FF: Keeping Khushi: Th 8 part 76 Pg 124 - Page 86

Aarti sat silent, lying back in her rocking chair.

NK and the rest of the family waited for her response with bated breath.

With great difficulty, Aarti said, "I need time to decide..."

NK nodded.

Nani said, "Let's ask Kamlaji for your hand in marriage now, when she wakes up. You can decide later and let us know."

"Haan. That's good, Nandkisore!", said Buaji.

Mami also nodded.

Arnav looked at Aarti, an eyebrow raised.

Khushi asked, "What do you want us to do, Aartiji?"

"Please don't talk to Amma now.", said Aarti softly.

All looked at her.

"Give me time. Three months. Amma needs the rest, the care that only I am left to provide her... Let her recover. When she is better, I will tell her. And I will let you know."

Arnav nodded, sure that Aarti would agree to marry NK after 3 months.

But Mami was not so sure. "What if after three months timewaa, Aarti Bitiyaa decides that she does not want to get married to NK Babua?"

"Then I will start pestering Aarti to marry me again. Till she agrees.", NK smiled, confident.

Aarti had to hide a smile.

"Haan, NK Bhai. We will help you build a cabin across Aartiji's gate. You can do bhook hartal there.", Akash teased him.

"Bhook hartal?", NK asked, his eyes wide. "Hartal I will do, but not bhook hartal. No hungry hartal. Only hartal with food and water. Sorry, Aarti." NK pulled his ear. All laughed.

"Sabaash, NK Bitwaa. You are the shaan of our khaandaan, Hello Hi Bye Bye!", said Mami.

"Khaandaan? Does that have something to do with khaana? Like daan of khaana? Giving away food?", NK asked, genuinely perplexed.

Mami & Buaji hit their heads with their hands at the same time.

Akash jumped up. "Bhai, we should leave."

Arnav nodded.

Akash whispered in his ear, "The more Aarti hears NK Bhai's Hindi, the more likely she is to run away, Bhai."

Arnav smiled.

"So, Aarti. Hope you have a safe trip with Amma & Gopi Kakka. I hope Amma feels better soon. Call us if you need anything.", Arnav said. He handed over his business card after adding their landline and other personal numbers in the free space.

Aarti took it and nodded.

All the ladies, one by one, hugged Aarti. Buaji lifted her off the floor in her enthusiasm.

As she stood gasping for breath after Buaji's assault, Aarti saw the Sunflower come closer to her, a naughty twinkle in his eyes. She wanted to take a step back, but to do so in front of all the watching ladies and men would be awkward. She stood her place, her breathing shallow.

NK reached her, and gently dropped a kiss on her cheek.

Aarti could hear Buaji & Mami gasp and Khushiji & Payalji giggle.

"Where are you going?", he asked.

"Err... Just a few places. Some old & new memories...", she left it open ended.

"Another secret!", sighed NK, a smile on his lips.

"We will wait outside for you, NK.", Arnav said, a smile hidden in his voice, as he led a shell-shocked Akash, open-mouthed Buaji & Mami, a smiling Nani, and happy Khushi & Payal out of the room.

NK nodded his thanks at Nannav.

"You are leaving me, Aarti. But don't forget me.", NK said, cupping her face in his hands.

Aarti lowered her eyes.

"Just something to remember me by." He bent and kissed her good and long till both of them had no idea where they were. They parted reluctantly, breathing heavily.

"Will you forget me, Aarti?", NK asked, his voice a mere whisper.

"No.", breathed Aarti.

"Will you talk to me if I call you?"

"Yes.", she admitted.

Akash knocked on the door. "Err... NK Bhai, it is time to leave."

"One moment, Akash."

NK stole another quick kiss, and after rubbing his nose against hers, walked out of the room with Aarti.

The men shook hands with Gopi Kakka as they left. The women folded their hands and wished him a safe trip. Arnav made it a point to give Gopi Kakka his, Akash's, & NK's phone numbers.

A few days later, Aarti sat at the table in her room.

She took a pen, and holding it in her hand, looked at the notepad on the table in front of her.

There were many things she wanted to tell him. Her fears, the foremost of them being the fear that she might never see him again. Her fear that her mother might not make it through the surgery...

She dropped the pen on the pristine sheet, and got up to walk to the window of her room, high up in the mammoth building that resembled a beehive. Too many floors, too many confusing corridors, too many rooms, too many people... a busy beehive all 24 hours of the day. She rested her forehead against the glass.

The only good thing about the whole mess was that she had never told him how much he meant to her. Maybe he had understood it from her silence, her eyes, her response when he kissed her... But she had never said it.

It was time to write him a letter.

She returned to the table, and took the pen.

"My Sunflower,", she wrote.

She crossed it out, cursing herself.

Her purpose was to send him away, not tell him that she cared for him. She tore out that sheet of paper, crumpled it, and threw it into the dustbin. She started on a fresh sheet.

"NK."

Was that too abrupt?

She added, "My dear to NK." She crossed out "My"

"Dear NK". Yes, that would do. Formal, but not too formal.

Not because you are a bad person. But because I am not free to marry. Anyone.

I told your family to search else where for a bride for you. Not just because I would make a terrible wife with my ignorance of how a family functions, what a good marriage is etc, but mainly because I am not free to marry.

My first priority is my Amma. I should say, my only priority is my Amma.

I put up with Mohan Mishra all my life for her. Day in and day out. Every day. He used to try and provoke me to react so that he could punish Amma more for my reactions, but I would stare at him with an expressionless face, not giving him a chance.

How he hated me!

He tried it all. Tried to make me lose my temper. Tried to humiliate me. Tried to make me give up. Starved me. Gave me more work than I could do. But I hung on, letting his taunts and bitter words go by me. Only for my Amma.

I held strong after Shikha's death for her. Only for her. Otherwise my grief would have taken me where Shikha went.

After Mohan Mishra's death, I spent a good part of everyday trying to bring her out of her shell. I am not going to let a pesky disease kill her. She is just 43. Just 43 bloody years old. She will survive this. And she will live as she should have lived all these years, with dignity, with happiness, with independence, and with freedom.

NK, nothing else matters to me. Not my future. Not my life. I am sorry if I gave you hope that we could have a future together when I don't have a future.

Gopi Kakka will give you this letter when it is time. Get on with your life. As Amma once said, you deserve to be happy."

PS.

"You once asked me why I called you a Sunflower. Not because you like yellow. But because something positive radiates from your face. Maybe it is your zest for living. Maybe it is the love you have for your family and they have for you. Your confidence in their support and your love. Maybe it is just your good heart.

Live. Be happy.

Yours

Aarti."

She read the letter. Then she cut off "yours", swallowing hard.

Then she folded the letter carefully, put it in an envelope, and sealed it. She put it aside, and leaned back in the chair, looking at the white wall.

There was so much she wanted to tell him. So much she wanted to say and so much he shouldn't hear.

She pulled the notepad closer to her, and took up the pen again.

"My dear Sunflower", she started.

P.S. Readers kindly do not exceed Page 150 as the Mods will lock/ freeze the thread. If they freeze it, I won't even be able to add link to new thread in it. Thank you!

Smita