IPKKND FF: KHUSHI by JALEBI JANE Thread 1: EPISODE 001-052 - Page 101

yash has made a good impact on arnav ...

Atta boy there ...you nailed it...

Right, Sisters.

KHUSHI by Jalebi Jane (EPISODE 045)
KHUSHI WAS RACING DOWN THE STAIRS towards the front door, but Jaiprakash had also heard the doorbell and was there before her. The doors opened to reveal all the Raizada men. One look at Akaash and Mama's grim faces told Khushi everything. Her husband had briefed them. Mama appeared to have aged a decade in one afternoon. She went to greet and support them, even though she had no confidence how they would receive her.

How they would view her role in the Shyam affair.

Mama patted her hand, and said only, "Bitya..." his words trailing off. He shook his head in a way which required no further words, and headed for his room. He climbed each stair with such weariness. That dear man, Sisters, was shattered. This was the full legacy of a man named Shyam Manohar Jha. He had seduced every member of this family. They had believed him. They had admired him. They had loved him---like a husband, like a brother, like a son.

The heart of an entire house would break today.

Akaash took Khushi's hands in his. He asked if Payal had been informed. Khushi shook her head and indicated that she was with Mami in Nani's room.

She felt Arnav's hand on her lower back. Their eyes met, and he asked, "Di?"

"In her room," she replied.

"Dr Malhotra?"

"In the guest quarters. He's putting Little Khushi down for a nap."

Arnav shifted his eyes to Akaash. "Inform Nani, Mami and Payal. Khushi and I will speak to Di."

"I'll go now." Akaash left like a man sent to the guillotine.

Was this not the way of the world? Those who had no role to play in one man's greed and deceit had to pay the heaviest price.

"I want to show you something, Khushi," Arnav said, leading her up to their bedroom.

She stopped him. "Wait. I'll get your lunch. I've kept it warm."

"Not now."

They entered their bedroom together and Arnav handed her a sheet of paper. "Read it," he urged her.

Khushi noted immediately that the full printed page had Shyam's large scrawly signature at the bottom. She met her husband's eyes with an unspoken query.

"Read it," he repeated.

Khushi began to read.

It was a confession!

A complete disclosure of Shyam's every wickedness. She slumped onto the recliner as her eyes raced left to right across the page. After each startling revelation, she looked up at Arnav, who met her eyes with a nod, as if to say continue---it gets worse.'

When she finished the letter, she stared at it with disbelief. "No remorse! No contrition! He seems proud of his deeds!" she gasped, leaping to her feet and coming to Arnav, fists clenched. "How could he write such a letter?"

"I wrote the letter," Arnav corrected her.

"You!?"

"I made a deal. I told him I would not press charges if he signed it," Arnav explained.

"Kya?" Khushi cried, her hands in the air. "He is not in jail? I don't understand. When I heard you speak to---to---someone this morning, I thought you were going to have him arrested."

"He is locked up, Khushi. And will remain so for twenty years at least. I lied to him. I tricked him."

Khushi exhaled with shaky relief. "Oh! I see," she said, her hand flying to her forehead, "it was a trick for him to confess. For a horrible moment, I thought you intended to show this letter to Di."

"I do."

Khushi's short-lived relief flew out of the window.

"What! Why?" Khushi couldn't follow her husband's reasoning. "Why would you want this letter to reach Di?" she asked, waving the letter about as she spoke each sentence. "To learn that he never loved her. That he pursued her only for her wealth. That he and his wife together conspired to do this! How he hid profits and earnings from Di's assets! This will break her heart," she exclaimed.

Arnav was nodding as she catalogued all of Shyam's evil acts. "Precisely! I want her heart to be so broken that she will never think to forgive him. I want her to break fully so she can then heal fully. I want her to never spend a moment pining for him. Or---to feel she might have misunderstood his intentions." He grasped the letter from Khushi's hands and shook it betraying his controlled fury. "I want her to hate him. This was the only way."

Reluctantly, Khushi realized her husband was correct.

He knew Di. She would only believe this awful truth if it came directly from the perpetrator. And unless she accepted that Shyam was truly malevolent, she would find a reason in her heart to stand by him. Anjali's understanding of a wife's role would demand it.

A realization entered Khushi's mind. Her eyes widened to meet his. "This letter does not mention me. How he imposed his way into my family. The rishta."

"Di and the family will not be told. Nor will the courts be informed. It has no legal bearing," Arnav said with finality.

Here Khushi felt compelled to disagree. "Di ought to be told," she said.

Arnav walked to the bedside table, picked up the AC remote control and increased the cool air flowing into the room. "It adds nothing to the solution. This matter is complicated enough."

Khushi grasped Arnav's arms and demanded his attention. "Should Di learn of it later, she will feel betrayed again. I must tell her."

"You will not. I forbid it," he took her shoulders, gently but determinedly.

"I must, Arnavji!"

"Why?" he asked. "Whom will it serve?"

Khushi floundered for a reply that he would be prevailed upon to accept. "It will serve the truth," she said. "After tonight, there will be no more lies in this house."

Arnav shook his head. "There are lies in every family. And often for good reason," he replied. "Which lie should we reveal first? That your family knew about Shyam before Payal and Akaash's engagement? What will Mami do with that information? Or should we tell both our families how I forced you into marriage? No! Nothing will be said. Understood?"

Khushi tried to pull away, but as he would not release her, she turned her face away, unwilling to agree to something she felt was essentially wrong. "Understood?" he repeated.

"I don't agree," she said, and folded her arms across her chest.

He dropped her shoulders and mirrored her stance.

"You don't have to agree. You only have to obey," he said.

"You sound just like Arnav Singh Raizada," she accused, her eyes flashing.

"I am Arnav Singh Raizada."

ARNAV SAW THE FIRE IN KHUSHI'S EYES. But he knew he was right. He did not want Khushi nor the Guptas to bear any blame for what Shyam did. Shyam alone was culpable. Yet, he also knew that Khushi believed her position to be equally right.

They were at an impasse.

He went to the door, extended his hand and said, "let's go. It's time to speak to Di."

Khushi took his hand.

Anjali was propped up against the headboard reading one of her pregnancy books. She had a ready smile for the two when they entered the room. Arnav sat on the edge of the bed and Khushi stood nearby.

"Chotte," she said, reaching out to stroke his cheek, "don't look so worried. Pregnant women do feel dizzy at times. It says so right here." She indicated the book in her hands.

He covered her hand that rested on his face, and swallowed against the lump in his throat. "Di, I have something to tell you."

Anjali's smile faded. She looked at Khushi with a question in her eyes and then back to her brother. "You are now beginning to alarm me."

He slid closer to her and took both her hands in his. "There is no easy way to tell you: this afternoon, I had Shyam arrested on several criminal charges, including embezzlement. But the most significant charge is that of bigamy."

SISTERS, WE CAN IMAGINE THE STAGES Anjali passed through in the next hour. Language is insufficient here. Disbelief. Incredulity. Shock. And, of course, the stinging harrowing pain when she read the confession letter. On this matter, Arnav made himself perfectly clear.

He told her, "Di, his sole concern was to remain out of jail. He offered to confess and disappear if I agreed to drop the charges." He jabbed his finger at the page and said, "I watched Shyam's face---he had not an ounce of regret for what he had done. He regretted only that he had been caught."

At these words, Anjali collapsed in Arnav's arms, sobbing, shaking from a pain that none of us can truly conceive. What must it be to have woken up this morning as the happily married and pregnant Mrs Jha---only to learn by afternoon that her glorious life was built upon a monumental lie.

She had questions. Many questions. Some half-formed, half-articulated, which her brother attempted to answer. She grabbed her phone to demand an explanation from the man she had thought was her husband, but the phone she dialled rang in Arnav's pocket.

SSP Khan had averted his eyes to allow Arnav to confiscate Shyam's phone. Arnav now handed it to Anjali, and she threw it across the room in a fit of rage never before seen in her. The rage passed and grief came. She clutched her mangalsutra and spoke to it as though it was Shyam. Why? Why?

It was excruciating to watch. Arnav held her. Shushed her. Urged her to take some water. But she flung herself off the bed and walked across the room, only to crumple to the floor. Khushi caught her as she sank, and both women clutched each other and wept. Openly and inconsolably.

Arnav pressed his fist against his mouth. His eyes filled with unshed tears. There was no air in the room. He had to step out of the room---if only for a moment.

He opened the door to find his entire family---and Yash---outside the door, waiting to be needed.

Nani and Mami burst into the room and went to Anjali. Payal held Khushi.

"Doctor?" Arnav asked, his question unfinished.

"I have something. It's a light sedative. No risk to the fetus," he offered.

Arnav nodded and gave Dr Malhotra permission to help her.

By Jalebi Jane

KHUSHI by Jalebi Jane (EPISODE 046)
THERE IS A REMARKABLE DIFFERENCE---as Arnav Singh Raizada was to discover that night---between the expected and the actual. To witness the complete breakdown of his sister was nothing like what he had prepared for. It was not just despair; it was not just rage; it was not even just sorrow---it was how she madly traversed multiple landscapes of emotion which made Arnav fear more for his sister's exhaustion than her heartbreak.

"Had he died, she would suffer less," he heard Khushi say softly when Yash finally managed to still Anjali, so he could sedate her.

It took another fifteen minutes for Anjali's eyes to shut. But tears continued to leak from the corner of her eye. Khushi wiped them with her own pallu.

At Mama's urging, everyone returned to their rooms to rest and gather their own strength. Yash remained to monitor Anjali. Khushi forcefully sent Arnav to their bedroom. She joined him some minutes later. "I want to see you eat all this," she said, placing a thali on the low table and sliding it closer to the recliner where he sat.

"I am to blame," he said, his eyes meeting her.

She immediately countered him. "If you need to assign blame, blame me. I am to blame," she repeated his words in a matter-of-fact tone. She then lifted the thali off the table, sat in its place, and prepared a small morsel for him. She brought it to his lips.

He chewed and said, "there too I am to blame." Khushi looked up with a frown. "Had I not exposed that footage to the media, Shyam would not have pursued you. He would have never known you!"

Khushi shook her head, and said, "again---I am to be blamed. Had I turned left and not right and not ended up on your runway, then---"

"---then my life would be as hollow today as it was then," he finished, leaning forward to receive more food from his wife.

AFTER FEEDING HIM Khushi left him to check on Nani. Arnav returned to Anjali's bedroom to find Yash in a chair next to the bed, watching his patient and his daughter snuggled up together. The young girl had the thumb of her one hand in her mouth and her other hand twisted in Anjali's hair. Anjali's arm was draped across the child's back.

Arnav found the scene riveting. Riveting because for a few hours he had forgotten that Anjali was pregnant. The sight of the child showed him a path out of the darkness. Anjali may not have much of a self-preservationist spirit, but she would not put her baby's life in jeopardy. She would rouse herself to be strong if she knew another life depended on it.

Yash tilted his head up as Arnav came around the bed.

"I expect she will sleep through the evening and the night, but I'll remain here in case," Yash said.

Arnav shook his head, "I'll stay with her."

The doctor rose to his feet and bent to lift his daughter. "Doctor, leave the child," Arnav said. "They seem comfortable together."

By Jalebi Jane

Truly very painful update very well written

KHUSHI by Jalebi Jane (EPISODE 047)
IF THERE WAS A FUNCTIONING and thriving world beyond the gates of Shantivan, then the inmates of that house showed no awareness or interest in it for forty-eight hours. The Prakash brothers---with guidance from the Gupta girls---followed the pattern of the daily household routine of meals and chores and errands. Although, everything felt vacant at the centre. Even when they gathered together at the table, their thoughts were interned in the upstairs bedroom with Anjali. If Arnav was the anchor of the Raizada family, then Anjali had always been its heart. Her disposition, her goodness, her serenity, her faith made her everybody's beloved. Therefore, to witness Anjali's idealism crushed so mercilessly affected them as though a child had been crushed by a lorry in front of their very eyes.

And worse---that they had been helpless to prevent it.

Everyone believed they felt what Anjali felt. Everyone tried to mend her, nourish her, and guide her. Everyone except one: Little Khushi had decided independently that Anjali was to be her friend. And with her four-year old understanding of what friendship was, she began to immediately make demands. Would Anjali help dress her dolly? Would she put ribbons in her hair? Would she play a board game? These demands were never rebuffed by Anjali. She was gentle and generous with the child. And as the family soon noted, when Little Khushi was in Anjali's room, Anjali seemed more equipped to moderate her emotions. When she was overcome by sadness, she roused herself out of it before Little Khushi noticed.

On the afternoon of the second day, Anjali made a request to shift to one of the rooms on the main floor, next to Nani's. She said, with poignant honesty, "I can't sleep alone in a room where I once slept as a wife."

The shift was made immediately, and after consulting Nani, Khushi had Omprakash pack all of Shyam's belongings and had them sent down to the storage room to be dealt with later. Being on the same floor as where the guest rooms were, bit by bit, the child's belongings found their way to Anjali's new quarters. They lunched together amongst the toys and stuffies. And then they napped together under one blanket.

Later, when Yash came to relieve his patient from the care of his daughter, Anjali requested he let her stay.

"She takes me out of myself," Anjali explained.

Yash nodded with understanding. "Children bring perspective. But I know she can be a bit of a tyrant. So please do not hesitate to boot her out of your bed and your room when you've had enough." Anjali smiled at his reply. His eyes dropped to the dominos that his daughter was arranging in a box. "Has she been cheating at dominos?" he asked Anjali.

"Unceasingly!" Anjali confessed. "Even when she's already winning, she cheats." They laughed together.

Little Khushi heard the word cheat and her guilty conscience took hold.

"Daddy! I don't cheat!" she protested, leaping at her father, upsetting the dominos and her dollies onto the floor.

Yash caught her in his arms and suppressed her movements with an embrace. Anjali climbed off the bed and began to pick up the toys.

"Don't trouble yourself with that, Mrs---uh---I'm sorry---Anjaliji," he corrected himself. "Khushi knows she has to keep her toys tidy or they go straight in the bin." He released the girl, and she began to organize her things on the bedside table.

"You've raised a beautiful child, Dr Malhotra," Anjali said.

"Yash, please. Don't let your brother's formality with me rub off on you."

"Yash, then. If you also drop the -ji. Or you may call me Di as everybody here does," Anjali laughed again.

"I prefer Anjali," came the doctor's quick reply.

IT WAS THIS ATTRACTIVE SCENE THAT Arnav and Khushi found themselves intruding upon. The pleasure in seeing his sister laugh was so significant that Arnav failed to see that other something that Khushi immediately saw. And as was often the case with Khushi, one slight inkling led to an infinite understanding, and within a few minutes, she had an exact picture of how this disastrous story would have its own very happy ending.

Yash was helping his daughter collect the dominos from around the bed, while Arnav asked whether Anjali needed anything else to feel settled in the new room. She said she was fine, but as she sat back upon the bed, she sighed as though there was something.

"Don't be angry, Chotte," she prefaced her statement, "but I want to see him."

"Absolutely not!"

"No!"

Khushi looked between the two men, not quite certain who had said what, but certain that they had both spoken at the same time.

Yash seemed to colour slightly, Khushi thought. He stood and explained, "I mean, as a physician, I would not wish to see you further agitated."

Arnav was not so delicate. "Out of the question, Di," he said. He set his words in granite.

"I don't want my first time of seeing him to be in court," Anjali confessed, not realizing how near her words hit her brother's fears.

Yash stated, "if that is your fear, I can ensure that that will never happen."

The three in the room turned to face him with dramatic silence.

"I can inform the courts that as your doctor, I advise that in your condition, you must not be present for the hearing, trial or sentencing. Your written statement can be submitted to the court." Yash said.

Arnav nodded his assent, and took Anjali's hands in his. "Failing that, we can leave Delhi during the trial. Your testimony is not essential. The evidence is overwhelming."

Anjali's eyes teared. "Of course, it is. Everybody we know believed I was his wife. And, now, I am nothing except a victim." Her voice broke and she buried her face in her hands.

Little Khushi, who had been forgotten in this heavy discussion, approached the bed and asked her new friend, "do you need a cuddle?"

Anjali looked at her and drew her into her arms. "From you I need lots of cuddles."

By Jalebi Jane

KHUSHI by Jalebi Jane (EPISODE 048)
SHE HAD NOT THE RESILIENCE of Khushi nor the stoicism of Payal. Anjali's loss was equal to her love. At some deep level, she believed that her grief had to reflect the love she held for Shyam. It was this erroneous understanding that Khushi strove to correct---especially after what happened on the morning of the third day. That was the day the Raizada men decided to resume work; Mami and Payal went to the temple; Nani paid a condolence call. Khushi, Anjali, Yash and Little Khushi had just returned from the hospital, where Anjali had undergone some routine tests and a scan. The hospital visit had been arranged by Arnav, who had extracted a promise from his sister at breakfast, before departing for the office, that she would not miss the appointment. The tests were more than satisfactory, and Yash, who reviewed the reports, confirmed that Anjali was in excellent physical health.

Little Khushi high-fived Anjali, even though she didn't quite understand the news.

The scan, however, was another matter. Oh, the development of the fetus was not a source for concern. Rather, the technician had assumed that the man standing next to Anjali, peering at the monitor, was the keen father and she had addressed him as thus several times. In such cases, when the identity of a person is not corrected immediately, it becomes more embarrassing to correct it later, and so for that reason neither Anjali nor Yash said anything. By the end of the appointment, the technician discovered that she had not been addressing a married couple, but a woman and her doctor. It had all been awkward for Anjali; it had highlighted her new status as an unmarried pregnant woman. Her spirits had plummeted, and when they entered Raizada House, Anjali had immediately excused herself. Yash explained to Khushi what had happened during the scan. They decided to give her some space, and were in the lounge having coffee when Little Khushi came to report that her friend was missing. They checked the entire house, they tried to phone her, and when they could not find her, the servants were called to help---again the entire house, and now the grounds were checked thoroughly.

Khushi was on the verge of panic and was dialling Arnav's number when Yash found Anjali. She was in the storage room, surrounded by items pouring out of open boxes---items which had been worn and handled by the man she had worshipped with her heart and body; the man who was now behind bars.

She was weeping uncontrollably.

Yash collected her in his arms and carried her back to her bedroom. He placed her gently on the bed, and covered her with a blanket. While Khushi sat on the bed to offer comfort, he lured Little Khushi---who was disturbed to see her friend in such a state---away from the room.

"Di," Khushi scolded her sister-in-law, when they were alone, "you will make yourself truly ill if you continue in this way."

Anjali looked at her helplessly. "You don't understand. I can't stop thinking of him," she cried.

"Fight!" Khushi rallied. "Fight those feelings." With her fingertips she wiped the tears from Anjali's cheeks and said, "were he worthy of your love, it would be a different matter---but he is not. So close that door."

"Were it so simple---" she began.

"---it is that simple!" Arnav completed, from the door.

ARNAV HAD SPENT most of the morning with Mr Rao discussing Shyam's trial. The case was an open-and-shut case as Mr Rao put it; however, Arnav wanted to impress upon him that Anjali would not give evidence in person, and they were to seek maximum penalty on all counts. Mr Chopra was also consulted. Arnav felt that Shyam may have played this game before.

Were there other women who had been taken by that charm-merchant? Were they dealing with a polygamist? There was also the matter of prosecuting Shyam's first wife as co-conspirator. But there was the fact that two children would be left parentless. This disturbed Arnav, despite his hardheaded attitude towards Shyam. These thoughts created in him a deep longing to be with Khushi. He calculated that his wife and his sister would now be home from the hospital and decided to leave the office and join them for lunch.

Both women turned their heads to face the door. He stepped within the room. Rather than sympathy, he felt some anger towards his sister.

"What are these tears for? What fantasy is being shattered here?" he asked. "That he loved you and was forcibly taken away from you? No! The fact is that he pursued you for your wealth---not your heart!---and he eventually got caught!"

Khushi rose and came to touch his hand, unclenching his fist with her fingers. He read her eyes. He was being unnecessarily harsh, they told him. He drew a deep breath and sat at the edge of the bed and took his sister's hands. "Di, would it easier for you if I just killed him?"

He heard Khushi gasp behind him.

Anjali laughed through her tears, "was that your Plan B, Chotte?"

Arnav pulled his sister into an embrace. "That was actually Plan A."

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DAYS, the family and guests at Raizada House enjoyed a pleasant dinner together. Khushi and Payal were gratified to see that food was not just consumed but enjoyed. Little Khushi insisted on sitting next to Anjali. She was perched on some cushions, had her own plate and though she made a bit of mess, she was patiently guided by Anjali. Arnav, for perhaps the first time in his life, appreciated the presence of a child at the table: The child engaged Anjali's attention, and nobody spoke of weighty matters while she was within hearing distance.

After dinner, Yash and Little Khushi retired to the study to watch a film. Their laughter brought others into the room to join them, including Anjali. Arnav, at ease that his sister was stable, turned his attention to the woman who had his heart. The woman who had remained awake with him every hour his sister had been awake. And who had then stayed up longer massaging, cradling, comforting him until he fell asleep. Arnav found that woman in their bedroom hanging the suit jacket he had carelessly tossed on the recliner. She was dewy and fresh from her shower. Once again, the schoolgirl, he smiled. He closed and latched the bedroom doors. Khushi turned at the sound.

She picked up her dupatta and came towards the door, "would you like something?"

He raised his eyebrow, and scanned her body in an overly conspicuous manner. "What are you offering, Miss Gupta?" he asked.

"It's Mrs Raizada. And I meant from the kitchen," she said, pushing him away from door to leave the room.

He caught her around the waist, refusing to release her. "I don't need anything from the kitchen. Everything I need is right here." This was illustrated by his hand reaching up to fondle her breast, as he nipped at her earlobe. She allowed his caress for a moment, but then flung his hand off, and asked, in a coquettish tone, "what about what I could use?"

He swung her around and pressed her firmly against the door frame with his own frame.

"I have this," he replied, suggestively grinding against her. "Could you use this?" he asked.

By Jalebi Jane

As they say if God shut one door then he open another door for us .. And khushi already seen that door opening slowly

KHUSHI by Jalebi Jane (EPISODE 049)

ARNAV SINGH RAIZADA FELL into that category of men who did not find it easy to admit that he was so vulnerable to his wife. The problem---if one could call love a problem!---was that the more essential Khushi became to him, the more he feared losing her. And fear was not an emotion which Arnav was accustomed to. Nor comfortable with.

This explains why Arnav found it particularly distressing to see his wife having a cozy tete-a-tete with the Doctor at the dining table when he returned from his morning run. No reasonable man could doubt Khushi's ardour---especially after the night they had just enjoyed---but Arnav had never been reasonable on the topic of Khushi. The Doctor's voice was low so Arnav could not make out their conversation, but he felt from their body language that they were discussing a matter that would not allow the interference of a third party.

What did this mean? It meant that when Arnav came downstairs after his shower to join the family for breakfast, he was resentful of the Doctor and provoked by his Wife.

WHEN KHUSHI SAW that Arnav had taken his place at the breakfast table, she immediately brought his coffee. She met his eyes with a smile---but found her smile went unacknowledged. We know, Sisters, that Khushi did not belong to that category of women who believed that everything pertained to them. She was fully aware that her husband was concerned for his sister's well-being, and so she owed his preoccupation to that. By way of comfort, she placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Di was present at aarti this morning and she seems vastly improved from yesterday."

Again---not much of a response from her husband. Nani, Anjali and Little Khushi joined the table soon after, and Khushi left Arnav's side to serve the fruit salad. She felt Arnav's gaze follow her as she moved around the table. Khushi was still musing on his behaviour when she heard Yash thank Nani for her hospitality and announce that he and Little Khushi would return to Buaji's today, and thereafter depart for Lucknow.

Anjali was the first to react.

"No, you cannot leave!" she said, her tone rather anxious. All those breakfasting ceased to chew and looked at her. Especially Arnav. She immediately moderated herself and said to Yash, "I mean---what I mean is that we have not been good hosts these last few days. There are many interesting places to visit here in the Capital. Places that Little Khushi would enjoy."

The child looked up at Anjali when she heard her name. She then looked at her father. Then, back at Anjali.

Khushi was most conscious that Arnav had his attention on her and not his sister. Nani and Mama agreed with Anjali and pressed Yash to spend a few more days. He politely declined citing that the hospital in Lucknow was expecting him and he had already delayed his start date. But then he added---looking at Anjali---that it would be nice to see the Raizadas in Lucknow. He added that his home was open to them at any time, and nothing would please himself, his mother and Little Khushi more than to have them as their guests.

"We have a house in Lucknow," Arnav said, flatly.

It was an accurate statement, but Khushi felt it was not necessary for her husband to speak in such a tone to the man who had been so helpful in Anjali's recent care. She tried to catch his eye. And when she failed, she knew for certain that he was deliberately avoiding her. This riled Khushi.

What is his problem?!

Anjali made up for her brother's slight and said, "I hope we'll meet again soon. Very soon." She smiled at Little Khushi, but Khushi sensed that her smile was sad and forced.

"Then come as soon as next week. We can celebrate Khush and Khushi's birthdays together."

"What!" This exclamation came from Arnav.

Yash looked at Khushi. Khushi said nothing, but Payal replied for her. "Khushi and Little Khushi share the same birthday."

"How lovely!" Anjali said. "Bhabhi? You didn't tell us this?"

Again, Khushi said nothing. This time she felt her husband trying to catch her eye, and she was determined not to gratify him.

"I'll be five," Little Khushi informed Anjali, holding up five fat digits. Anjali gave her palm a kiss. Khushi saw that Anjali's eyes had grown bright with emotion.

By Jalebi Jane