PART 5
They were late. Arnav Singh Raizada, dressed in jeans and an old sweater shivered a little in the crisp autumn air. It was already 3, and he had been waiting for almost half an hour. The playground rang with the loud voices of the children who had already arrived here with their respective guardians. After having seen him show up here everyday for a month, the other parents were now quite used to the sight of the tall, imposing, man who both looked like a movie star and was as intimidating as one. No matter what he wore--whether he came in his Armani suits or dressed more appropriately for the playground in casuals, the man had the exact same presence, one that prevented anyone from approaching him.
He would not speak to anyone here, he would not chat about business and the news with the other fathers. He would not accept the friendly moves made by the aunts and moms and older siblings of the other kids playing here. But what he would do was simple. He would watch over little Khushi, the little girl he came to see with total absorption, with adoring eyes and a single minded focus on her every move, her every need. He came alive when she arrived, and returned to his stone like nature when she left. Little Khushi was, by now, the heart and soul of the playground. Every parent there loved the happiness, the essence of kindness the charm that poured out of the child. Every child who came here waited until she showed up to begin their games, to take her on their teams, to tease her and enjoy her crazy ideas and even sweeter smiles.
So, even though they found the man who came here everyday for their angel very standoffish, the parents around the playground all felt some relief when they heard the musical sound of little Khushi's laughter. Like always, they relaxed as they saw her Uncle-ji shoot to his feet, his face alight with unearthly happiness as he got ready to welcome his daily companion.
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Amrita walked towards the playground, a little more slowly than usual. Khushi had already spotted him, and, leaving her hand, she had run across the field to "Uncle-ji" who was waiting for them in his usual spot. Amrita watched as Arnav bent down to hug her daughter, smiling as he received his daily quota of slightly sticky kisses on one lean, stubbled cheek.
By the time she had reached them, Khushi had already been dragged away by her impatient fan-club of friends. Amrita stood next to Arnav and watched her daughter being taken to the swings. She turned to Arnav, who had, as usual, ignored her completely as he watched Khushi playing across the playground.
Amrita was incredibly intimidated, her palms were sweaty as she surreptitiously wiped them on her shalwar suit. She had been wrestling with her crippling fears and an uncomfortable sense of being out of her depth for weeks. The time had finally come, however, and there was no one-- no husband, no parent and no friend to speak for her. She would have to do it. As a child growing up in a bleak orphanage, and later on in college, she had been timid and shy. She had relied on her soul-mate Pradeep to guide, comfort and advise her on all matters. Even now, at work, she never got into confrontations with the rude clients, and she was very easily cowed by those she met.
Moreover, this was not even her boss, or someone she had anything in common with. This was Arnav Singh Raizada--- a tycoon who signed her paychecks, who's assistant's assistant could hire and fire her boss's boss. He was so far above her, it was almost a joke that they would ever find themselves standing next to each other on a playground in Delhi. But this was about Khush. Amrita was a very ordinary, very shy person, but she was a mother, and for Khushi, for her self respect, she would fight a thousand Mr Raizadas. Swallowing her nerves, ignoring the reality that this man could have her tossed out tomorrow with no way of ever getting another job, she spoke.
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Amrita took out a packet from her bag, and showing the mass of glittering circles in her hands, she asked Arnav, as he watched Khushi play in the distance:
"Why did you give her these, Mr Raizada? I took them to the jeweller's shop before coming today, and he confirmed that these are pure gold, and they have been specially made in her size. The toys and the clothes I could not say anything about, since Anjali Maam gifted them to her, and it was embarrassing enough to accept those. But you gave my daughter, a little girl who is just seven years old, over two dozen pure gold bangles, her size, for her to wear. She tells me that she saw Simran wearing glass bangles a few days ago, and had mentioned she had no bangles to wear. So, you gave her gold bangles yesterday, bangles that cost more than I make in a year. What do you think you are doing, Mr Raizada?"
Arnav had barely moved, or looked at her as she spoke her piece. Amrita came to a halting stop, wondering what to do. His face was as impassive as ever, he seemed to not have heard her. Amrita was trembling, wondering how she could make him respond to her, when she heard him say, softly, more to himself than to her..."Glass bangles break--and Khushi likes bangles, but glass ones can cut her wrist, or pierce a vein, and, God forbid, make her bleed. Gold won't break, won't fall in shards all around her, won't get crushed if she trips and falls while wearing them, or if she tries to force them onto her wrists. Glass bangles break, and my little Khushi likes bangles..."
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Amrita Singh, at this point, exploded. Like a lot of timid people, she had stayed quiet and tolerated the strange goings on in her life for so long, that when the dam broke, her anxieties, her frustrations erupted when she finally did let go. So, unthinking, of the consequences, she spoke with unaccustomed fierceness:
"Mr Raizada, you cannot give my daughter, a girl who has no relationship to you, gifts like this. She is not "your little Khushi." I am her mother. You cannot come here, every day, to act as her guardian while she plays in the park. You cannot send her gifts through your sister. You cannot have Aakash sir show up at my flat, to offer me a "company sponsored" new 3 bedroom, luxurious apartment with all the amenities to live in. A new house is not something that is a part of my job's perks, nor is the car and driver who now wait outside my home every morning to take Khushi to school. I don't want any of this special attention. I am a sales girl, not an executive. I am uncomfortable with all this, Mr Raizada, I don't want the money, or the luxuries, or whatever it is that is being offered to me. I don't want my daughter to get emotionally attached to a stranger, or to his family. And Khushi is getting attached.
I don't know why you are doing all this. I just want it to stop. I have come to tell you, Mr Raizada, that your obsession with Khushi is not something I will encourage anymore. I will quit AR Boutique, I will find another job. I am not saying you are doing anything illegal, and of course you are not hurting Khushi intentionally. I know, for some reason, you really care for her, and you want her to be well cared for too. I am not saying that your intentions are wrong.
But you tell me, Mr. Raizada---what will people think? They will think I am your mistress, or that maybe I cheated on Pradeep and Khushi is your child, or something equally awful. They will ask, why are you so involved with Khushi, and honestly, Mr Raizada, I don't know why, myself. I want it to stop, before Khushi becomes too dependent on you, since you and I both know that you will soon be tired of dealing with a troublesome little girl. She has no way of knowing any better, she is a child. I don't want her hurt, and in any case, I cannot accept your help, and I don't want it."
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The blazing look of utter fury on Arnav Singh Raizada's face brought Amrita back to her senses, reminding her exactly how dangerous and powerful a man she was speaking to. Involuntarily, she took a step back as she watched his face transform. A light of almost mad panic and rage seemed to shine from suddenly molten chocolate eyes.
He spoke one word... "Leave.." and such was the raw anger behind his tone, Amrita found herself obeying before she even realized she had done it. "But at least he will now stop, and he was mad, but he knows that I am serious. I can rest easy now, I spoke my piece,"thought Amrita, as she hurried across the park to the Boutique, now and then looking back at the playground, where Khushi and Mr Raizada still were.
He knew where she stood, and he would understand her viewpoint and stop.
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One of the fathers at the playground had just pulled up to pick up his son when he almost got side-swiped by a white SUV. Braking just in time in the playground's car-parking lot, he muttered to himself when he recognized the maniac who had just zoomed by his car, a small girl buckled into the seat next to him.
"Wonder where her Uncle-ji is taking little Khushi off to in such a hurry! Can't even watch out for the traffic rules, can he, the arrogant sonofabitch!" The man shook his head in some anger, as he parked his car and headed for the Playground. Edited by napstermonster - 12 years ago
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