Armaan and Jassi drive over to Oberoi mansion. Armaan looks a bit edgy as he gets down from the car; Jassi gives him a reassuring look and tucks her arm through his.
Uma welcomes them ecsatically.
"Armaan beta……tumhe yahaan dekh ke itna achcha lag raha hai mujhe….tum toh hum logon ko bhool hi gaye the…!"
Armaan: (comfortingly) Aisi koi baat nahin hai aunty….hum log apni hi problems mein uljhe hue the….in fact…(he seems to be on the verge of revealing what's on his mind, but motions to him not to say anything. He changes the subject.) ….in fact, hum beech mein Goa gaye the, aur phir Amritsar….lekin ab hum aapse milne aate rahenge….
Uma is touched. She bustles around, ordering snacks for them and telling them to make themselves comfortable. Gajanan Kaka enters, quietly pleased to see them both.
Jassi inquires where Meera and Karishma are.
Uma: Aaj Karishma ke school mein function hai, Meera wahin gayi hai…bas, wo dono aate hi honge…..
The words are barely complete when Meera enters, holding Karishma's hand. The child utters a shriek of delight and rushes at Jassi, who envelopes her in her arms. Armaan grins indulgently. Meera looks dumbfounded, but then comes forward and gives Jassi a tight hug.
"Itne din kahan thi tum! Jaanti ho, hum log tumhe kitna yaad karte the?" She wipes away a tear, and Jassi soothes her. Meera composes herself and says, in a slightly more cheerful tone, "Karishma toh tumhare baare mein poochti rehti thi, ki Jassi chachi (Armaan winces) kahaan hai, wo humare saath kyun nahin rehti….. mere liye isse saari baatein samjhaan bahut mushkil tha….ab tum aa gayi ho, tum hi samjhao……"
Karishma comes towards them and demands, "Jassi chachi, aap hum logon ko chod ke kyun chale gayi? Pehle dadaji mar gaye, phir Raghav chachu, aur Jeev chachu bhi pata nahin kahaan hai (they all extremely uncomfortable) aur aap bhi chali gayi…..aap humare saath kyun nahin rehti? Aap toh meri chachi ho na?"😭
Jassi looks helplessly at Uma, who is about to get up and take Karishma away, when Armaan comes to the rescue. The child looks quizzically at him. "Aap kaun ho?"
Armaan picks her up and sets her down on his knee. "Main kaun hun…umm…yeh main aapko thodi der mein bataunga…lekin pehle main aapko ek story sunaunga…!"
Karishma: Story?
Armu: Haan! Suno…..ek chhoti si rajkumari thi, jiske ek bahut hi achchi Mamma, bahut pyaari dadi aur bahut pyaare dada.
Karishma is all attention.
Armu: Uss rajkumari k ek chachu bhi the, jo usse bahut pyaar karte the…..phir ek din, uske Dadaji bimaar ho gaye…..aur doctors ne kaha ki sirf ek pari hi unka ilaaj kar sakti hai….issliye us ladki se chachu, aisi hi ek pari ko ghar le aaye….aur uss pari ka naam tha….Jassi!😳😳
Not just the child, but the adults are also rapt in the story. Jassi looks fondly at Armaan when he mentions her.
Armu: Jaisi hi wo pari uss ghar mein aayi, us rajkumari ke dadaji theek hone lage…. uss ghar mein sab usse bahut pyaar karti thi, aur who bhi sabse bahut pyaar karti thi….. lekin wo pari udaas thi…..kyunki pariyon ki duniya mein, ek rajkumar uska intezaar kar raha tha…..aur uske bina wo nahin reh sakti thi….issliye uss rajkumari ke chachu, pari ko uske rajkumar se milaane pariyon ke desh le gaye….aur wo rajkumari hamesha ke liye apne rajkumar ke saath rehna chali gayi…kyunki wahi uski sahi jagah thi….👏
Jassi: (with a tear in her eye) Aur…jaanti ho uss rajkumar ka kya naam tha? ….Armaan!😳❤️
Armu: (smiling at the child) …yaani main!!
She looks wide-eyed at them both in turns. Then, impulsively, she hugs Armaan.
"Aap meri Jassi chachi ke rajkumar ho na…..aap bahut achche ho…."
Armu: Arre arre…..ek cheez toh main tumhe batana bhool hi gaya…..ab uss pari ke do pyaare-se bachche hai….aur unme se ek ladki hai, jo bilkul aapki age ki hai….agli baar jab hum log aayenge, toh aapko usse zaroor milvaenge!
She looks delightedly at her mother, who smiles a little wanly. Meera goes inside listlessly; G Kaka follows her.
When the snacks arrive, Karishma refuses to budge from Armu's lap. He reaches for a soft drink but the kid's squirming makes him spill it on himself. Uma clicks her tongue in consternation, but Jassi offers to lead Armu to the washroom so he can clean up the mess.
As they pass through the corridor, they overhear Meera and G Kaka talking in hushed whispers.
G Kaka: Aaj bhi wahin problem, Meera beta?
Meera: (sighing) Haan Kaka….samajh mein nahin aa raha, ye sab kyun ho raha hai….pehle hamare systems mein se important files gayad hui, aur ab hamari bid ki details hamare competitors tak pahunch gayi hai……aakhir aisa kaun karega?
G Kaka: (grimly) Isme zaroor kisi ki saazish hai….bahut dino se main office nahin gaya….lagta hai, ab mujhe hi chal kar pata lagana hoga…..
Armaan and Jassi stop and stare at each other. Simultaneously they think—"Iska matlab hai….CJ ka aadmi Oberoi Industries tak pahunch gaya hai..!"😕
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