Khushi was sitting on the steps of the Mandir and busy munching on biscuits. The days in Raizada Mansion, after her contract marriage were becoming too much for her to handle. Even though, the initial hostility towards her from her In-laws had reduced, the tension still reigned in the atmosphere. So she resigned herself to the steps of the Mandir, the only place where she found solace and comfort.
Still lost in her own thoughts, she suddenly heard a Dog bark to her left. She looked to her side to observe the golden brown furry animal, which was excitedly wagging the tail while sticking out its tongue. Something about the appearance and the enthusiasm of the Dog brought a huge genuine smile on Khushi's face, a feat unaccomplished till now after her marriage.
The Dog came closer to her and started sniffing the Biscuit packet in her hand.
Khushi- "Are you Hungry?" she asked the Dog patting his head. The Dog instantly closed its eyes, enjoying the warm touch of her fingers.
She took out a biscuit and held it near his mouth. The Dog willingly obliged and grabbed it in its mouth, dropping little crumbs from the sides while vigorously chewing it.
Unhappy with only one biscuit, it looked at Khushi for more with a sad puppy face. She looked inside the packet to find last two biscuits and fed both of them to the Dog.
The Dog wanted more. It slowly moved closer towards Khushi and started sniffing the empty packet in her hand.
Khushi-"I'm Sorry but it's finished." She said showing the empty packet to the Dog. She looked around her for more food but she couldn't find any. It wasn't like she could buy another packet of biscuits for the Dog. She had forgotten to bring along money with her.
She looked at the sky. It was getting dark and she had to return home. So she stood up to take leave of the Dog, caressing its silky fur and waved Goodbye at it. Before the street in front of the Mandir turned right, she glanced back one last time to see the Dog still in the same position, intently staring at her retreating figure.
Khushi was busy walking back home, when suddenly she heard some noise behind her, as if someone was following her. She hastened her steps lest it be some unwanted danger behind her. In her panic, the walking slowly turned into running. But the faster she ran, the faster were the footsteps. She could also hear the panting and gasping.
She reached the gate of Raizada Mansion, opened it quickly, entered in and turned to close it. But suddenly she let out a shocking gasp seeing her follower.
It was none other than the same Dog, who had followed her all the way from the Mandir. She clutched her chest letting out a huge sigh of relief registering the fact that it had only been the Dog who was following her.
The Dog was happily wagging its tail and made its way in through the gate.
Khushi-"Oh it's you. Did you want more food?" she bent down and asked the Dog. The Dog came forward and licked her palm, his eyes glistening with warmth.
Khushi observed the Dog carefully. It didn't have any collar on. So it was a homeless street Dog. But it did look like a pure breed. Maybe a Golden Retriever. Maybe its owners had abandoned it. It wasn't that big either. Maybe it was 4-5 months old. But it was a good mannered and cheerful Dog. Maybe it liked her.
It was then that she decided that she would take him inside along with her. She bent down and lifted it in her arms. It wasn't heavy. She slowly pushed open the main door and entered in. Nobody was present in the living room. So she went up the stairs into her bedroom and placed the Dog on the floor. Arnav hadn't arrived yet from the office. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned towards the Dog.
Khushi-"Sit down quietly! I will be back with food for you." She said to the Dog pointing towards the floor. The Dog understood her orders and quietly lay on the floor putting his head between his forelegs. She closed the door behind her.
Khushi went to the kitchen and took out a bowl. She peeked inside the vessels on the stove. Dinner was ready. So she took some rice and poured some curry in the bowl and took it back to the Dog. She opened the bedroom door to find it seated in the same position. It lifted its head noticing her arrival.
She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was time for Arnav to arrive home.
Khushi-"Come with me. This is Lard Governor's room. And he doesn't like anyone invading his privacy including me. So let's go outside."
Not wanting to create a scene that involved any argument or fight with Arnav, she led the Dog out to the poolside, her 'bedroom'. Placing the bowl on the floor, she sat down next to it while the Dog happily gulped down the whole thing, as if it had been hungry for ages.
Khushi loved to see the Dog very content and happy. It had always brought her pleasure to see others around her happy.
After finishing with the food, she poured some water in the bowl for the Dog. She went back and sat down on the floor, stretching her legs, anticipating the Dog's next move.
The Dog drank a little bit and soon came and sat down beside her, resting its head on her lap. Khushi ran her fingers through the soft and silky fur of its neck and back and the Dog whined out in pleasure, raising its neck to lick her face.
That one moment, brought a huge smile on Khushi's face and she broke out into a laughter at the tickling sensation of the Dog's licks. She held its face with both her hands and gazed into its eyes.
Khushi- "You know, I'm thinking, maybe I should call you Scooby" she said remembering her favourite cartoon character in her childhood. "Do you like it?" she asked, to which it eagerly wagged its tail and once again began to lick her whole face.
Khushi- "Scooby stop it! You are tickling me! Bad Boy!" she said pushing him away from herself. Wait! Was it a male? Aah! Nevermind. Afterall, only men were always behind her life. She thought amusedly to herself.
She stood up in her place and fixed her Sari and hair. "Scooby! Sit here quietly. I'm gonna go and have bath." She said looking at the dishevelled state of herself. She went into the room and carefully closed the French window so that the Dog couldn't escape from the poolside. She picked up her clothes from the cupboard and went into the bathroom.
Arnav returned home after a busy day at the office. He entered the bedroom and noticed that Khushi wasn't present in the room. He heard the splashing of water from the bathroom and concluded she was inside it. He removed his waistcoat and tie and threw them on the bed with frustration. He was a bit glad that he didn't have to face her after such a hectic and gruesome day. He didn't want to fight with her again today.
He went and sat down on his recliner resting his head on it and closed his eyes for a second, and then he heard some sound from the poolside. He immediately sat up straight and darted his eyes towards the source of that noise.
Instantly, his eyes popped out in shock at the sight of the furry animal outside. Was he dreaming? He cleared his eyes to make sure of his sight. Indeed, it was a Dog. In his home, In his poolside. What was that animal doing here? He ran towards the French window, to see the Dog playing with its bowl.
The initial shock was now replaced with confusion, soon followed by anger in his eyes. He was about to turn to call Hari Prakash, when he heard Khushi step out of the bathroom. She nonchalantly walked towards the French Windows, completely ignoring his presence in the room and went to the poolside, closing the door behind her.
Arnav strode towards her with three big steps and immediately yanked her arm from behind to face her towards him.
Arnav- "Khushi! What is that Dog doing in my house?" he asked in a low voice trying his best to contain his anger.
Khushi-"Oh! You mean Scooby? He is gonna stay here with me in my room." She said indifferently and slowly removed his hand from her arm and turned around to the Dog. The Dog stopped playing with the bowl and stood alert, slowly grasping the environment around him.
Arnav-"What do you mean 'stay here'? And where did you find him?" This time he pulled her wrist tightly, hurting it in the process.
Khushi-"He is my new friend. Got it? Afterall that you have done to me, you made sure that everyone disowned me. So I needed a friend and I found him at the Mandir. And now he is gonna stay here with me. Any problem? Now leave my hand." She ordered him. But he didn't budge his grip on her wrist.
Arnav-"That Dog is not gonna stay in my room." He gritted though his teeth in a dangerous tone.
Khushi- "Mr. Raizada, Don't forget that this house belongs to me too, since I married you. And you made it sure on the first day that the poolside was my room. That room over there," she said pointing to his bedroom behind him, "is your bedroom. Those four walls. This here," she said pointing to the poolside, "is Mine. So I can do whatever I want to in this place."
Arnav was now seething with anger at her audacity. "How dare you Khushi Kumari Gupta!" he screamed at her holding her shoulders tightly. Khushi winced out in pain at his deathly grip.
It was then that they heard a dangerous growl below them. Both of them, immediately looked down to see Scooby growling at Arnav, showing off his sharp canine teeth on the sides. He let out a loud bark, causing Arnav to instantly let go of her shoulders and take a step back.
Arnav didn't know why he stepped back, but something about the look on the Dog's face was terrifying. The Dog took a step towards Arnav letting out a bark, while Arnav took another step back.
Khushi looked in shock and awe at her new friend who was actually protecting her from Arnav. Her eyes welled with tears at the pain in her shoulders.
Arnav knew that there was no point in fighting with an animal. He silently accepted his defeat and retreated back into his room, closing the Door behind him and went and sat on the recliner. He saw Khushi dropping on the floor clenching her shoulders while the Dog went and sat on her lap, trying to comfort her from her pain.
He banged his fists on the table unable to accept the fact that he hurt her, once again without intending it. He hated fighting with her. But why was he feeling guilty? Afterall, she had instigated him. If it hadn't been for the Dog, he would have hurt her more. He closed his eyes in disbelief, taking in the sight of Khushi sleeping on the floor over the Duvet while the Dog lay beside her legs.
How was it? Leave your comments. And please don't feel disheartened If I don't reply to your comments. It's just that after writing down so much I'm practically out of words to reply to everyone. So just to be fair to all my readers, I don't reply to anyone so that others don't feel left out.
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Shall I continue? even if you say NO, I will give you another part of this. Afterall I love torturing you all with my stories😈
Link to the next parts.
PART 3 - Last part.
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