Shantivan:
"NK bituwa, she is a very nice girl." Nani told him
"And she iz bhery bhootiphol and bhery rich." his maasi added
"She dances very well, NK bhai" Anjali Di added
"And she iz bhery rich and bhery bhootiphol." his maasi added' again'
"She has great friends." added Aakash
Making everybody stare at him, Aakash saw them and said "who you choose as friends does reflect on your character'" he trailed off.. hoping nobody had picked up on anything..
Nani nodded understandingly, his mom narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing and went back to her "rich and beautiful" statement. But he caught his Di's eyes, they were looking at him... calculating... a weird smirk on her face...ooh god no...
Just then Arnav walked in back from his morning jog, nodded to the gathering in living room and headed for the stairs to get ready for work. Anjali stopped him by saying
"Chotey, will you be coming with us to see the girl for NK bhai."
"No. I think even you guys shouldn't be going, it is not a thing for everyone to go and see, she is a person, NK should go by himself and decide if he likes her, then you guys can go meet her."
Anjali pouted, she knew he was right, but she was so excited to be able to do these things at least for NK bhai, god knows how long it will be for her own brothers to get there.
Aakash nodded, his brother was always right, his logic was crystal clear.
Mami said "hmph."
Nani spoke up though "Chotey it is tradition that the families meet too. Ofcourse, NK and the girl can talk in private."
ASR opened his mouth to say something... but was cut off by..
"Nannav mere bhai.. Naniji is so right.. even in the one of the bollywood movies I watched in your office...the whole mohalwa went with the groom to ask for the girl."
Arnav just kept looking at his silly cousin not understanding his cousin's need to speak in Hindi and embarrass himself.
"mohalwa nahi mohalla." corrected Aakash and Anjali
NK looked at them and said "yeah, that's what I meant. Nannav, you coming right."
Arnav walked away and started climbing the stairs and yelled back "NO. but I will give you a piece of advice. Don't speak to her in Hindi."
NK looked disappointed immediately
"Don't worry bituwa, he never comes for such things, we are all going right." Nani consoled
"Arnav bituwa, has too much work." his Maasi defended her son.
"NK bhai, lets so see what you can wear." encouraged his lovely Di
"Bhai has some very important meetings he can't get out of." justified the ever loyal Aakash "NK, Shall we take a gift like some flowers or chocolate or something for her?"
NK smiled he reassured them it was ok. Thanked Aakash for the idea and said they will pick up something on the way and said he will get ready and headed to his room.
This is what NK wanted, he wanted a close knit family like the Raizadas. Yes, they were practically his family, all his vacations were spent here with this family. He had grown up with Arnav and Aakash. He had shared Di's affection. He had enjoyed Nani's bedtime stories. He had lived through his Maasi's spankings for naughty doings' yes, this was his family. But more than that he saw how close they were, if one member in the family was bothered all the others would stand up for them. He had seen this family pull through the hardest of times both financially and emotionally all because of the bonding and strength they drew from each other. He was proud to be so close to them.
Not that he had a family who hated each other but the bonds were just not as strong. Personal preferences always came before family. It was convenient for NK as he was free to do as he wanted' but he always craved for a family like this. His first step towards achieving that was to have a wedding arranged by his family in India. He wanted his family to find him a girl who they think will suit his personality, who they all approve off and though he will make the final decision if she is the one or not, he wanted them to be the people who brought him and his life partner together.
He had only one condition; if the girl agrees to it then he was all hers. He took a shower and came out and put on his jeans and t-shirt when he heard a small knock on his door.
"Come in.." he said
"NK bhai, I came to show you these, I had them designed for you at AR Fashions, when I got some shirts designed for Aakash and Arnav for important occasions." she said handing over the a set of 5 shirts
"I thought you might like to wear one today..only if you like them."
"wow, Di, these shirts are awesome... ooh now I understand why Nannav and Aakash look sundar aur susheel all the time. You get their shirts designed..."
Anjali put her hand to her mouth and started giggling..."NK bhai, "sundar aur susheel" isn't used for boys it's only used for girls..." she explained after she could get her giggling in control.
NK held up his palms as if in surrender and said "My mistake...Di"
He picked the one he liked best in the lot, a Navy blue shirt with red subtle design in it, went inside the walk in closet and changed and walked out excitedly saying
"Di, don't I look awesome..."
Anjali smiled lovingly at her little brother, this is one person whose heart is as pure as it can get, "Please keep him away from all the filthy minds in this world." she sent up a silent prayer to the protector.
*****************
"Lavanya, I can't come, nobody is ready to exchange their shift with me today, everybody seems to have plans..." she heard Khushi wail into the phone
"Khushi... you are dead meat the next time I set eyes on you..." she clarified her friend's fears before she cut the call.
She closed her eyes and could see a picture of Khushi standing in the middle of NICU her hands joined in prayer and begging her Devi maiyya to change her best friends mind. Unknowingly a smile spread on her face, she is so predictable thought Lavanya.
Lavanya walked out on to the balcony of her room; in the next hour she is going to meet a boy and a few hours after that she is going to be asked if she would like to have him as her life partner.
She knew her answer, it was a definite NO. She didn't need to see him, just the information that he was an NRI was enough to not like him. She didn't even bother to ask about his name or details, she didn't care, she was not leaving India.
She thought back to her chilhood. She was sent to India to live with her Nani as her mom was finding it hard to take care of the new baby along with her career, taking care of her other kid Dhruv, the house etc etc. Lavanya's mom had decided that her daughter was being neglected and sent Lavanya to Lavanya's Nani so that she could get the attention she needed. She was just a one year old then, she didn't remember much, but as she grew she believed Nani was the only true family she had though she talked to her mom on the phone she never felt the bond, she just couldn't relate to it.
In the early years of school she remembered being jealous of her classmates when they talked about their parents and families and stuff. She had felt vulnerable and it scared her so she chose to hide her feelings under the mask of haughtiness.
Until, she met one of her new classmates. Khushi was always smiling, always helping and always finding something happy in her life. It had irritated Lavanya so much, she used to act extra snobbish with her, still Khushi's smile never left her face.
One day after PTA meetings were over Lavanya and Khushi were summoned to the class teacher's room. When they reached there, the class teacher had asked Khushi about her transfer certificate which had not been submitted to them yet and the teacher said her parents had said that Khushi had the TC with her.
"Hey Devi maiyya, maam, I will just get it, it's in my bag'" Khushi had ran out of the room like a bullet
The teacher had then turned to Lavanya "So your parents didn't come for the PTA meeting even today.. how irresponsible of them Lavanya... don't they care about your progress in school? There have been a lot of complaints about your behavior from other kids and I was hoping to tell them today. But they never come... it's like they are sending you off to school so that they don't have to care of you, not because they want you to learn something... I have found out from your previous teachers and they said that your parents have never attened a single PTA... sometimes your Nani comes but not often... how can a family be so careless..." the teacher saw tears in Lavanya's eyes and her heart softened..
"Go tell them, I would like to meet someone from your family as soon as possible." as the teacher finished Lavanya had turned to leave and she saw Khushi at the door. Lavanya had run past her trying to hide her helplessness from this girl who seemed to never feel unhappy.
She had run to the deserted playground and sat on the stone benches laid there and had broken into huge sobs. A little later she felt soft hands holding her close and she looked up to see Khushi.
"Where are your parents?" she had asked gently
"They live in Australia, I live here with Nani, she is sick and can't walk very far, so she can't attend PTA meetings." Lavanya had sobbed in the comfort of her enemy's arms, what Khushi had said next changed her life.
"Lavanya, don't cry at least they are alive and well, mine are dead. I was just lucky to have an uncle and aunt who love me like their child just like you are lucky to have Naniji."
She had just stared at Khushi, she had realized she was trying to wipe a smile off the face of a girl who had lost her parents and she had just hated herself. She had realized that she didn't have anything to be unhappy about, her parents were well, they loved her in their own way by giving her lots of money, Nani was there to shower her with love, she had the freedom no girl of her age could have. That minute Lavanya had turned into a new person.
From that minute she and Khushi had been inseperable. Khushi's family had welcomed Lavanya into their home and their hearts. Nani had also become fond of Khushi and life had become wonderful. Of course, she hadn't let go of her haughty behavior with outsiders it was just too much fun.
The day Nani had passed away, Lavanya remembered with tears in her eyes, Khushi and her family had been her support. Khushi had not left her side for a minute, she had consoled Lavanya and cried with her. Showed Lavanya the clear night sky and had pointed to the brightest star and said
"See Lavanya, Naniji is talking to my parents, hope she is not telling them about when she caught us helping your servant write a love letter to her boyfriend." both of them had giggled at the memory and had cried some more.
If Khushi had to leave her Payal had been there, holding her hand and sharing her strength with Lavanya and when Lavanya had asked her "Will this pain ever go away?"
"Yes Lavanya, it will, when you begin to realize that she is never gone, she is a part of you." Lavanya had found solace in her words and had lain down with her head in Payal's lap and had slept for the first time after the incident.
She had seen the meaning of true bonding when Garima aunty had come with a plate full her favorite dishes and Garima Aunty and Buaji had force fed her till they were satisfied. Sashi uncle had taken care of everything that had to be done and did not even disturb her once with mundane matters. By the time her parents and her brother had arrived Lavanya had been well on her way to recovery.
After a few days her parents had started talking about taking her back to Australia with them. Pain and panic had shot through her heart like a bullet. She had felt like she was being taken away from her family, not like she was going to be with her family. That day Lavanya had realized that there was no way, she was going with her parents, they were practically strangers for her. Her life was her in India between the people she considered family.
It had been easy to convince her parents on the pretext of her education as she was in the third year of her medical college. But now they were hell bent on getting her married to their friend's son from Australia, as her residency can be done abroad too. She saw no other way out but to refuse the boy.
Lavanya was rudely jerked out of her thoughts when she heard the honk of a car at the main gate, she saw two BMWs waiting at the closed gate. She noticed the security man running from the main house to the gate to open it.
She sighed and went into her room to get ready for the boy she will never see again...
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