IPKKND SS:A Girl Named Khushi(Chap. 11)Upd: 12/25 - Page 59

Awesome. I don't have words to describe. Simply amazing.

Very heart touching. Excellently written. Kushi's suffering was unbearable to even listen. She is dead as I thought. I was so hoping I was wrong.

Loved how Payal talked her heart out to Arnav. How she pointed out to him "It was always about him" which is true as his family thought of his pain and not of Kushi's suffering. You just nailed the emotions and intensity. Bravo 👏👏👏. Can't wait for next update. Don't take long plzzz

Oh crap! Its 2:20 am here and I'm sitting in my room in front of the laptop crying my eyes out!! This chapter is absolutely heart breaking! And I agree with payal! What right does Arnav have to be able to breathe through little Khushi? For the first 6 chapters I was devastated for Arnav and also..slightly rooting for him..but now that I know what happened, I hope this girl isn't Arnav's. I hope that girl that Khushi gave birth to is somewhere else, happy with the love of both her adoptive parents! I hope this little Khushi isn't Arnav's...And I'm crying while writing this! There was a unique power in the words in this chapter that has rendered me heart broken! Great job!

This surprise chapter is an Eid Gift to all my wonderful readers who have been leaving such amazing comments, and encouraging me to update more and more! I love you guys, and the comments spur me to write, so keep them coming. The next chapter picks up the mystery and the revelations, but for everyone, I give you a small bonus scene... Eid Mubarak!

CHAPTER EIGHT

The silence in the room was absolute. The two Raizadas in Khushi's bedroom could hear the faint sounds of the children playing outside. The slam of the garage shutters, the curry-tinted smells of evening dinner, the honk and hiss of cars and buses that went by now floated in through the open window. Arnav walked up to that square of star-sprinkled indigo, through which he could see the night sky. Odd, that the stars and the sickle moon looked this bright from this particular window-on the nights he had spent laying on the floor of his poolside, the stars above him had simply not been so--clear. He searched for the right star, and found it, almost instantly. The one, third from the left, the brightest one in the sky.

Payal had gotten up and walked out, to do her usual chores. She tidied the Mandir, throwing away the faded flowers, carefully arranging a fresh garland and marigolds before the little idol. She dusted Khushi's pictures, tidied the bed, put away the diya, after carefully rinsing it of oil. The pointlessness of doing all this within a ghost house that would never again welcome anyone within its dark walls did not seem to bother her.

She finally came back to Khushi's bedroom, to find Arnav sitting on the bed, looking a little confused by the deep cut that was throbbing and pulsing dark crimson blood onto his hand. Payal walked to the closet, and took out a clean dupatta. There were no first-aid kits in Bua-ji's house. If you got hurt here, once upon a time, Bua-ji would yell at you, call out to her Nand-kishore, and then, with gentle fingers, she would apply fresh haldi or torn neem leaves. She would make you a cup of strong ginger tea, and supervise your clumsy attempts as you tied up your cut with a clean cloth. Bua-ji. A pang of longing tore through Payal, but, long used to denying herself such useless emotion, she tamped it down, and tried to bandage Arnav's hand. He was a diabetic, any blood loss was a dangerous thing, and he would be driving.

A warm wrist grabbed her own, and she stopped, shocked. This was, as far as she could remember, the very first time she had been touched, even accidentally, by Arnav Singh Raizada. Payal looked up, looking into eyes of deep chocolate, eyes containing such deep sorrow, she found herself inexplicably fighting tears. She had not felt like crying for such a long time, the pricking in her throat was almost like a new sensation to her right now. But Arnav's eyes remained dry. There were no tears, there was no suspicious moisture. But what there was in those eyes was something much more terrible than mere droplets. Grief---never ending, eternal, a permanent cloud in those chocolate eyes. Payal saw loss on such an overwhelming scale, some part of her could almost tangibly feel their shared sorrow, their shared longing for a girl named Khushi who they had both lost so long ago.

Arnav now shook his head, silently begging Payal to not tie the bandage on his palm. Looking down at the cloth she was about to use to bind his palm, Payal realized why. It was an old square of cloth, but the gotti work, and the brilliant yellow and green color was as distinctive today as it had been years ago. She was about to use a dupatta of Khushi's to tie up Arnav Singh Raizada's torn and bleeding palm.

No. No. he had no right to hold, even accidentally, a dupatta that had once belonged to her dead sister. True --Khushi had no use for it now. It would not affect Khushi in any way, even if he did take this and use it, use it to stop his pain, to help slow down his bleeding cuts. But Payal could not allow his blood to stain something that Khushi had left behind. Somehow, Arnav had himself sensed that. He had known that he had no right to sully this piece of cloth. He had stopped Payal right now, and for that, she was grateful to him. He had damaged enough of Khushi.

He could not be allowed to damage this final little thing, no matter how pointless this was, no matter how much he needed it to protect him from his self-inflicted pain. Payal stood up, and folding the bright cloth carefully, she put the dupatta away inside the closet, where it belonged. He would have to manage his pain, the bleeding and the throbbing that sliced through his cut skin. Manage somehow, on his own.

After all, Khushi had.

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"Payal..." Arnav voice came to her, as she finished the last of her chores. She had just called out to Simran and Khushi to come back indoors, when he broke the silence between them. "You said you see her...you see Khushi in your dreams. Were you just saying that, I mean, do you want to see her, or do you actually....can you feel her around you?"

Payal flushed, immediately on the defensive. She knew very well exactly what an atheistic and completely logical person like her brother-in-law thought of superstitious people who believed in dreams and spirits, and she could not bear to be teased or taunted by anyone when it came to this.

She spoke stiffly---"I don't lie Arnav-ji. I was just telling you what I believe, what I feel. I think that I do see her. I swear that I can feel her near me, sometimes. I talk to her, she speaks to me. We laugh, and I tell her about my day, about Simran. I don't have a way of proving anything, obviously, I am not saying it is something scientific, and you don't need to believe in..."

Arnav interrupted her defense of herself. He turned to welcome Khushi and his niece, and helping Payal shut the front door, he spoke to her over the chattering little girls, as they made their way to the cars:

"Payal, I am not questioning you, or saying or implying that you are lying. I was asking because ....I ...anyways, forget it. It doesn't matter. Look-- I will drive by myself back to Raizada House, and if you can take Khushi with you, in your car, I'd appreciate that. It's gotten quite late, and I'll be driving slowly, because of this cut. I don't want Khushi's mother to panic when you show up at my house without Khushi. She is there with Di.

I called Di before Khushi and I came here to let them know that we are with you and Simran, and that we'll be coming back together. If you can take her, Khushi can drive back with Simran, she'll like that very much. I'll be right behind you."

Little Khushi was clearly under the impression that a car-ride with her adored Simran didi was the very cherry on top of the ice-cream sundae that had been her perfect day today. Hearing about this final, amazing treat, she hugged Arnav with all her might. Smiling at how excited she was, Arnav helped Khushi into Payal's car, carefully putting her seat-belt on. He fetched the perfect, large rose she had plucked from his SUV, tucked her in, and closed the door.

Payal was still standing outside her car, and he was about to turn and leave for his when she asked, so softly that only he could hear it-- "Why do you want to know about whether I see Khushi at all, or whether she comes to me in my dreams at night, Arnav-ji?"

Arnav, without looking at Payal, spoke gently, in the softest voice that Payal had ever heard come out of this broken, tormented man--

"I asked if you see her, if she comes to you, because she won't come to me, Payal. During these past eight years, I haven't once had a dream about Khushi. I have not felt her around me. I have longed every night to see her face, even if it is in my dreams.
I have sat outside, awake night after night, in case she comes in the moonlight.
I have tried to sleep in complete darkness.
I have tried to sleep with all the lights on.
I have waited, in the cold, under her stars.
I have waited inside, under her favorite blanket.
I have thought of her and longed for her, for every moment of every day. Hoping for her visit, hoping to see her one more time.

She will not come to me, Payal. If it is not too much to ask, Payal...when you see her next, can you tell her to....not for a long time, but just....thori der ke liye, and, of course, once you two sisters are done spending time with each other... can you ask Khushi to come to me too?"

Arnav waited for an answer, but Payal made no reply. She did not agree, or disagree. He heard her turn, and Mohan Lal got out to open the car door for her. The door shut behind Payal, and Arnav stepped out of the way, as the black car moved on. Without looking at the empty, dark house with shut doors and windows crouching quietly behind him, Arnav Singh Raizada walked to his SUV and drove away from the dusty alleyways of Delhi's Lakshmi-nagar.

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PART NINE: https://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3208061&PID=71407903�

Another poignant update..
I can honestly say I have no words to adequately describe how "sorry" I feel for Arnav today.
His, " can she please visit me too" broke my heart.
This is a very well written tale with Arnav's despair coming through with every chapter.
I know it is your story to tell BUT can we please please have a happy ending.

awesome

Arnav repenting like this is so heartbreaking, it is greater than his greif... please let there be a happy ending.

I really feel bad for Arnav. But, more or less he deserves it. I just wish he finds some peace in this pain, which he will have to bear for rest of his life.