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CHAPTER 5
"Arnavji, do you have to go to the office today?"
"I have some work pending, but it can wait if you have something in mind," he replied, hopeful that she would suggest spending some time together.
The week had gone by in a blur and things were starting to fall into a steady pattern. Arnav would keep himself busy at work and return home late at night. There was no point in making a big effort to return home earlier; Khushi still wanted space and he was willing to give it to her. He knew that his presence suffocated her at times, and until she told him otherwise, he would comply with her orders to give her space. It was the least he could do her after putting her in this predicament. He wanted nothing more than to bring normalcy back into their lives, but knew that it would take time.
To show Khushi that he would not let Sheetal get to him in any way or affect their marriage, he distanced himself away from her as much as possible. He made it a point not to go to work with her, strictly telling Sheetal to use the driver at her convenience while he would come and go on his own. He also didn't spend much time with her at the office, delegating the duty of managing her work to another executive member of his staff. He made sure that Khushi knew of these small actions lest she gets some crazy idea about the hours the two spend together away from home.
Furthermore, Arnav was incensed with Sheetal for not letting him know the truth about Aarav for all these years. Even though their relationship didn't last long, they had parted amicably and there was no reason for her to make the decision to not inform him. She had known that his family was very important to him, and based on that, she should have figured there was no way he would ignore his own child. And the worst part of the whole situation was the manner in which he found out: his wife suspecting it and having a DNA test run behind his back, shattering their perfect little world.
After finding out that Aarav had an Indian passport and that he was not actually born in the states, Arnav became convinced that there was some missing link in the story, a reason for which he didn't come to find out about Aarav earlier. Unfortunately he didn't have much time to delve into the issue due to his busy work schedule along with trying to bring his wife back to her normal jovial self. Figuring that it was beyond his capability at the moment, he decided to ask his personal right hand man, Aman, to look into it more deeply
Khushi meanwhile had immersed herself in household work, formulating a new business plan to restart her dabba business and spending time with Aarav. She had noticed how withdrawn he was from his own mother and wanted to offer him some companionship. If there was anyone in the house who was willing to play games and act silly to bring a smile on his face, it was definitely her. Strangely, she felt lighter while in his company, even though he was a reminder of her husband's past. The kid had definitely won her over and she was enjoying getting to know him better. She realized he was going to be a part of her life and there was no way she was going to be rude to him or let her sadness about the situation affect her budding relationship with him. After all, he was just another victim of Sheetal's concealment of the truth; he lost out on a chance to spend time with his own father, and that was something that Khushi could sympathize with, as she herself lost many years with her biological father.
"Arnavji, I have noticed that you have been neglecting Aarav since the time you found that you are his'" It still hurt her to acknowledge the truth openly, but she was trying to make an effort.
"Look Arnavji, he's your son, and he deserves your time," she made her opinion clear to him in a stronger tone.
Arnav knew he wasn't giving much attention to Aarav since he found out the truth, opting to distance himself from the young boy for a while. A part of him felt guilty that he was not around during his formative years and didn't provide for his own child, thus making it awkward for him to start afresh. Another part of him didn't want to alienate his wife further by leaving her behind to spend time with his newfound son, especially since she was already having a hard time adjusting to the truth and continued to shut him out from her thought process.
Speaking the truth, he said, "I don't know where to start, Khushi. We haven't told him or the rest of the family members the truth yet."
"I think you should take him out today since it's the weekend; your office is closed and you deserve to take the day off as well. You both should get more used to each other. It might be better if he's completely comfortable around you before he finds out the truth."
"Khushi, I'm not going out with Aarav alone."
"You want to take Sheetal with you?" she asked dejectedly.
"No, of course not," he bit out angrily. How could she even think he would go out with that woman and Aarav and act like a perfect little family? He had been trying to prove to her since they read the DNA results that Sheetal would have no place in his life, much less his heart, but it seemed like she was oblivious to it.
"Khushi, you're the only woman in my life, and I would only go out with you. If you want me to spend time with Aarav, then you have to come out with us."
"I don't want to intrude on your time with your son."
"Please don't say that. If he's my son, you're my wife. And we are a family. There is no you and me, there's only us. We're in this together. So if you want me to spend time with him, you have to join us."
Realizing that her stubborn husband would not give up without her consenting, she agreed to join them. Although she had requested some time to figure out her feelings and the situation in general, she knew that it wrong to neglect the helpless child in the situation. They talked about going out, potentially to a park or the zoo, depending on Aarav's wishes. Khushi knew her husband was on shaky terms with Sheetal so she didn't anticipate Sheetal creating an issue of letting Aarav go out with them, without taking her along.
Before heading out to prepare breakfast for the family, Arnav grabbed ahold of Khushi's hand and pulled her towards him. Bringing his lips close to hers, he gently kissed her. Pulling himself away, he murmured, "Thanks." No other words were required. She understood that the gratitude was for accepting Aarav, handling the situation with as much grace as humanly possible, making an effort in include Aarav in their family and most importantly, for standing by his side instead of leaving him to handle it by himself.
As Arnav made his way down to the dining room, he saw his family settled comfortably, enjoying their daily round of lively banter and sumptuous food. He wondered how they would take it when the truth about Aarav's paternity would be uncovered. He could foresee the disappointed glances thrown to him by his Nani, his Di's exasperated sighs, questions and admonishments, Mami's awkward comments, and silence and shock resounding from Payal, Akash and Mamaji. He couldn't even begin to think of what his in-laws would think of him when they found out, knowing their conservative background would create great distress for them. He knew that he would lower his esteem in front of the family that supported him through thick and thin, but it wrong to keep them out of the loop for so long. The sooner he told them, the quicker they could get over the shock and disappointment, and accept the cold hard fact; Aarav is his son. He didn't want to spring it on them during breakfast and also needed to speak to Khushi about when she felt comfortable with disclosing the truth. But he knew he had to rip the band-aid off as soon as possible.
Settling himself on his usual seat, Arnav motioned Khushi through his eyes to join him at the dinner table. With her by his side, he knew he could battle the world, as she was his main source of strength. He would definitely be in need of it in the coming days and months.
Not knowing how to come to the point about the outing, Arnav awkwardly started, "Hey Aarav, I was thinking, actually Khushi and I were wondering if you would like to come out with us today and spend some time together, maybe go to the park or the zoo. What do you think?"
Before Aarav could answer, Sheetal butted in, "Arnav, I won't be able to make it today, so let's plan for another day to go out."
"Sheetal, actually, just Khushi and I are going to be taking him. That's not a problem is it," his tone suggesting the question was rhetorical. Knowing that ASR would not back down from his statement, she complied. She knew he was angry at her and she didn't want to give him more reasons to further that attitude.
"Of course, ASR. I really want to go out. Mom has been so busy, she hasn't even taken me out anywhere since we came here," Aarav jumped him. Khushi could see the sadness reflecting from the young boy's eyes when he spoke. She knew that kids enjoyed these types of outings and wondered why Sheetal wasn't putting more of an effort.
After setting the timing of their departure, Arnav and Khushi went upstairs to their room to change into comfortable attire for their day out. They met Aarav downstairs and headed out in Arnav's large SUV. Confirming that Aarav wanted to visit the zoo in Delhi, they headed out of the gates of Shantivan, for their first outing as a family.
After a long bout of silence, Khushi finally decided to clear the air and start a conversation.
"So Aarav, have you been to the zoo before?"
"My nanny used to take me a lot before, but I haven't been to any in India."
Arnav interjected, "So Sheetal didn't go with you or the nanny."
"No, she was always too busy. I spent most of the time with the nanny. She was the best nanny in the whole world. I have missed her so much since coming here. But now I have you two to take me out and spend time with." The adults could sense the excitement stemming from the last sentence. The conversation shifted to the animals he had seen in the states and what they were to expect at the National Zoological Park in Delhi. Since Khushi and Arnav both spent their childhoods in Lucknow, neither had ever visited that particular zoo, making it the first trip for all of them. Though Arnav was not thrilled about spending a day looking at animals under the hot Delhi sun, he was happy as it was a way to get Khushi out of the house, spend some time with her and most of all, and bring a genuine smile on her face, something he had been missing. Khushi was ecstatic as she had a great fondness of all living creatures and knew that the zoo would display exotic animals from all over the world.
After an exhausting day that included walking through the vast park area and looking at all the various species at the zoo, the trio headed back towards the car. Khushi suggested taking Aarav out for a treat of sugar free frozen yogurt, since he couldn't indulge in regular ice cream. This way, even her Arnavji would be able to enjoy a tasty dessert. Her love for her husband still overwhelmed her at times; she wanted the best for him even though they were going through a rough patch.
Returning home late in the afternoon after stopping to get a treat, Arnav and Khushi retreated to their bedroom for a brief respite and to get freshened up before joining the rest of the family.
"Arnavji, isn't it weird that all of Aarav's stories include his nanny and not his mom?"
"Yeah, I noticed it too Khushi. I know she's very much into her career, but it seems like she has neglected him a lot. And I was doing the same thing to him too since I found out," he said realizing the fallacy in his approach, especially since the kid craved the love and attention of the only parent he knew. He would definitely be changing that.
"Khushi, I need to talk you about something else. Before we tell the family about the whole situation, I think Sheetal should move out first. I have already asked Aman to look for an apartment for her, close to Shantivan, but far enough that she won't be present here everyday."
"But what about Aarav? That means we won't be able to see him everyday."
"Khushi, I have been thinking about this a lot and I know it's not fair to you to have Sheetal stay with us." He knew that the latter's presence was stifling his wife, something he could not stand.
"Arnavji, I can't separate your child from you just because you think it's not fair to me."
"Look Khushi, you are my priority, and I don't care if I'm selfish, but I need you in my life more than anyone else. If you aren't here, there's no point to my existence, so please don't start with me. Anyways, it's common these days for a kid to split households, and we will make sure it works out for all of us."
Khushi was definitely feeling uncomfortable with the shadow of Sheetal lurking around her own personal space. However, she put up with it as it was a way for Arnav to be closer to his son. Knowing that once her husband made up his mind, he would stay adamant about following through with his decision, she reluctantly agreed to his suggestion. She had grown accustomed to having Aarav around and had thoroughly enjoyed his youthful exuberance, but she knew that the situation was tricky, and it would become even more so when the family found it.
A/N: Please let me know what you think. I love hearing all feedback and comments; looking forward to reading what you all thought!
Shout out to Nidhi, Sami and Anjani...great partners for this collaboration. Really love working with you all😃
Edited by A_BA - 12 years ago
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