Chapter One
"Try to come a little early Vivaan. We have to go to Kavya's house and Anjali
wants everyone on time. You know how she gets when it doesn't go her way"
A
tall, slightly chubby man smiled down at his wife who was busy helping him with
his tie "I'll try my best"
The
woman shook her head, her lips lifted to a corner "you won't try, you will come
on time. I don't want to hear Anjali scream the house down. She's a little too stubborn
when it comes to Kavya"
"Okay
sweetheart I'll come on time" he replied kissing her cheek. She moved forward
lifting his bag and gave it to him "thank you" he mumbled fixing his wrist
watch "By the way where is Anjali right now?"
"She's
downstairs having breakfast with Aliya. Gauri is helping Sahil get read and
Karan and Angad have already left for work" she replied helping him with his
coat. She grinned when he gave her a puzzled look "I know you too well Vivaan.
You would ask about them all one by one so I just save you the time asking" she
winked while walking towards her door.
He
sighed shaking his head "women" he mumbled "I'll never know how she does that"
"Aliya
please don't be late today" Anjali ordered.
Aliya
frowned at her bigger sister getting annoyed at her constant yapping "Honestly
Anjali how many more times do I have to promise you to stop your lectures" she
snapped.
Anjali
glared at her with her big brown eyes. Anjali was a young petite girl with a
tan complexion, big eyes, a pointy nose and thin lips. She was engaged to
Kavya, her fianc four months ago and was getting married in two months time.
She had known Kavya for a little over a year. They had formed a crush as soon
as they saw each other when they met in Ooty. Kavya was on vacation with his
friends while she had gone with her family. They gradually got closer, fell in
love and now they were getting married. She would never understand how she was
ever worthy of Kavya but he always told her she was special because she was
herself.
Aliya
pouted "I was late last time because I was busy with a book in the library" she
clarified "I promise I won't get late this time"
Anjali's eyes softened "okay, okay I believe you"
"Anjali,
drop Sahil to school on the way please. I'm going to stay home and help mom"
She
nodded signaling Sahil to have his breakfast "Okay Bhabi. Did you tell Bhai we
have to go to Kavya's today"
Gauri
nodded "yeah. He said he'll do half day today. Does Angad know?"
"I
thought mom told him"
Gauri
shook her head smiling "no, mom thought you told him. Oh well, you go. Your
getting late for work. I'll call him" she assured.
Anjali smiled widely "Thanks Bhabi"
After
finishing breakfast Anjali rushed Aliya and Sahil out of the house reminding
everyone to be on time once again. Gauri smiled at her enthusiasm. The time
between the engagement to the wedding was a beautiful time when everything
seemed right except spending time apart from the other half. She had been
through the same feeling when she was getting married to Karan and here she was
eight years later with a hardly a few minutes to spend alone with her husband.
Sighing
she picked the phone from its stand while she bent down to clean the mess the
girls and Sahil had left behind. She dialed Angad's number but found his phone
on the answering machine. She then pulled the phone book out of the piling
books on the coffee table and called Creative Infants Academy. It was an
academy for young kids where they were encouraged to support small activities
so they could discover their talents outside academics at a very young age.
Most of the kids were aged three to ten. The younger kids tended to attend in
the mornings sessions and the slightly older attended after school.
A
dark skinned bulky man lifted the phone from its cradle "Good morning Creative infant's
academy. How can I help you?"
"Good
morning Rajesh. How are you doing?"
"I'm
good Bhabi. How are you?" the man smiled and leaned back in his chair.
"I'm
Fine. Is Angad there?"
"Yeah,
he's in the staffroom. Hold on a minute I'll call him" he put the phone on hold
and dialed the extension to the staffroom.
Meanwhile
in the staffroom a strong built man sat on the floor holding a petite girls
hand in his. The girl stood rolling her eyes, a smile playing on her lips
"Mukti how could you?" he exclaimed dramatically.
She
sighed "Angad"
"You
remember my name now" he frowned "and what about when you got engaged to Prem"
he grinned lifting his eyebrows in question.
She laughed and pulled her hands out of his grip "Angad you're too much" she
said walking to her cabinet and pulled her top drawer out "now get up and get
your books or you'll be late for class"
He
pursed his lips then stood up "huh, no one takes me seriously" he scrunched his
nose then laughed when Mukti through her board rubber at him "okay, okay. I'm
joking"
"Angad,
you have a call" a middle aged chubby woman called.
"Thank
you Mansi" he took hold of the phone "Hello"
"Angad,
Mom forgot to tell you we have to go to Kavya's today so try to leave on time,
don't be late"
"Bhabi
why are you telling me, tell Anjali. She needs to go not me"
"Angad"
Gauri frowned "don't be like this. You know how possessive Anjali is when it
comes to relationships, so please be on time"
He
sighed then scrunched his nose "alright, fine. I'll be there on time" he
glanced at the clock "I've got to go Bhabi, I'm getting late. Bye"
She
smiled "Okay then, Bye"
"Dadi,
what did you use?" Angad exclaimed bending at her knees "you look gorgeous
today" he winked hugging her waist.
An
elderly woman, dressed in a pink salwar suit smiled down at him. She raised her
brow pushing her glasses down to the bridge of her nose "what do you want
Angad?"
Angad
frowned taking her hand "Dadi, I was complimenting you"
She
chuckled then ruffled his thick hair "why else would this old lady seem beautiful
to you?" she asked smiling
"Dadi"
he moaned placing his head on her lap "you're too much" he looked towards her
"do you know if the old man's doing anything for the competition in Masoori?
Are we going this year?"
"Angad"
she hit his head "give him some respect. He's your boss"
He
pouted "What can I do if your husband is so strict. I swear Dadi if I met you
before him I'd marry you. But unfortunately I was a little too late" he sulked
then laughed when she t his head.
Angad and Aliya stood with their heads bowed while Anjali babbled on about how
she had reminded them and they were still late. They sighed and looked at each
other giving the other a knowing look.
"Honestly
how many more times did you need me to tell you so you could be on time? I only
asked for you to be on time and it was too much to ask" she huffed then glared
at them.
"Sorry"
they mumbled
"What's
sorry going to do? You're still late" she barked
"Anjali
I was stuck in traffic" Angad muttered rolling his eyes. The lecture was
getting really boring.
"And your lecture is making us late as well" Aliya muttered annoyed.
Anjali
glared at the two "next time don't be late. Now hurry up and be ready in ten
minutes"
Aliya
sighed and turned towards the stairs while Angad went and held Anjali's
shoulders "next time remember I'm your big brother, ok" he said squeezing her
shoulders "I mean I don't mind so much right now but when I get married I don't
want you shouting at me like that in front of my wife" he grinned "what would
happen to my reputation?"
Anjali
cracked a smile "I forgive you"
"You
were actually meant to say sorry" he winked then kissed her forehead before
running upstairs.
Nitya
smiled watching the two families enjoy themselves. She had called them for a
dinner to share her happiness of her Sisters arrival in Mumbai. Her sister was
coming to live in Mumbai permanently after Twenty One years. She was really
close to her sister. Although she had lived far half her life, her sister had
always been the first one she'd turn to in times of hardship.
She
was the happy the Khanna's were kind enough to
come celebrate her happiness.
"You
look really happy Nitya" Madhu said touching her knee "I've never seen you this
happy before"
Nitya
smiled widely "I'm over the moon" she sighed "it's hard to explain but after a
long time I'm going to be with someone who is truly mine" she watched Madhu
frown and smiled "Kavya and Baou ji are not strangers but there's still a
difference. After Hemant died I really don't know how I survived but I've
always felt that empty spot somewhere, like there's something missing. Of
course Roshini can't fill that hole" she leaned back, a distant look in her
eyes "Hemant was the only one" she whispered "but I know she can make it
better. When Anjali comes then it will be even better" she smiled.
Madhu
smiled reassuringly "Everything will be okay" she pressed her hand briefly in assurance
"So where will they be staying?" she asked changing the topic.
"Satya
insisted they rent out a house but I didn't agree. We have a house here; they
can stay here for the time being, at least till their settled"
"That's
very nice of you. So how many children does she have?"
Nitya's
smile softened "She has three children. I can't believe it's been this long.
She went away when she was pregnant with Kripa. It's been twenty three years I
haven't seen them. I haven't even seen my nephews and niece"
Madhu
smiled "its times like these you realize just how special some people are"
She
laughed "Yeah. If you don't mind Madhu, I want Anjali to come to the airport
with us. She will be part of my family very soon so I'd really like her to be
their"
"Of
course I don't mind, you have more right over her than me"
Meanwhile
Anjali and Kavya strolled around the garden, holding hands, cuddling "So, will
you be coming tomorrow?" Kavya questioned rubbing his thumb on her wrist.
She
smiled at the ticklish feeling "Of course I am. I'm actually quite excited to
see more of your family. Your Mother is really looking forward to them coming"
she looked up to find him frowning "You don't look happy" she mumbled
"That's
because I'm not particularly excited. I've always been a quiet person Anjali.
You know that and well for some strange reason, I don't want them to come. I
feel like they would be invading my personal space. I feel that I might end up
saying something wrong and it would do something none of us would like"
"Kavya,
seriously you're being selfish. Look how happy your mother is; and there not
even here yet. Please don't destroy her mood with your negativity"
He
grimaced "The only reason I am welcoming them is because of my mother. I know
how lonely my mother has been in the past years. Especially since my father
passed away, she's changed. I'm happy for my mother but at the same time I'm
not really prepared for the change. I mean my cousins; well two of them are
literally kids. One cousin is grown up but I've heard she's a dance teacher so
I can really see a big commotion coming my way" he sighed holding his head.
"Kavya"
Anjali whined "it's good you're happy for your mother but you're still being
selfish. Don't you think it will be difficult for them to move? It's a huge
change in their life as well" she turned around and held his cheek "and about
the noise you're expecting, then I'd actually really like that. You need to
admit it, you are quite boring at times" she teased.
"No
I'm not" he sulked "I'm quite entertaining"
"Yeah
right" she grinned "You can sit in a room without making the slightest sound
doing nothing and not get bored but to other people it's actually rather
boring"
His
eyebrows shot up with her teasing, his eyes gleaming with mischief. He leaned
towards her ear "You'll find out exactly how boring I am after we're married in
our bedroom when we---"
She
stopped his mischievous talks with a finger on his lip "don't" she whispered
He smiled leaning forward,
nibbling her ear "your all mine" he murmured.
Angad howled with laughter as
Baou Ji cracked yet another joke "Ughh, you too much Baou Ji"
The bulky old man also known as
Yash slapped his back, grinning widely "You should really tutor Kavya, he's
always so serious. He needs a sense of humor"
"Naaa, Kavya's good the way he
is. I think he would have a survival problem when he lives with Anjali if he
was anything like us" he winked then laughed.
"Bhai" Anjali whined walking
inside with Kavya "You're making a joke out of me again"
"Me" Angad exclaimed "When did
I say anything about you"
"He would have survival problems
when he lives with Anjali" she imitated
"You
know, you're not the only Anjali I know in this world" he pointed smirking
"Oh
yeah" she sat beside him, glaring at him "well who else do you know who's
called Anjali?"
"Well,
she's your mother in laws, sisters, husbands, daughters, mothers, sisters,
son's to be wife. Do you have a problem?" he asked cheekily
"Ughh
Bhai, you're so mean and that joke was rubbish" she grunted then stomped off
towards the elders to complain while the rest laughed in glee.
Meanwhile
far away from the chaotic city Mumbai laid a beautiful serene city, Masoori. Masoori was very different to Mumbai. People
lived a calmer, peaceful life. There was never a rush to be somewhere, there
was no competition. It was just a simple peaceful life where the smallest
things would make people smile.
Amongst
the city of Masoori, there were a few houses built amongst the patches of
greenery and mountains. Among those houses, a house surrounded with flowers
lay. "Stop" a sweet melodious voice yelled "Sagar I said stop"
Sagar
turned around waving her silver jingling anklets "You're not getting these
back"
"Sagar"
she growled marching behind him. She reached up to snatch her anklets but he
laughed lifting his hand higher "Sagar, I'm going to kill you" she moaned "I'm
practicing, I need them. Give them to me"
"Nope"
he shook his head, stepping back "These things are the reason I have trouble
sleeping" he said shaking the anklets.
She pouted "I'm going to tell mom" she threatened stamping her feet
"Ooohooo"
he teased "I'm scared" he gave her a smug loo, looking her down while she
frowned at her brother's height. He turned walking towards his room only to
trip over the foot of his little brother, Soham.
"Stop
teasing Kripa Di" the little boy frowned "she's older than you"
He
huffed crushing the anklets while Kripa watched her anklets earnestly.
"Papa"
she exclaimed when a tall, handsome, broad shouldered man walked into the room.
She rushed to him while he opened his arms to embrace her "Papa Sagar has my
anklets, he's not giving them to me" she complained.
Her
father looked down at her then gave his son an annoyed look "Sagar please give
her anklets back to her" he mumbled tired.
"But
Papa she's been dancing for ages. I can't concentrate. I've been trying to do
my homework for the past hour" he complained with a frown.
"Yeah
right" she argued snuggling in her father's embrace "He's been playing play
station for the past two hours. Where did your homework come from?"
Sagar looked around embarrassed "Prove that I was playing play station" he said
defending himself.
"Sagar" his father said sternly "Give her anklets back right now. I want your
homework done in an hour" he commanded.
Sagar
frowned placing the anklets on the coffee table, crossed his arms and marched
to his room. His mother walked out of
the kitchen, a curry stained wooden spoon held in hand. Her eyes followed her
marching son then sighed walking towards her husband "go and freshen up" she
murmured "I'll sort the kids out"
He
gave her an appreciative glance and walked to his bedroom.
Roshini
turned towards her daughter with a grimace "Kripa, when are you going to grow
up?"
Kripa
pouted "I didn't do anything. He had my anklets. He knows they're my favorite
and he still goes ahead and messes with me. To top it up he told dad I was
disturbing his homework. He was on his play station"
"Kripa"
Roshini sighed "I'm not blaming you only but you know he was going to get in
trouble so why give him the reason. Don't let him know you're bothered. He'll
stop doing it. But you always have to react and he just makes it a bigger deal"
her mother explained "I say the same thing to you every time and it's really
getting old now"
"Mama"
she wrapped her arms around her shoulders "Don't get angry. I'm sorry but I
can't help it"
Her
mother smiled slightly and kissed her cheek "ok sweetheart but you really need
to grow up. You can't behave like this after you get married"
She
frowned crossing her arms "I'm not getting married. I'm too young"
Roshini
rolled her eyes at her daughter's tactics "Twenty three is not too young to be
married. Back in our day's girls would be a mother of three by twenty"
"Mama"
Kripa moaned "let's not talk about it. I want to carry on working anyways. I
have so much to see before all that stuff"
"You
won't understand why I worry so much now. When you're a mother yourself I'll
ask you the same question" she paused for a moment "and you work too much. Give
yourself a break. I'm still disappointed that you will be going for an
interview on your second day in Mumbai. It looks so bad Kripa. Nitya Didi
hasn't seen us for twenty one years. They're so many people you will need to
know when you're in Mumbai"
Kripa
sighed as she heard the same lecture she heard every other day. She understood
her mother worried about her but she was fine. Nothing was wrong with her. She
loved her independence and was very happy with the way her routine was running.
She sighed hugging her mother who continued to lecture her about her roles and
responsibilities
Thank you very much for the comments. Their much appreciated 😊 Its nice to be back.
Just a quick reminder. This is a rewrite of stubborn, just changed in some places. This is not a new story. If I feel happy with the result of this rewrite I will continue with a new story. I will be updating on a weekly basis, most likely the weekend.
By the way, love_kyph , I absolutely love your siggys 😃
Please comment
Faiza
Edited by *F^a^i^z^a* - 12 years ago
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