WAITING FOR YOU
CHAPTER 28 (A) It became routine for Aman and Arnav to pick Khushi and Vaishnavi and drop them in respective places before going to work. A couple of days later, Khushi had her semester holidays and Arnav decided to open up the topic about his father, her past and her Uncle. Anjali knew that her brother needed some time alone and told him that she would look after Vaishnavi. Shyam and Anjali were taking the kids to a new children's movie the next day after school and she wanted Vaishnavi to join them.
After dinner, Vaishnavi was tired and they tucked her in bed. Arnav read her a few pages of Black Beauty until she was asleep.
Khushi and Arnav switched on the television and put on some movie. They got cozy on the couch. Arnav laid down on the couch with his head on a pillow he had added near the arm rest. He pulled Khushi to him and made her lie in front of her with his arm around her waist in a spooned up position. The couch was pretty big and they were comfortable in it. Khushi held Arnav's hand which was around her waist and watched the movie.
"Khushi, I have something to ask you."
"What?"
"Will you go out with me tomorrow?"
"Are you asking me out on a date, Arnav?"
"Yes, sweetheart. You can call it a date. And I would like to tell you something. More like confess someone's guilt."
Khushi turned around on the couch and faced him. "Guilt?"
"We'll talk about that tomorrow."
She nodded and hid her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.
"This feels too good to be true, Arnav. I did not know I would ever find somebody who would love me and want me. I will never let you down, Arnav."
He kissed her forehead and said, "I know, sweetheart. You can never let me down. Good night, Khushi."
"Don't you have to go home?"
"My home is wherever you and Vaishu are."
Her arms around him tightened and she said, "I love you, Arnav."
"I love you, too, sweetheart. Now, go to sleep."
"Good night."
"Good night, Khushi."
He pulled a blanket from the side table and covered them with it. Arnav enjoyed his closeness with Khushi. He had never imagined that he would be lucky to hold her in his arms after everything that had happened. He watched the movie and drew circles on Khushi's back until he finally dozed off.
Khushi woke up to find herself pressed against a hard chest. She was confused for a second. Then her mind cleared when she remembered that Arnav had spent a night in the apartment. She got up from the couch and watched him sleep. She smiled. He looked like a little kid when he slept.
"Ma..." Vaishnavi walked out of the bed room with the teddy bear in her hand. She looked at Arnav and asked, "Daddy stayed here?"
"Yes, baby."
She climbed on the couch and lay down next to Arnav.
"Can you stay with him for a while? I'll be back."
She nodded and hugged her teddy. Within minutes, she fell asleep again. When Khushi returned after using the restroom, she found the two sleeping peacefully. She took her phone and clicked a picture.
Around thirty minutes later, Arnav stirred and woke up. When he saw Vaishnavi curled up next to him, he smiled and kissed her on the top of her head.
"You have to wake her up. She has school."
Arnav raised her head and saw Khushi standing near the kitchen with a coffee mug in her hand.
"School is at nine, right? It's only seven now," he said.
"You are going to spoil her?"
"Of course. She is my baby and I am going to spoil her."
"Arnav, I am warning you. Wake her up or I'll take the apartment spare keys from you."
He was shocked. "You would do that to me?"
She rolled her eyes at his acting.
Arnav whined and slowly woke up Vaishnavi. He had already planned to stay the night with Khushi and he had extra clothes with him. He decided to get ready in the apartment and then go straight to the hospital.
Arnav and Vaishnavi got ready and the three had breakfast together.
"Vaishu, Adi is going to a movie and he wants you to go with him," Arnav told her.
"Will you come?" she asked him.
"No, baby. Ankit, Akshu and Rahul will be there with Shyam Uncle and Anjali Aunty."
"Adi and Rahul will be there?" she asked her voice filled with excitement.
He nodded.
"I'll go with them."
Before Arnav left, he told Khushi, "Be ready by five. We'll go out."
Arnav had his diary filled with appointments and meetings until half past three. After his work was over for the day, he went to his house to have a short nap. He woke up at half past four and had a shower. He put on a pair of jeans and a comfortable shirt and went to pick Khushi from her apartment.
"Where are we going?" Khushi asked once she was inside his car.
"Somewhere we could talk without anybody's disturbance."
"Like...?"
"You'll know when you see."
Khushi waited patiently. Arnav drove to his farm house in the outskirts of the city.
"Where are we?" Khushi asked him.
"Our farmhouse."
"How many do you have?"
"Just two. This one and the one in Lucknow."
He ignored the house and took her to the farm. It was an organic farm and he took her around on a tour. They found a shady spot under a large tree. There was a blanket underneath it. There was a picnic basket and Khushi looked at Arnav.
"Did you arrange this?" she asked him.
"Yeah."
A red and black butterfly stood on the handle of the basket. Khushi moved forward slowly and tried to catch it. The butterfly sensed her and flew away. She followed it and ran around from flower to flower. After a lot of chasing, she eventually gave up and joined Arnav.
When he saw her playing around with the butterfly, he realized how much of a childhood she had lost while trying to bring up Vaishnavi. He promised himself that he would give her the best life possible.
They sat on the blanket and rested their backs on the tree. Arnav gave her an apple as he munched on a pear in silence.
"What did you want to talk about?" she asked him when she was halfway through the apple.
"Do you know my father, Khushi?" he asked after a very long pause.
"I have seen his photo. There is one in the college office."
"Do you remember him?"
She shook her head. "Should I? I don't think I have met him."
"Yes, you have."
"Really?" She raised her eyebrow and asked, "And how do you know that?"
He threw the centre piece of the pear into the dustbin around fifteen feet from him.
"That was cool. Let me try."
She finished the apple and threw the centre in the direction of the dustbin. It hit the outer rim but fell down.
"I missed." She linked her hand with his and said, "Now, tell me. How do you know that I have met him?"
"That night when you escaped from some three men, you asked for my father's help."
She slowly removed her from his and asked, "How do you know about that night?"
"I didn't know about anything. Until a couple of days back. Even now, I know only a little."
He held her right palm and traced her scar with his thumb. She pulled her hand from his hold. There was a pained expression in his face but he masked it before she noticed it.
"The day we returned from Lucknow, I searched for some files regarding the hospital's property papers in the room which was once my dad's office. When I was looking through the cabinet, I found a diary. His last diary. One of the pages was bookmarked. In that page, he wrote about how he failed a little girl amost ten years back."
He took the diary from the picnic basket and gave it to her. Khushi opened the diary with her trembling fingers and read through the entry. The year in the diary was 2009. It had been four years since Arnav's parents passed away.
The entry said,
Once more... The black day of my life. The day I failed in protecting the life of a little girl who came running to me asking for my help.
I still remember her. She was a cute girl whose eyes had nothing but fear and tears. She ran to me and hugged me. She asked me to help her. Three men were behind her and they wanted her. For what, I don't know till now. There was a bandage on her right hand and it was soaked in blood. She said that she didn't have anybody other than her Uncle and Aunty and that the three men were trying to take her away from the only people she knew. I told the men that I would go to the police but the men warned me not to mess with them.
I could do nothing when they dragged her away from me. She screamed when they took her. Even now, after ten years, I can still hear her screams whenever I close my eyes.
I was a coward. I was frightened that the three men who looked like thugs would ruin the happiness of my family and my children if I helped her.
I made a mistake. I realized the extent of my mistake when I returned home and saw my little Anjali sleeping in her bed with Arnav and Akash. I knew that I would have stopped the men if it was my little girl in their hands. She wasn't my kid and I didn't try much to help her.'
Khushi's sight blurred with her tears. She wiped them and continued reading the entry.
If only I had helped her that night...
I condemned some little girl to hell.
The next day, I drove by the same road and tried to identify the men. I didn't find them. I then tried to find the girl. I have been trying to find her for the past ten years. I have not been successful.
I feel guilty and I should be. Maybe this is my punishment for not helping her. She would have had lots of dreams. Her parents would have wanted their daughter to have all the happiness in the world. But instead of all that, I don't know what she is doing.
As a sort of repentence for my sins, I have asked my children and the college heads to start a scholarship program for the students studying in my college. It will help those who want to study but can't. I spoilt her life and it makes me slightly happy to know that this scholarship is going to help a lot of other kids.
I almost killed a child's soul and I am trying to help others out here. I have to be the world's worst man alive.
If the situation was repeated, I would help her any number of times. I wish I meet her once. Just once. So that I could ask for her forgiveness. I wish I meet her once to tell her how sorry I am for abandoning her.'
Khushi hugged her legs to her chest and hid her face between her legs. Arnav heard her silent sobs and pulled her to him. She clutched his shirt and cried. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his hands protectively around her. He rubbed her back in a soothing manner and told her by his actions that he would always be there for her.
He couldn't help the tears forming in his eyes. He didn't know what really happened but he knew that it was more than what a seven year could have handled. His heart ached for both his father and Khushi. His father had died with the guilt lying heavy in his chest. Khushi had crossed hell and lived through it. He couldn't help but admire the girl in his arms who would be the best role model anyone could ever have inspite of the cruel game fate had played with her.
Her sobs died down after a while. He lifted her chin and made her face him. He wiped her tears and kissed her forehead. She tried to move away from him but he didn't let her. He shook his head and tightened his arms around her. She moved her legs a little and he knew that she was not comfortable. He let her move away from him for about a few seconds. He made her put both her legs on his left side so that she was sitting on his lap and that her left shoulder was touching his chest. He kissed her temple and let his lips linger on her for a while.
~~~~~~~
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Edited by adventure_roks - 11 years ago
Arjun
12