Differences Between Us :: Arshi FF [COMPLETED] - Page 2

"Voh khudgarz aurat meri betiyon ka bhala kaise chaahegi?" she grumbled, piling food on the plates. (How will that selfish woman think good for my daughters?)

"Achha laga sunke, ki tum kissi pe dependant nahin ho," Shashi said aloud. (I'm glad to hear you're not dependant on anyone.)

Garima gritted her teeth, trying not to snap back at her husband. Instead she took out the anger on her youngest daughter.

"Lavanya! Itna bhi sho mat karo, mere sir mein dard ho raha hai!" (Don't make so much noise, my head is aching!)

Lavanya frowned at her mother but she remained silent, knowing the woman well. Payal and Khushi looked at each other. They had to do something and lighten the situation.

"Vaise Khushi, Paheli ki shaadi honevaali hai, na?" (By the way Khushi, Paheli is getting married, right?)

"Haan, Jiji," Khushi took a spoonful of paalak paneer, one of her favourite dishes. "Agle hafte hi hai." (Yeah, in fact, next week itself.)

"Sabki shaadi ho rahi hai, bas meri betiyon ki nahin. Aur Mrs Chatterjee to apne bete se milne Mumbai gayi hai. Agar voh isse pehle vaapas na aaye, to voh humein Mr Dogra se introduce bhi nahin kar payegi!" (Everyone is getting married except for my girls. And Mrs Chatterjee has gone to her son in Mumbai. If she does not return fast, she won't be able to introduce Mr Dogra to us in time!)

"Phir tum hi mauke ka fayida uthaao. Jab Chatterjee aaye, tab tum unhein Mr Dogra se introduce karlena," Shashi told her without looking up from his plate. (Then you have the benefit. When she comes, you can introduce him to her.)

Garima stood beside him, glaring down at his balding head, her fists on her hips.

"Aap mera mazaak ura rahe hain? Jab hum hi Dogra ko jaante nahin, to introduction kaise karenge?" (Are you making fun of me? When I don't know Dogra, how will I make introductions?)

He glanced up at her with an intelligent smile. "Agar aapko isse aitraaz hai, to main yeh kaam khud hi karlounga." (If you object to doing it, I can do the work myself.)

The girls looked from their mother to their father, then back to her, to him, as if following a crucial tennis match. What was wrong with these people? They were always fighting. The girls had never seen them talk to each other without taunting.

"Jiji! Aaj raat ko TV par kaunsi picture aane vaali hai?" Khushi put in brightly, with a large fake grin. (Which film will be played tonight?)

But before she could get a reply, Shashi cleared his voice loudly and continued.

"Jab tak ke Titaliya aur Payalia aaj raat ki film ke baare mein baat karengi, hum vaapas Dogra ke baare mein baat karte hain." (While Titaliya and Payaliya talk about the film which will be played tonight, let's return to the Dogra topic.)

"Iss Dogra se to mein tang aa chuki hoon!" Garima sat down and tore her chapatti angrily, then she dipped it in the massaala curry. She was just bringing the morsel to her mouth when her husband spoke again. (I'm sick of Dogra now!)

"Bhai, yeh sunke to mujhe bara dukh hua... Biwi, pehle se bata diya hota, to main unse milne ki takleef nahin uthata, na?" (Well, I'm disappointed... Wife, if you had told me this earlier, I would not have bothered to go and meet him, would I?)

The piece of chapattis fell and Garima's mouth hung wide open. The three daughters looked at their father with wide eyes and a shocked expression. It was only after a few seconds that the mother finally turned to her husband.

"Kya?" all the females exclaimed altogether. (What?)

"Haan ab-" (Yes now-)

Shashi did not get the opportunity to complete his sentence for his wife and Lavanya were squealing out of joy. He smiled at them, then at his two elder daughters. They smiled back.

"Mujhe pata tha," Garima shrieked. "Mujhe pata tha ke aap apni patni ko na nahin keh sakte!" (I knew it! I knew you cannot refuse your wife!)

He lifted his eyebrows with a sigh, extracting helpless giggles from Khushi and Payal.

***

By the end of the following day, an invitation for dinner had already been sent to Shaantivan. The reply came with great thanks and Mr Akaash Dogra also informed that he would be pleased to visit on Saturday with the party that was staying with him at Shaantivan. There would be five people in all. Garima had already sorted out the menu and the next four days were spent in the preparations.

Saturday finally came to see the Gupta house buzzing frantically. Garima was extremely worried. The servants had assured the tidiness of the house and her elder daughters, who were very good cooks – even better than their mother - despite their young age, had finished cooking all the courses she had planned. Lavanya, as for her, had been closed in her room since the early afternoon, as soon as she had returned from the beauty parlour.

While Payal and Khushi had been cooking, Mrs Gupta had been ranting on and on that the two of them had not bothered the least to go to the parlour. They would fail to impress Dogra, and hence lose a chance. But the girls had just rolled their eyes and ignored the complains. Their mother could hardly see the efforts they were putting in to make the dinner a success. And that too, for her sake only. Payal and Khushi were not really interested in meeting Mr Dogra. They did not want a man who owned a lot of money, they wanted a life-partner who would love them unconditionally.

But Garima found the idea stupid. For her, money was everything. Just as the girls have finished with the washing up and were going to sit down, the door bell rang. Garima gasped in panic and shoved her girls away, telling them to get ready fast. They went up informed La and hurriedly got ready, trying to appear as presentable as possible, just for the woman who was their mother...

***

They came downstairs together, the three of them looking beautiful, though Lavanya had exaggerated a bit with her dose of make-up, the new blonde highlights in her hair, the flashy jewellery. The servant Gopi told them the guest were in the living room with their parents. The girls went there, nervous suddenly, only to stop by the door.

"Jiji, tum pehle jaao!" hissed Lavanya. Payal shook her head vehemently. (Jiji, you go first!)

"Tu jaa!" (You go!)

"Eh, Chamkeeli! Tu jaa, na!" (...You go!)

"Jhalli! Maine kya kaha tha? Chamkeeli mat bulaao humein!" (Stupid! What had I told you? Don't call me Chamkeeli!)

Lavanya gave her elder sister a naughty smile and pushed her sister inside. Khushi, surprised, stumbled in, lost her balance and fell on the floor. The action, extracted a 'He Raam!' from her mother, as well as a few gasps from the people present in the room. Khushi felt herself blush out of embarrassment and fury, both at once. La would paid for this.

"Aap theek to hai?" she a young, nice looking man helped her stand up. (Are you alright?)

"Haan... voh... maaf kijye, hum phisal gaye the..." (Yeah... actually... forgive me, I had slipped...)

Payal and La hurried in too, as the man gave Khushi a kind smile. Shashi apologised too, with his usual amused humour, and made the introductions. The one who had helped Khushi was the famous Mr Akaash Dogra. The older-looking woman was his elder sister, Kalavati, there was also her husband, Jai, and the younger Dogra sister, Maalvika. The third man was Mr Dogra's friend, Mr Arnav Singh Raizada.

Khushi turned to him with her cheerful smile but it melted away as soon as their eyes met. He was glaring at her, fury and disgust hidden deep in those dark honey eyes. There was not a smile, not even one out of politeness. There was not the least hint of warmth. She shifted uncomfortably but that did nothing to moving his eyes off her.

When she looked up again, hoping he had found something else to look at, he was still shooting daggers at her. Khushi bit her lip and tried to participate in the conversation but her mind could not. What had she done so wrong to make such a bad impression of this man? Stumbling or falling down is not a crime, is it? She decided to ignore him, and besides, she had stopped feeling his eyes on her a few minutes later. Why care about him?

Her smile came back when she noticed Payal and Mr Dogra were shooting these shy glances at each other. So, here were two people who were already starting to like each other. If they did fall in love and got married, Khushi would be truly happy for her sister. She knew Payal was soft-hearted and Akash Dogra appeared to be a man who would suit her well. Very much unlike Mr Raizada. Lavanya was busy ogling at the two bachelors in the room; Khushi sighed, some things would never change...

Mr and Mrs Gupta seemed to enjoy their conversation with Mr Dogra and his brother-in-law. Kalavati and Maalvika, on the other hand, looked bored. They were talking to each other in hushed tones, their eyes dancing around, as though they were examining every inch of the living room. Anger flared up in Khushi when she realised the sisters were criticizing her home. Well, not everyone could be as rich as them...

She hesitatingly turned to Mr Raizada. He was staring out of the window, for the instance. He would have made a handsome man, if it were not for this scowl he wore constantly, if it were not for this air of arrogance that emanated from his being. He was a man too proud of himself, she thought. As if he had heard her, his head snapped to her viciously, his eyes full of venom. Khushi blushed and lowered her gaze immediately.

What had she done so wrong?