It's not controlled AK/AR Note! PG 25 - Page 14

Angad observed Kripa in the littlest things she did such as the way she would always keep the files in her office organized in alphabetical order even by date. Simple things like that would fascinate Angad, he didn't even understand why. Angad wanted to talk to Kripa beyond the talks of business, but he never got a chance. Aaliyah had been coming to the office for the past three days and Angad began to wonder what was going on in Kripa's life, that she had to bring her three year old daughter to work along with her.

Over the past three days Kripa was pleased that Aaliyah wasn't being any sort of disturbance in the office, in fact Armaan and Angad at times would come and play around with Aaliyah a bit when they had the time. Kripa liked work, it had been a while since she worked but she liked moreover that Angad and Armaan seemed very sweet and generous guys. Kripa had seen Armaan and Angad flirt around with random girls, scheduling dates here and there but when it came down work there were no buts and ifs in it. An she liked that.
"Hey Kripa" Armaan said as he walked into Kripa's office. "Hey Armaan, need anything?" Kripa replied back looking through a file on past business deals that needed to be renewed or stopped etc. "Nope" Armaan replied walking over to Aaliyah who was to engrossed in her story book. "Hey, hey, hey gorgeous" Kripa looked up to see Armaan pulling Aaliyah into his lap, Kripa let out a slight smile. "What's my beauty doing?" Armaan asked Aaliyah as he planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "I'm reading piggy story!" Armaan laughed "The piggy story?" Armaan tried thinking what children story was that again with pigs.

"She's reading The Three Little Pigs" Kripa said as she put the file back in the cabinet. "I remember all those days sitting and reading these books" Armaan said indicating Aaliyah's story book. "Uncle, uncle!" Aaliyah shrieked out excitingly "What happen sweetheart?" Armaan replied with a light laugh at Aaliyah's hyperness. "Lookie, look the wolf is going to eat the pig!" Aaliyah said showing the picture where the wolf is standing in front of the pig. Armaan let out laugh, Aaliyah was adorable.

"Kripa I'm hungry! Let's all three go out and eat lunch" Armaan said as he rubbed his stomach indicating he was hungry. "Sure, let me just hand over this file to Mr. Khanna" Kripa was about to walk out when Armaan told her "He's in a meeting, you won't find him right now and later I think his going to infiltrated by his mother" Armaan let out a laugh. "His mother?" Kripa questioned "Yeah, Aunties been trying to get Angad to agree to get married, you know old Indian ways" Armaan said sarcastically. "He lives with his mother?" Kripa asked while picking up her bag and making sure she had all her neccesary items. "Yep, Angad's been taking care of Auntie after his father past away" Armaan replied as he picked up Aaliyah into his arms and started heading out the door.

Kripa was surprised she didn't expect Angad would live with his mother and take care of her, she'd think he would leave his mother in a expensive retirement home or some sort. As Kripa got onto the elevator with Armaan and Aaliyah she caught a glance of Angad coming out his office with a couple of executives from the deal Express was going to sign with some other highly qualified company. "There's this really good Chinese restaurant right around here, just a couple of minutes walk" Armaan said while Kripa smiled and nodded.

After ordering their meals Armaan and Kripa carried on casual talks most which involved something with business. When the food arrived Aaliyah ate her food in piece to Kripa's relief, usually Aaliyah would put up some sort of fit about restaurant food. "Let's talk about something besides work and business, I think my eardrums will break if we talk about business or work anymore" Armaan said while laughing, Kripa joined along in Armaan's laugh.

"So Ms. Kripa where are you from?" Armaan asked out of the blue of their laughing, "Oh I'm originally from California, but after I got married I shifted to Florida and now New York" Kripa said with a smile. "Isn't it different coming to area with various climates after being use to sun?" Armaan asked "It is, but change is always good I guess" Kripa replied unenthusiastically, Armaan sensed the disharmony in Kripa's words.

"Kripa if you don't me asking, Angad told me that your a widow" Armaan's last word didn't hurt Kripa anymore, maybe because of hearing it so many times that it just blended into nothing, the pain of the word merely disappeared. Armaan noticed the blank look on Kripa's face, maybe it was a bad idea to ask Kripa what had happened. He glanced over at Aaliyah she was eating her food, with no worries. "Its been a couple of months since I lost Shiva, a truck hit him and well you get it" Armaan nodded and noticed how Kripa didn't have emotions across her face as she talked about this. "After Shiva's death, I had no where to turn too. My parents disowned me and the only person I could turn to was Misty, Shiva's sister but that women doesn't want to help she just wants to increase my problems and Aaliyah's been staying with Misty until I figured out that she hits Aaliyah and I'm not leaving Aaliyah with that lady!" Kripa said a bit furious. Armaan felt that Kripa had a lot more inside of her a lot of pain which she was trying to hide and sallow down to the core of her inside.

"I'm sorry about what you sister-in-law did" Kripa felt relieved, satisfied that Armaan didn't apologize about Shiva's death. He was gone and no sorry or pity could do anything and she was happy Armaan didn't.

Armaan didn't know if he should say sorry about Shiva's death, he felt it that Kripa didn't want anymore sorry on his death. "If you need anything or any help let me or Angad know we'll gladly help!" Kripa smiled. Armaan wasn't the person who dealt with tears or sadness to him the only way out was smiling and just shaking it off. "The hospital took daddy! And they didn't give him back to me" Aaliyah said out of no where in the odd silence which fell between Kripa and Armaan. Kripa had heard Aaliyah's logic before and she just let it slip and go. "Hm really? Come on let's clean up the mess you made here" Armaan dismissed Aaliyah's comment and distracted her to something else.

Work flew by. In between Angad had taken Aaliyah to his office and played around with her for a bit. Kripa's thoughts were still pondering on what she would do with Aaliyah, she could get a babysitter and take the money from Shiva's grocery's profit, but she didn't want to hand Aaliyah over to someone she didn't know for 8 hours a day. Armaan had told Angad about Kripa's dilemma, Angad wanted to help Kripa somehow and he knew maybe how he can.
"Mom, why did we have to move to New York? I mean we had a house and everything an we could have lived off Dad's grocery store" Sammy's sudden question made Kripa feel guilty towards her kids, maybe she was a being selfish. Kripa could have easily stayed back in Florida but she wanted to leave, she needed a new start with new things and Misty's offer was the only one she could see. "Because we had no family there and here we have Misty Auntie" Kripa scoffed at the thought in her head family what family was Misty, nothing beside the aunt of her children.

Angad had asked Kripa to come in an extra hour early, Kripa didn't understand why, maybe for some work that had to be done quick who knew. But she was grateful for receiving this job and didn't bother questioning on what she was asked to do. When Kripa arrived with sleepy Aaliyah in her hands she saw the office was practically empty mostly janitors roaming around from here to there. "Kripa!" Kripa turned around to see Angad getting out of the elevator. "Hi Uncle!" Aaliyah said as she leaped into hands arms "How's my princess doing?" Angad said pulling Aaliyah's cheeks "I'm sleepy" Aaliyah replied as she laid her head on Angad's shoulder, she felt more comfortable there Angad's shoulder was more broader then her own mothers. Angad felt a bit guilty calling Kripa in early seeing a sleepy Aaliyah.

"Kripa come with me" Before Kripa could respond to Angad he had already walked out the revolving doors with Aaliyah in his hands. Kripa watched for a bit to see Angad open a car door and place Aaliyah into a car seat. "What's this?" Kripa asked as she stood next to Angad while he buckled Aaliyah in. "I'll explain in a bit, get in the car for now" Kripa did as she was told, she waited for Angad to come around. In the meantime Kripa observed the car it was a black 2009 Audi A8, Kripa had always loved Audi's out of all cars but she never gotten one as she wished for after her graduation.

"So Armaan told me about how your having trouble with finding a place for Aaliyah to stay at while your at work and well I find the perfect solution, well that is if your comfortable with the solution I thought off" Angad said as he began driving. Kripa felt flattered a bit but what could he possibly have come up with. "What do you mean Mr. Khanna?" Kripa asked back "Okay, don't call me Mr. Khanna I don't it I mean I'm not that old I'm 29" Angad said with a smile "And the solution I have come with is my mother" Kripa smiled at Angad's light carefree nature. "Your mother?" Kripa questioned, she couldn't possibly leave Aaliyah with Angad's mother she didn't know the women, but she was sure Angad's mother couldn't be bad she could just tell from how Angad was but wouldn't his mother mind taking care of a three year old.

"Yes my mother, I talked her yesterday and she said she would love to take care of Aaliyah, either way she just spends most of her day cleaning or just doing unnecessary work around the house or calling me to rant about marriage" Angad said with a laugh, he glanced over at Kripa her face seem a lot lighter than most days, less tensed. "Angad, I don't know I mean I don't even know your mother and how could I" Angad interrupted into Kripa's sentence "She doesn't mind, I talked to her last night and she's more than glad too and it'll give mom some company while I'm at work. So please say yes?" Angad said joyfully to Kripa, she was different and he knew it. There were parts of her which she didn't show and Angad wanted so those parts. "Okay I guess so" Kripa said with a smile "Great!" Angad replied.

Angad glanced back to see Aaliyah had fallen asleep. "It must be hard being a single mother and having a little kid" Angad said noticing the traffic ahead of them. "Yea it is, but what can you do you have to deal it" Kripa said with a sigh "Well Aaliyah doesn't seem like much trouble" Angad said while he honked his horn. "Actually she is compared to other two" Kripa said with a slight laugh "Other two!?" Angad questioned, what was she talking about. Angad was taken back did she have another two more kids, how is that possible. Angad couldn't believe it she had two other kids.

Kripa laughed at Angad's reaction, Kripa understood his reaction, people are usually surprised knowing Kripa has three kids and she's only 28. "Yes, Aaliyah's my third child. I have a older one, Kali; who's ten and a son Sammy who's nine" Kripa said with amused smile, its been a while that she laughed an actual laugh from real joyful feeling, she felt free with Angad for some reason. "Whoa! I must say for being a mother of three kids, you have extremely nice body" Angad said with a devilish grin, Angad didn't say it with wrong intention but just out of flirting "Thanks" Kripa wanted to tease Angad back, she wanted to flirt with him but she felt guilty her thoughts trailed towards Shiva, even though he wasn't here. She felt as if she would be unfaithful, but to what she wondered he wasn't here she was free to date, Kripa looked at the side mirror to see Aaliyah's sleeping. She couldn't because she would be an unfaithful mother.