OS:Gopi's tantrum- Fourth and definite last update - Page 9

She had just finished off washing the mess from the cosmetics floor when the bedroom door opened. She turned, expecting to see Ahem but instead found Rashi there. She came into the room.

"Gopi. I have to pack my things." She began tearfully. "They want me to go back to Mummy. I have to go alone Jigarji won't take me." Gopi straightened and looked at her.

"You are telling me this because '.?" Rashi searched Gopi's face for the slightest hint of emotion. Any sign that the old Gopi would surface any time soon after seeing her tears. Gopi was a sucker for a tear streaked and emotional face. She cried some more tears.

"Gopi. You are the only one who can save me. Who can keep me here." She took her hands in hers. "Gopi. You did it once for me. Do it again. I don't want to leave." Gopi pulled away.

"I meant what I said downstairs. Do not look at me for help. I am done with helping you."

"Gopi. Don't say that. You always forgive me. You know you do."

"Not any more. I cannot help you."

"Gopi. You can. Just say that it was a misunderstanding and that I did not do anything."

"I cannot undo what was said. You are on your own, Rashi. You created this mess. Dig yourself out." Gopi picked up the bucket of dirty water. "Now if you don't mind. I have work to do." She looked at the bucket and then glared at Gopi. Rashi took a step back. Given Gopi's mood she could end up with that bucket over her. She backed out of the room and ran to her bedroom.

In the confines of her own room she checked that her phone was still working and quickly made a phone call to her mother. As soon as it connected she wailed into it.

"Mummmyyy!!!!!." On the other end Urmila practically dropped her phone.

"Rashi Dikra? What is it? What is wrong? Tell me?"

"What can I tell you mummy. I am being thrown out. I have been dropped right in it. No one is listening to me."

"What do you mean no one. Can you not even placate that laloo of a husband of yours?"

"No mummy. He won't even listen to me." She stamped her foot. "And it is all that Gopi gawar's fault." On hearing Gopi's name Urmila's ears pricked up.

"That gawar! What did she do?" Rashi narrated all of what had happened earlier on and also the state that she saw Gopi's room last night. Urmila listened on with shock. Finally, when Rashi had finished she spoke.

"Now you listen to me. I want you to stall your departure from the house as much as you can. I will be there this evening. In the meantime you do what you can to talk to your mother in law and husband. Talk to that gawar as well. Play on her emotions."

"Mummy. That Gopi is not the same. She won't even help me. Before she had convinced Mummyji and Kakiji to bring me back to MM but she won't do it this time."

"What!! I will personally see that she keeps you in that house. I haven't put all my blood, sweat and tears into getting you married into a rich household for her to stand aside and watch you being thrown out. Jai Shree Krishna."

There was a sombre atmosphere in the house. But for Baa's sake they continued with the day to day chores while the men were out at work. Rashi had stayed in her room all day. Baa was told about Rashi's antics and was not surprised. When told of Gopi's new found avatar she smiled and nodded her head in approval.

"She needed to let her anger out." She said. "No one is a saint forever," and winked at them. Rashi moped round the house trying to garner some sympathy for her predicament from anyone but it was not forthcoming. Jigar had said that he would personally drop her back to her mother's house that evening.

At 6.30pm Chirag, Ahem and Jigar arrived home closely followed by Parag. Meethi greeted them at the door. Ahem looked in the direction of the kitchen for Gopi and sure enough she emerged. She stood before him and greeted him. She stood before him and made no effort to put the pallu on her head. Daring him to say anything. He nodded his approval.

"I'll just go and change." Insolent eyes looked back at him but followed him to the room nonetheless. He reached into the bag he was carrying and handed her a box. "This is for you." Hesitantly she took the beautiful wooden box and opened it and saw an array of beautiful coloured glass bangles. "I have opened an account at the Bangle Store. When you break these ones they will replace them. Only don't throw the box. It could damage the door." She saw the playfulness in his eyes and for a moment she softened.

"Thank you."

Meanwhile Urmila had arrived at the house and was doing her best to keep her daughter in the house. She went from one family member to the other in an effort to change their minds. But they were steadfast in their decision. Finally she stopped.

"Well if you say that Rashi must leave then so be it." She said sadly. Rashi looked on horrified. Her own mother could not do enough to keep her here. She continued. "Before we leave, we would at least like to say goodbye to Gopi. Where is she?" Kokila reared up.

"Urmilaben. There is no need for you to see Gopi vahu. She is probably busy. I will tell her that you wished her goodbye."

"No, no vevanji. How can I come to this house and not see my daughter. I will only be a few minutes." Kokila relented and Urmila grabbed Rashi and dragged her up the staircase to Gopi's room. Rashi shook Urmila by the arm.

"Mummy." She said in a loud whisper. "I thought you came here to change their minds. Instead you have given into them."

"Idiot." Urmila retorted back. "I will speak to that gawar and then give her such a hiding that she will be begging them to let you stay." Upon reaching Gopi's room she rapped on the door and burst in.

Gopi looked up in surprise initially and then saw her visitor and sighed.

"What do you want?" She demanded.

"Hai, hai. What type of greeting is that to your elders? And who said that I have come here to demand something?"

"You don't need to say anything. Rashi is behind you and I know that you are here to convince me to ask the family to forgive her and allow her to stay."

"Forgive? There is nothing to forgive. My Rashi has done nothing wrong. It is all your doing. You have always had it in for Rashi. From taking away her rishta to making her life miserable in this house."

"Then if she is miserable here, why does she want to stay? She should be happy and don't even bother to gloss over hers and your misdeeds." Urmila saw Gopi's stance as bravado and began to blast her.

"Oh dear God. What did I do to come across such a manhoos like you? You have no right to live let alone in here. Ungrateful wretch. And to think that I gave you a roof over your head, the clothes on your back and food in your belly? This is how you repay me?"

"Oh I did repay you." Gopi bit back. "I repaid you in blood, sweat and tears. All the years I took the abuse from you. Did you not once feel guilty? Treating an orphan the way you did?"

"You were just an extra mouth to feed. A burden!"

"You had my father's pension! Where did that go? It sure as hell was not spent on me." She looked at Rashi. "In all the years I spent with you not once did you consider me human let alone your niece? You beat me, kept me hungry, denied me an education, worked me to the bone and kept me in seclusion. And then when I married into this family you did no leave me be. Both of you tried to drive a wedge between me and this family. Did you not feel any remorse? At all?" Urmila's anger knew no bounds. She was losing a battle here and she let her emotions free. She walked up to Gopi.

"You have no right to happiness." She snarled at her. "You are unlucky and will remain that way. My daughter will stay here and she will rule over you. You will speak in her defence even if I have to beat you to do it." Urmila raised her hand to strike Gopi, using all her anger to channel a forceful slap. The anger soon turned to pain. Gopi held onto her wrist inches from her face, with a power Urmila did not know existed. The bathroom door opened and Ahem stood, shocked by what he had heard and was seeing. Gopi stared at him before turning her glare onto Urmila.

"You will never raise your hand to me again." And squeezed her wrist even more. Urmila cried out. "You have no right, no reason, or excuse to hit me." She let go of Urmila's wrist, flinging it down with force. Urmila rubbed her wrist and looked over at Ahem. Beseeching him to step in and put Gopi in her place. "It's no use looking over at Ahemji." She continued. "I am sure that he sees nothing wrong in what I have said or done." He nodded his approval. She turned back to Urmila. "I said to Rashi today that I have disowned her. Now. I am saying the same to you. You are no longer any relation of mine. If we should ever meet then it will be as strangers. Forget that you ever knew a wretch like Gopi. She never existed. Now. If you don't mind? I shall see you out of the house." She locked eyes with Ahem. There was a new found respect for her in his eyes. She returned his gaze making it known that she would no longer be made a fool of by anyone. Glare noted he smiled. He followed as Urmila and Rashi made their way downstairs.

Kokila noticed their posture and realised that her Gopi vahu had given Urmila the same blasting that had befallen Rashi and previous to that to Ahem. She felt pride in the way that her daughter in law had conducted herself-separating the chaff from the wheat (or in other words, separating the stones from the dhal). Urmila and Rashi both looked back as they stood at the entrance to the door. As if to cement Gopi's position in the house Ahem and Kokila stood side by side by with Gopi to see off their guests.