ArHi FF:1: The BEASTS and the BLEEDING ROSES - Page 40

For Chapter Forty One visit:

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/2901910/arhi-ff-1-the-beasts-and-the-bleeding-roses?pn=55,

Chapter Forty Two: The Need for a Job

"And here are your eggs and milk, dear," said Miss Lalita, handing a basket filled with a few eggs and a bottle of warm milk, "Convey my July morning regards to your aunt."

"I will, Miss Lalita," said Kushi and bidding farewell to her neighbor, she headed for her aunt's place. Humming along the way, she greeted and nodded and smiled at every neighbor she saw working in their gardens as she passed by. A man was driving his flock of geese along the road, and Kushi paused to feed them some grains which the man had happily offered her.

And then, she was nearly at her aunt's place when she peeped into Master Happy's garden and found Ram weeding the area near the fence. He looked up and smiled and Kushi walked towards him.

"There is this slice of cake that Miss Lalita gave me when I was waiting for her to bring the eggs and milk," said Kushi, taking the slice of cake from within her basket, "I didn't eat it for I thought of sharing with Buaji and Payal''.and you." She broke a piece from that slice and offered it to him. He shook his head.

"Why not?" Kushi was sad that he had rejected what she wanted to offer, "You're not hungry? It's still early morning and I don't think you must have had any breakfast."

The boy smiled widely this time, and then lifted his hands, indicating that they were muddy from picking weeds.

"Oh," Kushi laughed, "Sorry, here'' I will feed you this myself."

Ram readily opened his mouth and Kushi fed him the cake piece. She watched him happily munch on it and then she waved and left with the promise that they would meet later in the day after the morning chores were done.

Kushi walked into the house, humming, and danced into the kitchen. Placing the bottle of milk out on the table and the basket of eggs on the pantry, she walked up to Payal who was at the furnace, heating it up for breakfast.

"Jiji!" she announced, hugging her sister's waist from behind and leaning her head against her sister's hair.

"Kushi! Get off me!!" said her sister, and then she laughed, "Oh my, why do you smell of cake?"

"Miss Lalita gave me some today but I didn't eat any yet," she said gleefully and then peered into the furnace, "What are we having?"

"Don't know," said Payal, "Buaji didn't announce the menu for today."

Kushi laughed, "Where is she?"

"In the backyard," said Payal.

Kushi's smile fell, "What? This early? Why?"

Payal only shrugged, so Kushi moved towards the backdoor. She saw her aunt hard at work in her swordsmithing and she opened the door harshly and stepped out, "Buaji! What are you doing making swords early morning itself?"

Her Buaji wiped the sweat off her brow, and looked up, "Kushi bitiya, you go inside. I'll just do this sword too and then come."

"No," said Kushi, pouncing upon her aunt's hand before she bend down at the anvil again, "Buaji, you are straining yourself too much."

"Then what else am I supposed to do?" her aunt claimed, looking at her, "Your father is selling his mill and we need some kind of livelihood to keep us going."

"Yes, we do, but you don't have to over-work yourself for that," said Kushi, pleading and pulling her aunt's hand, "Come inside and let's make some breakfast. After that I will join you to make swords."

"No, I must finish this now," said her aunt, and tried to get her hand released.

"Bauji, I will not let you," said the girl, adamant. "Not until you have gathered yourself some energy through breakfast."

With a sigh, Buaji finally succumbed to the girl's wishes and dropped her hammer, hung her apron, and followed her towards the house. After breakfast was cooked and they were all eating at the dining table, Kushi brought up the topic of work again. There was a heated discussion regarding this especially since the young girl insisted that she had to be let to search for work outside of home, "We will get better and steadier income that way. This door-selling is not effective enough."

"To send you to work outside?" Buaji was appalled, "Never!"

"But Buaji!" Her aunt shook her head and seemed to not want to listen to it anymore and so Kushi turned to Payal, "Jiji, you tell her. We need a job."

"But Kushi," Payal was contemplating, "What job can you do? There is no chocolate mill around here in this place."

"There must be some job that I can do," said Kushi, "Like for instance-"

A knock was heard upon their front door and Kushi readily volunteered to see who it was. Opening the door, she found Ram standing there. He signed to her that he had to go someplace and that their meeting would have to be conducted later. Kushi nodded with a smile and waved as she watched him leave.

Standing there watching him get on his horse cart and ride off, Kushi was reminded of the first time she had ridden with him, and then a thought crossed her mind. The industry. She could try and see what they did there and if what they did was good enough for her, she could work there and she could be assured to get a sound income. She closed the door and sped back to the room, her eyes lit with this thought, and had entered the hall when her aunt looked up, and asked, "Who was that at the door?"

"Just Ram, telling that he was going somewhere," said Kushi and then she paused and contemplated on whether to tell her aunt about the new idea or not. What if her aunt was unsure about the Industry herself? What if she said not to go there without even knowing if the decision was right? Kushi thought of all this sitting at the table, and chewed on her food, as if the chewing would reveal to her some light into her confusion whether to approach Buaji's advice in the matter or not. What if she said no?

Buaji's eyes fell on her niece's thoughtful expression and she stopped the filled spoon in its crusade towards her open mouth, "What is the Goddess of Mischief thinking up now in that wondrous head of hers?"

Kushi was brought back to Earth and she smiled sheepishly, "Nothing. Just wondering how''lovely it would be to go to work."

"You need not go," said Buaji.

"But Buaji-"

Buaji raised a hand, "You can do your kerchief work her and help me in the swordmaking."

"But that will not earn enough pay," said Kushi, placing her fork down, "Buaji, when we work out of home, we get more chances at improving our livelihood finances."

Buaji sighed, "Payalia doesn't insist like you."

"That's because I was always content to be with mother and help around the house," reasoned Payal, indirectly defending her sister, "But Kushi always went with Babuji to the mill and so she knows more about interacting with people, monitoring work in a group and managing things to be done on time."

Buaji eyed both the sisters to and fro and then finally she put her fork down and sighed, "You want to work?"

"Yes," said Kushi, her face glowing with eagerness.

"You will work somewhere in this village."

"If I find work here, yes."

"Then if you don't find here?" Buaji asked, one eyebrow cocked as she suspiciously eyed the girl.

"I will get work here, won't I?" Kushi managed to say.

"Yes, you will," said Buaji, saying it more to assure herself, "You can work at one of neighbor's place, in a garage or in jam-making or''something safe of that sort."

Kushi nodded, relieved that Buaji had affirmed though she hid from her the fact that she had no plans on searching jobs in the neighbor's homes, "I will start first thing tomorrow Buaji."

"Should I ask around for you?" began Buaji, "Maybe tell some of our neighbors that you're coming to meet them-?"

"No, no!" Kushi said hastily, "I will do it myself. You don't have tire yourself for me, Buaji." And then she got up, walked up to her aunt and hugged her from behind, her arms around her aunt's shoulders, "You are sweet enough to permit me to go find work outside of home."

"Ah, you do whatever must be done but make sure you don't end up in anything unsafe," Bauji patted her hand, feeling quite uncomfortable with the girl's hug and praise.

"I'll be careful," said Kushi, and then as she released her arms from her aunt's shoulders, her eyes meet Payal's gaze and she understood that Payal had been watching her all this while. Payal had that 'really suspicious expression' on her face and Kushi tried to steer herself from visibly gulping before her sister. Payal was too observant at times that Kushi had to owe it to her Jiji why she had gotten into lesser scraps and mischiefs than she would have if she hadn't a careful sister like her.

Kushi flashed her a grin and Payal frowned. The elder one nodded to the stairs and Kushi sulkily, nodded at her sister. They were going to have a 'private advice session' after the plates were cleared.

As soon as they were washed, the table was cleared and Buaji had returned to her backyard work, Payal dragged Kushi upstairs into the attic and there she asked her what she was hiding. Kushi, reluctantly but with great relief that she could tell this to someone than having the secret choking inside of her alone, told her sister her plan to try to find a work at the Industry.

Payal gasped, "Are you nuts?" she looked over her shoulder to make sure that they were alone, though it was unnecessary in that enclosed room, and then she looked back at Kushi, her eyes angry and her voice coming out in a hiss, "You really are sinking yourself in deep dirt this time, Kushi. Who knows what kind of a place that is?!"

"I could ask around first," said Kushi, "Jiji, you can come with me if you want."

"I am going nowhere," said her sister, "You know that well. Without Babuji and Amma, I have the responsibility to look after you and I do not want you to do anything reckless that will end up in-"

"Oh Jiji!! JIji! JIji!" Kushi lay her hands on her sister's shoulders, "Will you relax a moment? Listen! This village is closer to that Industry so someone here must know what work is done at that place, right?"

Payal stood expressionless, waiting.

"We'll together go and ask some neighbor and then if what they do there is fine, only then will I go," said Kushi, looking at her sister, "Fine?"

Payal nodded hesitantly, "Why don't we ask Buaji then? She might know."

Kushi shook her head, "If we ask Buaji, she might know I plan to go there and she might say no."

"If she says no, it will be because it is not safe right?"

"No, she might say no just because it's a journey away from the village and because if she needs me for some reason I might not be easily accessible as how I would be if I were working under someone in the village."

Payal processed this configuration of Kushi's and finally nodded and Kushi smiled. A job was almost at her hands. She could help aid Buaji and her Babuji now. But first, to be on the safer side, she and Payal had to find out what employment they exercised at the Industry.

For Chapter Forty Three and Forty Four visit:

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/64182125�