Sorry for the late and short update. Could not set my mind to write. Have not proof read the below part. Hope it is not too much of gibberish. Will be happy to hear comments and suggestions on how to take it forward. I do have my own train of thought but would love to hear from you as well.
So here you go... part 10.
Payal came down a short while later pushing her father's wheelchair and lugging a couple of bags in the other hand. "Babuji, we will wait here for a while till the taxi comes" she spoke softly to Sashi. Akash had not gotten up from the floor since she had left him. Seeing her son in such a worried state brought Manorama to her senses. "Khoo... Humre matlab Payal... What are u trying to doos? Humre bitwa ko choke kahan jaa rahi ho" she tried to mellow her down. "Aapke bitwaa ko apni patni ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Usko apni ma aur apni bhai aur di kaafi hai. Aur baaki log baad mein gaye tho bhi useh koi chinta nahin hogi.. Isliye hum ja rahe hain". Payal brought it all out. Manorama tried to salvage the situation in her usual style "Par agar aaj tum gai tho wapas nahin aa sakthi". Payal laughed mirthlessly "Did you not hear what I said earlier? I will myself break this marriage when the time comes. Then you can marry your son off to any miss India that you want". Seeing that the taxi has arrived, she left the three of them without a backward glance. Akash looked up at the door long after Payal had left wondering how he was going to salvage his life.
Khushi came down after a short while to see Nikhil sitting by the garden as usual. She was about to call him out when she saw the taxi arrive at the door. She went out curious to see who had come. She did a double-take when she saw payal getting down. She ran to the front door anxiety writ on her face. "Jiji, what are you doing..." she could not even finish before she saw her babuji in the taxi. When payal reached in help her father, Nikhil came out and offered to help her. Once they got down, Payal hesitantly addressed Nikhil "Can we come in?". Nikhil looked up shocked at such a request but nodded slightly and added "You need not even ask di. You are Khushi di's jiji. That makes you our di. Please come in". Seeing Khushi standing flabbergasted, she told her "I will explain everything Khushi. Come with me". Having settled their babuji in one of the bedrooms, Khushi and Payal came out to see Nikhil still sitting in the garden. They took their seat near him and Khushi opened the conversation "What happened Jiji? Did you fight with Jijaji?". Payal was silent for a while but then steeling herself she told Khushi everything. Nikhil looked up with a distant look in this eyes and thought in his mind "How can both the brothers be losers like this?". Khushi tried to appease Payal and reconcile her with Akash but Payal stayed adamant telling her that she did not want to spend a life of uncertainty not knowing when her husband would leave her on his brother's words. Khushi decided to give Payal some time and agreed albeit grudgingly.
Meanwhile Arnav sat by the pool, sadness etched on his face looking like years of torment had finally caught up with him. He remembered the day when he and his di were thrown out of sheesh mahal. They were alone then and both of them were alone today. They had tried to rise out of the trauma but had failed miserably and life had brought them again to the same juncture. They atleast had Nani and Mamaji to take them that day. Today they had no one. Nani had left. Mamji and Mami had left with Akash and Payal. He finally fell into an uneasy slumber wondering if his life would be worth living again. Food and medicine lay forgotten at the table.
As the next day dawned, Khushi woke up with a determination. She would restart her catering business from Prakruti. She did not want to be a burden on anyone. She found Shanthi in the kitchen trying to cook breakfast for the everyone by herself. "Let me help you Shanthiji" Khushi bustled in hastily greeting her. She started cooking up a storm in the kitchen and the breakfast and lunch was ready in no time much to the astonishment of Shanthi. Once the breakfast was over, Samar could not hold back and commented "looks like Khushi di has cooked today. I couldn't stop myself." with a grin on his face and a sly look at Shanthi. "You can tease me all you like.I guess I will not cook for you anymore" rebuked Shanthi good-naturedly with a soft smile on your lips. Nikhil too nodded appreciatively while passing his own comment "But honestly di. The food was really good.". Khushi was silent for a while and then mentioned her plan about starting her catering service from Prakruti in its name. Nikhil studied her silently and spoke "You need not work for the sake of money di. I am here for you. Though you do not know me for a long time and I believe it might not be easy to trust me easily, give me a chance. I will not disappoint you". Horrified at the thought of hurting his sentiments, Khushi hurriedly told him "It is not that Nikhil. Had I not trusted you, I would not have come here at all. I have been doing it to keep my mind off things and I am in dire need of a distraction now". Nikhil came near her and held her hands "But after your ordeal, I do not want you to strain yourselves di.". Payal who had been silently hearing to all that was said, spoke quietly "Khushi will not strain herself this time. I will help her and may be we can get someone to help her get orders and supply the food." Shanthi concurred with her and gave her consent. Rahul who had been standing silently spoke for the first time "I have a friend Prithvi who wants to work to pay his way through college. He is a good and hardworking guy. He can help you with the orders and it will be helpful to him as he need not look elsewhere for work". Nikhil thought for some time and slowly voiced his thoughts "Fine di. As you wish. Let me talk to this Prithvi and see if he is ok with the job. Let me know what all you need to start with. I will arrange for everything." Khushi gave him her most radiant smile and hugged him with a "Thanks Nikhil" making him smile widely for the first time in years. Shanthi who had been noticing this conversation thanked god for bringing these two people together who would become a support to each other.
Shyam was demented. The fact that Khushi chose Arnav and rescued him from right under his nose made him furious. He knew that she would never turn towards another guy until Arnav was alive. She will have to pay for hoodwinking him.
Khushi started her business within a week and had it running quite well with the able help of Prithvi whom Nikhil found to be quite good. Arnav had gone from moody to deadly silent in the pats few days. Anjali started becoming concerned as he did not pay any attention either to his food or his medicines. He was never at home which was already desolate with everyone having moved out except her and Arnav. Nikhil noticed the white four wheeler parked a few blocks away from their home hidden from plain view but the occupants of the car had a good view of their home. He did know who it was, but the car or the occupant had never crossed the limits in the past week. Sometimes he had seen the car following them covertly when he and khushi went out. But the car never followed him when he went alone. Arnav had been content with having occasional glimpses of Khushi when she came into the garden or when she went out with Nikhil. He could not sleep at his own house and he came here and slept in his car occasionally knowing and feeling khushi from a distance. The fact that she was somewhere near him eventhough not in his sight soothed him a bit. He would respect her wishes and give her the space she needed to recover. He wondered if she no longer felt him when he was near her. Nikhil happened to glance at Arnav once or twice and was startled at the difference a week could bring on a man. He was no longer looked pristine but appeared haggard and tortured, the pain in his eyes visible even to an untrained eye.
Meanwhile Akash fared worse than Arnav. He knew that though his bhai hurt khushiji, he loved her a lot as well and Khushiji loved her Arnavji more than her life. He also knew that she had a generous heart and would forgive his bhai soon. If she saw him hurting, she would fly back to him in no time. But Payal was a different case. She spoke like she had lost hope in him. And though she was quiet she was quite stubborn and his mom had stoked a fire in her which might be very difficult to deal with taking into consideration the fact that she might not be in a mood to forgive him. He wondered if he would be given a second chance. Was he that hopeless that she had deserted him? He felt as if he had lost the purpose of his life and could not concentrate on anything.
Arnav mostly worked from his car when he tried to get a view of Khushi. He noticed that not all was well with Akash as his work was suffering. It was when he called Akash to his cabin to talk to him about it did he notice that as far from fine as possible. He looked unkempt. He had a faraway look in his eyes like he was trying to come to terms with something. It was when he asked Akash about it, he came to know that Payal was in Prakruti with Khushi. He had noticed her in there a couple of times, but had brushed it off thinking she had come to visit Khushi. Now he understood that his brother's position was much more precarious than his. "You should have told me Akash, I would have tried to talk her out of it" he rebuked Akash. "If you had done it, she would have hated me more Bhai. She already thinks that I am spineless. And she is holding every little that I and mom did to her and Khushiji against me." he told him silently. Seeing his bhai lost in thoughts, he added "I know my work is suffering bhai. I will try to pull myself together" and left Arnav to his thoughts. His thoughts veered to Khushi and he thought her parents had named her well "The moment she left, happiness had deserted him as well. And not just him, no one in his family was spared." The urge to see her won over and he took his keys anxious to see her.
Arnav reached just in time to see Khushi and Nikhil leaving Prakruti. He followed them discretely at a respectable distance and reached the market. Seeing them walking, he parked his car and started to walk behind them. Khushi crossed over to but some channa. Arnav watched her haggling with the channawala with a smile on his lips. He did not notice the van following him a bit too closely.
--- to be continued ---
Kumkum Bhagya
277