First off, an apology. I have been remiss about replying to comments the last few updates. I am sorry about that. It's been busy with the holiday season and all that. I will rectify that..I promise. Secondly, the story now takes a bit of a shift. Center stage, for a few chapters will be shared between Arnav, Khushi and Malli. Malli has a story to tell, and I hope to tell it in parallel with Arnav and Khushi's wedding plans. Read on...
Ch 33: The mysterious ways of Mrs.Murthy and Malli
"Have you any babysitting experience?" asked Khushi. Malli sat opposite her on the couch, legs crossed. She looked directly into Khushi's eyes. "I've babysat kids before. I can give you a reference. You can call them."
"My younger girl has been very sick recently She is just recovering from Leukemia. She needs careful looking after. Are you sure you can handle it?" asked Khushi.
"My brother died of a brain tumor last year. I nursed him the last 4 months" Malli spoke flatly, no hint of emotion in her tone.
"Oh. I'm so sorry," said Khushi, putting an arm on Malli's knee.
"Thanks," said Malli, swkwardly.
"Malli, that's a pretty name. Is it short for anything, Mallika maybe?" asked Khushi, trying to change the subject.
"No. Its just Malli."
"Malli, how will you get here everyday?" asked Khushi.
"I'll take the bus. There's a stop at the street corner."
"We need you 3 days a week, 5 hours a day. If you end up staying longer, we'll pay you extra for that. Will you be available on weekends if there is an emergency of any kind?"
"Yes. I don't have much of a life." There was a hint of irony in her tone.
"OK, Malli. Do you have any questions for us?" asked Khushi, smiling pleasantly.
"When do I start?"
"By yourself, next week. But I'd like you to come in from tomorrow, so you can work with Nigel and he can show you the ropes. Also, the kids can get used to you with him around. Does that work for you?" said Khushi.
"Yes. I'll be in at 9am tomorrow, if that's alright."
"OK, Malli. It was nice meeting you. See you tomorrow." Arnav and Khushi walked Malli out. After she left, Arnav turned to Khushi. "Are you sure she's the right choice? Did you see her clothes? She looks….well….awful!" said Arnav.
"I saw her clothes. Did you see her eyes? They are the saddest eyes I've seen on a 17 year old ever. 17 year old girls should be spending their summers hanging out with their friends by the pool, and thinking about University. 17 year olds should not look like the care of the world rests on their shoulders. She is not a happy girl Arnav. I've been assured she's good with children. So, I'd like to give her a chance. And I want you to be patient with her. Who knows what all she's been through," finished Khushi.
"OK," Arnav sighed. There was no point arguing with Khushi. She could be very stubborn, and in this situation, she had a point. She knew a damn sight more than he did about surviving tough times. "Khushi, I've gotta go pick up Nita's medicines from the Pharmacy. They called, saying her prescription's been filled. Back in 20 minutes," he said walking out the door himself. He walked quickly looking to hail a cab. Then he saw her. Standing at the bus stop. She held a cigarette in one hand, was puffing on it nonchalantly. He quickened his pace.
"I hope you know you can't smoke around the children," said Arnav, mouth tightening.
"Yes. I know. But nothing says I can't smoke here. On the street. Free country," she said blowing a cloud of smoke.
"Well, as long as you don't do it in the house, I don't really care. Its your body. Abuse it all you want to. In any case, I'm at home most of the time. I'll be keeping a close eye on you."
"Will you now? I'm so scared!" she said, making mock, big eyes at him.
"You should be." Said Arnav grimly. He hailed a cab. It came to stop at the curbside. "Do you need a ride? I can drop you home if you wish?" he said, figuring it would help to know where this weird girl lived.
"No thanks. Bus will be here in a minute," she said. He nodded at her and jumped in the cab. Why did Khushi always create more excitement in their already happening lives, he thought. Couldn't she have picked a nice, 60 year old granny with 40 years of work experience and 2 cats? Instead she chooses a teenage hellion with a ginormous chip on her shoulder. He shook his head. Typical Khushi, he thought. Always rooting for the underdog.
The next day
Mrs.Murthy sat at the corner table in the coffee shop, tapping her foot impatiently. She'd been waiting for 10 minutes. She didn't like to be kept waiting, Mrs.Murthy. Khushi rushed in, a whirl of wind blowing around her, as she shut the door to the shop quickly. She walked to Mrs.Murthy's table.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Mrs.Murthy. I was held up at work. I hope you haven't been waiting long."
"Depends on your definition of long!"
"I'm so sorry. Anyway, I wanted to, actually, Arnav and I want to thank you for agreeing to throw us the wedding you wanted to throw Aadit and Anjali."
"Don't mention it. Now that my idiot son has impregnated my daughter-in-law, there is no way they can have a traditional wedding. Not that they wanted it in the first place anyway. They were doing it to humor me." Said Mrs.Murthy. Khushi raised her eyebrows at this. She hadn't thought Mrs.Murthy was this perceptive.
"What? You think I didn't know? I'm not stupid Khushi. By the way, I will call you Khushi. Not that silly nickame my son has for you. Minnie! What kind of name is Minnie. Sounds like a female mouse to me." Said Mrs.Murthy huffily.
"You can call me whatever you like Mrs.Murthy," said Khushi warmly.
"And you can call me Mrs.Murthy," said Mrs.Murthy grandly.
"Of course Mrs.Murthy."
'Shall we get down to it? I thought you and I should meet to discuss exactly what kind of wedding you want," said Mrs.Murthy.
"Oh. But Mrs.Murthy, I thought you were planning a Tam Brahm wedding," said Khushi surprised.
"I was. But I don't think you or Arnav would appreciate that. Neither of you being Tamil. So, what kind of wedding do YOU want Khushi?" she asked.
Khushi looked at her, astounded. She had thought the wedding had been planned to the last detail. She hadn't imagined Mrs.Murthy would allow her the slightest freedom in planning it the way she wanted. She smiled warmly. "Mrs.Murthy, I know this wedding is in lieu of the your son's. Please do what you would have wished to for your son," she said generously.
"But this wedding is not for my son. It's for you, Khushi Gupta. And every girl should have her wedding the way she wants it. Not the way her friend's mother planned it. For Aadit and Anjali, it was different. I knew neither of them were even the slightest bit interested in planning a wedding. So, I just decided to do it my way. But, you Khushi. You are interested, I think. You'd be a very odd young lady if you weren't. So, while I have the venue and flowers and table settings picked out, we can still change everything to suit your choice. And your fiance's too, of course."
Khushi pressed Mrs.Murthy's hand fervently. "Thank you Mrs.Murthy. That means a lot to me. And honestly, I wouldn't dream of changing what you had planned as far as the hall and the decorations are concerned. And I love South Indian food and the saris too. So, I think we'll stick with all that. Only, maybe we could change the way the ceremony is conducted."
The 2 ladies put their heads together and talked wedding plans for the next 2 hours. By the time they'd finished, Mrs.Murthy had a legal pad filled with notes on what Khushi wanted. And Khushi had a smile the size of China plastered on her face. She hadn't really cared too much about the wedding before this. She was going to marry Arnav. For her, that was enough. But she was also a girl. And to have all her girlish dreams fulfilled was thrilling and slightly unbelievable. She hugged Mrs.Murthy, who didn't hug her back, but smiled quite nicely at her when they parted.
2 weeks later
Malli had been working at Khushi's for about 2 weeks now. She always came in an hour early, so she could have a few words with Nigel and Khushi before they left for the day. She always wore the same costume. Black micromini. Tiny top. Jacket. Heavy eyes. Bright lips. She was friendly with the children and they got along with her. She was also very careful with Nita and did an excellent job with her. The kids seemed to like her too, inspite of her odd clothes. Probably because she was extremely natural with them. She played and chatted with them happily. She was still very reticent with the adults though. She offered very little information about herself. They knew that she lived with some relatives and had no parents or siblings. Apart from that she offered no information about herself. She seemed to have no friends. She didn't own a cell phone. She took the bus everywhere. But she seemed to enjoy her work and did it well. For Khushi, that was enough. Arnav was still wary of her. And she of him, apparently. She made every effort to avoid him. It was inevitable that she had to talk with him at least a few times a day, but she always kept the conversation to the bare minimum.
"It's a nice day. The children want to go to the park. Should I take them?" Malli asked Arnav sullenly. He looked up from the laptop. "Sure. I'll go with you, actually."
"You don't have to. I can handle them on my own," she said quietly.
"I feel like stretching my legs. And playing with my kids. I'm allowed, aren't I?" he asked mockingly.
"Whatever. I'll get them ready. We'll be ready to leave in 15 minutes," She stalked away.
They walked slowly to the park. Sheila with her hand snuggled into Arnav's. Nita in her stroller, and Malli pushing her along. It was a beautiful day. Warm and sunny. No sign of the lousy rain that had plagued them the last 10 days. Arnav enjoyed the warm sun beating down on his back. The children ran around happily, once they were in the park. Even Malli shed her ice queen demeanor and thawed out a little. Arnav bought them all cotton candy, and offered Malli the big poofy, sticky, pink mass on a stick. She took it and grinned at him.
"Thanks!" she said. He blinked. That smile transformed her face completely. She looked for a moment, like the young lady she was. Not the 30 year old she pretended to be. "I love cotton candy!" she said, a dimple peeking out in her left cheek.
"You're very welcome," he said. They had fun eating the cotton candy and making a sticky mess. Malli and Arnav took the girls to wash their hands. Malli excused herself to go the rest room, and left the girls with Arnav for a few minutes. They went back to the garden with him. She emerged out of the rest area a few minutes later and was making her way back to them. "Malli!" said a loud voice suddenly. She looked up, and her face turned pale. A very large man stood there. He was about 6'5" tall and beefy with it. He wore worn out jeans and a dark tee shirt. A cap rested on his head. He smiled at her to reveal a row of crooked, yellow teeth. She shivered. She hated his teeth. They scared her so. He held her hand tightly, and pulled her towards him. She could smell the beer on his breath.
"What do you want?" she asked roughly.
"You know what I want!"
"I don't have any. You know I don't," she said.
He dug a hand into her jacket pocket, and felt around for something. Not finding anything, he slipped a hand down her skirt. She pushed him away. "Stop it. I don't have anything. Leave me alone," She cried. He thrust a hand down her blouse, and a look of fury crept into her eyes. She kicked him in the crotch with all her might. "Get.Your.Dirty.Hands.Off.Me." she said. He fell to the ground groaning with pain, and she made good her escape. She ran back to Arnav and the kids, panting.
"Are you OK?" asked Arnav. He took in her slightly disheveled appearance. A button had come off her jacket and her already low cut blouse had slid down further revealing more of her slim cleavage than before.
"I'm fine," she said curtly. "Shall we go?"
"Go back to the rest room and fix your blouse. We are not walking home with you looking like that," said Arnav sternly. For a second he thought he saw fear in her eyes when he mentioned the rest room. Then it was gone. She turned her back on him and pulled up her blouse to make it decent. She turned back and tried to button up her jacket. But the top button was missing. She bit her lip. "I seem to have lost a button," she said.
"Let's just go," said Arnav, not wanting to argue with this weird, changeable creature anymore. They walked back quietly. Malli seemed strangely subdued and Arnav was still trying to figure out her strange mood swings. They got home and she fixed the kids something to eat. He made some tea and offered her a cup. Surprisingly, she accepted. Usually, she ate nothing at their home. She drank the tea to calm her jangled nerves. She was scared. Although she didn't show it, she was very afraid. Once Nigel got back home, she said she wanted to leave almost immediately. She walked quickly to the bus stop, pulling out a cigarette as she got there. She was puffing on it with shaking hands, when the bus arrived. She stubbed it out and got into the bus nervously. She got down about 30 minutes later. She walked into a McDonald's and bought herself a Big Mac and some fries. She lingered over it, and then bought herself a cup of coffee. She spent about 2 hours drinking her coffee and staring unseeingly out of the window. Tears flowed down her cheeks repeatedly, and she brushed them away roughly. She finally left the McDonald's and got into another bus. 20 minutes later, she was home. She made her way to her usual place and plonked her purse down. She fished out her blanket and meager possessions from their usual hiding place on the top of the false ceiling in the rest room. She pulled the blanket up over her head and settled down for the night. On a bench at the Waterloo railway terminus.
Tell me what you think. Oh, and again..thanks to those recommended this FF or my other works for best FF/OS etc. Much appreciated. I do take a look to see who mentions me, and I do appreciate it. 😊
Cheers!
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