Destiny Chapter 16 Page 32 - Page 10

Aarti is a natural when it came to dancing she had worked cleaning the dance studio for two years and had closely observed the lessons both in western and traditional Indian dances. Yash felt immense joy dancing with her and observing the light shinning in her eyes and the glow on her cheeks as the evening progressed she was finally relaxing and enjoying being in their company

In their room Mansi asked "Aarti di did you have fun?'

"Chote madamji why are you calling me di I am your maid"

"You are older than me by a couple of weeks so you are my di and I don't think of you as the maid but as my friend"

"But I don't recall me telling you when is my birthday. "said a confused Aarti

"You said that you had to leave the orphanage when you became eighteen three weeks ago and my birthday was a week ago the day before you came to us" Mansi explained

Aarti pondered on this she was certain that she only told her birthday to the elders

"Di living on the streets was difficult nah? I see so many homeless families and I just take it for granted that they just like living in poverty."

"No one likes living on the streets but what to do if they don't have no money for a room or even to build something in the slum, you have to beg and if someone is kind and gives you some money you have to buy food, Most are uneducated or with very little education so what jobs will they get, if they are lucky they may get as a daily paid labour or maybe a cleaner. You sleep on the bare ground. There is no toilet and nowhere to bathe street people fight among themselves for food clothes and a place to sleep. I lived on the street for two weeks and every day I wondered if would be my last. I was lucky I still had my cleaning job in the studio, and some saved money to help me survive"

"Di you don't have to live like that again nah, you can complete your education get a better job marry a rich husband and have your own family. I can help you study so can Aaman bhayia and I know Yash wants to help he likes you" smiled Mansi

"Thank you chote madamji for your offer I do want to complete my education but I have to work to pay for my education, and I know my limits no rich man will want to marry a poor orphan like me his family will not accept it. Miss Mansi you like Yashji don't you I see the way you look at him" Aarti smiled

"DI I have a crush on him but I am only an annoying friend or a sister to him, he is busy with his dada ji running their family business, and he has all those girls running after him I heard from our circle of friend that he sometimes you know enjoy what they are offering" she blushed a cute reddish colour.

Aarti was not surprise to hear that after all he is a man and a rich handsome one at that.

The following morning dadaji requested that Aarti accompany her and dadaji to the nearby temple Aarti was surprised when they told her to sit with them for the pooja after they give her blessing and told her to call them daadi, and dada from now on as she is now they consider her as their grand daughter Aarti being a respectful girl did not want to offend the elderly couple so she agreed, but decide that she will speak to Mansi, Aaman, and Yash about this she felt in her heart that she can trust them.

The four young people were in the garden with Aarti serving juice and snacks "Di leave that we can serve ourselves come and sit " Mansi said

"I don't mind Aarti serving me she can do so if she likes" said Yash smiling at Aarti giving her a wink.

"Yashu Di is our friend" replied Mansi

"You know Mansi a wife serves her husband it is expected and her husband enjoys the attention" replied Yash looking at Aarti for a reaction

Aarti give Yash a glare then said "Yash ji don't flirt with me "

"Who says I am flirting with you?" giving her a stern look

"Well I am sorry for misunderstanding" she blushed and moved away

"Aarti I am only teasing you silly girl" he laughed and reached out and held her hand

This made Aarti blushed a deeper red as he came and stood next to her "You look so cute when you are angry, and embarrassed "

Aaman and Mansi were smiling they knew Yash was serious about Aarti, but he wanted to give her space to grow and improve herself before revealing his feelings, because he did not want her to feel inferior to anyone.

Aarti looked to where the brother and sister sat she was afraid of their reaction with Yash closeness but was shocked that they were smiling and joined in the banter "Yashu I will call you jiju from now on" "Yes my bhai I took shall call you jijaji " laughed Aaman

Aarti opened her mouth in surprise she wanted to answer them with a fitting reply but how could she when she is the maid and not a family member. These people are strange and impossible to deal with.

"Miss Mansi why did you not accompany your nannaji, and naniji to the temple this morning?"

"Well Di firstly I love to sleep in, and secondly nani did not ask me to. Why what happened?"

"Nothing much except they told me that from now I am their grand daughter and I should call them dadaji, and daadiji. Miss Mansi why are your entire family being so kind and loving towards me I am nobody except the maid"

Aarti don't say that you are a good person and easily likeable so circumstance made you get a job as a maid that dose not mean you have to stay a maid all your life you can complete your education get a better job. I, I mean we can help you if you allow us. No strings attached" Explained Yash

Aarti observed the honesty in his eyes and she looked at Mansi, and Aaman they too had the same honesty "okay but I will not accept charity I will pay my way therefore that means I have to work as the maid in order to earn money."

"No you don't I will pay for your education and when you complete your degrees you will work and pay me back we can make it a legal agreement Okay" expounded Yash "this is not charity Aarti but a business contract as a businessman I am making an investment with the hope of gaining a profit"

"What profit I may turn out to be a dunce, or I can abscond after I complete my education"

"Aarti you won't abscond if you were that type you would already stole from this family and run away by now"

"May be I will fall in love and get married and my husband won't allow me to work"

"Well that man will be a fool, but I see the honesty in your eyes and the confidence you have you will pay me back because you are a proud girl and your pride, and word means a lot to you."

"Yashji you just met me how can you be so sure?"
"Aarti my heart tell me this that I should take this chance with you" he smiled at her

Aarti felt her knees go weak because of that smile she so wanted to please him at that moment to give her all and make him proud of all her accomplishments at that moment he became the centre of her small world.

Aaman, and Mansi noticed the change in the tone of the conversation and the way AarYa was looking at eachother they realized that love had grown between these two but they were not ready to fully accept as yet

Later that evening Savatri was in the family room arranging some pictures she had brought to place in their family albums, she noticed Aarti passing by and called her in, she showed Aarti old family albums telling her the story behind each picture. While doing so Aarti noticed a resemblance to one particular lady it was an old photo but the lady in question looked like her Savatri told that it was her father in law's mother when she was a teenager and had recently married into the family. Savatri continued of how she had four children, her father in law is the only son that his father and grandfather wanted boys, they were disappointed that three girls were born and showed their disappointment by marrying his father to another woman but unfortunately that lady died in childbirth of yet another daughter, They married off the girls when they were twelve years each and sent them far away from Bhopal, that girls we not welcomed in this family by them. Aarti asked where are they now Savatri said one moved to Canada with her family, one is in London, one lives in South Africa, and the last daughter when she was eleven she ran away with one boy who was a servant here because her father wanted to marry her off to a much older man just to get rid of her, she lives her in Bhopal her husband owns a garage and her daughter was one of my best friends in collage that is how we made the connection with Veer and his sister Mansi, and Aaman's mother. The four sisters have kept in touch with Veer and herself, they speak to Mr Singh senior on special occasions Savatri told that she did not know if her father in law still hated girls children born into this family because he never showed any signs of hate towards her baby daughter during the ten months that she lived with them he was angry at his daughter and refused to speak to her or accept her children, but after she died he wanted Aaman to live with us but we could not separate the children as her wanted and leave Mansi in an orphanage so we decided that we will adopt both children against his orders and move far away from him with the children we had already lost our baby girl we were not going to lose our niece and nephew also.

"Madam ji how did you lose your batie?"

Savatri told her the story and that they had never given up hope that one day they will be reunited with their child.

Savatri showed her more family pictures and Aarti saw the same lady again and the more she looked the more she begun to wonder if she is somehow connected to this lady because the resemblance was remarkable they could be ma and batie.

Aarti went to her room Mansi was there reading so she went and lie on the bed to think she was one confused girl so much had happened today and in the past week; how is it that she and the Singhs lost daughter have their birthday, name and Aarti was ten months when she was left at the orphanage and the Singhs baby was also ten months when she was forcefully taken from them.