Promises
"Ek duje se huye juda,
Jab ek duje ke liye bane ...
Shimla
Khushi closed the zipper of her bag with full of hesitation. She was again contemplating whether to go back or not. It has been one year since she had walked away from there. Eleven months and twenty-eight days to be precise. But she has to now. Nani is ill; Anjali Di is alone; Jiji is pregnant and Arnavji ... don't know.
Her heart twisted and moisture rushed to her eyes at the fact. Did he love her or not? Blinking her eyes, she let out a deep breath, suppressing the pain for the umpteenth time for the year.
Yes! She has to go! Should go to show that man that she can live. Live without him. Live after the numerous betrayals. Yes! She has to.
She had decided.
Straightening her dress once again, looking at the oblong mirror. Wearing her sweater, she took her bag. Spinning the room, slowly, she checked any leftovers. Finding nothing, she sighed and stepped out of the hostel room. Closing the door behind, she walked straight to the head Sister's room.
Enclosing the cold metal of the room key in her hand, she knocked the door.
"Come in, Khushi." the deep motherly voice called her.
Taking a deep breath, she entered in.
"So you are going?" she asked with disapproval.
"Sister, I've to." Khushi said, desperately.
"What if your so-called husband tries to harm you?"
"He won't do anything like that."
"With what guarantee?" the Sister's voice raised.
Khushi sighed. She had told everything about her life to the Sister and she is concerned. She can't do anything.
"But, Sister, I don't want to punish Nani for her grandson's mistake. She's almost in her death bed." she said as she broke into a sob.
"Jo bhi ho, Khushi. I still won't approve you going there. With the entire emotional trauma you went through and going through, it doesn't look like a best idea to go there. But, anyways, yeh teri zindigi hai. Tumhe jeena hai. Think wisely and take decisions." with that, the Sister went away.
Khushi stood there for some time without any movement, then sighing, she took her bag and kept the room key on the table and came out of the room.
-
She sat in the hired taxi. Placing her bag beside her, she closed the door.
"Bhaiyya, aap chaliye! she said softly and lowered the window of her seat. As the car started moving, she rested her head on the rim of the window and stared the passing trees with glazed eyes. The moments of that fateful day threatened to overpower her but she pushed back all the thoughts at the back of her.
But as she entered the railway station and finished the formalities and stepped into the train, everything crashed back to her.
The train reminded her the time she last stepped into it
And just like that, her mind and heart wandered to that fateful day when her life collapsed upside down.
-
Her wedding day.
The day which she awaited for years. All the more, it was the day when her Arnav ji and her was supposed to tie the knot of the sacred relationships after many hurdles. She remembered how the day started for her; what she did; said; what others said to her; what time everything happened. Those beautiful memories of anticipation and ecstasy ...
She, then, thought that was the most beautiful day of her life. The day which offers a permanent full stop to her constant pain. Just as he promised.
But what a fool she had been? Blindly believing what he had said...
She could never forget, that was the day which became a constant source of pain, till now. They say, time heals... but for her, time just amplified her pain on everything.
Her mother's secret had been big to her, back then, but the trust on Arnav ji was greater than anything. Even after Dadi said he won't come and she removed her Maa ji's bangles, she believed, she truly did that he would come. For her. For their love. For the endless promises he made.
She sat in front of the agni kund, watching the fire put off on its own will. She sat there dismissing her Jiji's word about the reality. She sat there chanting that he'd come because he promise. She sat there reminiscing their moments of hate and love, oblivious to the pitying glances and the reducing flame in the kund.
When the fire totally tamed down to small spark, she knew her time has ended. Her trust on Arnavji has came to an end and had failed. Suddenly, there was no energy left in her. The spirit to fight, the fire within has been off-ed along with the fire in the kund.
She got up gingerly, brushing her skirt in habit and Descended the steps of the mandap. She walked to the exit, and exited. Her movements were so slow, so soft that only after a minute or so Payal noticed her absence.
Khushi then went straight to Laxmi nager, to her house and packed her necessities and boarded the train to Shimla, for the only reason it'd be cold. She hated sun and heat and light with vengeance. Everything represented her, everything was her. Arnav Singh Raizada has ripped her apart. She can never be what she was..
She opened the bag and took the photo frame, that she took from the night stand. It was her and him . He had given it to her as pre-wedding gift. A four grid type picture of them in their mother's garden. She took the photo and looked it. In all four, His face reflected happiness. Love. Adoration. On her. She can tell because he was looking at her on all the four. And she was looking at him with the corner of her eyes. Was it all lie? She tossed the frame back in the bag.
Sleep came to her as exhaustion wore her her. She closed her eyes but suddenly she was gasping for breath. The co-passengers panicked. They shuffled, doing this and that to make her breath. But Khushi was suffocating. She was breathing but nothing can't be felt.
Her heart was thundering. Her head was pounding. Her eyes started water. Her arms felt like lead, she can't move, think, breath. She felt like dying.
Little did she knew, she is dying...
-
May I continue? And posting for the first time in IF. Show me kindness, people😊.
-Candace
Cricket
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