Part 10
"I talked to them yesterday" Garima spoke in a hushed whisper as she folded his clothes neatly, packing them away in a suitcase which he was going to take back to the village the next morning.
"Garima.." He started when she shook her head and interrupted,
"Nahi, hum jaante hain that you don't agree but...a mother's heart never lies. I saw. I saw it with my own eyes. Khushi, she..." Garima trailed off, coming to sit next to him, and Shashi took her hand in his giving it a small squeeze.
"Garima, we can't do anything about it. We were sworn to not tell her anything till the time came" Shashi tried telling her, when she whipped around to face him, tears swimming in her eyes, "And when will that time come?" She asked, "When we are dead?"
Shashi sighed, as he kept an arm around her and drew her into him, "Garima, I am going there tomorrow. I'll speak to them if I feel that there is something that needs to be done. For now, keep quiet, or Khushi will know there is something wrong" He said, and Garima let her body mould into his, a hand coming to clutch the front of his kurta, as she let her tears soak through the material.
"I am scared, Shashi. Something bad is going to happen" She whispered, but Shashi gave her shoulder a tight squeeze, and hugged her to him, dropping a gentle kiss on her head,
"Don't worry. I trust Khushi, if there is something, she will tell us" He said with a finality. Garima nodded and looked down, tears swimming in her eyes as her heart constricted with some unknown fear. "I hope so" She whispered and Shashi gently put an arm around her shoulder giving it a small squeeze of comfort.
********
"Babuji!" Khushi exclaimed as she ran into the house, hand clutching fistful of her lehnga, her cheeks red from running, as she panted for breath. Shashi looked up from his paper and smiled at her, silently asking what was wrong, "Babuji, can I borrow 100 rupiye?" She asked, an excited glint in her eye, and Shashi raised an eyebrow.
"Why Khushi?"
"Babuji...woh...I have to..go and buy..vegetables" She stammered, and her eye quickly dropped down to admire the intricate designs on their worn-out carpet in the living room.
"Which movie is it?" He chuckled, knowing that he was right as he saw a blush make its way to her cheeks, as she looked up at him cheekily.
"Salman Khan's, Dabangg" She said in an excited whisper.
"Koi movie nahin jaa raha" Garima said as she stepped out of the kitchen, a spatula in her hand, her hair messily tied back in a bun. "You are coming in the kitchen and helping me cook"
Khushi passed a pleading look to her father who nodded. "Garima, it's just one movie. She can go for it" He said, and got up, going towards his wife, and putting an arm around her pacifying her.
"But-"
"And if you need help then jiji is here to help. Plus since Payal bitiya has gone, Khushi has hardly gone out. She hasn't opened her shop yet, and I think she should go out and have fun" Shashi said, as he slipped a hand in his pocket, withdrew some money, and sneakily passed it along to Khushi who grabbed it and skipped out of the house.
"You spoil her too much" Garima grumbled.
"I know" He said smiling at her, while Garima shook her head in amusement and walked back into the kitchen.
As Shashi walked back towards the couch, his gaze fell upon the man that was strolling the streets. Having lived with his jiji on numerous occasions, and with such a small community that had made a special effort to be involved with Payal's wedding, Shashi almost knew everyone in this small close-knit community.
Which is why the stranger that was roaming the streets struck him as peculiar, and he frowned as he tried racking his brains to remember where he recognised him from.
As he saw the stranger stop to ask a commoner something, Shashi's frown deepened as he saw the stranger point towards their house.
That is when it struck him.
This was Akash's senior officer.
It was Officer Shyam, the person who had attended the wedding. But then why was he standing outside their house, questioning the people on his street?
********
"Accha so they shifted just a while ago?" Shyam asked the man standing behind the counter, as he sipped the hot tea and opened a packet of parle-G, dipping the biscuit into the sweetened chai, and letting it melt into his mouth. "Do you know why?" He asked with a mouthful.
The man, who was slowly cooking some more more tea for other customers, letting the tea leaves brew in the hot water, the colour slowly mixing in with the milk, leaned in to whisper in Shyam's ear, "Shaadi-shuda aadmi ke saath chakkar chala rahi thi" He sniggered, showing his yellowing cracked teeth.
Shyam dropped his biscuit in shock.
********
"She had a sister's wedding recently" Ved said and Dasya continued to stare out the window, his hand interlocked and resting below his chin as he breathed in deeply through his nose.
"Do I look like I want to f**k the sister?" Dasya asked, but Ved remained expressionless.
"No" He answered.
"Then give me something worthy of news Ved, or else I might have to get someone else on this, if you are not capable of giving me anything"
"She is getting closer to ACP Arnav Singh Raizada" He said.
"Are you sure of it?"
"Their friendship is growing"
Dasya motioned for Ved to continue, his eyes narrowing as he stared out, his brain slowly pondering over the information.
"There is another person who seems to have taken an interest in her"
"Who?"
"Your brother, Shyam"
********
"Mat jaiye" Garima said as she gave him his packed lunch for his journey. He smiled down at her and shook his head,
"I have to"
"I...can't you go tomorrow?" She asked, and uneasiness settling into her stomach, unsure of how to communicate this to her husband. Her hand clutched the front of his Kurta, mindful of the fact that there were strangers around them as they stood in front of the bus, but the fear of letting him go made her tighten her hold on him.
"What will one day change, Garima?" He chuckled, as he placed the lunch carefully in his travel bag.
"I..I just...I...please be careful" She said, tears coming to her eyes as she looked at her husband, her breath shortening, and a fear spreading through her body.
Shashi frowned and took her in his arms, "Garima, I'll be back by tomorrow night. Ro mat" He said, and Garima clutched onto him tightly, inhaling deeply trying not to let her fears take over.
As Shashi stepped onto the bus, Garima clutched onto her mangalsutra, an unknown fear clutching at her insides.
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