#3 ArShi FF:VAS Undefined*Epilogue Thread Link page 1 - Page 33

PART 41

I was the elder son of the Family. But My papa never made me feel so Khushi. You know that, how carefree I was. But everything came crashing down when Papa died. And after a year, there came another news that was at the verge of taking Maa's life. I had to suddenly take up all responsibilities completely. And the news of Papa mortaging this house took away whatever little hope I had. Papa mortaged this house to Tara's father who was Papa's financial advicer and Yash's good family friend. Later I came to know that he was Papa's financier too and good amount of Papa's restaurants were going to him unofficially. Papa knew Mr. Choudary for a long time and his family too. But I never was interested. May be that's how Tara saw me and developed feelings for me. Mr. Choudary was the one who helped Papa in developing the hospitality chain that he always dreamed. Papa was so happy that he could see he dream come true and he started working on it with Mr. Choudary's help. All was going good until one fine day when our restaurants started sinking. This took toll on Papa's new business and on his health too. He fought everything alone. Atlast tired of the fight, the stress took his life. And when maa came to know about the solo fight of Papa and this home of his memory being at stake, she had a master stroke that was as good as taking her life. Papa was her everything Khushi. He was the only one with her when she her greedy family left her for property.

Arnav saw Khushi stiffening on hearing about Aarthy. But he continued. He had to let out the volcano that was boiling in him for past years.

Then I started fighting. Day night went away without any notice. Still I fought with the waves of this sea as I had a hope to reach the shore, Where you stood waiting for me. Among all these dark strikes, you were lightening that made me fight and gave me the courage. I could not share my turmoils with Maa as she was too week to help me and Pinki was too young to understand. There you were always behind me, driving me towards the destination, either with words or actions or just a simple smile. That much I was into you Khushi.

The bank balance that Papa left was nowhere helping. I was not getting loans. Midst all these chaos, Yash proposed Pinki for marriage. I dint know what to do. So I chose to be truthful. I went to Yash and explained the financial crisis. Yash was a very understanding man and he said that he loved Pinki and he doesn't want anything else. I explained his parents too. First they were a bit upset but then knowing Yash's happiness is in Pinki, they accepted her with open arms. That's when I actually came across Tara and Mr. Choudary as a family member. Then too I had my own commitments to notice Tara. With the bank balance and my personal savings, I started the marriage preparations and we had ancestral jewels for her, so it was not such a big problem as we thought. But as the rituals started, Yash's parents behavior started changing towards Pinki. They were acting weird like we were someone unworthy for them. Even Yash noticed it, but ignored it as we dint want to affect the marriage.

Suddenly on Pinki's Roka, Yash's Mother came to me. See the time she chose Khushi. She very shrewdly manipulated everything. She came to me and asked to write this very home in Anjali's or even better Yash's name so that they can be here and take care of business while the elders decided to stay away from the city. They also requested for a lavish wedding so that all their relatives and business accomplices wont feel uncomfy. After all they were hight status people.

I was again left in a dark forest without any way to lead to. All the bank balance, savings were given up for marriage. Money, I can earn. I was ready to take up even 3^rd grade jobs like driver. But the house? Papa mortaged it to Mr. Choudary as investment for AR hospitality. I was again sinking. One side, pinki and her marriage, other side business and financial crisis. I was lost.

Arnav's shoulders slumped in defeat as he relived the torment he went through that time. Even now it made him shudder at the thought of his little sister's wedding being at stake just for mere amount of money. He closed his eyes to compose himself. Khushi kept her hand on his shoulder supportively and he kept his cheek on her hand. She was always his strength. There was perfect silence letting them to prepare themselves for the coming up. Arnav took a Deep breath and continued.

That time Mr. Parthesh choudary came to me and Maa with his perfect solution.

Arnav chuckled sarcastically.

Khushi: He must have asked you to marry his daughter in return of the mortaged house and would have promised her share of ancestral property to you for the business. Bloody opportunist!!

Arnav looked at her in disbelief and surprise and shock. His mind ringed a very obvious question of HOW DID SHE KNOW ABOUT THIS?

As if Khushi heard his silent question answered him.

Khushi: just a lucky guess Arnav.

Arnav: Obivious isn't it?

I refused his proposal. But Maa was very much into this. She started pestering me to marry Tara. But how could I ? I love you Khushi. And how can they expect me to marry someone else? I ignored all these and started running for money. And somehow I managed few amount too from some land that Papa had in his village in my name. I could afford the wedding. So I thought soon I can take the business to good level too and get this home. But how wrong was I.

On Pinki's Haldi, I was happily getting ready to meet you. It was 2 days since your college ended and I thought that you might be ready to leave the town to return to your buaji before you come back for job. I wanted to meet you before that. When I came down to take my car, our servant came and gave me an envelop that was addressed to me. It was your letter. The way you write the A of my name, so unique. I understood immediately. Urgently I opened it to see what you have written. I thought u must have already left to your buaji's home. But what you wrote to me, shook my whole world. My whole workd came crashing down on my feet. I still remember your words.

"ARNAV,

Sorry to say this at such a short notice and like this through letter than in person. But it had to be said anyway and I don't want to regret later by postponing it. I have got a marriage proposal from an Australian NRI family. And I prefer meeting them as I cannot afford to tell about us and your financial status to Buaji and wait while they get miserable seeing my misery in waiting for you. So better move on with someone else who can be with you through and let me. Hope we don't meet again. And Sorry again.

KHUSHI!"

Tumhare Yeh Letter mujhe todke Rakh diya khushi. Ek taraf peson ke matlabi log jese Kulkarni aur Choudary aur dusri taraf peson ke liye mujhe chodne wali tum, teesri taraf meri behen ki zindagi. Har taraf se ger chukka tha main. Aur har taraf problem thi toh sirf Paisa.

(your this letter broke me apart. One side money minded people like Kukarni and Choudary, other side stood you who left me for money and other side was my sister's life. I was surrounded by problems from all side and the root cause was only MONEY).

Khushi you once made me believe that Money is everything in the world which I don't have. I should have believed our love. I shouldn't have let it to go weak. But the problems in front of me were very vast that I could do nothing but let myself drown in them. You dint leave me choice that time as I knew that searching for u that time would not give positive result and I dint have sources to find you as I dint even know Buaji's address. Still I tried searching for you, but your old colony people in Lucknow dint know anything about you. So I married Tara, for Pinki's happiness.

Mai akele kya kya samhata khushi? Mai dap gaya. Hamare pyaar ko haarne diya maine. Maine galat kiya Khushi. Tume letter likha toh likha, lekin maine uspe vishwas kese kiya? Akhir main tumhe ache se samajhta tha. Lekin maine tumhare vishwas ko bhi haarne diya. Main haar gaya.

(What all I will manage alone Khushi? So I let myself to get buried in it. I let our love lose. I did wrong Khushi. You wrote letter, but how did I believe it? After all I understood you. But I let your trust on us down. I lost).

He kept lamenting that his grief was twisting Khushi's heart. She dint knew that her one letter of simple words could cause such a torment in him. Even when his mother was at hospital, he was still strong but just needed a pillar to hold on which was she. But today she saw him totally broken which is new for her. She dint know how to calm him. Before she could say or do anything he continued.

First I thought it was Tara behind all these to get me. Yet Again I was wrong. She was genuinely in love with me since ages as she says. But she knew her condition of not being a marriage material to anyone, so stayed quiet not wanting to ruin mine or anyone's life for that matter. But her father dint know that. So he thought that she is refusing Marriage as she loves me, so he used my weakness to grant the wish of his daughter. He misinterpreted everything. His this one wrong decision, got his daughter slaughtered. DAMN!! He sold his daughter to me. And I am worse than him, I sold myself and married Tara to save MY family!! Bloody Hell!! I stooped so low and he was unfit to be a father..

Khushi: Arnav relax. There is no need to for this. As it is we had a stressful week since the custody notice. You don't need to explain anything to me Arnav.

She put her arm around him while he lay his head on her shoulder as if she will pull him out of all the sorrows he has been exposed to. This is what they were like. No superior inferior. When they needed shoulder to lay head on or a hand to hold on supportively, they equally stood for each other giving and taking strength. Arnav straightenend himself after sometime and said with determined voice.

Arnav: No Khushi, I am not explaining anything. But telling what I went through in these 3 years. I cannot keep this within me anymore. You are the only one who could listen to me and whom I can tell this. Take this as exploiting you or anything, but Khushi let me let this out!

Khushi knew that she is one the losing side of argument. So she let him continue while he started again looking into the empty day sky.

He married Tara to me, so officially I made Tara the profitable partner in the AR business that started to raise. But silently her part of money was getting to Choudary's hands. Tara saw this and changed her share into non profitable fund saving and arranged little share to be given to her father. When I asked about it, she said that the amount can come handy in future and as there is no anyother legal agreement with her father to pay such huge amouth other than the interest for his finance, she doesn't think this was wise decision for business. She was intelligent when it came to acting according to situation in business dealings. I had to accept. Everything was going good until AR started to flourish successfully and a chain of hospitality was getting stronger under my management. Maa was staying in shimla while I was staying with Pinki and yash with tara here as many dealings were delhi based.

Suddenly the increasing tax and me being with no child or any other family member to save for, my taxes taking huge amount for which Tara cut the money that was being sent to her father unofficially. She knew her father and his greed better. But I failed there once again as I was running behind money like madman that I never turned back to see what is going on in my family.

Normally people to run away from their problem get addicted to drugs or become alcoholic, but I turned workaholic. I stayed on AR for days and nights and turned AR into a powerful name in the field. Tara dint care much as she never expected anything from this marriage nor me. so it wasn't difficult for her with me being this way. But she gelled with others well. But this was certainly not enough for her father. Within 2 months of our marriage, the business grew and I was getting a respectable position in corporate society while my relation with Tara was same as it was in beginning. I never made public appearance. I became powerful man ASR who always stayed behind the screen and played his moves. As I had no kids, my tax amount was also increasing with my profits.

Pinki got her life, Maa was happy seeing Papa's dream coming true and tara was happy with the family. Khushi but I had nothing. From where I stood, I saw only everyone walking out of my life or sticking to me for their good. And everything was based on money. That's when I started building a feiry rage against you. I wanted to make you stand alone like me and beg for mercy. How can you walk out leaving my love and stick to some richie rich when I was ready to bring the world to your feet. The fire of vengeance started burning me from inside.

That's when Aman joined me. He was very loyal with good grades but no experience. But I saw the glint in his eyes. The thirst to do something, achieve something. I saw myself in him. I made him my junior manager. And his sister Sanaah, our chinto got well along with Pinki and she knew Tara beforehand. Tara used to go to orphanages to spend weekend with kids there and these both met there. I made arrangements for Aman's stay and for Chinto's higher studies when they were asked to move out of the orphanage. Soon Aman became my everything in business. He was like my shadow. He very well knew me. And he was very loyal. So I trusted him and asked him to search you. First we tried searching you on our own as we dint want to get us into limelight. Midst all these, AR achieved its first award for best hospitality provided.

Tara's father wanted a private celebration with me as I never made public appearance. So I went to his place for the said celebration and also for some financial advice.

But that night had something more planned for me than mere celebration. That night, everything changed for worse.

DM: But everything changed for good too.

BJ: but it was never easy. It only made the fire grow.

DM: AND THE FIRE WAS NEVER HATE!

BJ: Wait and watch

Meenu: Worse is yet to come!