Arshi SS : Nourishing Talents - Part 9 updated Pg 23 - Page 11

Khushi had always wanted to learn to cook different exotic delicacies that she had seen in English channels and those she had seen in the photos her sister had sent her when she was in US. Arnav had taken her to the best restaurants in and around Delhi and introduced her to different cuisines. Though aloo puri was still her favorite, she had learnt to appreciate the different flavor of Continental and Italian. Arnav loved Italian. Khushi had tried out the recipes from various blogs but it seemed there was always something not right in it. The taste didn't quite match the one they had in the hotel. And now she had an opportunity to learn it all.

Khushi started her classes the next week. It was decided that Arnav would drop Khushi in the morning and pick her up in the evenings. Most of the days they stayed out long after her classes were over and enjoyed driving around the city in their car. This made them the target of Anjali's and NK's teasing. While, even after 3 years of marriage, Khushi blushed bright red, Arnav took the teasing light heartedly. He even laughed out loud and hugged Khushi sideways a few times. Anjali, Nani and Mami were extremely happy with the new changes in Arnav. It seemed the time he spent with Khushi is bringing out the Chotte they knew years back. He was now more Arnav and less ASR. On one occasion he even went as far as to tease Akash when Akash seemed impatient to join Payal one evening for a night out. Akash stared at him dumbstruck for a moment, patted his back and just said "Welcome back Bhai".

Payal wanted to work from home as Khushi was now going to fulltime classes. When she broached this subject to Akash, he vehemently opposed.

"Look Payal, bhai has trusted you to do this work. If you fail in this, he is not going to be happy. I don't want you to waste your talents. Moreover, for your line of work, you know pretty well that it is imperative for you to do it in our office. The dresses you are designing are to be confidential and if you stay at home where there are visitors almost all the time, it would not be so. And you will be doing only household chores all day and you will work at night spoiling your health."

"Sahi keh rahe ho bitwaa. Payal, go to office from tomorrow. I don't want my sons to point me out as the reason. I will take care here. Hello hi bye bye."

"Maaji par..." Payal turned to the door to address her mother in law but she was already on her way out.

"Payal, don't start again. Even Maa has given her permission now. That was what was stopping you this past week from fully concentrating. Now start the work in earnest."

Payal looked at Akash taken aback. Yes it was true that she had wanted her mother in law's permission not because she had to take it but because she believed that any work done with the blessing of elders was sure to succeed. But she had not discussed with Akash. Either he would have gone to confront his mother again or he would have tried to convince her that she had the blessing of nani and that that should be enough. He had grown bitter towards his mother in the days after the confrontation. So she had kept her uneasiness within herself and carried on. But to know that he had understood her even when she had not expressed herself brought a wave of tenderness for him crashing through her. She went to him silently, hugged him and placed a kiss on his cheek. Akash hugged her back reassuring her with the tightness of the hug that all will be well in time.

Anjali was scoring the attic for the basic books she needed to go through for the meeting with AR's finance head, Rahul. From the board meetings she had attended in the past 2 years at the insistence of Arnav, she knew that Rahul was competent and a natural with numbers. Sometimes, it had seemed to her that she was seeing her past self in him. When Arnav had come back to India from Harvard, his head filled with ideas for improving their garment business, the whole family had supported him. Mama had given him the reins of the business and had been happy to sit back and let Arnav do the major work. He had understood Arnav's drive to prove himself to the world. Within a year, the profits had improved and they had enough funds to start a new venture without taking huge amounts as loan. It was Anjali who had urged him to give a try in the fashion world. It was not an easy start. Anjali took upon herself the major burden of managing the finances while Arnav and mama took care of the business part. And her other brother, one she loved almost as much as she loved her Chotte, took care of marketing. He was nt with her now but that did not mean that she loved him any less. She pushed those thoughts firmly away from her mind and took the books she had found to her room. Life was going to be hectic in the next few days.

Rahul Mehra has been with AR since its inception. At that time, he had been a lower grade employee in the finance department. He had not reported directly to Anjali, but he had worked for her on few occasions. He had been awed by her ability to predict the successes of their investments and to charm out the deals from their vendors that was more profitable to AR. Though she was a year or two younger to him, she had been a natural with numbers and an intuition that bordered on the ability to foresee the future. She had been the inspiration for him to reach higher and discover the talents that had been latent in him for years. He had even been in love with her before realizing the impossibility of it. He had convinced himself that he would be happy if only he could see her from afar always. And then her accident happened and she handed over the reins to her partner, Karan. And in a few months she had been married to that leecher Shyam. He had been in a stupor after that. But he had picked himself up and proceeded to concentrate on his career. Karan had identified his talent and hard work and had taken him under his wing. When Karan had stepped down from his position as the finance head of AR, he had recommended Arnav to appoint Rahul as the new finance head. So now he here he was in front of Raizada mansion, awaiting someone to open the front door with anticipation and apprehension. Arnav had met him last week and had asked him if he could guide his sister in the new market practices. Rahul had not wanted to but when Arnav had informed him that he wanted his sister to break the walls she had surrounded herself with and this was the only way he could think of to do it, Rahul had accepted to help her out. He was not sure how he will react to her presence. But he wanted more thn anything to see how she had fared and do anything to bring back the vibrant and happy Anjali he had known.

Mami was discovering that her daughters in law were not as bad as she had thought them to be. She had known that about them long back. But she had not been able to let go of the bitter memories. After her talk with Arnav, she had thought for a long time and realized that she had been doing exactly the same thing she had accused her mother in law for. She had not got to know Payal and Khushi and had jumped into conclusions. But the difference between her mother in law and her was that, she had been accepted within months of her marriage while she had not accepted her daughters in law even after 3 years. She genuinely wanted to give them a chance to prove her wrong. They were not Riya. She reminded herself again and again. She went to Akash's room to make peace with him. Her so had not spoken to her in a week and he wanted him back. But when she heard Payal wanting to work from home, she decided that the chance had come to atone herself her son's eyes. She just hoped she had not lost this son too.

The next three months passed in a blur. Khushi was busy with her classes and she was trying out the new recipes at home. Payal had become as much a workaholic as Arnav and Akash. Her initial designs turned out to be splendid and Arnav had asked her to complete a professional course in designing. He had hired her as an intern. By the end of three months, she had acquired her certification and Arnav had asked her to hire people to work under her. He did not want machine made chickankari work but hand made ones for his designs. And it would be a big burden on Payal to do all the work. Payal was amazed by her own growth and the shy quiet Payal became a formidable task master when it came to work. No she did not turn into a bully. But her mildly disapproving words and high praises were incentive enough for those who worked under her. Anjali was finding the thing she had always loved the most again. She found that she still had the skill with numbers and Rahul was a wonderful teacher. Their interactions were not strictly confined to business. She was discovering that life was not so bad after all. She had started with preparing quotes first and had gradually started sharing Rahul's burden. He had not been condescending when she shared her ideas on certain decisions she made. But he had taken upto consulting her before making any major decisions. After years of self pity and feeling herself as a burden to her brother though she knew neither her brothers nor her sisters in law felt about her that way, she was feeling alive and needed for the first time. She had to thank Rahul for that. She promised herself that she would put the years of inactivity and self pity behind her and become the person that Rahul her described her as one day. She would become Anjali Singh Raizada again in body and soul.

P.S: I didn't have time to proofread so there might be errors. Please forgive me if it is so.