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Part 96
Coco followed Arnav Singh Raizada as he strode to the front door of his house. As she watched, he threw open the door to 3 men waiting there with bulky packages. He signed for them. The men left the packets near the door, and left.
Coco decided that it was time to make her move. The old helpless damsel in distress trick would work well. He seemed to be a sucker for weaklings, if his choice in a wife was any indication. She smirked.
She adjusted her transparent dupatta to maximum advantage, and batting her eyelashes, moved to make the kill with the precision of a man-eating shark that had smelt blood.
Arnav's phone rang, and he listened to Baba at the other end in silence, smiling slightly.
As she was a few metres away from him, Arnav turned around, smiling. Coco congratulated herself. But too soon! Arnav Singh Raizada was smiling at someone behind her. Bile turned her face yellow and green.
"Bhaiyya, Baba said you might need help.", Chotu said.
"What are these?", asked Vivek, flexing his muscles.
"Mami's costumes.", Arnav smiled. "The shop renting out the costumes left these out in the first delivery."
"Mamiji must have had a fit!", Chotu chuckled.
"And said, Hello Hi Bye Bye! How can you forget Manorama Raijjada's fancy dress?", laughed Vivek good-naturedly.
Arnav couldn't hide his smile. "Very close. She also threatened to send the nearest kotwaal to the shop to shut it down if her clothes were not delivered at the earliest!"
HP came running, seeing Arnav and the boys tugging at the heavy packages. "Arnav Bhaiyya, I will manage. You go and watch the dance."
"It is OK, HP. We will help you.", Arnav said.
The four of them dragged the bulky bags to the rooms set aside for the performers, the boys cracking jokes and all of them laughing away to glory.
Coco ground her teeth in fury. But all was not lost. She would wait and watch for another opportunity. She smiled. She then untied the top dori of her choli, hoping to ask Arnav Singh Raizada for help in tying it.
HP went to the kitchen once the job was done.
Arnav and the boys walked towards the stage together, the boys teasing him that lugging Mami's luggage for years had given him the bulging muscles on his arms.
Arnav laughed, loving the cheerful and uncomplicated companionship of the two boys who were brothers and sons to Khushi. As they were about to enter the venue, Arnav's phone rang. It was Aman.
Coco watched Arnav Singh Raizada send the two pesky brats inside the venue, and walk away to talk on the phone in peace. She again arranged her dupatta, lehenga, & choli to make the maximum of her assets, and walked up to him, rolling her hips.
"Haan, Aman?" Arnav walked away from the noise emanating from the stage.
"Boss, Handa called just now. He wants a meeting to be set up tomorrow."
Some girl was walking towards him in a drunken gait.
"No way, Aman. I need time to go through the reports and to check the figures."
"Sir."
The girl was in danger of walking into him. Arnav frowned. He veered away to avoid knocking her down, and continued his conversation with Aman.
"Ask him to back off. I will not be pushed into doing business with him."
"Sir."
"By the way, what are you doing attending business calls during Sangeet?"
Aman laughed. "I thought it might be important'"
"Switch off the official phone and give it to your wife.", Arnav instructed.
Aman laughed. "Yes, Boss."
Arnav returned to the Sangeet venue, his eyes searching for his pink-red sari clad wife. She was where he had left her, sitting by Baba, her head resting against his lean shoulder as they both watched Anand and Anjali dance with the children from Omkar to
Mere piya gaye Rangoon,
Kiya hai wahaan se teliphoon,
Tumhari yaad sataati hai, jiya men aag lagaati hai...
Both of them were smiling fondly at the pair on stage, and laughing at times at the dance moves of the Omkar children dressed in period costumes. Arnav felt his heart melt. His eyes softened as they lapped up the smile on her face.
Khushi felt Arnavji's eyes on her, and looked towards the entrance. He was standing there, looking at her. Khushi sat up, intending to get up and join him. Arnav quickly strode to her, and sat with them.
"Did the boys help you?", asked Baba.
"Yes.", Arnav smiled.
They watched the dance together, Khushi sitting in the centre, leaning against Baba on her right, and Arnav on her left, holding her hand.
Coco looked at Arnav Singh Raizada's black coat-covered back with incredulous eyes as he walked away from her and out of her sight. He had looked through her! How dare he? How could he? No man had ever...
"Auntyji!", came a call from near her knees.
Coco looked down.
A gap-toothed child stood near her, a laddoo in hand.
Coco looked behind her. Maybe the kid had called someone else. But, alas, that was not to be! This was just not Coco's day.
"Auntyji! Shame, shame, puppy shame! The dori of your choli is open!", said Nidhi, before she went away, laughing, to locate more laddoos.
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