Hey everyone! So I am back with another chapter! I dedicate this chapter to ss374 and nav_bat for leaving such wonderful and motivating comments right from the beginning! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 3- Hitting the road
"How many times do I have to say I don't want to marry?", she bellowed at the shell shocked couple in front of her.
"And how many times do I have to remind you to keep your tone down when talking to us, Khushi Kumari Gupta?", Shashi Gupta asked his daughter with eyes as cold as the waters of the majestic Atlantic ocean. She quickly lowered her eyes.
"I am sorry for misbehaving. But you know what I want to do. And if I can't have that, I rather not do anything else in my life, leave alone marriage."
Before Shashi could say anything further, Garima cut in, "I told you Shashi! This girl is useless! I had warned you before bringing this orphan into our house! She will defame us in the society if she continues to keep up with this attitude!"
"Society? Amma? For Devi Maiyya's sake! Which century are you living in? We are not in India Amma. We have been staying abroad for so many years now. People here have an open mind!", Khushi tried justifying herself.
"That is not the way to talk to your mother Khushi.", Shashi said.
"When has she ever treated me like a daughter Babuji? All she has ever been doing is ordering me around. She wanted us to move abroad, we did. She asked me to go to University, I did. She asked me to do anything and I did it willingly in hope that she will finally accept me. And all I ever asked in return was love. Love that every daughter deserves from her mother. I never received an ounce of appreciation from her after all I did. Why? Just because I am not her real daughter? And now she expects me to marry, sit at home and sacrifice what I have been living to do. If I don't deserve her affection then she doesn't have a right over me either!" Khushi could feel tears encrust her big hazel eyes.
"Khushi. I am doing this keeping in mind your future. Do you really want to embrace the bitter truth that snatched your parents away from you? Do you really want to face the ugly truth that took away your childhood. It is my job to protect you and I will do anything to fulfill the promises that I made to your father. Don't forget….he was my best friend."
Beautiful memories of her father pricked her heart. She quietly got off the table and dragged her feet to the kitchen to do what gave her solace.
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"Arnav! How does this look? Oh wait! Maybe this one looks better?"
"What the? Lavanya…can't you see I am working? I have a very important meeting in a few hours and here I am. Here is the ASR helping his girlfriend pick out an outfit for….."
"Our wedding.", Lavanya completed the sentence. "What could possibly be more important than our wedding? There is so much to do and here you are. Here is the great ASR typing away to glory on his laptop when he is getting married in what…like 2 months?!" Lavanya pouted.
Arnav smirked, shaking his head thinking how he had gotten so lucky to have this beautiful woman in his life. He wrapped his arms around her petite figure and said, "I am sorry baby. But work is important too. I can't ignore it. Besides the wedding is two months away. We still have a lot of time in hand."
"Time will pass and we won't even realize. I want to cherish these moments and capture them in my heart forever. Who knows what destiny has in mind for us. Anything could happen during these two months….I could…."
"La…please. You know I hate it when you talk like this. I will never let you go. Keep that in mind. I have seen and felt countless losses in my life and I have nothing left but you. So don't ever…don't ever say that again." His voice was laced with pain and his vision grew blurry as tears threatened to flow down his chocolate brown eyes.
Lavanya cupped his face with her small hand. "I am sorry Arnav. I didn't mean to hurt you. But I have this fear…somewhere deep inside like something bad is bound to happen."
"Don't worry. I am there by your side. Always. We promised….remember?"
Lavanya smiled, her eyes glinting with hope. She rested her head on his shoulder as warmth and assurance enclosed her frightened heart.
"Now let's select your outfit, shall we?"
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The smell of piping hot jalabies wafted through the Gupta house. Khushi tried to get herself to think on her next move to convince her parents to let her do what she wanted to do. Nothing that she had tried had worked till date. She let out a sigh as she professionally moved her hand over the pan forming perfect shapes and the other hand holding a half eaten jalabie. She stared at the heap of delicacy that she had just made. Her mind was as tangled as the swirling paths of the jalabies. And suddenly an idea flashed through her mind.
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She stacked a handful of jalabies in a box and put it in the bag she just finished packing. She placed the heavy bag over her delicate shoulders and tip toed to her parents' room. Her face turned pale as she looked at the sleeping form of her father, worry lines evident on his forehead. She felt guilt make an agonizing path through her veins. She was the cause of his problems. Maybe leaving was the least she could do for her father. She touched his feet taking his blessings and left a note under the light of his bedside lamp.
"I am sorry Babuji, but this is what's best for everyone." She threw her bag in the car and with one swift motion of the key, the engine roared to life indicating the beginning of something new, something exciting. With her mind finally made up, Khushi Kumari Gupta hit the road.
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