SS: How do I love thee? Ch 4 pg 26 - Page 13

Interesting start...starting frm heaven w/Anjali still on earth b/c of too much poojas..loved that line!
2nd part - A is in heaven b/c sacrificed his love? Loved their email exchange, at least they were communicating...
Can't wait to read next part...

-Sona

Like Javed Jaffery says[smacking his lips] in the Maggi Tomato Ketchup ad "It's different!!!" and going by the reactions of ur fans everybody loves it and the only complaint being that u r not updating fast enough😛.

OK, so I tried something different here. There are 14 55 word vignettes in this chapter. I love the 55 word story, and though this isn't the best place to test this ploy, I wanted to see how it works. Let me know what you thought of it.

Chapter 3:

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints

(means the love resembles the love of youth when one believed in saints and all things holy. Essentially when one was untouched by the cynicism adulthood brings).

Arnav snuggled his face into her lap, that cozy place he loved. She wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him tight. His pudgy little arms didn't even go half way around her thick waist. She leaned in and kissed the top of his downy head. He didn't have much hair. It was worrisome.

Anjali's high pitched shrieks were all they heard. She always laughed too loud. Arnav smiled up at her worshipfully. He stood her on the tops of his feet and waltzed her round the room. His Di wanted to dance. She was half a head taller, and he hated dancing. But Di wanted to dance tonight.

Anjali held him close. The smell of her Mehendi made him cringe. He'd traced light patterns on her palms only this morning. The scent of eucalyptus oil had filled his senses then. Now his brain was teeming with the smell of burning wood and flesh. He wished it would flow out, the river of death.

The mournful notes of the Shehnai rent the air. Garlands were exchanged. Vermilion streaked in the parting of her hair. A noose of enduring, suffocating, specious love placed around her neck. She looked beautiful. Love brought beauty to her ravaged soul. Arnav hated it all. But for her, he endured it. Di was married today.

The mere thought if it made him angry. The spoken question sent him over the edge. Di was everything to him. Mother. Sister. Friend. The only one he loved. The only one left to love. If his Di was hurt, what would he do? His lip curled. Tears trembled on lashes. Then spilled. Pearls fell.

She means nothing to me. But she's everything to me. I don't love her. I love her more than anything. I only love you Khushiji. I thought you loved me Khushi. Why don't you leave her? Rage greater than he'd ever known coursed through him. Fury laced with grief made a heady, powerful, destructive cocktail.

You're mad! Yes or No? I won't. I will! But why? Because I can. But you don't believe in marriage! That's right, I don't! Mrs. Khushi Arnav Singh Raizada. The words tasted acrid in his mouth. It was done. Di was safe. And she was his. Forever. Or for 6 months. Which ever came first.

"Arnav, you are so dramatic!" Beckwith complained as the fogs eased up and they saw each other clearly again. Their little trip down Memory Lane had been short, but traumatic. "So, you thought Khushi was having an affair with your brother-in-law and married her to save your sister's marriage?" he asked.

"I sham-married her. It was a contract marriage. 6 months Till the baby arrived." Said Arnav ruefully.

"You were pregnant?" Beckwith looked at Khushi, round-eyed. Somehow Khushi did not strike him as the type to have sordid affairs culminating in unwanted babies.

"Not me Beckwith. Di!" corrected Khushi, rolling her eyes. "At that point the only action I'd ever seen was being backed into a wall and almost kissed. I gave myself acidosis with all the hyperventilating I did!" she wisecracked.

"So, how did your families take all this?" asked Beckwith.

"Yeah, they weren't happy," said Arnav, shaking his head. "You should ask Nani someday. She'll tell you."

"Where is Nani Arnav? I haven't seen her in several days." Asked Khushi.

"She's leading orientation these days. You know how they like to have her when they get people who have trouble adjusting to the afterlife. She's so good at soothing ruffled feathers." Said Arnav.

"Who's having trouble adjusting?" asked Khushi.

"I dunno. Some singer with a voice like an angel (pun intended!) and a drug habit that allowed her to make it here about 40 years before she should've" said Beckwith, shaking his head sadly. "I feel bad for the druggies and stoners. Heaven has no rehab. And no drugs. They suffer so." He said feelingly.

"Why Beckwith! I do believe you sympathize with them. Did you have a drug problem on Earth?" asked Khushi.

"What! I was a Nobel prize winning astrophysicist. My papers have been cited more than 498,000 times last time I checked. I didn't do drugs!" said Beckwith indignantly. Khushi glanced smilingly at him.

"Oh. OK. But I never inhaled!" said Beckwith resignedly.

Khushi raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"OK. Alright. I inhaled. But it wasn't a regular thing. Once in a way, I smoked weed. That's all. Helped me think. I had my best ideas in the hash haze." admitted Beckwith.

"Oh my! I feel one coming!" said Arnav suddenly. Beckwith and Khushi stepped back in preparation, hankies whipped out in readiness.

"Oh, you two! It's not that. It's a.." he was interrupted by a loud burp. He smiled at them after burping. He looked satisfied.

"Who was it?" asked Khushi eagerly.

"Suhani," said Arnav fondly.

"What was she thinking of?" asked Khushi.

"She was telling someone about how Arnav Mamu would sneak her ice-cream on cold winter days without telling Di." grinned Arnav.

"Suhani! That's your Di's daughter, right?" asked Beckwith.

"Yep. She's the one. Now, the CEO of AR. She's retiring next week though. And my son Lav takes over." Said Khushi proudly.

"You named your kid Love?" laughed Beckwith.

"Not Love. Lav. We had twins. A girl and a boy. We named them Lav and Khushi. Just for kicks," laughed Khushi. "It was Arnav's idea!" she said, when Beckwith gave her a weird look.

"Didn't it get confusing when someone called the name Khushi in the house?" asked Beckwith.

"Well, nobody called my daughter Khushi. They called her Button." Laughed Khushi.

"Let me guess, she was cute as a button?" sighed Beckwith. This family was Mush on steroids, he thought.

"Actually, she swallowed a button when she was 5 months old," said Arnav, smiling at the memory. "Luckily it was a small one and nothing happened."

"Dear heaven!" mused Beckwith. "Anyway, we digress. So, what happened? You sham-married Khushi to protect your sister. Then?"

"Once I found out why he'd married me I was stunned. I thought he was just being the asshole he'd always been. I didn't know his motives were more sinister. That he thought I was having an affair. That happened about 3 days after we got married. From then on, I stayed in it because I was 18 and a fool, and half in hate, but half in love with him. When the 6 months were up, I mustered the courage to walk out." Said Khushi, her jaw stern as she recollected those dark days.

"So you weren't having an affair with the brother-in-law?" asked Beckwith, brow clearing.

"Of course she wasn't you fool." Said Arnav impatiently.

"The brother-in-law's not in heaven, I presume?" whispered Beckwith.

"Errm. No. Actually, even Hell turned his petition down. They said with the oil prices the way they are, they can't afford huge boiling vats for petty criminals like him. He's in Limbo." Said Arnav.

"Shoot. I've heard Limbo sucks!" said Beckwith. "It's like Norway half the time and the Kalahari desert the other half."

"Beckwith, do you want to hear the story or not?" asked Khushi. "It's been a long time, and I'm in heaven now. I know I'm supposed to forgive and forget and whatnot, but I still don't like to speak of the Anaconda."

"Go on," said Beckwith, "I'm sorry."

"Memory Lane again, I'm afraid," said Khushi.

"What? Oh, that place is always so crowded!" said Beckwith. "Oh..OK. What the heck. Let's go," he said. Then he clamped a hand down on his mouth as he realized what he'd said. "I'm sorry Lord," he whispered. "You know I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to say IT!" he begged softly.

Arnav snorted. "HE doesn't care. Don't pander. HIS ego needs no bolstering. Now, let's go. Memory Lane awaits."

Me and Shyamji? Really? That's why you married me? I'm sorry. This is a joke. I'm sorry. This is mindf**kery at is very best. Congratulations. I'm sorry. Can I have my virginity back? I'm sorry. Maybe you and Shyamji can go to the same doctor together. You both need help. I'm sorry. Don't say it.

Leave. Me. Alone. Khushiji, please listen. Touch me again and I'll kill you. I love you. Your wife's 6 months pregnant, Einstein. I only want you. Bangles clinked. A hand grabbed hers. You must give me a chance. His hand was pulled his off hers. Touch her again, and I'll kill you, Di be damned.

The godh-bharai is tomorrow. Be there. I will. I saw the gifts you bought. They're lovely. A sari rustled. A smile was swallowed. Hmmm. How can you be so forgiving? I've forgiven nothing. I have something for you. Pearls gleamed shiny white in a velvet case. Thank you. Will you wear them? I hate pearls.

Your medication is in this box. I've written down the details. Don't go. Hari Prakash will bring you breakfast at 8. It's not the same. Di might go into labor any day now. I don't care. Do you think it's a boy? I really don't care. Will you miss me? More than anything. I won't.

I'm leaving tomorrow. Don't go. Hold me tonight? If I do, I won't let you go. Khushi sighed. It didn't sound half bad. He was good to her. Time healed wounds. Then she remembered one night. A temple. An unforgivable mistake. A family lost. A disdainful husband gained. She placed his pillow on the couch.

Why didn't you say something? I wanted to protect you. Slap. Where is Khushi? I don't know. She wouldn't say. So, you're a loving brother, and she's a f**king martyr! I guess, I'm the fool who's been played. I'm sorry. Tell her that. I did.

Chotey, I'll be fine. I have her now. I know.

What a pretty little girl. What's her name? Suhani, her mamu's choice. She has your eyes Anjali bitiya. But not my brains, I hope. Any news from Sanka Devi? He's said nothing. A tear fell on the baby's cheek. She squealed. Is Mommy drowning Sunny in tears? Go to hell mamu. It's where I live.

"It's like watching a bad movie," said Beckwith once the mists lifted.

"Isn't it just?" asked Khushi slyly. "And Arnav always said I was too much into Bollywood."

"So, I'm curious. How did Arnav find out the truth? And why did he believe you?" asked Beckwith curiously.

"He believed me because he wanted to. And he found out the truth by accident. That's quite a story too." Said Khushi.

"I'm beginning to feel like this is part of One thousand and one nights, and you are Scheherazade." Complained Beckwith.

"And you are the King, of course?" she grinned at Beckwith.

"Hey! We might be dead, but even in the afterlife, you are my Queen!" protested Arnav. "Besides, I've seen Scheherazade around. She talks too much." He said.

"More than me?" wondered Khushi.

"Way more than you, my love!" he replied.

"Let's continue this later. I've got to go summon people for tea," said Beckwith.

"Laters!" waved Khushi. She and Arnav walked back to their bench that looked on the green meadow.

"Want to go test the waters in the pool?" asked Arnav.

"Oh! A poolside tryst. Sounds heavenly!" quipped Khushi.

Please tell me if you liked it, hated it, it sucked, whatever.

Cheers!
Vidhya

PS: Took me like 5 hours to write. So, if it blows, better let me know. Like, seriously.

yayyy me first!!!!!!!

that was fab...

Originally posted by: chillygirl

yayyy me first!!!!!!!

well ummm i dont know what to say except please stick to the original writing style. i somehow didnt comprehend anything.. it went like zip zap zoom and whoosh!!!!

i am sorry but thats just my opinion.

*edited*

hey i actually didnt know whata 55 word short story was all about and just googled it. so by those standards it worked really well😊

Thanks for speaking your mind. appreciate it.

Originally posted by: oh.petite.one

loved the update Vidhya...

but if i'm completely honest I prefer your original writing style... 😳

because it's much easier to read and understand... i kinda had to read this chapter again... becuase i was confused at some points * please don't take any offense :) *

None taken. 😊 Thanks.

oh i loved it.like seriously did!!:D

Excellent work!
Though I confess I was confused in some bits, but on reading again got it.
So honestly I like reading your previous style more.