tone deceptively calm, she continued. "Don't you get it yet brother? Welcome to your jija-ji's wedding celebrations. His second wedding celebrations, to be precise."

"What?" Multiple voices echoed the question, Arnav's being the closest.

"Oh don't feel bad that he didn't invite you personally," she jeered, her face twisting in pain. "He didn't even invite his own wife."

"Now see here! What are you saying?" buaji issued loudly, panic making her already loud voice boom through the crowds. "Kaun jija-ji? Kiske jija-ji? Ee dekho, you have already troubled us a lot before. Now you are here creating drama during our celebrations. Listen, my bitiya is getting married to Shyam babua in 2 days and..."

"This man is married!" Anjali fairly yelled, looking at her poor excuse for a husband. "Shyam Jha is a married man. He has been married for three years now. To me! Do you still want Khushi-ji to marry him?" she cried out, hoping to get buaji to see sense.

"Suniye Rani sahiba," Shyam pleaded, moving closer to her. "This is all some big misunderstanding. Please believe me," he begged. "I was tricked into this! She-," he yelled, pointing towards a shell shocked Khushi, "she tricked me into this! For our money! I swear I never..." His monologue was cut short by the sound of Anjali's palm heavily landing on his cheek. She had never been an advocate of physical violence but she would change that gladly for scum like him.

Her furious tone reminiscent of her brothers', "Don't you dare!" she warned. "I have had enough of your lies," she choked out, her voice brimming with a dangerous mix of anger and hurt. As she turned her back to him, he made a move to grab her. "Rani Sa-" He was given no chance to finish his statement, this time landing in a heap on the ground with a split lip that promptly started bleeding.

Arnav clenched his fists, his muscles straining and his eyes seeing red. Chest heaving, he pulled back and threw another punch at his fallen brother-in-law. "Don't. Ever. Touch. My. Sister. Again," he roared, each word punctuated with the sound of his fist connecting with Shyam's face.

"No chote, please!" His sister and two other officers pulled him back, struggling to keep him away from the now gasping man clutching desperately at the ground.

"I will kill you solely based on principle if you so much as look at my family again!" he threatened the bas***d, itching to throw himself at the limp form again and finish what he'd begun.

"Take him away. Please," he heard his sister request as she tried to restrain him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Khushi turn and run back into the house, dodging her mother's outstretched arms.

A short while later, huddled inside their small living room, Anjali explained everything she had found less than 3 days ago, laying out multitudes of pictures and proof in front of a distressed family and a small bunch of curious neighbours - some hanging back to offer help and some to gossip. Arnav had stood silently in the back, his anger spiking with every proof his sister presented against her husband. They listened quietly to the family exclaim loudly about the horrible consequences that their family, their daughter would have to face due to this. As Di tried to calm them to listen further, his eyes roamed over the room searching for Khushi. How was she coping with all this? He looked around only to catch a flash of yellow dupatta disappearing into another room. Unnoticed by others who were being held enthralled by his sisters' revelations, he followed her in.

Why me? She cursed her fate, leaning against her bed frame. Her back to the door, she hadn't seen him enter the room, partially closing the door to give them some privacy.

"Khushi," his deep baritone voiced seemed to echo in the small room. He saw her head jolt up and her body stiffen visibly. Without turning, she answered, "Go away."

"I just came to see-"

"See what?" she snapped, her body jerking around to face him. "To see if I had broken down enough for you to come kick me lower? I know why you've come here. You're here to accuse me! You probably wouldn't even believe me if I said I didn't know anything. Go on!" she taunted, unmindful in her pain that her voice was getting louder, "go ahead and comment on my status, my upbringing!"

Infuriated at the turn the conversation had taken, he moved a few steps into the room in her direction. One hand reaching towards her, he tried again. "Listen I.."

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Khushi almost shrieked, not noticing that he was getting closer. "Do you need me to get you started?" she said dramatically, her eyes wide, throwing her arms about in wild gestures. "You can begin with how I must have seduced your brother-in-law for your money, how I have ruined your sister's life and how much you hate that I am even alive right now. You can.."

"Khushi Kumari Gupta!" he yelled, holding her flailing arms tightly and trying to shake some sense into her.

"Get off me!" With the cry of an injured animal, she pushed at him, stepping back forcefully only to have the baseboard hit the back of her legs. Losing her balance, she had taken him down with her, both stumbling onto the bed with a loud grunt. Her breath short already, she thought she'd stop breathing altogether with his body pressing down on hers. He'd lifted himself a little to look at her, their noses separated by a few inches. "Why?" He had heard her broken whisper, tears freely streaming down her face now. Her inability to forget her feelings for him, the stress of thinking that she would be married to a man she didn't love, the ensuing chaos and the barrage of truths that had followed served to destroy her composure, sobs breaking out of her in waves. Just as he lifted his hands to frame her face, unsure but determined to comfort her, the door crashed open, Khushi's buaji and a neighbor stepping in one after the other.

"What was all that noise? Khushi bitiya tum.." The question had died on buaji's lips, replaced instead with a loud gasp as she took in Arnav's form on top of her niece, both looking red and disheveled. Khushi groaned when she saw her aunt and the other woman, a notorious gossip, stare at their state. The woman's eyes had grown round and wide as she saw them together. Grinning slyly, she nudged buaji, comments dropping easily out of her well practiced mouth. "Abhi abhi shaadi tooti nahi ki koi aur sahaara dene aagaya? Your Khushi doesn't look too cut up about Shyam, eh?"

Pushing off the bed, Arnav busied himself with hauling Khushi onto her feet. He needed to keep his hands occupied, he decided as he reined his temper in, before he was tempted to use them again today to physically wipe the smirk of the atrociously pudgy gossip's face. The comment, full of insinuations, still rang in his ears. He'd held his hand up to stop an evidently concerned looking buaji from asking any questions. His mind made, he'd grabbed Khushi's hand and dragged her out, her buaji and the gossip following closely behind. Pulling her into the living room where everyone was still digesting everything that had happened, he held on to her tightly as she tried to free herself. Unmindful of the fact that he had an audience, a majority of them who were strangers, he settled his gaze firmly on his Di sitting with Khushi's mother and sister. Slipping his hands around the struggling woman and fixing her tightly to his side, he looked at them squarely as he directed his words for anyone who cared to listen.

In a tone that brooked no argument-, "We are getting married."

It was exactly this that had lead to her questioning herself for the second time that day.

"Why?" she asked again, feeling trapped in the small room with no place to hide from his piercing gaze. His silence was starting to grate on her nerves. He kept watching her, unblinking yet saying nothing, as though making his mind up about something that he had decided to keep a secret.

"You cannot make an announcement like that out of nowhere. This is not like the time you said the same thing with Lavanya-ji. I can't back out as easily and leave. I have nowhere else to go!" she said desperately, hoping that his good sense would prevail over his rash judgment. He didn't believe in marriage anyway! Especially not with me. He hates me!, she thought frantically.

"Nobody will be backing out," he stated as though warning her away from even thinking of attempting it. "This wedding will take place whether you are ready for it or not." He was determined to see this through. There was no way in hell he would leave her alone in this situation- an easy prey for malicious gossips and lewd looks. They'll shred her to bits, he grimaced, suppressing a sudden anxiety that arose at the thought of her trying to ward off unwelcome attention. He'd seen it happen before. The society was a cruel circus where people were concerned only with their own amusement. One could very well reign as king here only to be ostracized in the blink of an eye. He couldn't let that happen to her. Not that she'd believe it coming from me after everything I've said and the way I treated her, he accepted bitterly.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked again, her voice hoarse. The dried tear marks streaking her face did little to take away from her beauty.

"You wanted to get married right? Well you're getting your wish."

"I was doing that for my Babuji," she responded, her eyes bloodshot. "And my family."

"And I'm doing this for mine," he replied, forcing himself to not sound as weary as he felt. The irony of his situation was not lost on him. Amidst gossip and growing rumors, twice in his life he had proposed marriage. To two different women. For two very different reasons, his lips twisted sardonically for a tenth of a second.

Her voice barely above a whisper, "Why?" Khushi asked him again, still unable to comprehend the reason behind his actions.

"2 days," he said, purposely ignoring her question and turning away.

"We get married in 2 days," Arnav Singh Raizada, her soon-to-be husband informed her as he slammed the door on his way out, leaving her with no answers to her questions, no peace to her mind and no strength left to find reason.