THE UNFAIR AFFAIR - Chapter 11 Pg 95 [March 30] - Page 12

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CHAPTER 3

"Mamma, when will Papa come?" asked little Arohi as Khushi caressed her head in her lap, putting her to sleep.

"Arohi! Close your eyes and sleep now!" said Khushi firmly.

Arohi frowned. "But I want Papa..."

"I am back!" said Arvind happily as he joined Khushi and Arohi in the bedroom.

"You took so long! I won't talk to you! Katti!!" said Arohi angrily.

Khushi and Arvind exchanged glances seeing Arohi's antics.

"She has become just like you!" taunted Arvind.

Khushi's jaw dropped hearing it and she threw a pillow at him in response.

Both laughed and this made Arohi angrier. "Look here! I am angry!!" she announced seriously, folding her hands across her chest.

Khushi and Arvind tried to control their laughter with great difficulty. Arvind then went out of the room and came back with a huge teddy bear. Arohi forgot her anger in a jiffy. She jumped down the bed in excitement and ran to hug the teddy bear as Arvind and Khushi watched in amusement. Within a few minutes, Arohi was fast asleep, tightly holding her new friend, Golu.

As Khushi sat on the sofa lost in her thoughts, Arvind brought two mugs of coffee.

"Here!" he said handing one to her.

Taking a sip, Khushi said, "She was so happy seeing the teddy bear!"

"Yes, I had already imagined that while I was buying it..." he replied with a grin.

"I always knew you would be a great father one day..."

"And I had never imagined you would be such a great mother! You were a child yourself... bubbly, chirpy and always creating a mess everywhere. And look at you now!"

Khushi's smile was replaced with a serious look suddenly. She let out a long audible sigh staring into the empty air and said, "Mess! she paused, thinking of her past. Her eyes welled up. "One grave experience in life changes you drastically, doesn't it?

*****

Images of Khushi flashed in his mind as he gulped down another glass of whisky. No, he wasn't an alcoholic. He just drank when he missed Khushi a lot. But today was different. Today wasn't really an occasion of missing Khushi. In fact, he had seen Khushi after so long. This was totally unexpected. It should have been a pleasant surprise for him. But it was rather unpleasant. Khushi with her husband and daughter... He chuckled as he remembered the sight of this happy little family. His head was heavy as he was more drunk than he could handle. Yet, he filled the glass again, his hand shaking, spilling the drink on the table. As he realised the glass was overflowing, he slammed the bottle on the table. Hearing the noise, his elder brother, Akash rushed to his room. Just as Arnav touched the glass to his lips, Akash snatched it from his hands.

"Stop Arnav, you have already had enough!"

"Nahi Bhai... Don't stop me today... I want to drink till I die..." he kept blabbering till Akash helped him to the bed.

"Missing her again?" asked Akash, feeling bad seeing Arnav's condition which was worse than always.

"Missing?" Arnav laughed like a mad man, "I don't have the right to miss her anymore... I don't..." His eyes watered as he spoke. "How could she, Bhai..." Akash didn't understand why Arnav was saying this. Arnav continued to speak in his drunk state, "The last time she had called me four years ago to say goodbye. She just threw me out of her life, blocked me in every way" Tears streamed down his cheeks. "I tried to reach her, but there was no way. All these years... All these years I didn't even look at another girl, because Khushi was the only girl I could ever love. And today..." He paused and gulped recalling the scene in the mall's parking lot. "And today I saw her... with her husband and daughter" He hugged Akash as he cried. "I agree I had made a mistake. But do I deserve such a huge punishment?" Akash caressed his back. "I can't take it Bhai..." He was crying like a kid. "I can't..." he whispered helplessly.

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