IPK FF:Broken Mirror-Chapter 10 Pg 109 Upd-16/06 - Page 74

Chapter 10

It was a rejuvenating two weeks, a journey towards healing and rebuilding; a track that's undermined by internal battles and personal demons but a feasible task for the courageous at heart. Raizada family awaited the arrival of their beloved daughter who under went two weeks of near hell but had been given a new lease of life with the advancement of technology in the modern medical field. It was time to welcome her to a new life, a life rebuilt on scattered remains of the past but a life of wholesomeness all the same and everyone was mentally as well as physically preparing themselves to help her through the process.

For Khushi it was a journey towards regaining back her normalcy and equilibrium. It was as if waking up from a long slumber, emerging out of deep dark waters that had momentarily drowned her senses. Even though it was nowhere near to being mended to it's previous state, her broken spirit had started to repair and the sleeping remnants of her old self had started to stir. Something of her former life, which is so akin to her, was awakening. The prominent absence of one unnamed force was also helping the matter.

Khushi had abandoned thinking of this missing entity in her new found home. She had simply blocked her husband's form from her life, a gapping black hole in the center of her mind which sucked in her spirit. Therefore she was careful not to venture near it even in her sleep.

It was two days before the arrival of Arnav and Anjali from Singapore when Nani ji decided to arrange for a havan.

"Khushi Bitiya, did you find the flower baskets in the store room?"

"Ji naani ji" Khushi replied back quietly, her eyes down cast, the usual light shining from he eyes missing. The sudden rise in the household activities had kept her busy. It was a welcome change for her yet somewhere in the back of her mind she felt the approach of the brutal force of her predicament getting closer and closer; his presence an ominous. The thought made her breathless. But it was easier to be in denial, the impending doom ignored, putting off thoughts of having to lay eyes on him conveniently banished to a corner of her mind.

Divyani Raizada was a woman of keen intelligence with a caldron of worldly knowledge. As she surveyed her grand-daughter-in-law, the new badi bahu of the household, one thought struck her mind; the child was not in her normal frame of mind. She had known Khushi for quite some time for her to know it without much probing. She couldn't blame her. The revelation of Shyam, Anjali's ordeal, her own sudden marriage not to mentions the social stigma and family affrontation associated with the event were hard to cope up with for any one, let alone an 18 year old.

She surveyed Khushi kindly and reached out a hand for her. "You don't look very well Khushi bitiya. What would your mother say when she sees you? She would think we are not taking care of you"

Khushi smiled gently at the kind old face and replied "No nani ji I'm fine"

"Well then you must be missing your husband."

Khushi snatched her hand away as her eyes turned to cold chips of eyes and her face turned pale to the extent she represented a marionette. There appeared to be no expression on her face.

"yes naani ji, I miss him very much" her voice came out strong but there were no emotions attached to it. "Will you excuse me until I go find maami ji? I was asked to hand this linen to her" before naani could utter a word; she had bounded up the stairs leaving a thoughtful looking naani ji behind.

Looking at the retreating back of her daughter-in law, Divyani Raizada's female intuitive kicked her gently telling her that things were far from being over.

Khushi found maami ji sitting cross legged on the family sitting room, eating fried chick peas while her heavily khol lined eyes gazed unblinking in to the TV screen.

"Maami ji, here's the cloth you asked me to bring" Khushi stretched her arms with the linen.

"Shut up patti sadi, can't you see I'm busy? No manners." She snarled swallowing a mouthful of chick piece, the sound of her munching grating Khushi's ears.

Khushi took deep breath. She was not in the mind frame to handle Manorama maami.

"Ok maami ji, I'll just leave these on the sofa next to you" Khsuhi said calmly.

"whaat eber" maami ji muttered nastily looking at her with colourfully hooded disdainful eyes and turned back to the more interesting object of the room- the Tv.

Khushi had turned around and walked a couple of steps when a phrase coming from a female reporter made her stop on the tracks.

"It is the sad plight of most women, in a country dominated by a male centric society and expected to be tolerant of violence to women as a pride factor'"

She felt her breath hitch, the words reverberating inside her.

A distant memory, a nightmare she had avoided to visit'

She hurriedly took a lung full of air having forgotten to breath. A tug in her heart string, a familiar feeling of abandonment, misuse, anger, hatred, lust and violence'each word blaring from the TV screen made her revisit, relive and reawaken far flung memories.

"Sexual harassment.."

Khushi turned around and stared at the Television screen where a reporter was interviewing a woman whose face was blurred for privacy reasons.

"It was every night, every single night." The woman said hoarsely, her very voice seem to have reduced to a mere whisper.

Khushi walked slowly over to the chair and sat down keeping a wide berth from maami ji.

As expected she instantly pounced on her 'bhat are you doing here? Chalo, tells me! Go away! Get lost"

"maami ji can I watch too?" Khushi asked calmly, betraying what her heart felt. She seemed to be getting expert at putting up a fake strong front.

Mami surveyed her coldly before replying "Okay. Buut no disturbing. Teek hai?"

Khushi nodded silently, her heart thumping her eyes already trained on the TV screen.

"'I couldn't refuse; he was my husband after all. I was beaten while he was at it, severely shaken each night after he was done with me. I would bleed every time when he, when he was finished with me'"

She bit her lip and clutched the plush leather covers of the sofa, revulsion and pity hitting her squarely in the chest in equal measure as she tried to keep herself from submerging in to one of her frequent nausea fits.

The program was a social education documentary; a genre maami ji usually didn't indulge herself in but was driven out to do so due to a sudden cancelation of one of her favourite noontime shows. The reporter was interviewing a woman from a rehabilitation and protection center for abused woman.

"According to statistics provided by the, India National Crime Record Bureau there is a crime against women in India every three minutes. Yet the sad state of the situation is that most of the women subjected to these ordeals wouldn't even know when they are being abused." The reporter continued.

" I have with me a volunteer from Unite nations Entity for gender equality and empowerment of women Ms Rebecca Wainscot who is visiting India for a mission trip and was kind enough to spare a few moments from her hectic schedule to speak to us regarding her work here in India. Ms Wainscot holds a doctorate in clinical community psychology from Boston University and is a partner at Carmel Psychological Associates, a multi-disciplinary practice in Carmel.

The reporter directed the questions in English although a steady stream of hindi translation in sub titles ran down the screen and Khushi listened and read with rapt attention, following the conversation keenly and for the first time in three weeks feeling a familiar rush of adrenaline that charged and geared her up, arousing from the lethargy of her mind.

"The women here are suffering from sever physiological depression stages due to various levels of abuse inflicted on them. This shelter in Faridhabad is the first of my visits in a tour of similar places in India. I'm glad and thankful to hear of this organization, conducting similar programs and organizing shelters in other parts of the country too"

As the volunteer worker explained the mission trip undertaken by her team, Khushi's newly awaken sense of spirit grew in hundred folds with each word spoken, her blood raging in her veins in fierce admiration and awe.

"If you want to make any contributions or help us with your kind assistance, contact Swashkthi Shelter and Support Center for Women at 9216469382 or visit the head office at No 2079/58 Gurudwara Rd, Karol Bagh, Delhi."

As the ending notes of the program flashed across the screen Khushi memorised the address and phone number, drilling it to her skull and jumped up to rush towards her room to grab a piece of paper to write it down before it slipped from her memory.

As maami looked towards a Khushi bounding up the stairs, she rolled her eyes and snorted. "Phati sadi's antics"

---

"Di, how are you feeling now?" Arnav held his sister's hand gently, too afraid to put pressure on her fragile skin lest he hurt her.

"I'm feeling better chotey. I can't wait to go home. I'm so tired of being in a hospital" she said in a tired voice sighing dramatically.

Miraculously her face was saved the severity of the burns, most of them classified as first degree burns that is being healed without external medical assistance; her singed eye brows and eye lashes slowly re-growing and the heat burns on her face recovering.

Her other parts of the body was a different issue. Having suffered extensive burn injury to most parts of her arms, legs and lower part of the abdomen, most of them classified as multiple dermis and thermal burns, needed full time medical assistance to recover from the complications.

Arnav had not thought twice before consulting best medical professionals in the world to help recover Anjali. Arrangements for the next course of treatment had already been planned to be held in another month's time when Anjali would be taken under the care of one of the best burn injury units in the world at University of California, Davis Regional Burn Center, a cutting edge medical research and treatment facility in Unite States.

Treatment until then has been resumed to be scheduled in India.

"Di you know this isn't over yet right? We have months of physiotherapy, ergotherapy and plastic surgeries ahead of us. You have to be strong and willing to go through this."

Anjali surveyed Arnav quietly, "I have no problem with this Chote. Hundreds of people go through burn injury everyday but not everyone's lucky enough to have a brother with the ability to spend millions just for my treatment with a click of his fingers. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for all you're doing to me"

"Di, please. What's the point in having so much money if I can't spend them on my family? You're my sister. I'll do everything humanely possible, find anything under this sun and throw every single penny I have earned to make you better."

"Arrey, are you crying chotte? My silly chottey! I'll be fine. Don't you worry. I'm a fighter remember? Now, I know it must be boring to sit beside me all day but cheer up! Besides we'll be going home in two days time and you can meet Khushi ji! Now that would make you feel better right?" she teased him lightly but wasn't expecting the sudden reaction when Arnav jumped up from the chair he was sitting on and walked distractedly to the window.

"Yes I'll see her" he said softly. Her face hadn't left his conscience for even a minute. He was in a curious turbulent of emotions, part of him craving to see her with an intensity unimaginable, while another part of him loathing his very existence, avidly wanted to never see her again. He was not ready to watch her pale face, frightened eyes and trembling countenance.

Yet he needed to see her, come out of his self imposed exile and try to mend at least some part of the damage done to her. He needed to help her just as much as he is doing for his sister.

"Yes, I'll see her" he repeated now a whisper almost to himself.

I love how Khushi found a new bout of Adrenalin... it was killing me seeing her so broken and dejected, and i really hope that she finds some solace in this new organisation for women!!

Great update.. u managed to convey Khushi's slow healing, and arnav's feeling of guilt ...

Sorry for unres-ing so late..i forgot dat i res-ed a place here😛
comin back to d update nw..
it was so painful to c khushi so broken n shattered n battered, mentally as well as physically..bt m glad she has found a way..n i hope she gains smthn frm dat..
i cnt help bt feel bad for arnav, although i shudnt aftr wat he has done..bt all credits to u for showing his mental cndition so movingly dat m bound to feel sympathy for him..
no1's to b blamed for his cndition xcpt he himslf..he's respnsble for evrythn..if only he cntrolled himslf, if only he gave her a chnce, if only he listened to her, if only..
bt wats done is done..dats irreversible..n he has to face d cnsequences..
hats off to u for depicting their feelings in such an intense way dat i cnt stop cold chills frm goin down my spine..
m eager to c hw khushi recovers, hw her rltnshp wid arnav progresses, hw arnav copes up wid his immense guilt..
i love ur writing style..so real, so moving, so heartfelt..
keep it up!

Res...

awesome update the emotions are suffocating them the both need to breathe both of them need to go she a doctor they both went through this togter asr the rapist and the victim to his rage and his brother in law and khushi the victim to asr and his anger and his rage loved the update there pov is so refreshing coming from both side looking through their eyes well done thanks for the pm congrats on the index

Fabulous update Hiruni. 👏 Loved it. This FF is getting better and better. The best thing I liked about it was Khushi's new found solace and mission in life. You couldn't have come up with a better way of having her deal with and endure this ordeal that she is going through right now. And, that's also remaining within the realms of her personality. She is truly a 'giver' in the real sense, nothing would give her more pleasure than helping others. Looks like Nani is going to play a monumental role in mending ArHi's relationship. I really like that aspect. Don't think that they are making a good use of that aspect in the show. But oh well, I will get to read about it in your FF. Thanks dear for a great weekend update. 😊 It was a good read. I enjoyed it. 👍🏼

Between, is that you in the DP? 😳

woww this is so awesome chapter... loved how you brought khushi and arnav's emotions... poor girl she is getting so terrified even by mention of his name also... now will she help that rehab center then she can have so peace there... arnav is living with his own personal hell... he wanted to see her but cant see that state of her..