Chapter 28
Khushi waited in the car, happy with this perfect parking spot she had finally managed to find. It was right opposite the main entrance to the U.S. Consulate. She had accompanied Payal for her visa interview; it had been almost an hour since she went in. Khushi checked the watch again as she waited eagerly for her sister to come out. On Garima's persistence, the sisters had paid a visit to the temple on their way to the Consulate. She hoped the Gods had been prompt with their blessings.
Khushi kept her eyes on the exit gate; the faces that walked out gave away the status of their visa. She wondered if Payal would also walk out with a silly, painfully wide smile on her face.
She didn't. However, her eyes twinkled and she wasn't frowning. It was a positive sign, thought Khushi as she opened the door and stepped out of the car. Payal waited for the signal and then crossed the road; by the time she reached Khushi, she was smiling. "I think I've got it. They've kept my passport and said I'll get it within two weeks." she beamed.
Khushi hugged her sister tight as they squealed together in the middle of the road. In broad daylight. No one seemed to care as they were busy celebrating or mourning over their passports.
They got back into the car; Payal switched on her cell phone to call Garima as Khushi pulled the car out to drive back home.
"I just came out, Maa!"
Khushi chuckled as she heard Payal speak to their mother.
"Yes, it went well...Most probably, yes... Yes, Maa they have my passport...No, I'm not going to the temple again!... Yes, I will make sure I thank the gods once I get the visa, okay?... Yes we're on our way home... Yes Maa, we are both wearing seatbelts... That's it, we'll talk once we get home. BYE!"
"Phew" Payal sighed as she disconnected the call. "Whats with her obsession with seatbelts?"
**
It was taking long because of the traffic, and Khushi could barely stop herself from swearing.
"Jiji, talk to me. This traffic is getting on my nerves now." was Khushi's exasperated plea.
"Jiji?" she asked again, when she heard no response. She noticed Payal was busy with her phone, as if trying to get in touch with someone but with no success.
"Jiji!" she probed again, a little more loudly this time.
"Huh", was all Payal managed in response, but this time she let go of her phone and finally looked at Khushi.
"Who were you trying to call?" Khushi asked she took a turn to the left to hit the flyover.
"Who do you think?" Payal muttered, stuffing her phone inside her purse.
"Things still rocky between you and Aakash? You don't have to answer if you're not in the mood..."
"I don't know what to say Khushi", Payal sighed and rested her head back on the car seat. "Things seem to be perpetually rocky between us. I know I'm probably more to blame for this than him, but its not like he made no mistakes at all."
"So you both made mistakes. Who doesn't?"
"I don't think we even remember what it is that we are upset about. He thinks I don't care about this relationship, that I don't realise what I am risking when I decide to go abroad. Does he really believe I am indifferent? I admit, I wasn't generous with my time where this relationship was concerned. But I am trying to correct that now and he just... Why is he being so difficult Khushi?" Payal said and bent down to place her head on top of the dashboard.
"Don't mind me saying this, Jiji" Khushi said softly as she chewed on her lower lip, still trying to decide whether it was the right thing to say. "But, I cannot believe you are calling someone difficult. I mean, you aren't remotely easy going yourself. "
Without lifting her head up, "Et tu, Brute?", was Payal's response. She straightened up when she felt Khushi change gears, "Its just...I realise I've made my mistakes and I am trying really hard to make up for them. But I almost feel like... like he has given up on us."
"What makes you say that?"
"I don't know... its just a feeling, you know? I mean, we don't argue anymore, but we don't have a real conversation either. He is polite to the point of making me sick. He evades any conversation I try to strike about my impending travels or our relationship; and this is after he complained about me ignoring him. Its like relationships are just not in my DNA, Khushi. I never seem to be able to do anything right!"
"Don't say that Jiji", Khushi tried to comfort her. She wished she could hold her hand, and silently cursed the damned traffic once again.
"It's a lot for him to process, right? And things are happening too fast, don't you think? Give him some time, Jiji."
"But we don't have that kind of time right now, do we? I mean, if this is how things are even before I leave, there is absolutely no way things work out between us when I'm away."
"Jiji please. Theres still more than a month before you have to leave and-" she stopped mid sentence when she heard her phone ring. Her phone was with Payal who read out "Slave Driver" as was displayed on the screen and laughed out loud.
"Not funny, Jiji. That's Prof. Merhchant, I have to take that one!"
"No way in hell. I'll tell him you're driving." Without waiting for a response, Payal received the call. She told the old man that her sister would call him back as soon she they got home.
Once she ended the call, "He sounds so nice over the phone! Why would you save his name as "Slave Driver"?"
"Don't fall for that voice, Jiji. You don't know a thing. Raakshas. I don't think he ever sleeps, and he has every intention of turning me into a zombie. I am overloaded with work, Jiji. And now that I have to do the field trip and actually set up the whole experiment, I need to do all the background work. And he's just making me slog more than I have ever had to. I've redone my calculations a hundred times, I've done my research, I've coordinated with the labs and projects staff, I now need to make sure the equipment gets there on time... I'm just going totally mad." Khushi honked impatiently at the poor car in front of her, trying to vent some of her restlessness. "Move it, you moron!"
"Easy on the car!", Payal was quick to reprimand. "You knew he was like this before you approached him, didn't you? You refused to go the other professor because you wanted to "learn" from this guy. Ab seekho!"
"Jiji please, now is really not the time." she pleaded. "I'm trying my best not to regret my decision but it's getting more difficult by the day. And to top that, Karthik has been after me to turn in a revised draft of the manuscript and I am just not able to give it any time at all. I haven't even looked at it in the past few days."
"Why don't you just talk to him and ask for some extra time, Khushi? You can't get everything done together and have it done perfectly. If this manuscript is important to you, you need to give it the time it needs and perhaps more." Payal tried to reason.
"I've been thinking of doing that myself, Jiji. I mean, I never thought my Project would take away so much of my time. I always thought it was something I'd just get done to complete my thesis and just finish this degree. I didn't think I'd be so involved in it that I'm unable to even look at anything else. I don't know if it's the project itself or Merchant or my own need to get thing done perfectly well, but I'm stuck now." she sighed. "I screwed up. I should have made it clear to Karthik from the very beginning. I was just so excited at the time to have an actual publisher interested in my work that I jumped right in. I thought if I delayed too much, he'd lose interest."
"Its okay, Khushi. He agreed because he liked your work, I'm sure he'll understand. Just talk to him, okay?"
"You're sure that'll work? I'm actually a bit scared..."
Payal was slightly taken aback by the vulnerability in Khushi's voice; Khushi had always been completely confident about her talent and her story, and to see her doubt that was frightening. Had Shashi really managed to mess up so much? No matter how rebellious she was with her words, Payal knew that her sister would still do everything to make sure her father was happy. She hadn't just gone ahead with what he had chosen for her, she had done that sincerely and with all her heart. She was giving her dissertation all her time even if that jeopardised a great opportunity she had to live her dream. If something went wrong, Payal was sure she'd never forgive her father for doing this to her sister.
"Don't worry, Khushi. Its just.. either you decide that this dissertation isn't so important and focus more on your manuscript. Or, if you decide that you want to do this thesis properly, then just forget about the book till you have this done. You can't have the cake and eat it too. You cannot invest your heart and your mind in two things at one time. And knowing you, you are incapable of doing anything without putting your soul into it. Make a choice, okay? Know what you want."
Khushi both loved and hated her sister for saying that. This was Payal - crystal clear in her thoughts priorities. She knew how to make decisions and stick to them, no matter what. That was a quality she had always envied; Payal was unafraid to take on any of the consequences that came with her decisions.
Khushi wished she could be more like that. Her sister was right, she was incapable of doing something without being completely involved in it. Even if it was something she was doing against her will. She had known working with Prof. Merchant would be difficult, and she'd just have to accept that. The manuscript would have to wait.
She hit the accelerator when she saw the signal turn green, and to her relief, the traffic seemed to be clearing up. They were almost there and she took the opportunity to speed up a little. She just wanted to get home now, not to mention the fact she was famished.
Later that night: Texts exchanged between Khushi and Arnav
"So... I was struggling with this one clue since the past hour"
"And.. ?"
"I finally managed to crack it"
"What was the word?"
"Avarice. 7 Letter word for extreme greed."
"Its not an uncommon word... you're losing your mojo."
"Don't say that."
"I know something that can fix it."
"It doesn't need any fixing!"
"Sex."
"What?"
"Sex. It's the solution to everything."
"What have you been reading?"
"Are you saying you don't want sex?"
"That's not what I said."
"Then you do want sex."
"I always want sex."
"That's my girl!"
-
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"Can you come to the farmhouse tomorrow?"
"I'll have to talk to Merchant and see..."
"I'll take you to Emolio's for dinner."
-
-
"Pick me up at 7?"
"Done."
Edited by vgedin - 11 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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