Part 61
Arnav slipped his coat on, and caught hold of his bag to go to the office.
Khushi blocked his path. Dressed in a pink, cream, & black saree, she looked gorgeous. Her cheeks were rosy with good health. She looked well-loved., Arnav thought with a smile.
"Now what, Khushi?", murmured Arnav, rubbing his rough cheek against her smooth one gently. "A tigress at night, a blushing rose in the morning!"
Khushi blushed.
"Want me to stay back at home today?", Arnav asked hopefully.
The blush spread down her neck as she shook her head to mean 'no'.
"Then?", he teased. "What is the meaning of this road block?"
Khushi hugged him, and with her head against his neck, asked, "Can I ask you something, Arnavji?"
Arnav smiled. He dropped the bag, and hugged her close, savouring the moment.
"You can ask me anything. You know that, Khushi."
"Haan. Arnavji, Anandji refused to marry Di, and left Delhi. Di was very upset. She continued to refuse other proposals. I was thinking..."
"Haan?"
"Did you never feel like finding out where Anandji was in these 10 years? Whether he was married...?"
Arnav smiled slowly.
"Knowing you, I feel that you must have done it."
"I did." He dropped a kiss on her nose. "I did not track his movements on a daily basis, but I knew what he was doing, how hard he was working, how well he was doing..." He sighed. "Khushi, he hurt Di. I felt very, very angry at that time, but what else could he do? Did he really have a choice? Had I been in his place, could I have done anything else?"
Khushi shook her head in the negative.
"His hands were tied, Khushi."
She nodded.
"He designed my hotel in Lucknow. I picked the plan from many others because it was outstanding, and when I looked at the name of the architect, it was Anand Dwivedi. He is one fine architect, Khushi. A master at his job! He may not have known that Axis Hospitality was my company, but I found out all about his business. After that, I have used his firm many times, always taking care to stay away from his sight."
Khushi rested her head against his heart. Arnav hugged her close. They stood lost in each other, till Mamiji knocked on the door.
"Hello Hi Bye Bye! One pair of lovebirds ijj in Shimla, and the other pair ijj here! Aaj aaffice (office) naahin jaana he kaa, Arnav Bitwaa? NK Bitwaa ijj waiting for you near the carwaa."
Arnav and Khushi blushed, and with a final touch on her shoulder, Arnav took his bag and left for the office.
Anand came promptly at 10, as fixed.
Arnav shook his hand, and offered him a seat.
Anand sat, and looked at Arnav's impassive face.
"Anjali must have told you?", Anand did not believe in wasting time.
"Yes."
"I would like to marry Anjali, if it is OK with you. I can now provide her with a comfortable life as she is used to."
Arnav looked at Anand.
"I am sorry I hurt her and all of you ten years back."
Arnav nodded.
"I could have taken the money your Mamaji offered, and married Anjali then. But, I am afraid, I am not made that way." Anand smiled slightly. "I always seem to go for the difficult way out of a situation."
Arnav smiled slightly. They remained silent for a while. Then Arnav asked, "What would you have done had Di agreed to some other proposal?"
"Wished her well."
Arnav raised his eyebrow.
Anand nodded. "I never hoped or expected that Anjali would wait for me for 10 years. It was three years after that terrible night that I had the time and the freedom to find out whether she was married or not. Till then I could only wonder and worry about her fate. In those 3 years, a lot had happened. My father had passed away, my sisters were all wedded, I had 2 jobs and was thinking of joining my friends in starting a construction company..."
Arnav nodded.
"I was shocked to see that she had not married, but even then I had no means of supporting her. I couldn't approach her and ask her to marry me. Then the company started functioning. We got some good contracts and projects. Slowly, our financial position became stable. But I had a lot of debts."
Arnav listened with keen interest.
"I had to return the money my brothers-in-law, Amma, and Buaji had given me to start the company. I did. I also started a shop for my eldest brother-in-law and his family as they are halwaiis by profession but were renting space for their shop. My second brother-in-law refused to take even a paisa more than what he had given me. So I opened a textile shop for my second sister. I bought six acres of land for my third brother-in-law so that he and his family could farm it. They are farmers by birth."
Arnav nodded.
"I had to see to the security of my Amma & Buaji. I was the only male in the family. If something happened to me, I didn't want them to worry about the future.
All this took seven years. As each year passed, and Anjali remained unmarried, I hoped I would get a chance to marry her."
"You came to Delhi frequently to see her.", stated Arnav.
Anand nodded.
"Why didn't you meet her and ask her to wait for you?"
Anand smiled. "For how long? What could I tell her? Anjali, wait for me for 5 years? I may be able to afford to marry you in 5 years. If I can't, then please wait a few more years?"
Arnav smiled. "She would have."
"She would have.", Anand concurred. "That's exactly why I didn't ask. How could I make her wait indefinitely for me while all other girls of her age were getting married & having families?"
Arnav nodded.
"Where are you staying?", he asked Anand.
"I bought a house in Delhi for Amma & Buaji three years back. It is about 2kms from your house."
"If you give me the address, I will bring Nani, Mami, Mamaji, NK, my brother, & Khushi to make a formal proposal."
"No.", said Anand smiling. "I will give you the address, but you don't have to come to us with the proposal. That was done 10 years ago. Now we will come to your house, and ask for Anjali's hand."
Arnav smiled.
Anand stood up to leave. The men shook hands, but did not let go.
Arnav said softly, "You don't know how many times in the past 10 years, I was on the verge of contacting you and asking you to come back."
Anand said softly, his voice reflecting the loneliness and agony of the past 10 years, "You don't know how many times in the past 10 years, I was tempted to come here and carry Anjali off. Each time I saw her drawn face, pale with fasting and praying for me, I..I...", Anand could not complete it.
Arnav hugged Anand. Anand held him tight.
As they parted, Anand asked, "Khushi is your wife?"
Arnav smiled, "Yes."
"I will look forward to meeting her and the rest of your family tomorrow night."
Arnav smiled. "She has been waiting to see you."
As soon as Anand left, Arnav rang up Khushi, Di, and Akash and gave them the news. He told them that he would tell the rest of the family over lunch, and asked them not to spoil the surprise.
Akash sat by her and told Payal the good news, and about the past of Anjali and Anand. After listening to the sorry tale silently, Payal said, "Shall we go home?"
Akash looked at her, speechless. "We have two more days here.", he reminded her.
Payal stood up, walked to him, and put her arms around his shoulders. "Honeymoon is not a place. It is the two people enjoying it. Where ever we are, we can have our honeymoon."
Akash hugged her close, resting his face against her soft bosom. "What did I do to deserve you, Payal?", he asked.
Arnav & NK returned for lunch, and the whole family gathered around the dining table, relishing the delectable fare prepared by Khushi, Di, & HP.
Arnav swallowed a morsel, and looked at Di's and Khushi's faces. Both glowed with suppressed excitement. Arnav hid a smile.
He said, "It is time to prepare for another wedding."
Mami paused, a piece of roti in her hand hanging in air. "Bedding? Ab kis ki bedding left he, Saasumma?"
Nani looked surprised at Arnav.
"I knows, I knows.", Mami said. "Arnav Bitwaa is going to marry again." She picked up a free plate and held it in front of her like a shield against Khushi's ire.
But Khushi & Anjali laughed. Nani shook her head at Mami's antics.
"One wife is enough for me, Mami.", said Arnav, hiding a smile.
"Aur naahin to kaa, Arnav Bitwaa. Will any man repeat such life-altering mistakes?", asked Mamaji.
Mami pushed Mamaji, who laughed.
"Who is getting married, Nannav?", asked NK, confused. As far as he knew, his Aarti hadn't said yes to his proposal.
"Di.", said Arnav.
There was perfect silence. You could hear a pin drop.
"Chotey, Anjali Bitiyaa agreed?", Nani couldn't believe her ears.
Arnav nodded. Nani looked at Anjali's smiling face. How could she be so happy, when till a few days back, she was praying and conducting poojas for Anand?
Mami looked at Anjali, and whispered, "Saasumma, am I sleeping?"
Mamaji looked at Anjali with anxious eyes, and then at Arnav with serious ones.
Arnav nodded. He said, "Anand has returned."
Mami gasped, and closed her mouth with her fingers.
Nani cried, "Anand has come back? Devi Maiyya heard her prayers?"
Arnav nodded.
"He wants to marry her?", asked Mamaji seriously.
"Haan. Now that he has provided for his family, he can finally think about himself."
Mami & Nani hugged Anjali, tears of joy pouring down their cheeks. Mamaji and NK too hugged her. Khushi hugged and kissed her on the cheek. Arnav watched all this, smiling.
Mami sniffed, and turned towards Mamaji. "This ijj love. Learn from them. Ten years, and he neber (never) phorgot (forgot) her. He cames to marry Anjali Bitiyaa."
"Acha?", countered Mamaji. "Shall I go away for ten years?"
Mami nudged him in play.
Mamaji teased. "No woman respects wife-fearing men like me who go to work in the morning and return in the evening. All of them want Salman Khan and hippies."
In the laughter that followed, Arnav said, "Anand and his mother and Buaji will be coming tomorrow evening to ask for Di's hand."
His voice was drowned in the many voices making plans for the evening and the wedding.
Arnav sat watching them for sometime, an indulgent look in his eyes. Then, he signalled NK to join him. He took NK to his room and grilled him about everything he had ever said to Aarti and every word that she had spoken to him.
Di's future was as good as settled. Now he had to take care of NK & Aarti.
Anupamaa
10