Pyaar in the Pink City
Part 3 Lost
"Hum kya decision lein? Chotte teek kahte hain. Par itne saalon se humne kabhi aisi zimmedari nahin nibhayi hain. Ab agar humse yeh nahin ho saka tho? Hume aur tez pahunchegi." Anjali closed her eyes briefly as she brushed her hair in preparation for going to bed.
The conversations and events from afternoon tea replayed in her mind. All in all it had been a wonderful afternoon. Nitin and she had been in the same class and they had been good friends while in college. Nitin wore success very well indeed. It was funny seeing him in a business suit when all her memories of him had been of him in shorts or sweats. He had been very athletic, and a darling of the girls at college. Nitin and she had competed for top grades. "Oh! How it used to irk him whenever he came a close second." She smiled at the memory.
"Agar hum Shashank ke saat shaadi ke liye haan nahin karte, aur agar amma aur babuji---------". "Stop it Anjali. Kitne mushkil se to iss what-if-analysis se baahar nikhli ho. Phir se yehi mat daurao" chided an inner voice. Agar woh incident nahin tho shayad kuch aur hota----- Important yeh hai ki jab yeh chance milraha hai, tho usse donon haaton se pakad lo. Hamesha satsang mein yehi tho kahte hain ki karm karo uski phal ka kamna mat karo. Aur iss project mein tho hum approver hain. Chotte tho honge hamesha agar kuch second opinion ki zaroorat ho tho. Aur Nitin bhi to koi ajnabee nahin" Anjali sighed and decided to sleep over the matter. She would make her decision known when she was ready to do so. No more will she let others make up her mind on her behalf.
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Elsewhere in Raizada mansion, Devyani was on one of her pondering sprees. She was pacing the length of the hall in front of the mandir with Lakshmi in her arms as a sounding board for her thoughts. Lakshmiji, hume laagat hai, chotte ee sab se accha kam kiye rahen hain. Anjali bitiya ka mann lag jayega. Dekha kitni khush thi jab usne oo din apna jadoo ka pithara khol ke purane yadon ke bhare mein baat kar rahi thi. Aur hum bhi unke saat Jaipur jayenge. Humne suna hai ki Ajay bhi wapas ghar laut aya hai. Anjali bitiya agar Jaipur mein rahegi tho Devi Mayya ki kripa se, shaayad-----------Kal subah hi hum Viren se bathiyayenge. Haan! Ee theek rahega". Satisfied with her train of thoughts, Devyani turned in for the night.
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Khushi glanced at her Arnavji's reflection in the mirror as she slipped off her bangles at the vanity. He was drumming away at the keyboard, but his mind was clearly elsewhere judging by the ghost of a smile that was playing at his lips. He was no doubt thinking about his Di and this afternoon's tea time discussion. Khushi was pleased with her husband's proposal to help Di take the next step towards moving on.
Jiji had wondered if Jethji was trying to set her up with Nitin. But she knew her Laad Governor better. Right now he was not even considering the possibility of another man entering his Di's life. He was hell bent on helping her on her path to self-reliance. But Devi Mayya might have other plans. She almost always did. "Waise Nitin ji bahut hi acche lag rahe the, Di ke saat. Aur Di ko itne khul ke kissi ke saat baat karte hue, Humne pahele kabhi nahin dekhi. Agar Nitin ji Di ke zindagi mein aajaye, to Devi mayya hume Shakti dena, ki hum apne Laad Governor ko sambaal sake aur unhe samja sake."
Smiling to herself at the thought of her Arnavji in the role of an unintentional- cupid, she rose, slipped into his lap and slowly winding her arms around his neck pecked his cheek.
"What the?" Arnav exclaimed surprised at his wife's move. He gently butted her head with his and grinned mischievously "Kya baat hai Khushi? Is that an invitation?"
"Hey Devi Mayya! Woh kya kahte hain------? Haan, yaad aaya. One-track-mind. Aapka tho bilkul one-track-mind hai Arnavji." Khushi exclaimed, her fluttering lashes and rising color belying her feigned innocence.
"Really!" exclaimed Arnav searching her eyes for the truth.
"Hhh Haan. Yeh tho humne isliye ki, kyon ki aapko itna khush dekh ke hamare mann lagaaa------" Khushi's voice faltered as she once again found herself drowning in his golden eyes and the love that spilled from them. "Hey Devi Mayya, iss pyaar aur jadoo ko hamesha banaye rakhna" she prayed silently.
Slowly, degree by degree she leaned in closing the inches between them and drew his lips into a slow and sensual kiss, driving every other thought except the feel of her in his lap, from his mind. Arnav moaned, shutting his laptop and wrapped his arms around his lovely wife's waist. Everything else would simply have to wait.
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"Yeh dekiye Di. Yeh aap par bahut jache ga." Said Khushi holding up a flowing anarkali in a deep purple shade adorned with gota and sequins.
Anjali smiled shaking her head. "Khushi ji, hum yeh kabhi carry nahin kar paayenge. Waise bhi kaam pe hum kuch simple pahen na chahte hain"
"Check this out Di" said Lavanya as she pulled out a white shirt and blue jeans" "Cute, kuch aur bhi dekhen?" replied Anjali.
Lavanya had been on one of her visits to India and had dropped by that afternoon. When she heard about the Jaipur project, she had insisted that a visit to the mall was in order. "Nothing like shopping to clarify your thoughts", she quipped sagely with a wink and had dragged Anjali and Khushi over to Ansal Plaza for an afternoon of shopping and girly talk.
As the day wore off, the three women trudged along on feet that were screaming for a massage, towards the ice cream parlor hauling the dozen and odd bags laden with clothes.
"Lavanya ji, hume ab poore saal bhar shopping karne ki koi zaroorat nahin hogi" declared Anjali.
"Tho aap ne kya faisla kiya hai Di?" asked Khushi wrapping an arm around Anjali's shoulder.
Anjali squeezed her hand and smiled at her as she replied, "Hum chotte ka offer accept karenge."
Lavanya hooted and Khushi squealed in joy at these words. The girls' excited babble earned them curious looks from the other shoppers, but they couldn't care less.
Just as she was settling down in the ice cream parlor, Anjali caught sight of a little girl of about eight or nine wandering around wide eyed, searching the crowds anxiously, her face pale and her lower lip trembling slightly. Judging by her outfit, she seemed to be from a prosperous family, probably a visiting NRI. Urging Lavanya and Khushi to go ahead and pick the flavors, she approached the girl and asked "Hello, aap kisi ko dhoond rahen hai kya".
Perhaps it was the kind face or the gentle voice that broke through the little girl's thin defenses. She began to sob uncontrollably. Anjali's heart leapt into her mouth as she slowly drew her closer and hugged her, shushing her sobs and wiping her tears. She glanced around in the hope of spotting an adult who could be her parent. "Kya hua, aap kho gaye ho kya?"
The girl nodded as a fresh wave of tears poured down her cheek and her body rocked with sobs. Anjali's heart melted at the sight of her grief "Shhh, don't worry. Hum hai na. Hum zaroor aapke mummy ya papa ko dhoond lenge. Tab tak aap ayiye aur hamare saat ice-cream khayiye" she said gently stroking her back and leading her to their table.
Within minutes, all of her sorrow had vanished and Natasha as she had introduced herself was blissfully licking away at the fast melting triple scoop chocolate ice-cream, chattering blithely with Khushi and Lavanya while Anjali listened. "What a charming little girl! Had my baby survived, she would probably have grown to be like this pretty girl one day" she thought sadly.
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