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!
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"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.
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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.
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"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.
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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?
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So I really hope it was okay! If there were any discrepancies, I apologize!
A big thank you to Ananya and Naach_Basanti!
Bade Achche Lagte Hain Naya Season
Cricket
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