Keeping Khushi Thread 10 Part 100 Page 128 - Page 82

Originally posted by: rulama

Smita,😊

Happy Hundredth! May you be bestowed with many more such milestones!

Using a word mouthed by the great actor Shammi Kapoor in his movie "Junglee" let me say "Yahooo... !!! You have done it!"

Hope your "Chand taaron ko chhune ki asha, aasmaano mein udne ki asha... " gets fulfilled! May you rise to greater heights!

This update being in two sections, is a perfect example or typical representative of a specified vice or virtue . It means a person or a thing typifying a certain quality or idea, an embodiment or exemplification. The word that describes it is PERSONIFICATION.

Section 1

All of them returned to the house after seeing Baba and the children off. Rani's friends, tired of waiting for Coco, had left for their hotel, promising to send the car back for Pinky & Coco. Pinky was sitting on a chair, anxiously wringing her hands, Rani by her side, reassuring her.

"It felt like this was never going to end. The world wasn't going to stop crashing down until there was nothing left of me but dust"

~ Keary Taylor, What I Didn't Say

"Kya hua?", NK asked.

"Coco is missing.", Rani said, her eyes begging NK not to express his views about where man-mad Coco might be, aloud.

NK sighed.

"Coco is missing? Yeh Coco kaun he? Your pet?", asked Mamaji.

"Not all those who wander are lost"

~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Mamiji poked him surreptitiously, & said loudly, "Your daughter must be here somewhere, Pinkyji. She can't get lost here, Hello Hi Bye Bye!"

"Lost? Is your daughter a small child?", asked poor Mamaji, in all earnestness.

"She is 20.", said Pinky, helpless.

Mamaji stared at her. "Where can a 20-year old girl go?"

NK bit his tongue to stop himself from telling all of them where exactly Coco had been known to go, especially with older, married/ unmarried men. Coco was anything but choosy.

"Getting lost is just another way of saying 'going exploring"

~ Justina Chen Headley, North of Beautiful

"We will search for her.", offered Khushi.

"Yes, we will help you.", seconded Mami.

Buaji, Nani, Anjali, Payal, Khushi, Aarti, NK, Akash, Anand, Mamaji, & Arnav set out on a search and rescue mission, looking for a Coco who wanted to be found only by Arnav.

Rani & Amma sat with Pinky in the living room, comforting her.

Coco watched Arnav stride to the guest rooms, and wanted to follow him. But Mamaji, Anand, and Akash were with him. She uttered a couple of the choicest expletives.

"To watch. To wait. To wonder at a world in chaos,' the girl said. 'And hope one day you fools might learn" ~ David Hewson, Macbeth: A Novel

NK muttered to Aarti. "She is one nasty, deadly witch. Always getting into trouble with men."

"Some things were better lost than found"

~ Stephen King, The Dead Zone

Aarti looked at him, surprised. She had never heard him make a derogatory remark about anyone before.

"Her father spoils her no end, buying her way out of all trouble. The more her mother tries to discipline her, the more the father pampers her. Poor Pinky Aunty! She deserves much better."

"Discipline is a symbol of caring to a child. He needs guidance. If there is love, there is no such thing as being too tough with a child. A parent must also not be afraid to hang himself. If you have never been hated by your child, you have never been a parent" ~ Bette Davis

"Oh!", said Aarti.

"I need to go with Nannav.", NK said softly.

Aarti nodded. He left after pressing her fingers under the cover of her dupatta.

The guest rooms were deserted. Arnav frowned. Where could the girl be? It was late at night. She was a visitor to Delhi, & had no friends here'

He sent Akash & NK to check the car park, and Anand Jiju & Mamaji to check at the venue. He looked in Anjali's old room, but found it empty.

"Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone -- Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own" ~ Adam L. Gordon

He walked down the steps, and stopped halfway down. The lights in one part of his garden had fallen from the peg on which they had been fastened, and were lying on the floor.

"Damn!", he muttered. He had so hoped to sit in his lit garden with Khushi after all had retired to bed. He quickly walked into his bedroom, leaving the door open. He threw his phone on the bed, and strode across the floor at a rapid pace, and out into the garden, not noticing the shadow trailing him on soundless feet.

"Her little butterfly soul fluttered incessantly between memory and dubious expectation"

~ George Eliot, Adam Bede

"What the!", he exclaimed at the sight of the chains of fairylights lying on the ground, some of them on his potted plants. He tried to unravel them and hang them in their appropriate places.

Meanwhile, Khushi and the other ladies checked the ground floor thoroughly, finding no trace of the elusive Coco.

"Nothing good comes from hiding in the shadows"

~ David A. Broughton

"Maybe she went out to enjoy the moonlight, Nandkisore!", suggested innocent Buaji. Naniji nodded, and both of them and Mami went out to search for the girl.

"Maybe she went to the terrace!", suggested Payal.

Anjali, Aarti, & Khushi nodded, and they made their way up the stairs. When they reached the landing, Khushi heaved a tired sigh and placed her hand on the banister.

"The sky is not my limit...I am."

~ T.F. Hodge, From Within I Rise: Spiritual Triumph Over Death and Conscious Encounters with "The Divine Presence"

Payal, Aarti, & Anjali caught hold of her.

"You are feeling tired, aren't you, Khushiji?", asked Anjali.

"Slightly.", Khushi said softly.

"We are taking you to your room. And you are going to rest.", stated Payal. "You are not going in search of any girl."

Aarti nodded. "You are not walking up one more flight of steps to the terrace."

"Every hill becomes a mountain when one has to climb up it" ~ Anthony Liccione

Khushi smiled, giving in gracefully. She was feeling very tired, fatigue conquering her in waves... Her legs felt weak, her limbs trembling in exhaustion... It had been a long day.

"We will see you to your room, and then search for her on the terrace.", said Anjali. Khushi agreed thankfully.

The ladies helped her to her room, and stopped short at the door. The door was open. They looked at each other. Arnav never left the door to his bedroom open. Not before marriage. And definitely never after marriage. He valued his privacy too much to let his family traipse through his room as though it were a railway platform.

"Good habits are worth being fanatical about"

~John Irving

They walked into the dimly lit bedroom. Anjali switched on the light. There was no one there.

"Arnavji's phone!", Khushi exclaimed, seeing it lying on the bed.

All of them looked at the open door to the poolside, and moved towards it together. They saw Arnav standing with the fairy lights in his hands, trying to hang them on the branches, and smiled. Khushi parted her lips and raised her hand to call him.

"Even in the familiar there can be surprise and wonder" ~Tierney Gearon

Coco looked at the tempting back of her hero. He was standing among many pots, holding the strings of fairylights in his hand. The opportunity she had been seeking the whole day was here, finally. She had managed to get him alone.

"The time to act is now! Somebody go get the Director"~ Jarod Kintz, 99 Cents For Some Nonsense

She launched herself at his back, throwing her arms around him.

I am a master of foolhardy plans"

~ Megan Whalen Turner, The Thief

Section 2

Arnav stumbled at this unexpected attack from behind, and lurched. Unable to withstand the weight clinging like a limpet to his back, he fell forward, landing on his knees among his pots, breaking some of them in the fall. Coco rolled away from his back, unable to cling on to him.

"Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand" ~ Hayley Williams

Khushi stood staring at the scene with her heart in her mouth. Anjali drew in a harsh breath. Payal and Aarti caught hold of Khushi, staring at this terrible scene that made no sense.

Was this a seduction or a bloody accident they were witnessing?

"What the!", exclaimed Arnav loudly. He managed to get up, rubbing his bruised palms on his trousers. He looked at the dim outline of a girl lying on the ground with furious eyes. "Who the hell are you? And what the hell are you doing in my garden?"

"I am the kid who sticks her finger in the light socket. I am the person who doesn't check the expiration date on the milk. I am the idiot who has never looked before she leaped. I am the girl who is falling apart, right now" ~ Amy Garvey, Cold Kiss

Coco smiled. She raised her arm, wriggling her fingers hoping to tempt him into taking hold of them and lifting her up from the ground. Then she could fall into his arms and artistically faint.

His sisters and his wife watched Arnav's face go from furious to cold. Ice cold. His voice matching his expression, he bit out, "Are you deaf? Get up and out of here at the earliest. The garden is private, and not open to guests."

"Anger based on calculated reason is more dangerous than anger based on blind hate"

~ Richelle Mead, Last Sacrifice

Coco got up gracefully, displaying the curves of her waist and other assets to an Arnav who was blinded by anger.

"I am Coco.", she purred, trying to touch the lapel of his coat.

"Let me feel how thy pulses beat"

~ Thomas Middleton, The Changeling

Arnav took a step back.

"So you are Coco.", Arnav's voice was faintly contemptuous. "Your mother is waiting for you downstairs. It is high time you left."

"Why are you in such a hurry to send me away?", Coco asked in a husky voice, trying not to let his hostility stop her from her mission of seduction. She ran her fingers down her throat to her chest, trying to captivate him with her beauty and her figure.

"Everything you do seduces me. All you need to do is breathe and I would do anything for you"

~ Ashley March, Seducing the Duchess

Arnav frowned, his fists clenching in fury. What was wrong with this bloody female?

"Let us spend some time together.", she crooned seductively. "Some alone time. Some quality time..."

"It's sometimes funny to watch some people doing something the wrong way but doing it confidently"

~ Toba Beta, Betelgeuse Incident

Arnav looked at her with eyes wide open, his body almost trembling with rage. "No, thank you. Just get lost. And stay lost."

Coco took a step closer to Arnav.

"His voice was like soothing melted chocolate. I wanted him to ooze his lovely voice all over me"

~ James Lusarde, The Train of Arousal

He stepped back, stumbling slightly on a broken pot.

Khushi, Anjali, Payal, & Aarti moved towards Arnav and Coco.

"Arnavji..!", Khushi's voice shook tremulously.

Arnav looked at her and paled. "Khushi...", he moved towards her, his arms outstretched.

"Everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and it serves you" ~ Anthony Robbins

Coco saw her chance and took it.

"He..he asked me to follow him here. He said that he had something urgent to tell me. He said that nobody should know... But once we reached here, he... he caught hold of me... and kissed me..." Fat tears rolled down her cheeks on order. "I tried to push him away... That's how...", she pointed at the broken pots and Arnav's dishevelled appearance.

Arnav drew in a sharp breath in shock. "You liar... you...", he breathed, looking at Coco.

"Do not descend, but rise above so ill-mannered a person"~ Mary Lydon Simonsen, The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy

He turned to look at Khushi. She was pale, her face ghostlike, bloodless... She was staring at Coco.

"Khushi..!", he whispered, shocked at the look on her face.

As he watched, Khushi swayed. Arnav caught her in his arms, holding her close to his heart. "Khushi...", he whispered in her ear. "I... I..." How could he prove his innocence? What could he say to make her believe in him? He cursed himself. Why couldn't he find the right words at the right time? Why was he tongue-tied when words mattered? "Khushi..." He was almost in tears...She must be so hurt...

"When your heart truly adores somebody,

your mind perceives a halo on that man's head"

~ Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity

He felt her arms close around his neck, holding him tighter to her. He drew a deep breath of relief. Khushi was with him...She knew him. She didn't need his words...

"Two minds with but a single thought, two hearts that beat as one" ~ Jasper Fforde, First Among Sequels

He looked at Coco, disgust in his eyes, contempt curling his lips.

"The real test of good manners is to be able to put up with bad manners pleasantly" ~ Khalil Gibran

"I didn't know that he would pounce on me... I... I..."

Arnav wanted to slap her silly, slap her till her lying mouth fell silent, slap her till she told no more lies... But he had been brought up a gentleman. And gentlemen never hit ladies, regardless of how unladylike they were... With great effort, he clenched his fist and kept his arm lowered.

"It is laughable how often good manners interfere with my survival"

~ Andrew Levkoff, The Other Alexander

But his sister had no such qualms.

Aarti slapped Coco hard on her right cheek, sending her reeling to fall among the broken pots and mud.

"Something that has always puzzled me all my life is why, when I am in special need of help, the good deed is usually done by somebody on whom I have no claim" ~ William Feather

On her way down, Coco's arm hit a sack of cow dung stacked on a ledge, and it teetered, sending a shower of dung down on her.

"When you have indulged a lust, your wing drops off; you become lame, abandoned by a fantasy.

...People fancy they are enjoying themselves,

but they are really tearing out their wings

for the sake of an illusion" ~ Rumi

There was a moment of silence. Then they all turned around at the sound of someone clapping. It was NK.

Behind him stood Buaji, Mami, Nani, Rani, Pinky, Amma, Anand, Akash, & Mamaji, their eyes taking in the fallen warrior and the victor standing with his wife held locked in his arms.

"A mode of conduct, a standard of courage, discipline, fortitude and integrity can do a great deal to make a woman beautiful"~ Jacqueline Bisset

The journey of the hundredth part begins with Rani consoling Pinky, who is anxious about the whereabouts of her wayward daughter Coco. Their friends getting tired of waiting for Coco had gone back to hotel arranging for the vehicle to be sent back to pick up the two. NK who comes to know that Coco is missing is irritated at her behavior. Knowing her penchant for good looking men, he is ill at ease. When Mamaji asks whether Coco is Pinky's pet he gets enlightened by his wife that it is Pinky's daughter and on further questioning that she is not a small kid but a girl of twenty years. This has him wondering where she could be. NK who had it in the tip of his tongue as to his guess of her whereabouts bites it back in reverence to Coco's mother. All set out in search of her. Seeing that all the men folk being with Arnav, Coco who had been lying in wait to corner him, waits cursing the rest for blocking her move. NK who is aware of her indecent behavior grits his teeth and curses her with choicest expletives. He tells Aarti how indisciplined she is and how her father spoils her whenever her mother tries to instill discipline!

"Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy" ~ Robert A. Heinlein

Basically she is a spoilt brat with a mean streak of selfishness. Aarti who is hearing derogatory words from NK for the first time understands that Coco is wild and vile! His stance of wanting to be around his Nannav while searching for Coco shows that he has an inkling to the working of her mind. He being the witness to her numerous forays is disgusted by her scandalous behavior. Seeing the guests room empty Arnav wonders where she could be and all split up to go in search of her. While searching the areas he took up, he found the fairy lights in his garden had fallen from its peg and were on his plants. So entering his room, placing his cell phone on his bed he goes to his garden to rectify it. This was the chance that Coco was looking for! She had Arnav alone!! Filled with glee she enters his garden to fulfill her wanton yearning. Meanwhile ladies who were searching Coco found Khushi tired and brought her to rest in her room. They were surprised to find the doors unusually open as Arnav valued privacy always and more so after his marriage to Khushi. They found him stringing the lights and Khushi who was about to call out to him was given a shock when she found Coco flinging herself onto his back and embrace him. Arnav who was unaware of any presence, was taken by surprise and fell on the pots breaking them. Coco got rolled away unable to cling on to him. Seeing the strange girl who had flung herself on him, his reknowned temper began to flare up. But Coco who was cocooned in her own world of enticement failed to notice it! In her act of seducing him she tried to portray herself as the damsel in distress for whom Arnav would help to get up. When nothing of that sort happened she got up by herself and in answer to his question she simply said she is Coco, as if that should make him aware of her and her intention. Arnav being polite as she was a guest asks her to get back to her waiting mother and stresses that his garden was off limit to the guests! But Coco being her stubborn, self engrossed in her lustful world, suggests to Arnav to spend time with her with words and gestures! She tries to touch him. This results only in making him become an active volcano spitting fumes and fire. Khushi along with Anjali, Payal and Aarti who were witnessing this seduction drama come into the garden. At Khushi's call of Arnavji, he turns around and rushes to her . Seeing her wan face and pained expression he gets worried.

"Each time a breeze starts, I feel the air all the way through me" ~ Nina LaCour, Hold Still

Taking this as a cue Coco tells the rest that Arnav had called her to meet alone and seduce her. He is stunned and is unable to even say that he is innocent, with the unexpected turn of events. His sole thought is the well being of Khushi and sought her understanding. When he got it he his relieved. For him Khushi is the only one.

"You're the only one I love, the one I'm always thinking of, The one who will forever be the one and only love for me"

Arnav being a gentleman even though itching to give a thrashing of her life to Coco just closes his fist. When all attention is riveted on Coco she gets a slap on her face from Aarti, who true to her nature has no hesitation in hitting a woman. She who has seen Arnav protecting everyone is ready to protect her Jethji without batting an eyelid!

"Good manners open the closed doors; bad manners close the open doors!"~ Mehmet Murat ildan

Her resounding slap made Coco stagger back. She dislodged the sack of cowdung on the ledge and it showered on her!

"When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees" ~ Joseph Joubert

She who had thought Khushi as a cloth wrapped wife finds herself in an undignified posture!

"Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself"

~ Abraham Joshua Heschel

The awkward silence was broken by the claps given by NK. The entire action was witnessed by all the members of Raizada clan and Pinky who were standing at the door behind him.

"How strange when an illusion dies. It's as though you've lost a child" ~ Judy Garland

Throughout the update we see Arnav Singh Raizada being a perfect host even when provoked beyond measure. He is an ideal host personified. Even with his anger simmering on the border of volcanic eruption he is a gentleman personified.

"Good manners are appreciated as much as bad manners are abhorred" ~ Bryant McGill

He could have manhandled her. But no he doesn't resort to it. When he sees his wife has witnessed such repulsive advance towards him, he is more concerned about her well being and the impact on her than defiling the predator!

Khushi on her part shows her mettle with her unstinting faith in him neither seeking his explanation nor needing him to put into words.

Kushi is faith personified. She is trust personified. She knows her Arnavji will always be true to her and in his world only she holds his heartstrings and if ever there comes a shareholder it'll be none other than their child.

"Gifts of the heart can't be claimed by anyone except the giver"~ Nicholas Sparks, The Wedding

Aarti, showed that behind the soft spoken girl lies a girl of steel who would not even hesitate to defend her family and would go to any length when provoked. She is a female version of Arnav Singh Raizada. She is ready to protect her Kushiji, her Jethji and her family without batting an eyelid. She being a businesswoman takes quick decisions and executes them. She who respects Arnav Singh Raizada has him holding her in high esteem too.

She is strength personified . She is confidence personified.

Finally we come to the misguided spoilt brat who has taken a wrong turn in life. We know,

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players" ~ William Shakespeare

But she has taken it in a literal sense. She thought everything she fancied was up for grabs and was so involved in her lustful world, that she was detached from the reality. She was a fiend personified. She was a vile incarnate. She might have been stupid enough to think every male would find her irresistible but her stupidity could have led to irreparable damage if it was anybody other than Khushi and Arnav. Hence her actions will have repercussions not only on her but even her family.

"Why is discipline important? Discipline teaches us to operate by principle rather than desire. Saying no to our impulses (even the ones that are not inherently sinful) puts us in control of our appetites rather than vice versa. It deposes our lust and permits truth, virtue, and integrity to rule our minds instead" ~ John F. MacArthur

Hence this update is termed PERSONIFICATION.

The word that describes the perfect execution of this hundredth part is NE PLUS ULTRA.

Hats off to you Lady!👏👏👏

That's it from me. Hope you enjoy it and hope you give us many more such enjoyment too.