Tewari & Sons, 23, Chandni Chowk - THREAD III - Page 31

Posted: 8 years ago
It's an awesome story though initially I was like why the title is so different but then read it's and arshi story.
I can't believe I read all the parts since yesterday and caught up till the latest update.

It's such fabulous tale of so many characters so different yet each one has a role to play.

Somehow these names connected to ipkknd is something easier to connect too thank god it's seems they all one big family including aman. 


Somehow I don't understand the past is out in open but I have the following questions?

1. Why did Arnav's mom had to doubt khushi' character and malign her name use her power to deprive of her dreams.

Is she so calm insecure or narrow minded as opposed to the facade of a modern businesswoman .


2. If Arnav already knew that khushi got the scholarship from that co then how come his mom Was sponsoring her education.

3. Wasn't khushi already studying through scholarship then how did she again get funding from the firm as an analyst.

4. Arnav is as usual didn't feel the need to set the record straight with his mom regarding him inviting her to the party.

5. I don't think that woman i.e. his mom deserves any forgiveness.
how Dumb and cheap of her to 1st fire khushi from work for her transgress instead of being grateful for saving her husband's life.

Secondly again humiliating her for helping his dad I mean how sick is she to spy on every little thing that happens in her absence. Isn't that how HP told her and Arnav about khushi's job.


Lastly she used her power to not just remove khushi from college indirectly but humiliating her and attacking her character. She was a teenage girl .

And she did all that instead of fighting with her husband.

I don't know how Arnav can even begin to forgive himself even if khushi did.

Most of all khushi should not take carp from his mom because she was not at fault.


If you do answer the questions pls scrap me because I don't know how to track the comments.:-)
I'll buddy you so pls pm me the updates.

Edited by renee.bee - 8 years ago
Posted: 8 years ago

Chapter 14: Courage

Arnav looked at Tumpa  while she slept on his lap, her tiny form needlessly bundled in a ton of clothes though it was April and the days were very warm. 

"Jeeju, why are you torturing the poor child by wrapping her in so many layers? Perhaps that is the reason why she has been such a handful," he said to Jun Jeeju who was furiously typing away something on his laptop. Possibly some hundred-thousand-word opinion piece on the just concluded elections. Result day was tomorrow and already the city was agog with all kinds of speculations on the possibilities of formations. The exit poll had clearly pointed to a verdict that suggested that the INP would get a majority. This meant that Payal was thrilled, and Jun Jeeju in a somewhat dramatic moment was considering immigrating to a country that would have a more left-leaning government. But he had a report to turn in and Di needed to catch up on sleep, so Arnav had volunteered to entertain Tumpa. 

Tumpa, aka his niece Debanjana was honestly the most precious baby he had ever seen. Not that he got to meet too many babies, but he was certain that even if he did there would be none like his niece. She had barely been a few weeks with the family and already his sister and brother-in-law had fattened her up nicely into a chubby child. Tumpa was also the noisiest human he had ever met. Especially if one were to consider the size of the human vis-a-vis their ability to produce noise, it was baffling. When she gurgled and laughed, it was loud. When she cried, she was even louder. Jeeju, fuelled by NK's Indian Idol dreams already was of the belief that Tumpa would hit the high notes with ease and was possibly scouting for music teachers for her in Vasant Kunj. Like most babies, Tumpa had a penchant to keep her parents awake until late into the night and messing up with the sleep patterns of the entire household. And if that were not enough, she did not like to be put down on a bed or her crib and insisted on sleeping on an adult's lap. Di had gone from, "Oooh, my favourite lap-top ever" in the first week to "God, we need to stop feeding her so that she does not weigh so much and give me arthritis". Of course, she meant this in jest, but his Di was exhausted. So if because of him jeeju could get some work done and Di get some rest, he was more than willing to test the strength of his knees. He was sitting on the floor, his legs crossed and Tumpa on his lap over a quilt that apparently used to be his baby quilt, though he had no recollection of it.

His mother had returned last week and had somewhat uncharacteristically driven down straight from the airport to Di's house. On reaching, she attempted to persuade Jun Jeeju to allow Di and Tumpa to stay at Raizada House for a month or so until they settle in. She even generously suggested that Jun Jeeju move in too and enjoy the Raizada hospitality for a while. But Di would hear nothing of it. After which, mom decided to loan HP to Di for a few months, but Di declined that too. This had led to an unpleasant encounter between the two women during which Di insisted that unlike her mother, she intended to be a hands-on mom. Of course, Di did not tell him any of this, but a distraught Jeeju had called him after his mom left. Jeeju loved his wife, and always supported her, but he also liked to keep peace within the family. Arnav had to reassure Jeeju that this was typical Raizada modus-operandi of letting things fester and then come out in inappropriate ways and at all the wrong moments. They all move on, until the next time.

"So Di did not want the services of HP, eh?"

Jun looked up from his laptop and grinned.

"Do you want some beer? It is kind of hot already, isn't it?" Jeeju asked him, as he walked towards the refrigerator.

"Beer? With Tumpa on my lap? I don't think so. Get me some chilled water if there is any," he said, carefully placing his palm to cushion Tumpa's cheek as he adjusted her again. His legs were almost asleep and he was beginning to see why Di was getting all antsy about Tumpa's disinterest in sleeping on the bed.

"Why? You think she will open her eyes and be disappointed that her Maama enjoys a drink? Do you think babies are more judgemental than adults? Arnav, sometimes you are so hard to understand."

"Babies are mysterious. Who know what all they know and understand and in which direction their moral compass points. But no, the reason is that I didn't want her to wake up because of the smell of beer."

"Well, I drink at least a beer a day and Anjali uses a beer shampoo. So I am going to say she is not sensitive to the smell. Anyway, thanks for coming along today. Jhalli was getting so stressed and I think she has managed to get some decent rest after the longest time."

"Jeeju, no need to be so formal. I am happy to help. Now that mom is back I don't have to bother myself with AR problems."

"AR has problems? Hmm. Why am I not surprised!"

Arnav wanted to tell his brother-in-law about Mihir Gupta and the discovery about him by Aakash, but he decided not to. He had already told about him to his mother who reacted in a peculiar way, thanking him for the same. Just that. Thank you, Arnav. She did not seem blown away by any of it. Which to Arnav was not surprising, there were but few things that his mother did not know. However, what did surprise him was her relative nonchalance about it. He had expected his mother to freak-out and she instead chose to just thank him. Yes, she had mellowed down over the years, but this much, that he did not expect.

"Well, it is alright. Now that mom is back, she is there to take care of everything and I can go back to my life."

"Speaking of whom, the mother-in-law is a doting grandmother. Presents, baby formulas and home remedies galore make their way from Raizada House every day."

"Maybe it is true that people enjoy their grandchildren more than their children. But I am glad that something seems to be making her happy, god knows very little does."

"Hmm. I am kind of surprised that your dad has been a little subdued through all of this. He visited once and seemed too distracted."

"Well, as a rule, mom and dad both can never be on the same page at the same time. But dad has not been keeping well. I ran into Dr Malik, the family doctor at the gym and he was saying that dad was meeting him for some routine tests."

"Really? Anything to worry? Why won't your dad tell you or Anjali about it though?"

"I don't know.. that would make us a normal family then."

"Right. I better keep Tumpa as far away as possible from you guys."

"Yeah," Arnav said even as he picked her up and put her on his shoulder, "By the way, why does she have so many layers on anyway? You are torturing the poor child."

"That is the Bengali way, I suppose. But this is Anjali's doing actually because Tumpa sneezed once this morning. As you can imagine, we have an anxious new mother."

"Anything lesser would be unacceptable as far as Di is concerned," Arnav got up, Tumpa did not stir even once as he switched her from one shoulder to the other. He walked to the fridge, if not beer he could at least have a cold drink or something.

"Arnav, you are surprisingly good with children. Actually not surprising really. But you are good with children, there is no denying it. You will make a good father."

"And you reached this conclusion because of my ability to multi-task with Tumpa on my shoulder?"

"No, I have been noticing. You adore her and she you. You are a natural at this thing. I have no agenda behind this, trust me."

"I am sure. But fatherhood seems like a big decision when.." he let it trail off because he was honestly unsure where he was going with that one.

"Payal?"

Jeeju had reached the crux of the matter quickly enough, as he oftentimes did. But this was not something that was up for discussion. Not when he himself was so confused about where all of this was headed. Payal had returned from Paris and got busy with the last minute election related work. The elephant in the room had not been addressed. He was now almost certain that he didn't want to marry Payal.

"Jeeju, you and Anjali Di.. why did you actually marry?"

"I married her for the Raizada wealth. At least that was the popular theory back in the days."

"Among whom?"

"Your mother."

"Really? Mom actually said that? That is.. just horrible and not like mom... I mean that sentiment sounds like mom, but not her actually saying that out loud."

"After our engagement she took me aside and said that she was giving her blessings even though she believed that we were mismatched, but that she would be happy to be proven wrong."

"Wow. That is kind of brutal and sad."

"Oh actually it was alright. I kind of appreciated her candour."

"I suppose that explains Di's resentment towards mom. I have always wondered why the wedge between them has widened over the years."

"I honestly don't think that your mom would have approved any man for Anjali, but a middle-class boy was the worst. For instance, I don't think she loves Payal, but at least Payal is as wealthy as you guys, so that is one less reason to be suspicious of her."

"That is an altogether too cynical a view.  But sadly I think you are on to something."

"But I am curious and a little worried that you are broaching this subject, saalesaheb."

"Saale Saheb? Really? That is worse than INP guys calling me Damaadji."

"But you are, no? A damaadji that is, to be I mean. So not inaccurate."

But it was altogether too inaccurate. He could not marry Payal. He knew that now. He had known that for a while actually. Sometimes he tried very hard to think of that exact moment when he and Payal had decided to marry. But there wasn't one moment that he could pin down, to think of that one gesture, one casual conversation that had made him feel that she was the one for him. It had been a decision that they had arrived after a lot of thought. Perhaps Payal had suggested the idea or maybe he had, but they had both calmly evaluated why they would be good together. It was a cerebral decision and therefore he was sure that if they were to in fact marry, they would manage a reasonably happy relationship. If nothing else, between his desire to keep his life simple and Payal's pathological need to never fail, they could be together for a long time. But that was not going to be enough. Even if every child eventually grows up to become their parents, he could at least ensure that he did not inherit his parents marriage made up of long business trips and a never ending golfing season. He knew that Payal's ego would not allow her to admit that they were pretty much incompatible, and the onus was on him to break it off. But he had perhaps not had enough courage to admit this to himself. Until now that is.

"Arnav, will you be okay with Tumpa on your own for a bit? I need to quickly go to my folks place to get some Aadhar Card nonsense done. My permanent address is still CR Park and there is some problem. I should be back in an hour and a half or so."

"Sure, go. We will be fine. And surely Di will wake up at some point, won't she?"

"I wouldn't count on it. Anjali finds it tough to fall asleep and when she does, it is tougher for her to wake up."

"Oh she used to be a wanderer when we were growing up. I always assumed that it was because she wanted to eavesdrop on mom and dad's conversations. I did not realise that she honestly had a sleep problem."

"Really? So she knows stuff then."

"You bet. Next to HP, she probably has the most amount of information and insights into everything about the parents."

"Hmm, I will be back."

Once Jeeju left, Arnav switched on the TV and watched the highlights of a cricket match on mute, even while he checked his mails on his phone. Scrolling through them, he stopped at one from Aakash that read:

Arnav,

Last evening my PI who is still shadowing Mihir Gupta saw him head to Chandni Chowk. He met this character called Shekhawat, an important influencer and friend of INP'.  Apparently this guy is an uncle of his. The PI did not clarify what he meant by uncle', as in how they were related. Thought you might be interested. I casually brought up Shekhawat in conversation with Payal and she mentioned that she didn't know much about Shekhawat besides the fact that he was a strategic ally of the INP, that he worked as a solicitor of funds for the party and that he had a bit of a roving eye as far as pretty, young things were concerned. I am not sure how any of this is helpful, but clearly Mihir Gupta does have some sketchy connections. 

I know you said that Maami is on top of this Mihir Gupta situation, but I think we should keep a watch on him just in case. If I hear something else, I will let you know.

Love, 

Aakash

He reread the email a few times over. It really was surprising in many ways. For one, Mihir Gupta -Chandni Chowk - Shady Shekhawat situation was worrying and making him uncomfortable. He was also surprised that his cousin was having casual conversations with his to-be-ex fiance. Was something afoot between Payal and Aakash. And if there was, he could not quite decide what to feel about it. Amused? Angry? Jealous? Let down? But the most surprising part of the mail was that his cousin had signed off with love. Was that a reflexive thing or had their relationship made that much progress? 

But the more worrying thing at the moment was Shekhawat and Mihir Gupta and that weird feeling in his gut that said that somehow this would eventually lead to Khushi, like all roads in his life did. Could there be a connection between Khushi Gupta and Mihir Gupta? It was a pretty random thought, considering how common a last name Gupta was in this country, but hadn't much of his relationship with Khushi been made up of freakish coincidences?  And more importantly he was worried now that he knew about the history of Shady Shekhawat. Getting a new phone number would not be enough of a deterrent. He had to warn Khushi, try to help her somehow. Though he did not know what he was hoping to accomplish but he picked up his phone and dialled her number. The call didn't go through because the number was unavailable. He remembered then that she now had a new number that she had texted to him and he called her on that, but she didn't pick up that either. Not willing to give up, he tried the number of Tewari & Sons and sure enough an elderly male voice said Hello to him.

"Khushi hai?"

"Aap kaun. Khushi, phown hai tumhaara."

He could hear her say, kaun hai Faisal Bhaii. 

Shayad damaadji honge, Faisal Bhaii said.

Hearing Faisal Bhaii's reply almost made him snort out the juice he was drinking.
He could hear some rustling and Khushi muttering something before her voice came on, somewhat breathless.

"Hello? Kaun?"

"Khushi, why won't you pick up your mobile phone?"

"Umm.. Arnav, hi."

"Hi, Khushi. Sorry, I meant I tried your new cell number but it just rang out after a few times."

"Oh sorry. That new phone is terrible Charge baith ta hi nahi hain. Kuch kaam tha?"

It was nice that they had reached a point in their relationship where she seemed relatively relaxed and easy-going with him. She did not get flustered or seemed to overthink.

"Did Alchemy get back to you?"

"No. I don't think I got that job. I am not surprised."

"These things take time."

"I don't think so. If someone has to say yes, they will know immediately. Na bolne mein zyada samay lagta hai."

"Khushi Kumari Gupta is a philosopher too? Wow, I am impressed."

"Mera mazaak udaane ke liye phone kiya ki kuch kaam tha."

"Sorry. In a completely different context today someone was talking about Shekhawat and how he is a creep so I was wondering if things are okay for you and if he was bothering you still."

"Yes and no. I got the new number which he doesn't have, but he comes home every day on some pretext or the other and is trying to help me some way or the other."

"Hmm. Maybe it is time you told your parents about this. You do realise that you are encouraging him in a way by keeping silent, don't you?"

"You think I want this man's attentions? Okay I am busy now, I have to hang up."

"No, no, Khushi. that is obviously not what I meant. I mean I worry about you. I feel you need some help here. Please don't always misunderstand me.. even if I say tactless things to you."

"You are right, but you don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself. I am not afraid of him."

"Maybe you should be. Sometimes it takes courage to admit that you need help. And I think you do in this instance. But I will obviously not force you. Only you can decide what is the best way out."

"Hmm. I will be okay. And I might even leave Chandni Chowk soon, so then all will be well."

"You are going to marry that Tripathi?"

"I am meeting him later this evening. I think I will. Once I am married I will be safe."

"That is a little simplistic, Khushi. And also not the best reason to marry someone. You are basically saying a woman needs a man to take care of her. Kind of surprised that you believe that."

He heard a woman's voice telling Khushi something about getting ready or else she will be late.

"Arnav, I need to go now. Aur kuch kaam tha?"

"Do you know someone called Mihir Gupta? Does the name ring any bell? Someone from Chandni Chowk?"

"No, nothing at all. Why?"

"Nothing. I mean, not important. Just someone I came across who is somehow connected to Shekhawat."

"Oh. Should I ask Baba?"

"No, not necessary."

"Okay. Phone rakhoon?"

"Sure. Bye."

"Bye."

"Khushi, good luck for your meeting with Tripathi."

"Hmm.. thank you."

Once he hung up he realised that while on the one hand here he was contemplating putting an end to his plans of marrying Payal and there was Khushi who was heading towards matrimony. And her reasons and motivations to marry did not seem any better than his were. He wished that that he thought of Khushi's marriage did not fill him with so much gloom. But it did. His conflicted feelings over Khushi were getting a little out of control now. He hated the feeling of not being in control.

He began to feel restless and put down Tumpa on the little bed on the floor and within seconds she opened her eyes and began wailing. He picked her up, but he wasn't sure that inspite of Jeeju's contention that he was a natural with her, he would be able to quieten her down. Thankfully Di came in just then, with a milk bottle and took Tumpa from him.

"Di, I am sorry that I put her on the floor for a second and she started crying.. you woke up because of that?"

"No, I woke up a while ago to make her milk. Anyway she is due for her feed so that is okay. You were busy on the phone, so I guess you didn't notice me."

"Oh, okay."

"Who were you chatting with anyway? Who is Tripathi?"

"Umm."

"I am sorry for eavesdropping."

"f course you are not sorry, Di. Haha. Was chatting with Khushi actually."

"Ah, okay. How is she doing? Did she get the job at Alchemy?"

"How did you know that she had an interview with them?"

"Aakash was telling me."

"She has not heard back from them."

"Okay, who is Tripathi."

"How curious you are, Di. He is a guy she might be getting married to."

"Really?"

"Yeah. An arranged marriage suitor."

"I see. That is great news."

"And why is that great news?"

"Come on, Arnav, don't think I don't know about your little crush on this girl. And I even get the fascination you have for her. She is a good person, she is pretty, she is elusive. I get the attraction. But it is even foolish of you to think of something along those lines. Firstly, there is all the history and bad blood between the two of you. Even if you somehow magically fix all that how will you bridge the enormous class difference between the two of you. It is best this way. The two of you live happily ever after. But separately. That is the only way."

**

Khushi nervously twiddled her thumbs as she adjusted her dupatta waiting for Abhimanyu Tripathi to show up. She had been waiting for fifteen minutes now and was getting a little anxious now. She had not met a matrimonial prospect since she was declared as un-marriageable material after the Tewari fiasco. And even back when she was in the marriage market she had not really meet too many potential suitors, at least not in a coffee shop somewhere. But here she was, in Mayur Vihar, at a Cafe Coffee Day waiting to meet Abhimanyu Tripathi.

Maa and Baba were not so keen on it, but it was Bua who pushed for a meeting outside their home.

"Aajkal toh aise hi hota hai," Bua had said to her parents and once Madhumati Bua said something, one did not usually argue with her. She was a well-humoured and good-natured soul, but also very fierce. Her Baba adored his sister but was also terrified of her. When Bua, Maa and Baba had focussed their energies to persuade her to consider a marriage with Abhimanyu seriously she tried all the tricks in the book. At first she rejected the idea of marriage itself. Then in an attempt to lessen the disappointment of her parents she suggested that she will marry, but not right away, not until she got a job and secured financial independence. But the more she bargained, the more her parents subjected her to emotional blackmailing and in the end she had to at least consider meeting Abhimanyu. She was grateful that her parents were at least allowing her the freedom to decide and saying no was an option. It was only right that she too approached this with some degree of open-mindedness.

It was Madhumati Bua who had fixed the time and place. Mayur Vihar was picked, away from her bastion Chandni Chowk and his bastion Noida. It seemed best to meet in a new place that both were equally uncomfortable in. Khushi scanned through the menu while she waited for Abhimanyu to show up. She thought back to the conversation she had with Arnav earlier in the day. It was nice of him to be concerned about her over the Shekhawat episode. And he did make a fair point that just to protect herself from the stalking she could not marry someone. But it was more than just that. The Alchemy interview had not proved to be fruitful, Tewari & Sons still continued to be a bone of contention between her and Baba, business was slow. It seemed like the easiest thing would be to give up on it all and just go away.

"Khushiji?"

She looked up and immediately recognised him. She had seen a photograph of his, he looked very young and had a boyish face. He was a year older than Khushi and according to Bua she was too old' for him. However because Khushi was light-skinned Abhimanyu's grandmother approved of her. This had immediately set off alarm bells in her head. Could she marry someone who displayed such obvious shade-ism?

"Bua, yeh toh sahi nahi hai.."

"Har baat par andolan ki koyi zaroorat nahi hai.. woh bure log nahin hain. Khoobsurat chehra toh har koyi pasand karta hai."

Khushi had not been convinced, but she made peace with the fact that there was nothing else perhaps attractive about her.

"Abhimanyu, hello."

She considered suffixing the ji but decided not to. What if she actually married him, then would she have to call him ji forever? He sat down across her and she watched him switch off his phone and put it away. Khushi immediately warmed up to him. How often did anyone give their complete attention to someone when there was a mobile phone around. Perhaps Bua was right, he might be a good person after all. She smiled at him.

**

They were at the Army Golf Club in Dhaula Kuan, sipping coffee. Lavanya looked at Aakash, she was meeting him after a long time. In fact, probably for the first time since the wedding. Her husband Anand was out with some of his buddies and she had invited Aakash to catch up with him.

"So you are now growing roots in Delhi, nahi?"

"As in?"

"As in now that you are looking after the Raizada Business, how are you ever going to leave this place?"

"Yeah, you are right. Truth be told, I am officially bored of Delhi. But one can't say no to family."

Lavanya realised that Aakash looked a little out of sorts. This wasn't him. He was usually very cheerful and chatty, at least with her. But he had hardly asked her anything or made some wry comment about how they were at an Army Club and how she was becoming a cliched fauji biwi. No, he had been quiet and had offered only monosyllabic answers to most of her questions.

"What happened, Aakash? Why the dislike for Delhi suddenly?"

"I don't know. I guess I miss my work back in Cal and this stuff is pretty mind numbing and I am rather awful at it."

"Hmm. Why don't you tell Poonam Aunty this. Arnav is anyway there to look after the business."

"Well, it is kind of complicated. Arnav looks after the business reluctantly as well actually."

"Really? By the way when is his wedding with Payal? Once Payal comes into the family she will look after the business. It is her thing actually. I am pretty certain that is why she and Arnav are marrying each other."

"You really don't like them, do you? I don't know when they will marry.. everything seems to be in a state of limbo."

"Oooh.. really.. give me the gossip."

"Hmm. How are things with you anyway?"

"Things are fine. Still trying to find that middle ground between being fauji biwi and managing my sports agency. It isn't that easy. The Army is a patriarchal institution. And when you marry a soldier you kind of marry the entire institution."

"Trouble in paradise already?"

"No. The challenges of modern marriages. But I would still recommend it. You know what, you need to get married."

"We are back to that again? Did my mom put you on to this. That is another reason why Delhi is not good for me. Mom is absolutely driving me nuts with her shaadi obsession. I love my mother, but I miss my independence."

"Haha. What is up with you and Khushi? Any progress there?"

"Not again.."

"Oh that reminds me, Payal was your crush in New-Ons, why didn't I never know about this? Now it kind of makes sense, you always had a soft spot for her."

Aakash looked uncomfortable at the mention of Payal and Lavanya immediately figured that something was amiss. Was Aakash upset because of Payal and Arnav's wedding. Were his feelings for Payal more than a schoolboy crush? Now a lot of his reaction did make sense. How could she have missed it? She had all along believed that Khushi was the one Aakash was interested in, but it was always Payal. She always had assumed that Khushi liked Arnav and Aakash liked Khushi, but now it dawned on her how this was not the case after all. 

"You know what, Aakash, you need to set up Khushi and Arnav, that will solve all the problems."

"Khushi and Arnav? Funny. That is never going to happen. Ever."

"Never say never."

"So what is this fauji biwi thing you mentioned? What does it entail?"

**

Arnav put the TV on mute when his phone rang and picked it up. Jun Jeeju was on the line.

"Arnav, Payal must be destroyed no? How is she holding up?"

The counting had concluded and contrary to exit polls INP did not manage a majority. In fact, they had barely enough seats to even form a cohesive opposition. He had tried to call Payal a couple of times during the day, but her phone was switched off. She probably did not want to talk to anyone, he understood that.

"I have no clue. I am at home, she has been busy haven't spoken to her all day."

"What kind of fiance are you, Arnav? You should be out there with her, holding her hand, giving her a tissue, comforting her."

"Jeeju, don't think that I can't sense the ample amount of glee in your voice. You are ecstatic aren't you?"

"I am Arnav. I mean, this is nothing against Payal of course, she is soon to be family. But it is good to see the Indian voters not vote for INP. I mean, politicians are bad, but INP is the worst."

"Hmm. Jeeju, may I tell you something.. but just between you and me."

"Yeah, sure. Is all well?"

"I am calling off the wedding with Payal. I haven't spoken to her yet though.. but I am pretty sure that is what she wants too."

"I think so too. I always knew that one of you had to call it off, I am happy that you decided to do the right thing."

"Okay, got to hang up now. Samir Singh is on TV."

"Aha. You know what this looks like, right? Perhaps you would not have called this off if INP had got a clear majority. Tsk tsk."

**

Arjoon walked back to the living room where Anjali was catching up on the election news on TV. They now had a nanny for Tumpa, who came in at eight in the morning and stayed till eight in the evening. Anjali needed to find a way to get back to work when college reopened in a couple of months so they were testing possible babysitters. But this was big news, he knew that Anjali would want to know and that it would make her happy. Like most sisters who adored their brothers, Anjali was never convinced about the suitability of Payal as her brother's wife.

"Jhalli, just got off the phone with Arnav, he is apparently calling off the wedding with Pay.."

He stopped his sentence just short of completing it because he saw his mother-in-law, the formidable Poonam Raizada looking at him.

**

Khushi was at Tewari & Sons when Shekhawat came in. Faisal Bhaii was not at the shop because he had gone to do some deliveries. Khushi immediately got up from the chair behind the counter and threw a scathing look his way, hoping that she would somehow dissuade him.

"Khushi, kaisi ho bitiya," he said and put his hand out to touch her face. Khushi backed away, and looked out of the shop. But Chandni Chowk continued to go about its day paying no attention to her.

"Kya chahiye, aapko? Baba ghar mein hain."

"Tum se hi milne aaya hoon. Suna woh naukri ho nahi paya. Hum kuch madad kar de. Tumhe message bhi bheje rahe," he said and pointed to her phone that she was clutching. Almost panicking she dropped down the phone that he bent to reach for it before she could. He then offered her a smile, challenging her almost to take the phone from his hand. She took it from his hand, almost cringing at the brief contact. He was playing mind-games with her. She needed to find some solution to this. And getting married to the first boy who wanted to marry her would not be enough. Maybe she should speak to Maa and Baba about it. How long could she keep something like this from them. And if they did not support her and look out for her, who would. Tonight she would speak to them, it would upset them, but they needed to know.

Just then Aarav came in to the store saying he was hungry. Khushi had never felt more grateful seeing her nephew and hugged him as soon as he began speaking. He looked at her bemused, "Kya hua, Bua?"

"Kuch nahi. Kachori khayega tu?"

Aarav nodded. She put the phone into the drawer and placed two kachoris and two varieties of chutney on a plate and gave it to Aarav who was now sitting on the cash counter.

"Khushi bitiya, aadha kilo jalebi parcel kar do," Shekhawat told her.

There was no point in creating a scene now. Not in front of Aarav and not when she was anyway going to speak to her parents today. She hastily packed him the jalebis and placed the packet on the shelf-counter.

"Kal phir aaonga," Shekhwat said cheerfully, ruffling Aarav's hair as he left.

**

Payal walked into her room and just collapsed face down on her bed. It had been a long day. It had been a long few days. The debacle of INP after all the exit polls gave them a clear mandate was a shocker. Her dad had been completely shattered and broken at the end of it. As a senior leader of the party and someone who was part of the core election campaign team he had to take much of the blame. He gave in his resignation from the position of party spokesperson and it was accepted. And yesterday the party decided that she Payal Singh would take over as the new party spokesperson. It was to inject young blood' KL Chaturvedi the founder of the party had said. It had come as a surprise to her and her father both. A month ago this would have excited her, but now she was not sure. She knew that her father was particularly hurt by this. And Payal did not feel any victory in dislodging her father. When they drove back home from the meeting, her father didn't say much and retired to his study soon after. She hadn't met him since then. When she had later told her mother about this, she had chastised her for not turning down the position. Evidently husband always came before daughter.

And if that was not enough, Arnav had met her today and told her that they should call off their wedding. She had been shocked when he brought up the subject and went on to detail why they were incompatible. He did not beat around and try to cushion the blow, he was as straightforward as he always was. That was precisely one of the reasons why she liked him and respected him. When he suggested that they call off the wedding she felt relieved and even grateful that he took the fall on their behalf. And yet, she also felt hurt in a way. The timing was not particularly good for her. Like he was kicking her when she was at her lowest. By the time she walked out of the lunch in which they decided that they would make a joint announcement to the family over the weekend she was in a bleak mood. One that took a turn for the worse when she returned to her studio and realised that one of her designs had been made and delivered and it looked a complete disaster. She spent the next few hours course correcting it, but nothing was satisfactory. Upset she had come to her parents house, though they were still mad at her for no fault of hers. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Sonu, her family's manservant.

"Kya chahiye?"

"Didi, Arnav Bhaiya ke amma aaye hain."

Poonam Raziada was here? What could she possibly want? Certainly whatever be her reasons, it was not going to be a pleasant encounter. She considered asking Sonu to lie and say that she was not around, but that did not seem right.

"Bithao, main aati hoon."

Payal almost immediately followed Sonu to the ground floor, Poonam Raizada seemed stressed and was pacing.

"Aunty? How are you?"

"Payal, what is this I hear about you and Arnav?"

Wow, Poonam Raizada did not beat around the bush, did she? She sent Sonu to get some chai because he was hovering.

"Aunty, please sit down."

"I believe the decision to call off the wedding was Arnav's. But why?"

"Aunty, I think you should speak with Arnav."

"I will. But he will be cagey and not give me a straight answer. I want you tell me."

"It wasn't working out, Aunty. It was Arnav's idea, but I didn't disagree."

"Was it because Arnav likes someone else, perhaps?"

"No Aunty, it is not that."

"I have a feeling there has to be something.. Arnav has not been himself lately."

Payal considered what Poonam Raizada was saying. Did Arnav finally get the courage to break off their wedding because of someone else? But she knew that if that were the case, Arnav would have been honest with her about it. And besides who could it be? She did have a hunch that Arnav liked Khushi. But she also knew that if there was one person who didn't know that, it was Arnav himself. And she also knew that if Poonam Raizada even got a whiff of Khushi and the idea that Arnav was possibly harbouring any feelings for her, she would be livid. She would attempt to destroy Khushi all over again. Payal decided that she could not throw Khushi under the bus.

"It is nothing like that, Aunty. Arnav had a lot of work related stress lately. Honestly Aunty, Arnav and I wanted to sit you uncle, mom and down and explain this. But surely you will agree that it is better to end this now than be stuck in a less than happy marriage for life."

"Yes," Poonam Raizada said, as she got up and walked away.

Payal wondered if she should call Arnav and tell him about his mother's dramatic entrance and inquisition, but she decided that she had done her bit for the day.

**

Khushi was wondering what is the best way to introduce the subject that one was being harassed by a father-figure man, whom her parents had immense affection for. As Khushi helped Maa make rotis for dinner she realised that Shekhawat had further ingratiated himself with the family by agreeing to invest in her Baba's new catering business. While on the one hand Khushi was thrilled that Baba had somehow given up the idea of returning to Lucknow and was in many ways going back to their old life, the one before the Tewari & Sons Episode. But of all the people he could take help from, why this creepy man? Now was as good a time as any other to tell the truth before the family got too involved with Shekhawat. Just then Renu Bhabhi came into the kitchen, she was working until late in office and had returned just a while ago.

"Maa, Khushi, bahar hall mein aayiye toh, aap sab se zaroori baat karni hai."

They turned off the stove and walked into the hall, where Baba was waiting and looked at them questioningly.

"Aap logon se kuch kehna chahti hoon, shayad aap log ko sahi na lage, lekin mujhe Shyam se kanooni talaak lena hai. Woh kabhi wapas nahin aayega abhi. Aur ab mujhe nahi lagta ki mujhe sirf Aarav ki Maa bankar rehna chahiye."

"Matlab dobara shaadi karogi?" Maa asked.

"Haan. Agar Khushi ka mere jaise halaat hota, aap karvati na usko phir se settle" Renu Bhabhi said  pointing at her.

"Aur Aarav ka kya?" Baba asked.

"Woh mere saath jayega. Mera pati jo bhi hoga, uska naam lega. Waise bhi Shyam ne iske liye kiya bhi kya hai jo woh usse apna baap kahe."

"Lekin Bhabhi, aap ki nazar mein koyi hai kya? Achanak yeh khayal kaise aaya?"

"Achanak nahi Khushi, aaj himmat huyi bolne ki."

"Yeh to achi baat hai, Bhabhi, aap bilkul sahi faisla le rahe ho. Hai na, Maa, Baba?" she asked turning to her parents. They looked at her, Baba was the first to walk away and Maa followed him.

She personally thought that this was the right decision by Renu Bhabhi. She was still young and life had not been kind to her. She had every right to a happy family as any other person. But she also saw how difficult this must be for Maa and Baba. They had with great reservations accepted Bhabhi and Aarav into their lives and hearts. And now in some ways, they would lose the only binding tie that they had to their son and first-born. But she hoped that her parents would come around, for she did not want to take sides again. She did not want to let down her parents again.

After the Abhimanyu Tripathi incident, the parents were at an all-time phase of depression and gloom. Abhimanyu's parents had called Maa and Baba the day after she met him at Cafe Coffee Day saying that their son felt that the age difference between them was too less and he would prefer to marry someone younger. Maa, Baba and Renu Bhabhii had found this baffling because the boy and his family knew exactly how old she was and how much apart her age was from the potential groom. So it seemed like the reason was something else. Maa thought it was something that Khushi must have said during the meeting. Bua blamed her choice of cotton salwar kameez for the meeting as the problem.

"Koyi ache gottewallah Karol Bagh walli Punjabi suit pecan ke jaati toh yeh na hota."

Renu Bhabhi suggested that Khushi must have deliberately sabotaged the meeting. Honestly she wished she had then the rejection would have at least seemed like a victory and not dent her self-worth. 

"Maybe he found some other girl who was fairer skinned," line of reasoning the Khushi offered was dismissed. Though Khushi did not like Abhimanyu after the meeting, she had to admit that it hurt her. All in all, it had been a few weeks of rejections and disappointments. And now Renu Bhabhi. 

She decided that she will not tell her parents about the Shekhawat situation for now. She did not want her parents to board the next train to Lucknow.  But in the meanwhile she needed to find a way to fix the Shekhawat problem. She couldn't let her feel violated and harassed. It had to be something more than getting a new phone number. The more she feared, the more power she gave him. Perhaps she should speak with Arnav, since he was the only person who knew about this problem. And he genuinely seemed to be concerned about her. As she picked up the phone to dial his number she recalled their last conversation when she had rather stuffily told him that she was capable of caring for herself and that she didn't need his help. But she could not fight all battles alone. And she needed a friend.

**

NEXT

Edited by YellowBoots - 8 years ago
Posted: 8 years ago
Res
Unres:

Wonderful update once again; you covered lot of ground yet my heart is restless at the end of update..
Precisely when Poonam is getting suspicious that something is afoot between her son & Khushi, Khushi decides to call him and actually take the help he offered.. This is called fates intervening isn't it? Somehow I think Poonam may pickup that call and all hell will break loose.! Joon jiju, what did you do!

I wish Khushi told about shady shekhawat to her parents; if Renu is planning to get married and move away, would they leave a young Khushi alone in Delhi that too after she tells them about a budda harassing her no matter how affectionate are they towards him? No way they will go to Lucknow leaving her by herself in a city like Delhi.. Yes it may not have been an appropriate time to tell them but with that ass visiting everyday, she has no other option left in my humble opinion..

I'm glad Arnav finally came to his senses and called off the wedding but he chose a very inopportune time to do this.. I guess once he made up his mind, he wanted to get it over with it soon..

Payal accepting her dad's position was weird too and I support her mom😆 But why was she surprised when Arnav called off? Didn't she want the same thing? I thought she started to develop some feelings for Aakash.. Speaking of him, his meeting with Lavanya came as a surprise but I guess you always have some surprises for us with some secrets being revealed (and some new ones created 😆)

Abhimanyu Tripathi rejected Khushi?!?! I guess it's because she didn't address him with a Ji.. Good riddance any way.. What's up with Renu bhabhi though, she turned hostile to Khushi by suggesting Khushi sabotaged the meeting.. And her revelation was a total surprise too considering we were all predicting she is upto something but this was not one of the upto..

Finally.. Who is this MIHIR GUPTA?? I have to give it to you because you are tightly guarding that secret.!!

Oh, one other thing.. "Love Aakash" was too weird even if they are cousins 😆


Edited by kclovearshi - 8 years ago
Posted: 8 years ago
Atlast the wedding is called off. 
No, I am not sadist.😆
Now new twist with Renu Bhabhi😕

nice update 👏
Edited by rdforfun - 8 years ago
Posted: 8 years ago
YellowBoots...Absolutely loved reading this story. New to the story and just caught up.  I remember you from RR days!!
Reminded me of my school and college days; classmates and finding out about their lives at reunions years later.
Each chapter felt like a day in the life of the NewOns. 😊

Looking forward to the next chapter.
Kudos. 👏👏

Edited by bolt - 8 years ago
Posted: 8 years ago
Looks like there is a new wind blowing in Delhi and Chandni Chowk.
Softening of Poonam...good or bad...we will have to wait and see.
Softening of Payal...she actually was protective of Khushi.
Khushi, job not materializing and marriage proposal rejected for not having enough "age" gap.
Creepy Shekhawat...playing games...needling his way into the Gupta family...the "snake" in this story.
Hope somebody in the family has a "light bulb" that goes on about the "snake".
Wow...Renu Bhabhi wants to move on...how about that. I think she has a "boyfriend". Good for her!!

Arnav calling off the engagement...yeah!!

Overall, all roads lead to Khushi...😉. 

Great update...again!! 👏
Edited by bkamber - 8 years ago
Posted: 8 years ago
Awesome update. So intricate with all the characters intermingling.
You have the right amount of "human" frailities covered here, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Well done!! 👏 Edited by IsisMoon - 8 years ago
Posted: 8 years ago
Amazing loved it
wedding is called off great,
shikawat ka ilaaj karo yaar he is getting on nervesEdited by srahs - 8 years ago
Posted: 8 years ago
i was wondering where is the update...but then i saw u have reserved a place...update still on the way... eagerly waiting
Posted: 8 years ago
For first time am loving Payal..she didn't put Kushi under the bus ..
Finally Kushi is taking Arnav's help..yayyy

Will come back with more comments soon..

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