Smitar's:Finding Khushi #6 Part 21 Pg 116 (26/4) - Page 23

Smita,😊

Here is the interpretation to Section 7 of Part 19.

Khushi overcome with grief sobbed into his neck, clutching his shoulders as though she would never meet him again. The stress and the strain of the days of pain made her bawl her eyes out. Her resolution not to cry suddenly had developed wings and went flying out of the window and as far as being reasonable, it was not even lurking in her mind. Arnav pleaded with her not to cry saying Khushi, please don't cry. Please, please, Khushi. He tried to soothe her with his warmth. He pulled her well into his embrace. Khushi tightened her arms around him too, giving in to her need, her desperation to be close to him. Their hearts beat against each other merging their love and longing.

Khushi, with her sobs racking her petite body, struggling to draw her breath, sobbed out to him, pausing every now and then to take her breath. Khushi told him that, she said that he would leave her and go away with another woman.What the! was the epithet, that slipped out of Arnav's mouth unconsciously in a shock. He exclaimed that he would never ever leave her. How could he leave her? He countered with a scrunched up forehead. Khushi sobbed and told him that she was told by her that he was after fashionable girls who were well versed in the game of seduction. Arnav was confused and asked, What? Who would have told her so?Lisaji, came the reply from Khushi. She said so with a heaving chest, struggling to draw breath into her lungs. Arnav was more confused than before and asked Khushi, Lisa?

Khushi, with hiccups maring her speech, told him that she had said at the party that she was your girl friend before Lavanyaji. Arnav was stumped not knowing what to make out of it. So he asked her So? Khushi stammered that Pamji and Simji too said the same. Now making some sort of sense, he asked her softly that Pam and Sim are in this too.Then, it needed to be discussed at length and asked Khushi to sit down.

Helping her on to bed, Arnav sat close to her, and with his kerchief, he wiped her face clean, pocketed it. Cupping her face, he asked her, Khushi, do you love me? His question startled Khushi and she wondered what would be the use of hiding her heart while she bled for him and dying inside every moment for him? So she whispered to him that, she loved him very much and let her eyes slide down making her long lashes shutter her eyes in shyness. It was a phrase that she had used it for the first time. Arnav reaffirmed his love to her and said that he never thought that he would ever say it to any woman. He never thought that such a feeling existed. He had thought it was just an emotional crap, a poetic folderol that morons elucidate, an utter rubbish. But now he thinks it, not to be so. It is real and it happens. He was glad that it happened to him. And he was doubly glad that it was she with whom he was in love with. Khushi was looking at his eyes that were emoting earnestness.

Continuing, he opened up his heart and told Khushi that he had no life without her. He just could not imagine not seeing her, not talk to her, not see her smile, not watch her as she spread love and happiness where ever she went. He cannot imagine being alone anymore. Instead of Living Without You, death was a better option. For him, Finding Khushi in his life was the best thing that happened for a long time, and now Knowing Khushi has left him with no other option than Keeping Khushi safely with him. He had been Burning With Desire, the desire to keep her with him not just for this lifetime or just the next seven but forever. His husky voice faltered as he opened his heart to her.

Khushi, who was overwhelmed, threw her arms around him, holding him close to her, feeling the emotional bond, that wanted to to keep him safe from all pain and sorrow. Arnav settled her back against the headboard. Once they both were comfortable, he told her that they needed to get to the bottom of it. He asked her to tell him everything that happened, right from the start without leaving a word out. Khushi nodded.

She started her narration with the time Anjali, Payal and she went to the rest room at the party. Arnav too knew that she was fine till then. She had the glow of happiness in her. He wondered what had that witch Lisa told her to erase that glow? Khushi said, when Jiji had gone to attend Jiju's call, Anjaliji had made use of the dressing room to check out her saree, and she was about to sit when she heard Lisaji call her. Seeing that recalling the incident was affecting her, he caught hold of her hand and rubbed her palm gently with his fingers to comfort her and she curled up her fingers around his. She told him that Lisaji had told that, it was smart of her to make good in Delhi after coming from Lucknow without a stitch on her back. She asked Arnav stating her confusion that, how could she travel to Delhi from Lucknow without clothes? Arnav swallowed.

Khushi continued to say that, she was told by Lisa that, she was making money on her back. Khushi with her innocent mind was not able to perceive these innuendo's of Lisa, and once again asked Arnav with a frown, how can people make money on their back. Did Lisa mean that she was working very hard, doing back-breaking work. Arnav told her that it was not worth knowing. Lisa doesn't know her. Arnav asked her Then what did she say? Though Arnav calmed Khushi, he had to work to keep his voice calm. He thought if only he could wring Lisa's neck, he would do it gladly.

Continuing her narration of word to word she told in a low voice that, Lisa said Khushi should make the most of her time with him because it wouldn't last. When Arnav asked her casually, as to why Lisa felt their marriage was doomed to end up in separation, Khushi told him that she had been told that Lisaji had been his girlfriend first. Then, he had met Lavanyaji and threw Lisaji away. Her answer made Arnav grit his teeth and his anger at Lisa magnify itself, with one look at the pinched face of Khushi. And when he had met Khushi he had sent away Lavanyaji. Her words made Arnav swallow hard. Lisa had built up a story with a mix of truths, half-truths, and lies! Khushi continued to say that, when he meets another woman, he would throw her out.

Arnav assured her that won't happen. If Lisa was waiting for that to happen, she would be wasting her life. Their marriage would last till the day they die. But knowing Lisa, he knew she wouldn't have stopped there and so he asked what else she had to say. Khushi looked away, trying to pull her hand away from his hold. He retained his hold, lifted her hand to his lips, and kissed it showing her that he was with her and adored her. He stressed to her to continue as they needed to find a way out, giving her the reassurance holding her hand to his heart.

Khushi told him that Lisa told her that he took her to Paris and bought her the fur coat and Khushi paused. Arnav prompted with an and but Khushi said that and found it difficult to formulate words and when Arnav once again prompted her, she told him haltingly that he was a good kisser. Arnav could see the agony in Khushi's eyes and felt a part of him die. Khushi said in a voice that could barely be heard, she was told that, he was an inventive lover. But Arnav heard every sound and every word she spoke and didn't speak and felt the pain, the hurt that she must have felt when Lisa had gloated.

When she concluded saying that she was told that she would not be able to hold him as he likes fashionable and experienced girls, he could feel the turmoil she had undergone. Khushi looked at the design on her orange bed sheet, and Arnav looked at her lowered, drawn face. Crying for days together and lack of sleep had left dark cicles around her eyes.

Swallowing his fury at Lisa with great difficulty, he asked her, when did Pam and Sim target her? Was it at the party?

Khushi shook her head. And said No, today she had been to the temple to listen to a pravachan. After listening to it, she wanted to talk to him and tell him everything that Lisaji had said, ask him if it was true or if Lisaji was lying to hurt her, ask him if their marriage had any chance. She had felt that it was better to find out and fix things before marriage. Once married, it would be a life time commitment. Not just this but for seven lives. And then if he left her, she, and left it untold. Khushi was unable to describe the devastation that it would cause in her life. Arnav once again gulped with a superhuman effort.

She told Arnav that Amanji said he was in a meeting. Aman had offered to get him, but she had said that she would wait. While she was waiting, Pamji and Simji had come, Arnav cut in asking, whether Aman was there then? Khushi leaning back against the headboard, told him that No. Amanji had gone away. Khushi was reluctant to narrate. She was so tired, fed up, sick and exhausted of this whole mess. She just hated it.

When Arnav asked her what did they tell her? Khushi taking a long, deep breath, she said that, they apologized for spoiling Lisaji's coat. Arnav hitched his eyebrows in ironic appreciation. He said softly, not bad, quite a smart move and thought that all the training sessions organized by his company for his employees, had not gone wasted! Khushi with a sigh told him that the duo had said that they had been too scared of Lisaji's temper to confess the truth and when Arnav with a nod prompted then? Khushi yawning, with tiredness creeping on her, haltingly said that, then they said. Again at his soft prompting, she finally managed to say that, they said he always let Lisa get away with her anger. Arnav was surprised at their statement. And asked what evidence did they provide to her? They would have said something. Khushi swallowing said that, they said Lisaji had come to his office one day, very angry with him, because he was late. He was supposed to pick her up to spend the weekend at his farmhouse. Hearing this Arnav pressed her fingers and asked her to continue. He had left his meeting and had come out to pacify her. Khushi said this avoiding his eyes. Arnav wanted to know and asked her, what else he was supposed to have done? Khushi was so tired that she let herself sag against the headboard. Saying all these hurtful, evil things, reliving the terrible scenes, was taking its toll, and she wished she could lie down, shut her eyes, and never wake up.

As there was not much more to say, she thought it would be better to finish it. They had told her that Arnavji had sent a big bouquet of red roses to her and she was very happy to get it. She had come to his office with it, threw out the people he was talking to, and hugged and kissed him. Pamji had come to his room by mistake, and Lisaji had screamed at her. Khushi repeated like a parrot, leaning back with shut eyes. With his jaws clenched tightly, Arnav asked her anything more and Khushi, too tired to speak just shook her head and signaled that was all.

Caressing her cheek with love Arnav called her Khushi that made her open her eyes, and he told her that Lisa, Pam, and Sim are in cahoots and are trying to break them. Hearing it, Khushi stared at him wide-eyed. He asked her, whether she trusts him and when Khushi nodded he asked, whether she was willing to listen to him and he would like to tell her the truth. Khushi agreed with a nod.

He told her that he had dated Lisa briefly. They were boy friend and girl friend for a very short period before her tantrums and her nastiness irritated him.

It made Khushi swallow. He continued to say that, their relationship, if one could call it that, ended a year or more before he even saw Lavanya. He told Khushi that he works almost all hours of the day. Does she really think that he could build up such a large firm with global offices and reputation if he had spent all his time chasing women? Khushi merely looked at him. Arnav started to state facts in answer to the many questions that had arisen from the jibes and barbs of Lisa and flimflam duo.

Did he pay for Lisa's coat? Yes, he did. But did he buy it for her? No, he didn't. Did he take her to Paris? He paid for her trip.

But did he go with her? No.

He told Khushi that there is a difference between a lie, white lie and the truth. This was the way lies and the truth were woven together till it looked believable.

Khushi became wide eyed, when she started to comprehend what he was trying to convey to her.

He continued with his clarifications. He told her that there was a show in Paris. His firm performed very well. It was very successful. So he had sanctioned the release of a range of expensive gifts to the male and female models who had modeled the company clothes. Aman picked a few attractive options and placed them before the models. Some picked the fur coats, some took the holiday packages, some went for the car. It was their choice. Lisa's was the coat.

Khushi nodded slowly, getting what he was trying to tell her. Things became much clear and the picture that had been painted to her by the three conniving girls was unpalatable.

He continued and said that he did not take Lisa to Paris. His firm paid for their journey and accommodation, but he did not take her there personally. In fact he had not even attended the event as Nani had developed chest pain around that time and the doctors had found an abnormality in her ECG. He was with her in the hospital and at home when the event was being held in Paris. Khushi nodded her head.

He told her that his field of work is such that it makes him come in contact with attractive men and women. If he had wanted to spend his life with such girls, would he have proposed to her? He who had never believed in love and marriage, even in his wildest dreams he had not thought that one day he would want to get married. After his terrible childhood, he was determined not to get married, Khushi. When he met her and felt this pull towards her that he had been experiencing, he had fought tooth and nail against it, with everything he had. He had even dragged Lavanya to his house to stay there with his family, just to protect himself against her. But it was all a waste of time and never worked. His love for her only grew, by leaps and bounds. It did not die.Once it had sprouted in his heart it just grew.

Khushi swallowing hard, looked at his hand holding her fingers tight and heard him say that, they used to spend their holidays in Delhi during their childhood. Mamaji, Mami, Nani, Nana, Akash, Papa, Mama, Di, and himself used to come to the farmhouse. It was a place where each room, each corridor, each plant that his Mama had planted even the wind had touched her. He could feel her presence in every nook and corner and he asked Khushi whether to such a sanctified place would he ever take Lisa or anyone else? Khushi shook her head and both of them were teary eyed.

He further provided her with the fact that telling her that she knows how important his business is for him. He does not let anyone disturb him or distract him while he is working. The day Lisa disturbed his meeting because he was late picking her up for some party was also the day he ended their relationship. She raised such ruckus in the office that Aman had to ask him to deal with her. Khushi watched while he narrated the unsavory incident.

He had not wanted to see her face again. So had arranged an overseas assignment for her, and had asked Aman to send the papers to her. As a mark of courtesy, Aman sent her a bouquet along with the documents. The florists mixed up the orders, and delivered a big bouquet of red roses to Lisa. She came to the office to thank him. As her usual way of doing things she threw the managers out, but he had subtley motioned Aman to stay back. She kissed his cheek and thanked him for the assignment and for the flowers. It was then that Aman realised that the orders had been mixed up. When she realised that the flowers had not been meant for her, Lisa flew into a rage. Pam happened to knock on the door that very moment and Lisa had shouted at Pam. Hearing his logical explanation, Khushi made an O of her mouth in exclamation. He asked her with anxiety lurking in his eyes, does she believe him?

When she nodded, she could see him heave a huge sigh of relief. He cupped her face in his palms and said softly that she doesn't have to worry about his girl friends. They were all his past. Not in his present and never in his future. The association with them had meant nothing to him.

She looked at his clear eyes, that were giving her honest answers, for a while she was silent. Then she asked him softly, If they had meant nothing, then why was it that Lisaji angry with her and Lavanyaji was so upset when she went away?

In this update they try to remove the the visors. Khushi willingly admits things have gone awry between the two and both seek clarifications and spell out their reasons. That's why it is ELUCIDATION.

When Khushi who is a person never to cry in front of others sobs uncontrollably holding on to Arnav, he is at a loss. At any given time she was the one who always had a smile on her face whatever might be the situation that she had to face. He had come over to Gupta House to seek answers, as to why she was avoiding him. Her sob makes him realize that she is under tremendous stress and the strain of the past three days was showing on her face. His repeated requests asking her not to cry went unheeded. Khushi true to her resolution, does make the first move to voice out her insecurities.

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them"

~ Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

In order to feel secure she needs reassurances from him along with logical explanations. Reassurance alone doesn't satisfy her. She has a mind that analyzes things when placed before it. Her heart might be willing to accept just the assurances. But her mind does need those logical explanations. This is what she is seeking. From the New Year Day her mind had been battling over the facts that were placed before it. But it had taken time, and had arrived at the conclusion, that hearing just one side doesn't lead to good judgement and knowing that every coin has two faces, she had decided to ask Arnav himself.Her self realization that she needs him in her life and she just can't give him up without giving him a chance to explain has made her open up to Arnav.

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself"

~ Harvey Fierstein

When she starts to tell that she was told that he would leave and go away from her he gets his first inkling of what had gone wrong and when she gives him the name as Lisa he now knows things are not simple. Before he asks her anything he asks her one thing that he wanted to confirm badly, he does and that is to ask her whether she loves him. When she says that she loves him very much he is a relieved man. For it is the first time she is verbalizing her feelings, though she had shown it in actions. Just like her, even for him, a man who is known for his reticence to speak, needs assurance that she is with him. For him she has become essential. He too assures her that he loves her and for a person who had scorned at love being poetic folderol, it meant real now, all because it was with her he fell in love and he was glad that it was her he was in love with.

"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold"

~ Zelda Fitzgerald

Once that is clear he asks her to give him a verbatim account of what Lisa said. And Khushi gives him. This gives him a clear picture of what happened before the stroke of midnight in the New Year Party. When she continues her narration with the handiwork of the flimflam pair he realizes that the three are in cahoots and are ready to stoop to any level and they have chosen Khushi as the target as she is the one who is vulnerable. She gives him facts without embellishment and he in turn tells her that whatever she had had heard were really a mixture of lies, white lies and truth. The three had twisted and matted it so well that the final outcome had become a total lie but one that could make anyone believe as that itself to be the truth.

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time"

~ Abraham Lincoln

Before he went on to disentangle the truth, lies and white lies he asked her whether she had her trust in him to tell her the truth? On receiving an affirmative, he goes on to show her how truth could be twisted into whitelies and lies and made to appear like nothing but the truth. He sheds light on the nature of the people he works with too. He brings to light that for him it is she who is the center of his existence and none others before who had been linked with him had not mattered. He accepts the fact that Lisa had been his girlfriend, albeit a very short time, and that too it was it was a year or more before he even met Lavanya. Knowing that Khushi was unaware of the facts, all the three had banked on her running away from Arnav and had never dreamt that she would have the guts, to seek answers from him and clear things for herself.

"The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for"

~ Maureen Dowd

In fact Smita, you have done an extremely good job of clearly stating the facts and seiveing out the lies and white lies that if I write about it, it would just a repetition. It would be easy to cut and paste it. Hence I am going to avoid doing it. But what I would like to point out are these.

In this update he has found that Khushi too loves him. He had been insecure of this fact as she had never verbalized. He even comes to know that she intends to marry him and when married it was not just for this lifetime but for the next seven lives too. She was insecure whether her love would be sufficient for their marriage to be for keeps and he was insecure whether she would leave him.

"The problem with human attraction is not knowing if it will be returned"

~ Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush

Arnav Singh Raizada finds out that the other factor for love to sustain, trust, is indeed in the right place. Khushi has been able to give him her trust. She has been able to sort out things by herself that it was with him that she could place her trust.

"Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved"

~ Wm. Paul Young

Khushi finds out that Arnav who loves and trusts her implicitly now, has faith in her to do the right thing once she gets all the facts.

He makes it clear that she alone has the right to be called as the member of his family and not any other aspirant. This he makes it plain with his statements about his farm house being a sanctified place with the memory of his mother.

"This is what the past is for! Every experience we get, every person in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future"

~ Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place

He reasons that building a business that has Global reputation and acceptance is not easy and it needed hard work. When an employee puts in 8~12 hours per day, the employer needs to put nearly 12~ hours. He tells her when he had spent most of his time in work where would he have the time to prance around as claimed by Lisa and flimflam duo.

"The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense"

~ Thomas A. Edison

By telling her that his past is just past, and doesn't have a place neither in the present nor in the future, as it solely belongs to her, he has made it clear to Khushi that she need not ever feel insecure about him even though he has to work among ladies who look stunning. They might be stunning to the world but in his eyes, it is she who is his Venus and his exclusive aphrodisiac.

"Only You"

Only you can make this world seem right

Only you can make the darkness bright

Only you and you alone

Can thrill me like you do

And fill my heart with love for only you

Only you can make this change in me

For it's true, you are my destiny

When you hold my hand

I understand the magic that you do

You're my dream come true

My one and only you

Only you can make this change in me

For it's true, you are my destiny

When you hold my hand

I understand the magic that you do

You're my dream come true

My one and only you

~ The Platters

These are the things that he made understandable to her. But there are certain things he avoided elucidating particularly from Lisa's conversation.

"She said that it was smart of me to make good in Delhi after coming here from Lucknow without a stitch on my back."

"She said that I was making money on my back."

This explains his resolve not to let unnecessary barbs hurt her as there was no reason for her to be in the know, as it was an absolute lie. He knows now, she was never a gold digger that he used to accuse her off. It was the rest of his past girls with an exception of Lavanya who were the gold diggers. And now Lisa accusing Khushi of it was an irony!

The sentence,

Khushi threw her arms around him, holding him close to her, feeling like his mother and his wife, wanting to keep him safe from all pain and sorrow, too illustrates that she feels protective about him. She too would like to be his armour against such assaults. In this case it is his insecure feeling. Given chance she will be his armour.

"I'll protect you. I'll stand by you if anything happens"

~ Fuyumi Soryo

This update illuminated that for Arnav Singh Raizada resolving the differences and clearing things with Khushi were much more important than punishing the offenders. Of course, punishment comes but in due course. First and foremost, it was setting Khushi's mind at rest and his priority was Khushi.

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least"

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Even while going through the turbulence that Khushi encountered, there were two instances that highlighted his business acumen. First, when Khushi told the flimflam duo had apologized to her for letting her take the blame for the spoilt fur coat, he felt that the training given by his firm had benefitted his employees and it did show its results, though in this instance it had adverse affect on his life, but it showed that the employees were able to utilize it. Thus money spent on it was not futile. The next was him asking whether Aman was present while Pam and Sim were targeting Khushi. It was to confirm how much discipline was prevalent in his office. When he realizes that all this took place only in the absence of Aman he came to know the extent of the mischief those two could play. I wish Khushi had told him that Aman played the Knight unknowingly and rescued her from the clutches of those two and he was courteous enough to ensure her safe return to her house as it was dark. That was way beyond the call of his duty.

"Action expresses priorities"

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Her final question is intriguing. Now he needs to elucidate why they meant nothing to him whereas with Lisa he was passport to fame and fortune and with Lavanya her infatuation. Why I call it so? It is because Lavanya has easily overcome it. If you really fall in love it would last your lifetime. Now Lavanya has an easy camaderie with ASR but not as her love interest. She loves him as a friend and not as a soul mate would.

"A true friend has your best interests at heart and the pluck to tell you what you need to hear"

~ E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

I think I better end here as I am unable to stop my thoughts still. This update is making me elucidate more than what I had thought to do.

Oh! What an ELUCIDATION!

Hats off lady! You have pulled it off with such finesse. Hope you accept my token of an attempt on appreciation of your work.

That's it from me. Hope you enjoy it.

Originally posted by: Jyo.Arshi.IPK

sry...a result of knowing that an update ws comin !!! 😛

Originally posted by: rulama

Jyo,

Its alright.

It happens sometimes!

Rashmi.