As soon as Nandu comes back from the washroom, he demands, "Beauty, tum theek toh ho na? Kahaan hai wo Raj?"
Beauty: Raj sir chale gaye, Nandu….aur aapke liye ek message chod gaye hain…
Nandu: (warily) Kaisa message?
Beauty: (with careful nonchalance) Yahi ki….aap Amirtsar chal sakte ho…!
N: (astonished) Kya….??
Beauty giggles and nods. Nandu shakes his head in disbelief. "Yeh kya wahi Raj Malhotra hai jise main jaanta hun?"
B: Aapka pata nahin, par main jin Raj sir ko jaanti hun, unhone hamesha meri madad ki hai…..lekin…..aapne poora message toh suna hi nahin…!
N: Poora message?
B: (eyes twinkling) Haan….unhone aapko unka bill pay karne ko kaha hai!
Nandu just stares for a moment, then nods with a half-smile. "Haan….yeh baat kuch-kuch Raj Malhotra jaisi hai!"😆
Dinner at the Suris takes place in silence, save occasional attempts at small talk by Puru and Ila. Meghna catches Vedika's eyes and gives her a cheesy smile. Vedika pouts and lowers her eyes. The moment the child finishes her ice-cream, she slides off her seat and speeds away. Meghna excuses herself and follows her. JandA look at each other. Angel rolls her eyes.
Meghna overtakes Vedika and kneels down before her. "Vedika darling, aa mujhse baat kyun nahin kattre?"
V: Kyunki aap gande ho….aapne kaha ki Armaan papa mere papa nahin hai…!
M: Toh beta, yeh sach hi toh hai….Armaan ne tumhe adopt kiya hai par tumhare asli papa toh Aryan hai…mera bhai…..toh main tumhari bua hui na….apni bua se baat nahin karogi?
V keeps standing, unsure of what to do. M picks her up and takes her to her room. Ila enters after a while, and sees Meghna showering the child with toys. For the first time since her arrival, M looks genuinely happy, and Vedika seems to have relaxed with her.😊
Ila: Vedika bete, chalo, tumhare sone ka time ho gaya hai.
Vedika is obediently about to come, but Meghna holds her with one hand. "Aunty, aaj isse mere saath hi sone do na! Mujhe bahut si aboriginal ghost stories aati hai, main Vedika ko suna ke usse entertain karungi!"😕😕😕
Ila looks understandably horrified at this. "Nahin Meghna, Vedika ne subah school jana hai, uska itna late jaagna theek nahin. Usse mere saath aane do, main usse jassi ke paas chod aati hun."
M: Jassi ke paas kyun? Yeh mere saath bhi toh reh sakti hai…main iski bua hoon!
Ila: (firmly) Aur Jassi uski maa hai….aur Vedika ko usi ke paas sone ki aadat hai! Chalo Vedika.
Vedika leaves with Ila and Meghna is left frowning after them.
After handing Vedika over to jassi, Ila exchanges a few words with her that are enough to make Jassi understand Meghna's attitude towards her. After putting vedika to bed, Jassi comes slowly back to the bedroom, with such a serious look that Armaan takes her face in his hands (any excuse will do, eh?😉) and asks her what the matter is.
Jassi: Aise hi, Armaan…..Meghna shayad humse khush nahin hai….
Armaan: (grimacing) Come on Jassi….yeh toh hum jaante hi hai….iske baare mein sochne se kya faayda!
J: Nahin Armaan, sochne ki baat toh hai…uski naarazgi main samajh sakti hoon. Usse poori baatein abhi pata nahin hai…shayad usse lagta hai ki hum, Aryan aur Mallika ki maut ke liya zimedaar hai…..
Armu silently nods. He motions to her to sit down on the bed. Gazing earnestly into her eyes, he says, "Haan Jassi….kuch had tak main bhi samjh sakta hun…uss par kya guzri hogi….waise Jassi, Meghna nature-wise itni buri nahin hai….bas, thodi si weird hai….naye-naye shauk rakhne wali…..jaise ye aboriginal rituals…."
Jassi: (giggling) Haan! Mamma keh rahi thi, ki wo Vedika ko bhi iski kahaniyan sunane wali thi….
Armu: Oh no! Jassi, Meghna ke ajeeb shauk , Vedika se door hi rehne chahiye…!
J: Par Armaan…Meghna ka mood dekhte hue, tumhe lagta hai ki wo Amritsar chalegi?
A: Jisko chalna hai chale…..hum toh zaroor ja rahein hai, right Mrs. Jassi? Main yeh mauka chodne nahin wala!
J: main tumhe chodne doongi bhi nahin, Mr.Armaan!
He draws her into his arms and she snuggles gladly into them.😳😳😳
Monday: Preparations for the fashion show.
Book Talk
