Smitar's: Loving Khushi#4 link to #5 on Pg 1 - Page 37

Originally posted by: rulama

Smita,😊

Here is the interpretation to Section A of Part 11.

This update is effect, an unintended unwelcome consequence occurring sometime after the action, REPURCUSSION.

As Khushi was drying her wet hair, Arnav who was supposed to be working on his laptop, was indulging in quick glances at Khushi. As she swung her wet hair over her shoulders, it fell on her in a wave causing a couple of water drops to fall on Arnav's face. He looked at her, bewitched by her beauty. As he was engrossed in the beauteous scene in front of him, of the fair maiden who was his wife, looking as fresh as dew, he was brought down to earth by the shrill ring of the phone. Arnav, watching Khushi answer the call, felt her face go pale and utter, yes and thank you at regular intervals. A sense of foreboding ran through him, sending a shiver down his spine. Once she finished her call, Arnav asked, what happened Khushi, only to hear her mutter, that, and continue after a pause as though gaining confidence to say, that she had applied for a few jobs and stop at that. Arnav recoiled to hear it and his face lost its colour as he heard her explain that she wanted to work after the 15^th. So, she had sent in an application early. Arnav could not reply as it was fallout of his own doing. He felt as though a stone was stuck in his throat. Khushi looking away from his face told that one of them had called to say that the job was hers. Arnav wanted to tell her something but just did not know what to say. The contract that he had made her sign and his promise to her to let her go after the marriage was ricocheting.

Khushi looking at his books placed in the built-in shelf, finally told him that the place where she got a call was from a school with children... and tailed off. As Arnav asked, whether she was going to work in a school, Khushi whispered, yes. He asked Khushi haltingly, what she would teach there, knowing well her educational qualifications were insufficient for her to take up a teaching post. Giving him a dry smile, she told him that she was not going to teach anyone. It was a girls' boarding school and she was going to cook in their kitchen for them. Arnav was dumbstruck to hear it. He was stunned beyond words and finally, in a desperate bid he offered her a job saying, if she wants to work, she could always work in his office. Khushi with a sweet smile rejected it saying that she had enough of it the last time. But her smile did not take away the sting of her words. His behavior when she worked, his antagonism towards her then, the way his subordinates treated her then all bounced back at him.

Arnav frowned wondering, which Delhi school was she going to work in? In all probability he might know the owners or the trustees, or they knew of him. Maybe he could smooth the way for her if she was determined to take up the job. Thinking so he asked her as to, which school it was. When she said that, it was Mangaldas Memorial School, he frowned thinking that he had never heard of it and was there really such a school in Delhi, or was Khushi being taken for a ride? When he doubtfully voiced out that, he had never even heard the name of such a school and was she sure? She answered that, she was sure and it was run by Girija Deviji. Arnav wondered who that lady was. Why on earth did she start a school and make his wife go away from him? Arnav, getting ready to jot down the address on his note pad asked her, to give him the address so that he could get it checked by Aman. Khushi agreed, thinking that it was better that he got the feedback that way than to explain the fact that, the school was a well reputed one and known in her circle and Girija Deviji was a person of good standing in the society and was known for her work in the field of women's education. So, thinking she gave him the address in one breath as, Mangaldas Memorial School, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Shivdaspur, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Hearing the address, the pen he was holding fell to the ground. It echoed as though it was a missile that exploded in the silence of the room. He stared at her, feeling all his hopes go down the drain. The spin-off of not listening to his heart but thinking that his mind was correct was Khushi getting distant and distant like a bright comet going away from the sun. The sequel of the first marriage, the contract marriage, was not at all to his liking. Finally, when he managed to utter, Varanasi... Benares... that was reverberating in his mind and she affirmed, he repeated unable to believe his ears that she was going to Varnasi. She re-affirmed it and explained the side-effects of their contract wedding. She could not stay forever in Buaji's house. People would start asking her Amma and Buaji, why she was not staying with her husband. Arnav was silent staring at her while his mind went reeling. She told him that their relatives from Lucknow had attended Jiji's marriage and they knew she too had got married... Her voice faltered saying so. Arnav felt as though his heart was being squeezed tightly. She told him that, if she goes to Lucknow, all will enquire where her husband was and they will call Buaji and ask why she was working at Lucknow while her husband was in Delhi. She could not become the cause for friction and shame for her family. Unable to show him her pain she looked away. She told him that, not wanting to trouble her family any more, she had decided to go to Varnasi, an unknown place, as they had no relatives there. The outcome of his anger would be, she and her family becoming the laughing stock and their hard earned respect would be in shreds. This she wanted to avoid and that was reason enough for her to take up the job at Varnasi.

Arnav listening to her was filled with bitter remorse. He asked himself as to what had he done to her! He had thoughtlessly destroyed everything she held dear, her family, her peace, her security, her future... The backlash of his actions was that he had left her no options and made it impossible to live with dignity. If she had to live, it was to live away from her loved ones. Only then she would be able to make a niche of her own. His own actions were now in direct collision with his needs and necessity. No amount of self-recrimination was of any use. Though he was wallowing in the valley of despair and contrition, her words cut through the mist he was covered in. Khushi, trying to keep up a cheerful and a care-free voice told him, that she had wanted a job that could give her a safe place to stay, a reasonable salary, so that she could send some money to her family. That was the reason she had applied to this post at that boarding school. It was safe and the candidate hired as a helper for the main cook had to stay in the premises was the requirement. The job entailed free boarding and lodging. Arnav could not move his eyes away from her face, for when he and her family would be under the safety of a roof over their heads and having a meal, she had to break her back over a stove. Khushi, his wife, the wife of the business tycoon was going to do a job with a salary that amounted to tuppence when compared to his wealth! All his words and digs at her as a gold-digger boomeranged on him. She continued to say that, even after having no previous experience at such a job, Girijaji had deemed it fit to give her the post as the esteemed lady had heard of her Babuji and their Satwik Mishtan Bhandar, for he was well-known in Lucknow and its surroundings for his honesty and the high quality of sweets he used to sell. Her simple statement that the clout of the simple man, her Babuji was standing in good stead by her, was making him feel ashamed for talking about aukaat, standing in the society,

Hearing her words, Arnav could only stare at her helplessly. Khushi smiled and said that Girija Devi wanted her to commence her job on the 16^th. So on 15^th morning she would go to Buaji's house and from there to Varanasi. Arnav stared at her, feeling kicked by his own stupid actions, his eyes stung with unshed tears. Though Khushi successfully kept on her smile, it was with a yeoman's effort. It was just her sense of perverseness that kept her smiling even when her heart was bleeding inside. Unable to keep silent anymore, Arnav filled with anguish, penitence, regret, guilt, self-reproach, in a low voice that was a mere whisper asked her, will she leave him and go? The very thing that he had feared was coming true. Fearing the very reason, he had married her in the first place was coming true. When he had opted for the contract marriage he had two options before him. He could keep her with him or could send Khushi away to an unknown place, away from Shyam and secure his Di's future. But even at that time he was not ready to part from her, lose her. He was also not ready to forgive her for his perceived wrong doing on her part. In the fear of losing her he had bound her to him with the contract. Now, when he was legally married, he was going to lose her. She was moving away from him. That was the irony and his deeds were backfiring on him. Now it is swimming upstream for Arnav Singh Raizada

That is why this update, where Arnav Singh Raizada, being made to recoil at the impact of his deeds is titled REPURCUSSION.

"We are free to choose our paths, but we can't choose the consequences that come with them"

~ Sean Covey, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens

That's it from me. Hope you enjoy it.