ARHI FF:Strings Of Illusion-T3(CH 13-18)LINK 2 T4 - Page 30

"Has mamma eaten yet?" Khushi asked Laxamma who had just finished storing the left over food from the ritualistic funeral they had over at Khushi's house. It had been 4 days since the incident where Arun Mehra had been shot in cold blood. His last rites had take place yesterday evening after the body was returned from post-mortem.

To say that it was a shock to everyone was an understatement. And even though many who knew them felt it was hardest on Garima, they failed to see the fragile looking Khushi who was equally heartbroken and vulnerable after her father's death.

Yes, she hated him. She hated him because he could not be the ideal father and husband, hell he could not even be a decent human being, forget ideal. But for all his faults and follies, he still was and would always be her father. How much ever she willed herself to hate him and not let his death affect her, it did. It just did. And for the first time in her life...she did not know how to deal with it.

She knew she had to be strong for her mother; so she hid behind a mask of indifference. She acted as if the death did not affect her that much. It did not bother her that people thought her to be cold and unfeeling towards her father's death and many even agreed with her stance, at least those who knew her equation with her father.

She sighed as Laxamma shook her head "No...your mother is too stubborn! I had to force feed her a glass of warm milk since she refused to eat anything" she said as khushi nodded and opened the refrigerator. She took out a bottle of cold water and drank the cool liquid to calm down her nerves..she had to check on her mother before she went to sleep...and it always broke her heart to see her sad, forlorn face.

She said a quick good night to Laxamma and was about to walk towards the stairs when her phone rang. She checked the name and picked it up with a smile "Hey!" she greeted as his husky voice came on the other end "How are you doing Khushi? Sorry for calling this late, but i did not get a chance to talk to you or aunty during the chautha* today" he said as khushi nodded slightly

"Hmm...i know, things were pretty hectic. Who knew that so many people would turn out, considering that he wasn't even part of this family anymore. If mamma had not insisted on doing all the rituals..." she started saying when his voice interrupted her "Khushi...you know why she did it...Monica would never do any of these rituals for him" he said while khushi took a deep breath and started walking towards her mother's room

"Yes, I know...and it's fine...i'm just surprised that in all these years, my father had managed to make that many acquaintances..." she said as she walked up switching the lights as she ascended "Yes...thats true...by the way, I had also called to check with you if you'll be ok with meeting up that cop tomorrow? He said he will meet us at the R&S building at 12" arnav said as khushi finally reached the landing

"Yes, that's fine...he had come here today, but I did not get to speak to him...he really wants to talk to us and that too together...he tried to corner mamma as well" she said, her unhappy state becoming annoyed at the way that damn cop was behind them since the day of the murder...but she would do anything she could to help out with the investigation.

"Yeah, I know..he's an annoying prick...don't worry...we'll deal with him tomorrow...you take care of aunty and yourself...I'll see you tomorrow" Arnav said as khushi smiled softly at the concern in his voice "Oh...and khushi, let me know if you need anything ok" he said as khushi smiled into the phone...that was his parting sentence every time he called her since the last 4 days.

She bid a quick good night to him before ending the call and slowly stepping towards her mother's room...the sight that greeted her melted her heart right away...there lay her mother in her grandmother's lap...with the older lady lovingly running her hand thought Garima's thick mane

Khushi slowly slipped into the room and closed the door...Shalini looked up suddenly as khushi walked towards her and slipped into her mother's bed from the other end "I did not want to disturb mamma..." she said as shalini nodded and smiled at her granddaughter

She knew how difficult the past few days had been on both of them...and where Garima's pain and hurt reflected on her face, Khushi's could be seen in the way she forced herself to work harder or her attempts at keeping up a calm exterior...the more unnatural it looked, the more affected she was

"How are you darling?" Shalini asked as she cupped khushi cheek with one hand while she shifted a deeply sleeping Garima's head on the pillow "I'm ok nani...just tired" khushi said as she scooted further upwards on the bed and laid her head on her grandmother's shoulder, her mother lying between the two of them

"I'm just confused...why was he killed? That too like this?" khushi said, her words soft but clear...Shalini sighed as she took khushi's hands in hers "I don't know beta...but Arun was a lot of things...and I won't be surprised if he had gotten involved in something criminal...God only know what kind of company he kept" she said with disgust, hoping that she would feel an ounce of regret for her son-in-law's death...but she didn't.

She looked sideways at khushi's profile and saw that her eyes were closed, her chest rising in rhythmic breathing...she smiled fondly as she slowly took khushi's weight off her shoulders and laid her beside her mother...she then tucked both the women snugly before kissing both of them on their foreheads. She took one last look at them before switching the lights off and closing the door...leaving both of them in deep slumber.

...

And that is what Garima woke up to...Khushi clutching her arm in her sleep...she smiled at her daughter's innocent face...the steady beat of her heart that she could feel from Khushi being pressed to her. She slowly pried her arm away from her and readjusted the quilt over Khushi before stepping down from the bed.

She had just gone towards the curtains to pull them together more tightly so that that sun light wouldn't disturb her daughter's sleep when khushi's sleepy voice stopped her "mamma...open the curtains...let the rays come in...God only know how much brightness we need in our life right now" she said as Garima smiled softly and pulled the curtain away, letting the light in

Khushi yawned loudly before stretching on the bed. She turned towards her mother who was looking at her lovingly... "What happened mamma? Did you sleep well? Laxamma said you only drank a glass of milk yesterday?" she asked all at once as Garima chuckled

"I slept very well, thanks to my mother's lap...and my daughter's warmth" she said coming and sitting back on the bed besides a now awake khushi...she clasped her hands with her and held them tight before taking a deep breath "Khushi...you must be thinking how difficult all this is for me...that how miserable I look...but trust me...the only thing that had shocked me to react in such as way was the untimely death of Arun..." she said as khushi got up and sat straight.

"Yes, it pains that he's no more...that I'll probably never get to see him...talk to him. He was my first love Khushi...and those are hard to forget...moreover, he was the father of my child...I think that relationship is more important to me than ever being his wife..." she said as she closed her eyes and leaned against the headboard.

"He wronged me many times Khushi...but my love for him blinded me...and when i came to realize how that love did not matter to me anymore...when i was just accepting the fact that he did not matter to me anymore...he was taken away...and I never got a chance to tell him that...I never got to show him that I don't care anymore" she said as khushi tightened her hold on her mother

"I may sound heartless right now...but my biggest regret is this...that i could not show him that I'm over him..." she said as khushi came forward and hugged her "I know mamma...I know..." she said whispering into her mother's soft hair "It doesn't matter anymore mamma..we only have to look ahead now...there is no point looking back" she said as Garima nodded

"When did my daughter get so intelligent huh?" Garima said, making light of the mood that had turned dense...Khushi pulled out of the hug and cupped her mother's cheek "Since forever!" she said as Garima laughed "Yes...i guess that's true" she said as both mother and daughter hugged..for a person they had lost...and for a new hope they were going to find.

...

"Aman...please let me know when he arrives" Khushi told Aman as he nodded his head and picked up the files they were discussing few minutes ago...the cop who was assigned to Arun mehra's murder was supposed to come in today to meet Khushi and Arnav, but unfortunately Arnav was held in a meeting..thus making Khushi the sole person to meet him.

"Yes maam..I think he should be here any minute..." Aman said adjusting his specs...he watched as Khushi pinched the area between her eyebrows and looked at her iPad "Uh..maam? Should i get you something? Masala tea? Something cold?" he asked her as khushi looked up and wryly smiled at him

"How about a shot of pure absinthe " she asked raising an eyebrow which made Aman smile "I'm fine Mathur...just have a bit of headache...plus all this cop business is driving me nuts! This idiot wanted to interrogate my mother as well..God only knows what Sheetal has given in her statement...they still haven't told us anything!" Khushi said as Aman nodded sympathetically

No one knew exactly what had transpired that night at Sheetal's apartment...the cops had been tight-lipped about it and no one was giving out any information. All they knew was that some man had shot Arun Mehra in cold blood at Sheetal's doorstep...and sheetal had been too traumatized to say anything. The neighbors had heard the shot but the killer had vanished before anyone could look around.

Since then, Sheetal had been in the hospital, too shocked to speak...but then, they had come to know that she had accounted the entire night to the police eventually...a night which was still a mystery to all of them. Khushi knew that everyone related to Arun mehra will be questioned, and so had asked for at least the chautha* to pass before they start their interrogation which would affect a lot of people.

"Uh..maam, he is here...the meeting is set in the 17^th floor conference room" Aman said as Khushi suddenly came out of her thoughts. She quickly got up and straightened her suit. She signed out of her laptop and shut it down before walking out of her cabin with Aman towards the elevator

"Aman, I'll be fine...you go ahead" she said as Aman left her at the elevator with a nod...she waited till the elevator pinged on her floor and the door opened...to a welcome sight of Arnav standing inside in his typical three piece suit, a slight grin on his face

"Arnav? What are you doing here? I though your meeting got delayed and you won't be coming?" Khushi asked with relief as she stepped inside the elevator which was now climbing up steadily, seeing arnav in front of her had given a sense of relief..it had an odd calming effect on her otherwise frazzled nerves.

"How could i let you meet the mean cop alone?" he asked her as she shook her head and smiled...a very genuine thankful smile that lit up her eyes...Arnav was pleased that his presence had made her smile like that...and he had to admit..it felt good "I wound up the meeting and re-scheduled it for another time" he said as khushi came closer to him and looked into his eyes

"Thanks Arnav...i really needed you" she said softly as arnav nodded and held her hand...entwining his fingers through hers as the elevator pinged on the 17^th floor...he held her hand more tightly as the elevator doors opened "I know.." he said as they both walked hand in hand towards the conference room.

...

"Sundar!" Garima yelled as she tied her dupatta diagonally across her body to keep it out of the way...she looked around to find Sundar, one of their cleaners rushing towards her with a broomstick "Haan madamji" he said as she picked up a pile of old newspapers lying about on the coffee table in the guesthouse

"Please take these away...and bring today's newspaper and some magazines from the main hall in the house...we can't keep the table bare" she said as she took the broom from his hands and handed over the pile to him.

Sundar left at once after instructing the rest of the staff to finish up the cleaning and other things quickly since the guests would be arriving in a few minutes. Garima looked around the entire one floored bungalow, inspecting it for any kind of dirt or unwanted objects.

She was getting the guesthouse ready for the new family that was coming from Bangalore...the Dinkaran's as her mother had told her...Plus such kind of activity helped her forget the last few days as she busied herself with one task after another.

Just last week, Gupta Mills had hired Shashi Dinkaran as the new MD of their company...to take over after Arun's post...her mother had told her that the rest of his family would also be coming with him and till they found a proper accommodation, they will be staying in their guesthouse..which was located on their grounds.

She did not know much about the man, except for the facts that her mother had told her...he seemed to be a very accomplished and hard working man, who had come up to be in such a lucrative position on his own...her mother seemed to think that it was sheer good luck, that he had agreed to join them.

She picked up a small rag lying on the kitchen floor and looked around to find a place to put it...at the same time she also noticed a huge cow web hanging over the outside cabinet near the kitchen...she looked around frantically and finally found a small stool which she positioned below the cabinets...she then gingerly stood up on the stool with the broom in one hand and the rag in another.

Not finding any other place, she placed the rag over her right shoulder...and tried to attempt to reach the cow web with the broom...she was nearly there when she heard voices from somewhere in the house...assuming it was one of the cleaners..she went about trying to raise her hand and reach the cabinet...the voices got louder as she nearly reached it...but at the same time, the stool started wobbling on its legs and gave in..making her loose her balance and fall.

But she never fell...she did not feel the sleek teak wood floor...instead she felt two strong arms...holding her..."You can open you eyes now...your'e safe" a deep husky voice spoke as she felt his breath near her face...she immediately opened her eyes to look into dark as midnight ones...dark but twinkling eyes...she looked all over his face to find a handsome face look at her with amusement.

There was a clearing of throat behind them, which finally made her realize that she was holding on to his coat lapels with a death grip...she looked back into his eyes as she struggled to get out of his arms...but he obliged right away and placed her delicately on her legs "Are you all right?" he asked her as she nodded silently

She then noticed the other people standing behind him...a young girl of about 19 in a soft cotton summer dress and a lanky boy around 13 in the typical young teen outfit of baggy jeans falling off his skinny hips and loose football t-shirt with sneakers.

"You all must be the Dinkaran's..." Garima said softly as the man nodded his head "Yes...I'm Shashi...and these are my kids, Payal and Ritvik..." he said gesturing towards the kids who gave her awkward looks and said bored 'hi's'...Garima smiled sweetly at them before calling out Sundar again

"Sundar here will help you with your luggage...sorry, I did not hear you coming in...and also i'm terribly embarrassed about the..." she said blushing...but Shashi chuckled as he put his hands around his kids shoulders and smiled at her "Oh..don't worry about it...we have had worse situations...like Ritvik here...ran halfway around our colony in only his briefs as a street dog chased him...and payal here..." he started saying when Ritvik groaned and Payal elbowed him

"Daaad!...please...this,what you are doing is way more embarrassing!" she said as Shashi laughed hard while his kids gave him angry stares...Garima felt her heart flip looking at the love that shone in the man's eyes for his kids...the way he held them, gave her a sense of melancholy...especially for Khushi...who had never really experienced her father's love like this

"Ok..i'm sorry baba! I'll take you both out for Chinese! What say?" he said as Payal gave him a lopsided grin and ritvik just looked away..but not before a smile touched his lips...Garima saw the exchange and thought it was best to leave the family to their own...she wondered where their mother was...but before she could ask anything Shashi spoke

"You didn't tell us your name.." he said as she looked at all three of them... "Garima...my name is Garima" she said as Shashi smiled at her again "Garima...indeed you are" he said as she wondered what he meant by that...when Sundar came rushing towards them "Maaji wants to meet you saheb...please come to the main house whenever you are ready" he said as Shashi nodded

"I should leave you all to get settled in...please let Sundar or me know if you need anything" she said as she smiled warmly at the kids before turning towards their father "Thanks once again for saving me from falling down" she said as Shashi nodded at her while she left the three people behind...one of them watching her till she was out of sight

"Dad!..you do know you were flirting with her na? Plus she works here...so don't make things awkward for her and you" Payal told her father as he shook her head "Oh ho meri amma! I was not flirting with her...I just did not want her to feel uncomfortable after that awkward situation..so I was trying to converse...you know..." he said as Payal shook her head

"If you say so dad!" she said as she and Ritvik went about exploring the house...deciding which room will be theirs...leaving their father in deep thoughts...of a woman whose name meant Grace...

*PS: Chautha in Hindusim is the 4th day after the death of an individual. The family holds a wake for the deceased's friends and family...it is a ritual followed in almost all hindu homes. The Funeral pyre is lit almost on the same day of death or the next day, but in this case since the body was taken for post-mortem being a murder case, the actual funeral took place only a day before the chautha.