Arshi FF - Sealed With Your Kiss/Chapter 17/ (Pg-143)/UPDATED - Page 3

The Spoiled Lamb

I am not spoiled ~ Everyone is just very accomodating ~

Gupta Residence

"Come on Khushi...Get up...I am giving you only 5 minutes to get ready", a woman's annoyed voice called to the girl upstairs who was sleeping cosily wrapped up in the blankets. As the voice brought her out of her sleepy state she groaned, sticking out her head from under the blankets to looked groggily at the clock. The hands of the clock showed that it was nearing 7.30 a.m.

She again withdrew her head in the blankets groaning "Mom, I have atleast half an hour to get ready, the college starts at 8.00 a.m, "Khushi Beta if you sleep for 5 more minutes there won't be any harm", She muttered fuzzily to herself and dropped down in a deep sleep again.

"Miss Khushi Kumari Gupta", a woman's voice thundered near her ear. " I am telling you for the last time to wake up and get ready". The woman paused near khushi's bed and tapped her wrist watch, showing the time to her who was looking owlishly, from under the bed covers at the now furiously scowling woman whose gentle and delicate face was now marred by a deep frown.

She shared elfin feature and a petite frame with her daughter and at the moment her reddish brown curls were falling loose from a messy top knot on her head. Khushi's own hair were a darker shade of brown like her father...

"Young lady i won't do any compromise on this, now you have only five minutes left to get ready, "her mother was saying in a tight-lipped voice to Khushi. "Mom I only wanted to sleep for no more than 5 minutes", Khushi pouted.

"Young lady no tantrums in the morning, Do as I am telling you otherwise after 5 minutes I will drag you down to your college in your night pyjamas", Mrs Shashi Gupta said sternly.

"Nooo, mom", Khushi jumped straight from the bed , ran into the bathroom without pausing in mid stride and banged the door so hard that Mrs Gupta winced. "Mom you are so cruel, I am your only child", khushi howled from behind the door. "Khushi I am warning you, only 5 minutes", Mrs Gupta reminded her sternly but she was suppressing her smile so hard that an adorable dimple was forming on her right cheek.. She knew her daughter's antics and blackmailing techniques so well.

Her smile vanished as there came a sudden sound of crash from behind the bathroom door, followed by the groan of Khushi and the sound of some assortments falling and rolling on the ground. A startled Mrs. Gupta hurried towards the bathroom. "Khushi bacchay are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?", She asked worriedly, placing her ear on the wooden door to listen to what was her clumsy daughter trying to do. These days Khushi's clumsiness instead of reducing was growing at an alarming rate. Everyday she was involved in little accidents and almost daily she came home with minor injuries and a guilty look on her face.

Her daughter was certainly changing, but Garima was certain of one thing that Khushi wasn't bullying or picking up fights inside her college. But what was she up to, Garima had no idea about that. But she was sure doing something crazy on that she had no doubt...

But Garima was included in the list of those mothers who respect their children's individuality and give them a much needed space. So she hadn't asked her anything but she will some day when the right moment would arrive to talk...

"Khushi", Garima tapped at the door, her voice full of concern for her only daughter...

"No problem Mom, just doing my routine adventure", Khushi's muffled laughter came from behind the door. "Oh Khushi really you are sometimes...too...much", Mrs Gupta heaved a sigh of relief. "You and your clumsiness", She hurried from the room huffing and puffing exasperatedly.

Khushi was the only child of Mr and Mrs. Gupta. She was the apple of their eye, the sole reason for their being. They had totally given up hope of ever having a child after 10 years of marriage. They had seen every doctor in the continent but to no avail. But then after many hopeless surgeries, mindless prayers and many failed IVF experiments one day that miracle happened to them in the shape of a tiny cuddly girl child. Their baby doll that brought out the light of joy back in their dark hopeless lives.They named her then Khushi... for happiness...

Gupta Residence: Breakfast Table.

"Dad I need 50,000 rupees", Khushi asked breathlessly dragging the chair from behind the table and sitting on it with a thump...

"Why", Mr. Shashi Gupta asked who was sitting behind the breakfast table, his one leg placed over the other in a formal manner and casually turning the pages of today's newspaper which he was holding in his strangely small and stubby fingered hands for such a tall and wiry framed man. His temples were sprinkled with grey hair and there was an expensive set of glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

The only thing diminishing the perfect quality of his otherwise handsome face was the strange white scar that ran from his right cheek to the corner of his receding hairline. Khushi had been fascinated about that scar from childhood but whenever she had asked it from her father he had laughingly answered her little queries by saying that he got it from a surgery when he was involved in an auto accident that occurred many years ago before her birth...

"But Dad I told you yesterday that my friend Angie's birthday is coming near and I needed to buy a gift for her", Khushi explained exasperatedly.

"Young lady you only told me about the birthday , you didn't mention the money", Shashi said in a voice that echoed with displeasure. "Okay Dad , I forgot. So what's the big deal?,But now I have explained it to, as simple as that. So are you going to give me the money or not?", Khushi asked rudely, flicking her hair back with careless fingers.

"Khushi Kumari Gupta, where are your manners?, Young lady have you forgotten with whom you are speaking, It's your father. "Is that what I have taught you? You don't get to behave so badly towards elders Khushi, you very well know that, you are no longer a child, this rude behaviour of yours could land you in big trouble some day", Mrs. Gupta shook her wayward curls angrily from her face that belied her fiery nature the same as her daughter...

"Garima leave it" Shashi took Garima's hand in his own and prised her clenched fingers open, patting it to calm her down."Give her as much money as she want. Take it out from the locker in our room", Shashi said tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose to lessen the dull ache in his head...

"But you have given her 60 thousand last month too. It's too soon Shashi", Garima prtotested. "Leave it! Garima just give her the damn money", Shashi said in a sharp voice. His migraine had started again. Garima nodded her head seeing her husband's displeased face and hurried towards their room to take out the money from the safe's locker.

"You have to say sorry to your Dad young lady then and only then I will hand over the money to you", Garima said waspishly to her after coming back from the room.."Okay mom", said Khushi in a low voice, her lower lip sticking up like a stubborn child's. "Sorry Dad" she said in a small voice. There was no sign of remorse in her voice."It's okay Beta" Shashi answered with clenched teeth. His head was really pounding now...

"Oh my God five minutes left in 8.00 and the driving distance is at least of 15 minutes to the college" Khushi gave a horrified shriek. "I've got to run. Bye mom, bye dad" She clumsily dragged her college bag behind her, throwing and breaking many things in the process.

"But Khushi" Garima moved towards Khushi with her hand spread hands in an awkward poise. "You forgot to give me and your dad...", her voice trailed away ...,"a hug" as Khushi ran out from the door, scrambling and screaming the driver's name at the top of her voice."Ramu Kaka, Ramu kaka".

She dragged the car door open and first chucked the bag inside and then threw herself across the seat. "Ramu kaka get me to the college from the shortest route that you have ever known of and with as much speed as the car can take. Asap.", Khushi ordered breathlessly

"Quickly", she reminded to Ramu kaka who was staring at her from the back view mirror. "Ji chhoti bibi" Ramu kaka obediently nodded his head and started the engine.

"Oh forgot to text Angie about the successful way that Khushi Beta got money from Daddy dear" She gave a mental pat of encouragement to herself. "I think I should tell her instantly so that she could get enough time to think about the different ways that we can plan her birthday party" she muttered excitedly to herself.