Hi everybody!
A new FF from me!Hope you enjoy it!
At Raizada House:
It has been a week since he had last seen her. She was not even answering his phone calls, let alone call him back. He wanted to go to her house to shake her till her teeth rattle, but Arnav Singh Raizada was a proud man. He would not go there. He was also very patient. He would wait. She would have to come later or sooner. He knew that Khushi Kumari Gupta could not stay away from RM for too long. "She will come back, if not for me, then for my family" he thought.
He knew that Payal was expecting her family to visit her at RM this evening. He was hoping, deep in his heart that she would come too. So, inspite of himself, he left office early and came home."It's not because of her, it's because of the meeting which ended earlier" he kept repeating to himself. He came home, freshened up and settled down in the living room, reading the newspaper. Anjali and nani were exchanging funny glances as they knew exactly what was going on. The door bell finally rang and Payal ran to the door to let them in.
P: "Buaji, Ma, kaiso ho ap?I miss you so much".
They exchanged hugs and started to chat right at the door step. "Make them come inside, Payal bitiya" requested nani ji. Payal obliged and Garima and Buaji came inside and settled on the sofa.
P: " How is Khushi?I knew that she wouldn't come because..." and her voice trailed off as a her expression saddened.
B: "She's ok Payaliya, she's ok".
"Something is going on" thought Arnav who was looking at Payal very closely now. Payal, who felt uneasy under his penetrating stare, asked permission from nani to take her mum and Buaji to her room. Nani ji immediately said yes and Buaji replied that Garima and Payal can go first. She would join in a few minutes. Mother and daughter left the living room and Buaji, who did not want to hide anything to Payal in laws, decided to spill the beans.
B: "Ab tumshe kya chupana Anjali Betiya, aaj Parmeswari ki Amma Bapuji ki Barsi hain."
Arnav, who was feigning reading the newspaper, let it drop from his hands to the floor.
An:"Kya? Barsi?Poor Khushi ji".
B:"Yes indeed. You know Anjali betiya, each year, when this day approaches, Parmeswari is not herself anymore. Chup Chup si reheti hain vo. She does not joke or talk her usual bakhwas. She remains lost in her thoughts. Even I don't know what to say to console her, I just leave her alone till she comes back to her normal self again. But I feel very sad for her. Wo meri beti hi hain na."
Anjali was on the verge of tears and remembered how Khushi was sad during the prayer ceremony for her own parents Barsi. She turned and said "Chotey, Khushi ji ko phone lagao na" but there was nobody else in the living room. And the next minute, she heard the engine of a car roaring and she knew exactly where her Chotey was going.
At Gupta House.
Arnav closed the door of his car and went, almost running, to the house. But there was no light. He knew that Khushi was scared of the dark and never slept alone."She is not here" he thought. He searched for her in the neighbourhood and remembered that there was a lawn at the back of house. He ran there and stopped dead in his tracks when he finally saw her. She was sitting on a bench and was talking to the stars. "She is talking to her parents" He said softly, his eyes not a minute leaving her. He very discreetly approached her and he sat down on the bench. Khushi was staring up at the sky. He wanted to talk to her and then thought "I have no right to do this. This is her private moment with them. I cannot interfere. I cannot be that selfish" He rose from the bench to go back to the SUV, when suddenly he heard her speaking. She was talking so softly, that for moment, he thought that he had imagined it.
K, still looking at the stars: "You know Arnavji, my mum used to wear her most beautiful saree on Sunday afternoons and my dad used to take both of us to the park near our house to eat ice cream. I would run in the park and my dad would catch me and lift me up in his arms so that that I could fly. We never missed one Sunday to go to the park. During the whole week, I used to wait for Sunday to come so that I could wear my pink dress and go to the park with them. My mother would scold me as usual as I always messed up with the ice cream and my dad would look at her with so much love in his eyes... My mother was a very beautiful woman."
Arnav, who was standing near the bench and listening to her, came to sit just beside her with the softest look on his face. Had she looked at him at that moment, she would have known, that this was the same expression that that her dad used to have when he would look at her mum.
A, smiling : "Then I know, after whom you've taken"
K:"We were not rich. My dad could not even afford to take us to the restaurant but we were so happy. Those were the happiest days of my life".
They both were looking at the sky and gradually, without even realising it, Arnav puts his arms on Khushi shoulder and pulled her close to him. She settled her head on his arm and they smiled. There was no need for words, no need for confession or acknowledgement. It was something stronger, something that they even couldn't describe.
Arnav and Khushi were just meant to be. Thats all. Nothing else was important. Nothing else mattered.
Very naturally, Arnav started to talk about his childhood. How he used to play pranks on Akash and how Akash hated him. How he had always been protective of his Di. He told her about things that he himself thought he had forgotten. He had always remembered the bitter truth and had put the good things aside. But that was what Khushi did to him, bring out the happiness.
They talked about their childhood for what seemed like hours and then, Arnav shifted his gaze to her and stared at her intently.
A:"Khushi"
K:"Ji"
A:"I hope you know how much I love you"
She looked at him, closed her eyes and opened them again to stare up at her parents.
"I know Arnav ji, I know".
65