Vignettes- 18. Hai re Nandkishore! Thread 1 - Page 99

The day of the surgery dawned to an unusually hectic morning at the Raizada Mansion with all plans going haywire at the last minute. Arnav and Akash got pulled into an emergency last-minute meeting and that left only NK to be at the hospital. Naniji developed a sudden temperature and Anjali had to stay with her, Payal too deciding to stay and help her Di. Khushi had already promised her Buaji to go help her look after Bittu while his parents stayed back at the hospital, it fell to Manohar and Manorama to accompany their nephew to the hospital.

"NK, I'm really sorry everything got messed up at the last minute," Arnav muttered, tipping his head up to let his wife have better access to his tie which she was trying to get to lie flat.

"Nannav, waise bhi tum itna help kiya hai mera... don't apologise...Mausaji aur Mausi hai naah, I'll be fine."

Manorama spoke up from the dining table, "By burry, Arnav bitwa? Manorama izz here...Tum fikar mat kariyo...we will mainage!"

Dhruv rolled his eyes at his father and chuckled, "Just make sure ki aap Hindi mein hi baat karti ho, Maa. Unko aapki yeh fluent English shaayad samajh nahi aayenge."

Smiling at her mother-in-law's proud expression at her son's comment, the teasing apparently going unnoticed, Payal asked Dhruv, "Aur aap Khushi ko Buaji ke yahan chod denge, naah?"

"Ji, bhabi. Bhaiyya toh meri bhabi ko chodke apni first love ke paas jaa rahe hai naah...", he smirked at his brother's glowering look, "Ram nahi hai toh Lakshman ko hi apni bhabi ki raksha karna padta hai."

It was Arnav's turn to smirk when his ever-loyal Khushi shot back at her favourite dewar, "Haan, Jiji. Aur iss baar humare Lakshman-jaisa Jijaji bhi vyast hai, toh yeh Hanuman ko hi humari raksha karna padega... hai naah, Arnavji?"

The whole table erupting into laughter at the sparring match that had become something of a habit between Bhaiyya, Bhabi and Dewar, Manohar leaned over to NK, "NK bitwa, tumri ladki khabra toh nahi jaayegi naah, yeh paagalkhaana dekh ke?"

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By the time Dhruv dropped her Buaji's place, Pooja's parents had already left for the hospital and Bittu was just being helped up to the breakfast table. Seeing Khushi, his face brightened, she had been a regular visitor since their arrival in Delhi, and her constant chatter and sunny nature, along with her firm Lucknowy speech had endeared her to the boy who was left to fend for himself in the midst of strangers. It also helped that she was the wife of Arnav Sir, who had already assumed super-human proportions in his impressionable mind.

"Khushi didi! Main soch raha tha ki aap aaj aspataal jaayegi, surgery jo hai."

Already rushing forward to take his weight from her aunt, Khushi grinned, "Arre, hum Bittuji ko chodke aise kaise jaa sakte hai? Waise bhi, aapki didi ke saath baaki sab log hai naah, toh humari duty yahan hai."

Watching them fondly, Madhumatiji said, "Titaliya, humko tanik bazaar jaana hai. Tum ghar sambhaal logi, naah? Hum bus yoon gaye aur yoon aaye.."

"Ji, Buaji, aap aaram se ho aayiye, shaam tak hum yahin rehnewale hai."

Once he had his food, Khushi hlped him settle down on the couch and tying her dutta around her waist, proceeded with her chores. After watching her for a while, Bittu asked, "Didi, aapka ghar kahan hai, matlab yahan se door hai kya? Aur kaun-kaun hai, ghar mein, arnav Sir aur NK sir ke alawa?"

Pausing in her sweeping, Khushi shook her bangs away from her face, a wide smile blossoming at the very thought of her home and family. "Arre Nahi, Bittuji, ghar toh utni door nahi hai. Par yeh Dilli ki traffic hai naah, toh uske anusaar waqt lagti hai, aane-jaane mein. Aapko pata hai, pehli baar jab hum Lucknow se Dilli aaye the naah, yahan ki bheed aur traffic dekhke ek dum chaunk gayi thi!"

Smiling still, she bent over with the broom again, "Aur ghar mein toh bahut saare log hai. Naniji, Mamaji, Mamiji, Di, Jijaji, Jiji, Dhruv - humara dewar, Nanheji - aapka NK Sir, humare Arnavji, aur Lakshmiji, jo Naniji ki khaas dost hai. Aur bhi log hai..." and proceeded to list out the entire staff by name and their job, forgetting that Pooja's family had no idea exactly who the Raizadas were. At the description, Bittu's eyes widened, "Itna bada ghar hai, aapka?"

Her smile softening into a glow of pride, she said, "Ghar bada hai, lekin wahan rehnewalon ke dil ki jitna nahi...", and proceeded to amuse him with anecdotes on her family and its active daily life.

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While at the hospital, Pooja's parent stood staring in consternation at their daughter who had latched on to her boss's hand while being wheeled to the surgery and refused to let go.

"Agar yeh surgery se mera chehra theek nahi hua toh?", she asked NK urgently, clutching at his hand as he hurriedly walked alongside the stretcher. "Then we'll make do with the current chehra! Easy!", he quipped, trying his best to keep her spirits up. "Pooja, remember what I said yesterday? I'm here, I've got you... aur main tumhe escape karne nahi doonga, got it?"

That got a tremulous smile out of her, and that tearful smiling face was what NK saw last before she was wheeled into surgery. Staring at the closing doors for a few seconds, he turned around, only to come face to face with Pooja's stunned parents, who had heard the whole exchange, and while the English words flew clear over their heads, the emotions were plain as day to them. Losing his cool at their shocked gazes, NK quickly walked past, casting pleading glances at his aunt and uncle.

Having been updated about everything including NK's conversation with Pooja, they nodded back, letting him know that they would handle the inevitable questioning. Suddenly thankful that it was the elders of the family who had accompanied him rather than his favoured cousin, NK walked out, under the pretence of going in search of tea or coffee while they waited.

With a silent look at her husband, Manorama walked forward, "Come sit pleej... I means to say, aap baithiye... kaafi waqat lagega ee surgeiry maa... khatam hone tak khade rahoge kaa?"

As the older couple sat down reluctantly, Manohar walked up, "Hum samajh sakat hai ki aap log bahut hi pareshaan honge. Khabraane ki kauno zaroorat naahi hai, yeh hospital yahan ki sabse badhiya hai, aapki bitiya theek thaak wapas milegi aapko."

After sitting in strained silence for a few minutes, Diwakar Yadav spoke up, "Sirji, hum jaante hai ki abhi abhi aapke bete aur humri bitiya ki jo baatein huyi, aapk bhi suna. Toh kya aapko bhi lagta hai ki woh donon...", he trailed off, his conservative sensitivities not letting him complete the sentence.

Exchanging a glance with his wife, and finding her concurrence, Manohar started gently explaining the whole story, right from when NK had got arrested in Mumbai to how shattered he had been with Pooja's accident, and upto the fact that NK had told Pooja about his feelings just a couple of days ago. They also let it be known at NK had his family's full support.

Her parents sat in stunned silence, unable to wrap their heads around what they had heard, a million questions on class, caste, wealth, status, backgounds and what-not running around in their heads. And when NK came back with tea for everyone, they avoided looking at eachother by unspoken agreement, focussing on the surgery instead. There would be time later for all discussions.

The surgery stretching till evening, Arnav and Akash arrived from the office, and Dhruv came in with Payal. By the time Pooja was wheeled into the Post-Op ICU, her exhausted parents had decided to gratefully relinquish the night-watch to Payal and Dhruv. Still opting to keep silent on the discussion that had happened earlier in the day, they left with Arnav for Madhumatiji's house, while Akash took his tired parents and NK home.

Dropping the couple off and picking his wife, Arnav headed back home, declining Buaji's invitation to dine there, too tired to sit in his suit for a second more than absolutely necessary. Sitting at an angle facing her husband, Khushi gently brushed her hands through his hair, taking in his exhausted face. "Nanheji bhi office mein nahi hai toh aap par aur bhi zyada zimmedaari aa gayi hogi, naah? Kitna dhaka hua dikh raha hai mera Laad Governor..."

Leaning into her touch as he stopped for a traffic signal, Arnav sighed, "It's not been easy, Khushi. But I hope ki ab jo Pooja ki recovery shuroo ho gayi hai, toh sab settled ho jaayega." Seeing that they still had 54 seconds for the signal to turn green, he quickly grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, before smiling tiredly at her, "Waise, I think Mama-Mami aaj Pooja ke parents se kuch baat kiye hai. There was this strained silence between them when I went to the hospital. But Mama-Mami were looking cheerful enough, so it can't have gone badly."

As he drove on, Khushi sent up a quick prayer, "Hey devi Maiyya, sab jaldi theek karna...", and proceeded to tell her husband all about her day spent in Bittu's company, about how she had introduced their home and family to him, and how she had tried to bring down the obvious differences between the two families so that once the discussion went forward, Pooja would have an ally in Bittu.

Smiling as he listened to the subtle scheming his wife had done behind his back, Arnav thought again, "Aur woh poor parents ko pata bhi nahi chalega ki Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada unse apni beti ki shaadi ke liye 'haan' kab kehwaaya!"