Part 6
When Gopi walked in to the dinning hall,with Ahem still holding her hand tightly, she felt even more nervous than before. She felt as if all the eyes in the room were watching, waiting for her to mess up, so they could all laugh at her.
She felt same as she had nearly two weeks ago, when she was coming down the stairs on Ahemji's birthday, everyone had been watching her then too, the only difference being that this time Ahemji is with her, holding her hand, and telling her to relax.
And that brought her to thinking about the change in his attitude towards her, when just three weeks ago he was ready for her to leave the Modi Mansion, he was even ready to move out of his own room in order to avoid her.
What is different now? What has happened in these last few days for him to make this drastic change in his attitude towards her? What does he get out of it?
She stared at him as if she could find the answer to her questions on his face. When she looked away, she met Koki's eyes across the table, who gave her a nod and an encouraging smile. Gopi felt relaxed at that small gesture of affection from her maji.
She decided to put her doubts aside for the moment. She needed to do this for her maji, her mother. The only mother she has ever known. Her maji was proud of her son, and she wanted him to succeed. And Gopi needed to help him make her dreams into reality.
That's when it hit her, she snapped her head back towards Ahem, and realized that was the reason for his change in attitude towards her.
Her Ahemji loved his mother, and he would do anything for her. Images flashed in her head as if she was looking at a photo album, the dandya competition, cricket competition, rose giving at Kinjle's sangeet...
Gopi came back to present when she felt Ahem let go of her hand, and introduced her to someone.
Gopi looked over at the middle aged couple and almost panicked. She didn't know what they were saying, how should she answer them?
She looked over at Ahem, and was once again reminded of the day of dandya competition. He gave her a small smile and a tiny nod of his head encouraging her, just like he had that day.
Gopi turned towards the couple and gave them a smile, folded her hands in front of her and greeted them. "Jai Shree Krishna."
Mr and Mrs. Clay were charmed by Gopi's traditional Indian greeting and returned the gesture and the words.
Mrs Clay turned towards Ahem and said, "Mr. Modi, your wife is very beautiful and charming. It is nice to see that even though she looks modern, she hasn't lost her cultural values. You should be proud of her." Her husband agreed with her.
Ahem smiled and thanked them for the compliment and translated what they said to Gopi, who flushed from the compliment. They talked to them for a while before they moved on to the next table.
As the evening wore on Ahem introduced Gopi and the family to several key people associated with the project, and most everyone was very impressed with the Modi family, most especially Gopi. Ahem received many compliments on his choice of a wife. Each time he was complimented, he looked at his mom, who looked back at him with I told you so look.
Ahem noticed the key people that Gopi impressed with her traditional look and values were the same people who will decide the future of the contract also.
When everyone was sitting down for dinner, Mr. Clay, who was the head of the project committee approached the mike and thanked everyone for their interest in the project and their proposals. He went on to say that they would make their decision in the next two days and will inform the winner of the contract. He asked everyone to enjoy their night and rest of their stay in Switzerland.
Everyone relaxed after that and started to mingle with one another.
Gopi breathed a sigh of relief and looked around the room, she noticed a man approach Ahem, shake his hand and started conversing with him.
All the doubts of the past and present came flooding back in Gopi's mind. As she watched Ahem speak to the man, she realized the difference between them, he was so confident and poised not only that her Ahemji was also very intelligent. How can she even be right for him?
She discretely wiped a small tear from under her eye and looked away.
She heard Rashi speak to her from the other side. "Gopi, how many times have I told you not to get your hopes up when it comes to Ahem jiju." Gopi didn't look at Rashi, if she had she would have seen the calculated look in Rashi's eyes.
When Gopi didn't respond, Rashi continued, "He is just using you to get the contract, its not like he hasn't used you before. He used you to win the dandya competition, the cricket competition, and all for his mom. Even when he brought you back when Nani came back, he used you, you know that he only brought you back because Kakiji told him to." Gopi flinched inwardly at Rashi's harsh words, but didn't react visibly.
Rashi was disappointed that Gopi did not react in anyway. She wanted to say more, but she saw Ahem and Koki both look towards them, so she turned her attention back to the food.
Rashi was unaware of the fact that Gopi had reached her own conclusions regarding Ahem's change in behavior towards her, she didn't need the reminder. She strengthen her resolve to leave Modi Bhavan once they returned home.
Gopi looked over at Koki, she knew she was going to have to convince Koki to let her go.
Two days later back at Modi Bhavan...
Its been two days since the Modi family returned from Switzerland. Everyone had been very excited to learn that they got the contract. Mr. Clay had approached Ahem personally to let him know the good news, and tell him that his wife had been the deciding factor in the Modi's getting the contract.
He told Ahem that Mrs. Clay had been very impressed with Gopi, and had liked the fact that she had stood by Ahem the whole night, and was not embarrassed to show up in her traditional clothes or the fact that she couldn't communicate with them in English. Mrs. Clay had also liked the fact that Gopi had found the people of Switzerland just as nice as the people in India.
Ahem had been very proud of Gopi that night, Mr. and Mrs. Clay had asked Gopi many questions thru him, he remembered how each time they asked the question she had looked at them directly and then turned to him for translation, and answered him in her sweet voice to translate back to them.
And now the project is in motion, he had worked non-stop since he returned to make sure every thing is perfect.
He had also been aware that Gopi had been avoiding him since the night of the party, but he had been so busy that he hadn't had a chance to talk to her about it, but now that everything was settled with the project, he was going to sit her down and talked to her. He also has yet to give her the gift he bought her on the day they went shopping.
He was pacing the room waiting for her. He cursed the day he told her to stay away from the room till he fell asleep and leave the room before he woke up, and these past two days she has done nothing but follow his instructions to the T.
But tonight all that is going to stop, he had talked to his mom earlier and she had informed him that Gopi was making noises about leaving. He promised his mom that he won't let her leave them and she had been very happy to hear that. Now he just had to wait for Gopi to come to the room so he could talk to her.
He was just about to go out the door to drag her back when he heard her approached. He stopped pacing and waited for her to enter the room.
Gopi walked in the room with water jug, she placed the jug on his side of the bed and walked past him to the dresser, all without once speaking or looking at him.
Ahem couldn't stand it anymore, "Gopi stop, we need to talk."
She halted in the middle of the room, turned towards him. "Ji, I also wanted to say something." Ahem nodded his head.
Gopi looked him in the eye spoke hesitantly. "I think its time for me to leave Modi Bhavan, you have your contract now, and I did tell you that I would leave once we returned."
Ahem was shocked, and cursed under his breath, here he was trying to stop her and she was talking about leaving, he knew he needed to approach her gently, but he wanted to clear all the misunderstandings between them, and he is going to have to take the aggressive approach to make her understand.
Gopi looked away from him, she thought he looked mad, his eyes flared with unnamed emotions, his jaw was clenched, his hands fisted. He started stalking towards her.
Gopi was alarmed by the look in his eyes and backed up a step, but he didn't stop. For every step he took forward she took one back, he didn't stop until he had backed up to the dresser.
He stopped in front of her and put both of his arms around her, caging her in his arms and leaned down. "Gopi look at me please."
He could feel her trembling in his arms and took a deep breath to calm himself down. Gopi slowly looked up at him, but was unable to hold his gaze.
"Gopi I don't want you to leave." he took her chin in his hand and made her look at him.
"Why are you doing this? I have finally decided I am going to get out of your life, I understand now I am not right for you, then why stop me, isn't it what you've wanted for a long time now." she said all this with tears in her eyes.
Ahem took her face in his hands, "Yes, that's what I have wanted in the past, but not anymore." He took a deep breath and took her hand in his and walked her to the bed and made her sit. He then went to the closet and brought out the gift he had bought for her in switzerland.
He sat beside her and hander her the gift. "Here open this, I bought this for you in Switzerland, and then we will talk." He watched her intently.
Gopi slowly removed the the ribbon then the paper and opened the box. When she saw what was in the box she gasped and looked up at him with tears in her eye. "How did you know I wanted this?" She pulled out the snow globe she had eyed in the shop.
He took the snow globe in his hand and shook it and they both watched the snow fall in the tiny town, surrounded by the big mountains, in the glass globe. "I saw you playing with it in the shop, and since you didn't want anything Mom was trying to get you, I went back and bought this for you to remember your trip to Switzerland. I hope you like it."
Gopi looked at the globe again, and said "Thank you, I love it." And finally smiled at him.
He took the snow globe from her and put it aside, then took her hands in his, "Now, can we talk about us?" when she nodded her head yes he continued.
"Gopi, I know I am your culprit, and you can punish me any how you see for mistreating you in the past, but please don't leave me. I don't want you to go, in the past few weeks, especially in the past ten days while we were in Switzerland, I have come to a realization that mom has always been right about you." He waited for her to take in what he said, and when she once again looked at him he continued.
"I know I don't have any right to ask you this, but please give me time and chance to get to know you, and for you to get to know me, to work on our marriage. Will you do this for us and our family?"
Gopi didn't know what to say to him, she was afraid she was dreaming the whole thing and wake up and find herself sleeping on the floor like always.
She finally looked up at him, "Are you sure about this, have you thought this thru, I am still the same Gopi as I was a year ago when you married me, naive, uneducated, unsophisticated simple girl."
Ahem took Gopi's face in his hands, "Gopi, don't ever put yourself down like that again, the fault is not with you, but with me for not recognizing treasure I was holding in my hand."
Gopi wanted to reach up and feel his forehead to be sure he wasn't running a fever, she couldn't believe what he was saying to her.
Ahem chuckled at her look of confusion, "I am not saying that I love you, or expect you to love me back after the way I treated you, but I want us to work toward that love, by getting to know each other like we should have when we got married." He waited for her answer.
"Ahemji, I am not sure about any of it, but if you are sure, then yes I am willing to give us this chance to get to know each other."
Ahem was so happy to hear her finally say yes, he was relieved and immediately took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. "Thank you! You won't regret it, I promise."
Ahem thanked god for giving him this opportunity to get know the person who had won over his family in a flash and made a place for herself, slowly, in his heart by her sweet and caring nature.
~The End~
Hope everyone enjoyed this SS, I am ending it here because I though this was the perfect place to end it at.
Anupamaa
