Chapter 30
"Aaiye Nani, Mujhe bhi aapse kuch baat karni hai." He replied.
"Aapko jo kehna hai woh baad ma kahana, pehle ye batao, Khushi bitiya kaisan hai. Aap sab se pehile hamein khabar kaahe nahi diye." Nani questioned.
"Woh maine Rahim chacha aur Jai Prakash ko keh diya tha, aapko message pahonchane ko. Hum bahut savere aaye the." Arnav explained. He knew he had to do that else there was a volcano here, who could erupt any moment. He had expected something to come from Nani.
"Meine, Maasi se aate hi baat kar li thi. Waise Khushi ko hosh aa gaya hai." He explained further and could not help but recall what had happened this morning. The girl was impossible. She made him angry without even trying.
"Hum ne baat kar li hospital ma." Nani elaborated. He scowled then why bring up Khushi's topic he fumed inwardly but let it pass. His Nani had done strange things in last few days. Not that he had not.
"Ye jo Lavanya aayee thi, aur woh jo kehat rahi, ka woh sachch hai?" Nani attacked.
Ah! Arnav thought, now the penny drops. She heard. But how much?
"Ji Nani, woh hum ab shaadi nahi kar rahe." Arnav said matter-of-factly and looked towards the ring which Lavanya left on the table to confirm to Nani what she had heard.
"Arnav bitwa, humein tumse ye ummeed nahi thi. Hum jaanat rahe ki aap naye vichaar ke hain aur ye shaadi ke mayne alag hain hamar jamane se. Par ee ka, aap shaai ko ek karobaar ki maafik dekhat hai? Ek contract? Kahe ko shaadi kar rahe the aap Lavanya se? Humne toh kabhi aisan sanskaar nahi diye aapka?" Nani accused him with barbs that pierced his heart one after the other and he knew he had to take it.
"Aap aisan chup nahi reh sakat hai, Arnav, jawaab dijiye." She sternly demanded.
"Woh Nani, Lavanya aur mein ek doosre ko samjhte hain, aur usse pata tha ki mein pyar mein vishwas nahi karta, par usse shaadi ek samjhota hai, jo humne saath milke tai kiya tha. Woh ab nahi uss contract." Arnav evasively explained
"Chee! Ghinn aawat hai tumhein hamra pota kehte hue. Raizada khandaan ma ee nahi howat. Aap apna karobar apne dimaag se chala sakat hai, par ghar, shaadi, parivaar ee sab aapke dimaag se nahi, chaalat hai. Aap ek larki ko shaadi karke iss ghar ma laana chahat rahi, jo aapki patni toh kehlaye par aap ki humsafar nahi. Ka, sabit karna chahat hai aap?" Nani fumed.
"Aur to aur, aap ek larki se shaadi karane ka phaisala kiye aur doosri taraf uss Khusi ka dil todat rahe. Aisa ka kiya hai usne. Hum jaanat hai woh aapki behen naahi hai. Par aap humse baat karte ki aapko uss se shaadi karni hai toh hum sab milke soch vichaar ke nirnay lete. Ee ka? Aap Khushi ke pyar aur Lavanya ki ijjat se khilwaad kare rahi. Ka samjhte hai aap apan aap ka?" She advocated
"Par mein Khushi se shaadi nahi karna chahata." Arnav replied raising his voice in frustration.
"Toh ka, apne Chacha ki tarah'usse apni'" Nani could not finish but her unsaid word cut through Arnav's soul.
For a second, his Chachaji's mistress and her connection to Khushi flashed before his eyes.
He saw red. "Nahi." He screamed.
"Toh phir aap, Khushi se shaadi kareinge. Kal raat ke tamashe ke baad, Lavanya jaisi khandaani larki agar shaadi se inkaar nahi karti toh hum jaake tor aate shaadi ko. Aap Khushi ke saath aisa nahi kar sakte. Saare samajh mein baat phail gayee hai ki Arnav Singh Raizada, apne Chacha jaisa nikla. Aapke jaane ke baad, humne suna log ka bolat rahe. Aur Khushi aur aapka kaisan rishta hai uspe oongliyan uthi. Bas hum ne keh diya so keh diya. Aap Khushi se shaadi kareinge. Aur Parso hi kareinge. Kal haldi hogi. Uske baad aap Khushi se shaadi tak naahi milenge. Aap jaaiye, Khushi ko shaadi ke liye manaiye." Nani declared.
Arnav blanched. He was not ready to ask Khushi for a wedding. He did not know if he could live with the woman, whose mother had ruined his family. He knew he loved her but he also knew he hated her for being her mother's daughter. He knew it was not her fault but then he was not very rational where Khushi was concerned.
"Nani, aapne suna tha, Khushi mujhse kyon shaadi karegi. Mein shaadi cancel karwa deta hoon. Sab theek ho jaayega. Waise bhi kya farak padta hai." He argued.
"Farak padta hai, aur aap theek se sune nahi lagta hai. Aap shaadi kareinge, Khushi se kareinge." Nani then removed two kangans from her hands and gave them to Arnav.
"Ye kangan pehnakar aap usse manaiyenge aur hospital se ghar lekar aayenge. Ab jaaiye. Aur hamari beti ko lekar aaiye."
"Nani mein ye nahi kar sakta." Arnav dug his heel in.
"Toh aap, iss ghar ke nikal jaaiye. AR Design, aaj bhi hamare naam par hai. Aapko hum bedakhal karte hain apne ghar se, apni jaydaad se. Aaj se aapka aur hamara koi rishta nahi hai." Nani announced and turned around to leave.
"Nani, ye blackmail hai. Aap aisa nahi kar sakte." Arnav went and stood in front of her.
"kyon agar aap shaadi nahi kar sakte, toh hum ye kyon nahi kar sakte. Aap bhool rahe hain hum aapki Nani hai. Aaj bhi 51% (ekyavan) taka ke maalik hai. Hum jo chahe kar sakat hai Arnav bitwa. Aapko apni jindagi jeeni hai. Toh shaukh se jeeye. Par Raizada Naam ke saath rehna hai toh jo hum keh rahe hain woh karna padi." Nani raised her chin and gave him an ultimatum.
Arnav knew how determined she was. At a young age she had been widowed and had set up Chikankari work to support first herself and her daughters and then them. He knew he owed everything he was today to her. He also knew that this blackmail was something he would not cower to under other circumstances but Nani and Anjali were his anchors in his life and he was not going to lose them.
He would rather live with Khushi than without his family. He had to compromise, he figured.
"Theek hai Nani. Mein shaadi karne ke liye tayyar hoon!" He gave in not so gracefully.
Nani handed the kangan and said, "Jaiye, khushi ko ghar lekar aaiye."
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
35