ArShi FF : I AM WITH YOU -Chapter 11 Pg127 & TEASER Pg137 (Feb 4) - Page 42

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CHAPTER 5

Khushi got down at the Pune Station, hired an auto and reached her home. She was here... after ages! 15 long years... and everything around had changed. But their bungalow, her beloved home, was still the same... except for the thick layer of dust that covered it. The rusty gate creaked as Khushi pushed it open. The grass in the garden had grown tall matching her height. The huge Gulmohor and Mango trees had blossomed and were welcoming their little mistress back. Khushi entered through the gate with the nostalgia, her memories, her bonding with this home, her family... She felt great as she climbed up those four steps to reach the main door. She was back!

Khushi looked at the dusty nameplate. She blew on it and began coughing as she breathed in the dust. She looked around for something to clean the nameplate. Finally, she cleaned it using her dupatta. Her chest filled with pride as she read the letters on it that were visible now... "Mr. Shashi Gupta" and below was written "Mrs. Garima Gupta". Khushi cleaned the lock as well with her dupatta. She quickly took out the bunch of keys from her purse. She didn't remember which of those keys belonged to the main lock. She tried them one by one. Her eyes sparkled as she heard the "click" sound as the door was unlocked. Khushi walked in with her chappals on, as there was dust everywhere. She covered her face with the clean end of her dupatta as she looked around to see that it was just as she had left.

She saw the huge frame on the wall in front. It was one of her favourite photographs with her parents. It was very special as there was one more person in the photograph... her Dadi! Khushi called her grandmother as 'Dadi'. Khushi's eyes watered looking at the photo as she dusted it. It was the perfect picture of a happy family! Everything was so nice... until Dadi's sudden death.

Khushi could hardly remember anything. She was just 5 when her Dadi passed away. Things were not very same after that as she could vaguely recall. Khushi gently moved her fingers over those smiling faces in the photograph.

Looking at Dadi, Khushi spoke, "Everything changed after you went away... You shouldn't have left us, Dadi... Not so early..."

Khushi looked at her mother, her Ma, standing next to Dadi and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I wish you were with me now... I miss you so much Ma... See what has happened! Don't you see my condition, Ma? Why did you leave me? I miss you..." saying so Khushi broke down.

And then she saw Shashi standing between Garima and Dadi. She suddenly stopped crying. Because she had a task to do. She had to find Shashi. She knew he was in Pune. She had not met him since he had disappeared from Mumbai a few months ago. She had to find him soon.

Khushi looked at herself in the photograph standing in front of the other three. She was just 5 then and this was her last photograph with her Dadi. She looked keenly to realise something. Khushi was the one who had held all the three together for the photograph. She was the symbol of uniting them. She was the symbol of their strong support. She was the one they were looking forward to. She was the one to make things right. She remembered the day... the day that changed her life drastically...

*Flashback*

It was Khushi's first day at job after completing her graduation. She was very happy and excited to tell her parents about her office, her colleagues and all the other things. As Khushi left her office, she received a call from Shashi.

"Hello Papa, will reach in 40-45 minutes... I have just left office!" she said excitedly.

"Hello... Who is this?" she heard an unknown voice. Who was speaking from Shashi's phone? Khushi was confused.

"Hello.. Who are you? How do you have my Papa's phone?" asked Khushi.

"Madam, is this your father's phone?" the man asked from the other side.

"Yes... But who are you?" Khushi was scared now. "Where is Papa? What has happened?" she asked, worried.

"Madam, your father has met with an accident here... And here is a lady too with him..."

Khushi went numb. She couldn't believe what she had heard. Her heart was thumping. She immediately reached the address told by the man on phone. She was horrified by the sight in front of her. Their car was crashed badly by a truck, that's what everyone told her. And the truck driver drove away immediately. Shashi and Garima's bodies were removed from the car. Ambulance had already arrived. "This was no accident... Someone tried to kill them..." Khushi heard people saying. She was in shock. She couldn't speak anything. She couldn't even cry. She could see her parents lying there in a pool of blood. The doctor was checking their pulse.

Khushi ran madly to the doctor, "Tell me they are fine!! Please!! Say that they are fine!!" she yelled.

"I am sorry, Ma'am" said the doctor, "The lady is no more..."

Khushi couldn't believe her ears. "Nooo... This can't happen... You are joking, right? I know you are joking! Tell me this is not true!! Tell me!!!"

Just then Ajinkya reached there. He was shocked to see the scene in front. He went to Khushi and consoled her when he knew what had happened. Khushi seemed to be beyond control. She was crying madly.

"Control yourself Ma'am" said the doctor. "Your father is alive... We need to take him to the hospital immediately!"

Khushi stopped crying but her tears continued to flow. Now Shashi's life was her only hope. Ajinkya drove in his car to the hospital while Khushi went in the Ambulance sitting beside her dear father holding his hand. She constantly kept rubbing his hand. The doctor gave him some injection. His wounds were being looked after. He seemed to gain consciousness for a moment. Khushi's hopes gained life seeing him. He was trying to say something. Khushi tried to relax him... "Papa, relax... You will be fine! Just relax... I am here with you..." But Shashi kept murmuring something... He tried to pull Khushi towards him. Khushi leaned forward so that she could hear what he was saying... "The frame... Uh... Khushi..." he was gasping as he spoke. "The frame... Pune... Uh... your... your favourite... Khushi..." and he became unconscious.

*****

Khushi and Ajinkya were waiting outside the operation theatre. Lavanya came there and hurried towards Khushi. Khushi hugged her and began crying. The doctors came out after some time and declared that the operation was successful and Shashi was out of danger. It was such a relief for everyone. They decided to wait for another day before performing the last rites on Garima so that Shashi could see her for one last time when he became conscious. But everyone was shocked to know that Shashi had lost all his memory!

Khushi was shocked to the core. She felt as if the whole world had crashed on her. This was the 'black phase' is Khushi's life. She had lost her world. Khushi couldn't see Shashi's condition. It was Garima's funeral and Shashi had no idea that he had lost his wife. Khushi felt like giving up her life. Arnav and Lavanya stood by her and helped her stand up. They made her strong.

Ajinkya came to Khushi's home to stay after this incident. Shashi and Khushi needed someone's support and Ajinkya was there for them.

Khushi gradually was getting back to normal. The shock was too intense to overcome, but she was trying. She resumed her job soon and life went on.

*****

It was a fine morning. Khushi left for office as usual saying 'bye' to her father and uncle. She began driving for office when she realised that she had forgotten her ID card at home. She came back to take it. She opened the door using the key and the sight in front shocked her to the core!

Shashi was sitting in a chair, frightened. He was shivering. There were some papers lying on the table. Ajinkya made Shashi hold the pen and told him to sign on the papers. Ajinkya was holding Shashi's face in his hand... "Sign on the papers I say!!!" he yelled. Shashi, having lost his memory, had no idea about anything at all. He didn't even know his signature. "Argh!!! Why didn't you die then itself!!" said Ajinkya in frustration, "Everything was perfectly planned!!! You ruined everything! Why didn't you die!!" He threw the pen on the wall in anger. "Everything is mine!! Do you understand!! All the homes, the lands... All the property in mine! Only I have the right over it and not you, you cheat!! How dare you take all this away from me!! Had you been dead, it would have been only Khushi in my way then! My crazy mother... gave everything to you... and not a single penny was given to me!!"

Khushi stood stunned in her place. Now she began recalling things. Ajinkya coming to their home in Pune after Dadi's death and quarrelling, her parents' accident, people around saying that it wasn't an accident but someone tried to kill them, Ajinkya coming to the spot even when Khushi had not informed him about the accident...

Everything revolving in Khushi's mind... How did he know where to come after the accident? That means Ajinkya Kaka did everything! He killed my Ma! Papa's condition is because of him! Just for the property? And why did he call Papa a cheat? Papa too has equal right over everything, she was his mother too afterall... And why did Dadi give everything to Papa?

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Khushi wiped her tears. She had to be strong. She had to fight for justice...

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