Okay, so I
know everyone before me was quite amazing, and I will try to be good too. But
please, don't hate if it ain't up to your expectations. Here you are everyone!
__________________________
"Of course, it's not Di. You're
just crazy in general, I know that. Trust me. But this..."
"Chotte, I think my husband is
having an affair!" she almost screamed and the whole room went
silent, except for the noise of NK dropping the half eaten packet of Tiger
biscuits.
____________________________________________
As he saw
his very pregnant sister rise from the sofa in apparent anger, Arnav rushed
forward to limit any sudden motions. Knowing his Di, the storm was not yet
done.
It had yet
to begin.
And as
always, Anjali Raizada Jha justified her brother with startling alacrity. She scrunched
her nose, whipped her hair over a blouse clad shoulder, and then walked away.
Well, she stomped away. Her bathroom chappals clacked noisily on the
tiled floor as she paced around.
Arnav
watched warily, wanting to do something, but worrying that he might just end up
doing something wrong.
So he stayed
put, slowly dropping his lean frame back into the overlarge sofa. His sister
didn't stop her incessant walking, merely began biting her nails to add to the
image of a highly anxious woman.
This was
going to be dangerous, he thought.
"I can't
believe it. I just can't believe it. My Shyamji! How could he even think of
doing something like that?"
Arnav rolled
his eyes, and mentally prepared himself for another of Di's paranoid
monologues. This was definitely not the first time his elder sister had lost
her wits, and neither was it the first time she was accusing her husband of
adultery.
Didn't the
same routine every few months get ridiculously boring?
Not for Di
apparently.
"Chotte! Why
aren't you listening to me? Have you stopped loving me as well?"
Arnav
readied a snarky answer in response, but thought better of it, and shut his
mouth. He only shook his head lightly, and stifled a half-smile when she
bristled.
"Nahi
nahi! Go ahead, behave like that. Your Jeejaji has begun to love
another woman, and now you also stop loving your sister. Yehi hai meri
kismet!"
And then she
plonked back on the sofa, a dramatic arm flung across her face as she broke
into mock sobs. It was hilarious how she knew that everyone was aware of
the fact that she wasn't really crying, but she did it anyway. Sometimes Arnav
wondered whether his sister was bonked in the head.
Really bonked in the head.
Going by
recent events in the past, and the ones that were transpiring as of now, Arnav
didn't doubt it. Maybe his parents had dropped her all too often as a child, or
maybe she'd gnawed off the lead from a baby crib. Whatever she'd done, it
clearly contributed to her ever growing madness.
Fortunately,
the bell buzzed its annoying tone, thus enlightening the company that there was
another in their midst. NK jumped on this chance and rushed forward to get the
door. So zealous was he in his pursuit to leave the area, that he promptly
pushed HP away.
HP looked
positively affronted.
The servant
turned his offended head in Arnav's direction, and pointed to where NK was
literally running to see who'd come.
"Saab ji,
aapne dekha? Nandkishoreji ne hamein dhakka diya!"
(Sir, did you see? Nandkishoreji just
pushed me!")
Arnav only
stared at the man who'd been a part of their home for almost ten years, and
slowly shook his head. In disbelief. In absolute, complete disbelief. Had
everyone lost their sanity today? First Di, and now HP as well?
He groaned
and smacked a palm against his forehead, hoping for some God or the other to
save him from this madhouse.
"Nannav!"
NK's loud,
annoying voice boomed from the foyer; resounding almost painfully around the
entire living room. His sister burrowed deeper into the sofa in protest, and
Arnav was forced to answer his cousin's war cry.
"What NK?"
Jesus
Christ, this man would be the absolute death of him. As if there weren't enough
deranged people in Raizada Mansion, this idiot had decided to step into the
brood as well. Oh lord. Why was he the victim of all this?
"Leelaji is
here!"
This was the
limit.
Arnav nearly
jerked away from the sofa in his anger, and marched towards his room. He didn't
care who the hell this Leelaji was. He'd had enough of this shit. One
crazy a day was enough. And Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta and her talks of marriage
had been more than enough.
__________________________________________________
"NK Bhai,
please, dekho na ki Chotte chala gaya ki nahi!"
("NK Bhai, please, check whether Chotte
has left or not!")
Anjali
pushed her cousin towards the staircase, making a puppy face as she prodded him
continuously in his jacket covered back. But NK wouldn't budge, spewing out
random nonsense about "gali ka bakra."
The elegant
woman clucked her tongue in sharp annoyance, and smacked the side of her
cousin's head. His already spiky hair rose further with the contact, and he
rubbed the point of pain quite dramatically.
"Gali ka
bakra nahi NK Bhai, bali ka bakra"
(Not "gali ka bakra NK Bhai, bali ka
bakra [sacrificial lamb]")
The so
called "Leelaji" in question butted into the conversation, presumably
saving his wife's cousin from a very painful death.
"Yeah, that Leelaji-
I mean Jeejaji!"
Shyam smiled
good naturedly in response to NK's careless blunders concerning Hindi. But
unfortunately, his wife wasn't in such a good mood. Something other than her
pregnancy hormones was bothering her, and he had no idea what.
"Rani
sahiba, aapko itni chinta kis baat ke liye ho rahi hai?"
("Rani Sahiba, what are you so worried
about?")
His wife's
beautiful brown eyes narrowed in his direction, and she exhaled on a heavy
sigh. Her fingers tangled into the expensive material of her saree; a sure sign
that she was indeed nervous.
"Shyamji, humein
lagta hai ki aaj humne Chotte ki taang kuch zyaada hi kheench lee."
("Shyamji, I think that I've ended up
annoying Chotte a bit too much today.")
Shyam smiled
as Anjali's sparkling teeth worried that bottom lip of hers, and he pushed down
the urge to kiss her, instead choosing to comfort her fears regarding Saale
Sahaab. With a gentle touch that came involuntarily owing to his medical
background, he led his wife to the sofa.
She sat down
upon it without complaint, a feat for both him and her.
"Kyon
bhai, ab aapne kya kardiya Arnav ko?"
("Why? What have you done to Arnav
now?")
But his wife
chose to stay stubbornly quiet. Thankfully for him, her cousin loved to talk
almost as much as she did. So NK expounded-in full detail-exactly what
Anjali Di had done to piss her dearest Chotte off.
Shyam opened
his mouth to assure his wife, and to tell her that he'd talk to saale
sahaab, but as always, his wonderful Anjali interceded even before he could
form a proper sentence.
"I didn't
mean it Shyamji! NK bhai and I were just having some fun, and then we decided
to pull Chotte's leg."
She pouted
like an overgrown child who had been asked to explain herself. Even though that
was quite unneeded with his wife. One only had to give Anjali Raizada Jha a
signal concerning talking.
And then she
wouldn't stop.
_____________________________________________________
Khushi
grumbled her way all through the house work, pausing without notice, and then
pulling a long face while Buaji screamed her head off.
"KHUSI!
Paagal ho gayi ho kaa? Hum jaanat hai ki tum sanki ho, lekin aaj toh tumne had
paar kardi!"
("KHUSI! Have you gone mad? I know
you're crazy, but today you've crossed the limit!")
The old
woman trudged over to where Khushi stood; a broom in one hand and a basket of
washed clothes in the other. She was clearly angry, for her bull like eyes were
currently narrowed on her niece.
"Kapde
kitchen sink ke neeche waali almaari mein nahi rakhte hain Sanka Devi!
Aur jhaado ko sukhaane ki zaroorat nahi hai!"
("You don't keep clothes in the
wardrobe under the kitchen sink, Sanka Devi! And there is no need to dry the
broom!"
Khushi
groaned as she heard Buaji prattle on about her "misdemeanors". Okay, fine, so
she'd made a few mistakes, but was the world falling apart?
"Buaji, aap
humein kucch mat kahiye! Ek toh woh laad governor'"
("Buaji, you don't say anything to me!
That laad governor'.")
Her head
pounded, and her stomach still hurt. Because of the stupid acidity, she'd been
unable to eat the large amount of jalebies that she'd wanted to. That Arnav
Singh Raizada was giving her so many problems!
No, she
really couldn't marry him.
But he kissed
so well'
Could other
men kiss that well?
Khushi
gasped as she realized the direction of her thoughts, and swiveled quickly upon
her bare feet. Devi Maiyya would surely punish her for having such amorous
thoughts. How was she going to manage that man? She had that blasted interview
tonight, and if she got selected she'd be on her way to Delhi.
"Sorry
Buaji!"
The older
woman muttered some unintelligible things behind her, but started to walk away
all the same. No matter how she pretended to act, Khushi knew Buaji loved her.
With all of her big and warm heart.
"Sanka
Devi?"
Khushi
nodded in response, not bothering to turn around as she dusted the photographs
decorating the living room wall. Everything got grubby so very easily!
"Aaj 8
baje ladke waale aa rahe hain, kuch accha pehen lena."
(At 8 the ladkewaalas are going to be
here, so wear something nice.")
And just
short of dropping that nuclear bomb right on to her niece, dearest old Buaji
fled the scene; her large frame barely escaping the small back door leading out
of the house.
Khushi
groaned loudly; this one far louder than any of her previous odes to
sheer frustration. With a retaliatory move, she flung the duster cloth to the
far side of the room. Ruining all her hard work in this process.
What was she going to do now?
_________________________________________________________________________
So I really
hope it was okay! If there were any discrepancies, I apologize!
A big thank
you to Ananya and Naach_Basanti!
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