Posted:
leela dr..when will u update...cant wait to read next chap..pls pls update soon
Originally posted by: Leelalore
I'm so,so sorry folks! I have been wanting to do this update so badly-
But Life...😕So sorry-to keep all you lovelies waiting -I'll definitely update by the end ofSunday (Tomorrow)- so help me God, please, no more obstacles!Love you all! ❤️Leela
(Original & Copyrighed)
Chapter 55(a)
Wg Cdr Narayanan smiled with pleasure. He had always thought that Rajat was an exceptionally able officer and that one day he would make a special place for himself in the Department. Today was that day. In the past 90 minutes, Rajat had held the attention of senior officers from all the three forces. Everyone watched and listened in rapt attention as Rajat made his presentation, explaining in-depth, the background of his innovations, the staged-program for carrying them out and finally, the short and long-term benefits of doing so. The question and answer session at the end was extremely lively. Officers from all three forces raised pertinent points. Rajat handled all questions with confidence, displaying his thorough knowledge and analytical skills. At the end, when all the officers left the conference room, congratulations were showered upon Rajat for a terrific job, on his friend Neel for being the officer in-charge of verifying and testing the technical aspects and also on Wg cdr Narayanan for being Rajat's mentor and guide. To say that the day was a success, would be an understatement.
Right now, WG Cdr Narayanan stood at the window in his office, watching Rajat and Neel as they stood across the lawns outside, deeply immersed in conversation. It was nearly time to go home...
The WG Cdr's silent reverie was interrupted by the buzz of his phone.
"Good, you have turned on your phone. I take it then , that the conference has ended" Mrs Narayanan had a clear-ringing, slightly domineering voice. She was known to be a lively, dominating but friendly lady.
WG Cdr Narayanan was very surprised. His wife was aware of his fondness for Rajat but it was very unusual that she should call him at this time and that too to enquire about Rajat's presentation.
"Yes , yes" said the Wg Cdr, "Rajat was fantastic today. Its amazing how much he has done for the department and in such little time. It is not that many years since he joined the AirForce..."
Mrs Narayanan agreed immediately, "Oh yes, you are right. Your Rajat can do a lot in very little time-more than you think! Turn on your laptop and have a look at these websites ..."
Having taken his wife's advice and done what she had asked him to, WG Cdr Narayanan felt confounded. How on earth could this be? Yesterday, he had seen Rajat just after lunch-time and today at 2 p.m. sharp, Rajat was again in the conference hall, smart and ready for the task, as usual. Then , when and how had he managed to do what all the newspapers and social media sites claimed !? The net was practically alive with stories of a dashing officer who had rescued a gorgeous damsel in distress and that too right at the altar of a forced marriage!
WG Cdr Narayanan came quickly back to the window and looked out, he had may questions to ask Rajat . Neel was still standing there , looking at his phone but Rajat was nowhere in sight.
"All right, Neel? Going home?" WG Cdr Narayanan's voice made Neel turn around in surprise.
"Yes, yes Sir!" Neel quickly pocketed his phone and looked up.
"Where's Rajat?" the question carried some urgency, "Has he gone home?"
When Neel replied that yes, Rajat had gone home, the WG Cdr turned round and walked away briskly. Watching him go, Neel hoped that the superior officer had not yet heard of Rajat's nightly adventure. Eventually of course, he would.
Neel himself was yet to overcome the shock and disbelief he had felt this morning when he saw Rajat alight from the taxi. Glad that his friend was back in one piece and that too a good hour before the conference, Neel who had been waiting outside Rajat's quarters had run up to the taxi. The next moment, he was shell-shocked to discover that there was somebody else in the taxi. Glittering brightly in red and gold, sat a tousled Anushka Shastri.
A few minutes later, the three of them were indoors-inside Rajat's home. Rajat had helped a confused -looking Anushka from the car and into the house. Apart from being confused , she also looked completely worn out . Rajat showed her into the spare bedroom and closed the door behind her. After that, he had taken a quarter of an hour to shower , shave and get ready for the conference. There had been no time for Neel to ask any questions or for Rajat to answer them.
It was only after the presentation , as they stood in the warm sunshine of late afternoon that Rajat gave Neel a brief description of all that had happened the previous night. It was clear that Anushka had been tricked, duped or pressurised into entering this alliance. The rest would be known only when she woke up and told Rajat . As expected, the net was going mad with stories -some of which Neel had already seen on his phone.
The ladies working at The Maharani' Departmental store were all staring in admiration, confusion and awe. In front of them , stood a tall, handsome officer in uniform and he had an unusual request. He claimed that a lady-friend of his had lost all her baggage in a journey and he wanted them to list , pick and pack all the things that a lady might need immediately - and for a couple of days. It was an unusual task, but the ladies set about it as best as they could. The Maharani' was a store that catered especially to women. So, they had everything, they hoped, that was needed.
A resourceful and enthusiastic sales assistant started from a toothbrush , toothpaste , shampoo , soap and such like. When, she came to the clothes department however, she was stuck and went back to him with her half-filled basket. Did the gentleman's lady-friend tell him her size ? How could dresses , nighties etc be purchased without a size? The way the gentleman gave the size was extra-ordinary. He walked up to a mannequin on display and proceeded to say how his friend varied from the mannequin in height, weight etc-all in precise inches and centimetres.
Chapter 55 (b)
Anushka had woken up about twenty minutes ago, but she still sat in bed, looking around herself. Not that there was much to look at. It was a bare room -almost empty except for the bed she sat on and a small wooden cupboard in the far-corner. The room was semi-dark as thick curtains covered the windows. The curtains were a pale brown as were the bedcover and bed sheets. Anushka stepped off the bed softly ,and opened the door ever so little and ever so quietly. It took her a few minutes to realize that she was alone in the house . All doors and windows had been locked , the curtains closed. All rooms were more or less like the room she had slept in- spic and span and almost completely bare.
Exploring further, Anu went into the kitchen. It was spotless. Looking at the contents of the fridge and the cupboard, it was clear that apart from toast, coffee, milk and such like, Rajat took all his meals outside. It was a bachelor's home- a very organised, tidy bachelor- but a bachelor all the same. How much more could one expect ?
A liitle while later, Anushka stood in front of a mirror looking for a solution to her immediate problem. She was wrapped in a huge , heavy towel that she had found in the cupboard in the guest room. Her hair was dripping wet and her skin pink from the long, warm shower. Feeling infinitely better after helping herself to some toast and tea, she had taken off her bridal clothes and jewellery and stepped into the shower. Unfortunately, a pile of neatly ironed and folded towels was all that the cupboard held. So, she had to step into the adjoining bedroom-which was clearly Rajat's room , to see if there was anything-anything at all that she could put on temporarily. Wearing the bridal lehenga again was an unbearable thought.
After blinking in confusion at the starched and pressed uniforms, shirts , jeans and the cologne, aftershave etc in Rajat's cupboards , Anu's eyes alighted on a neat little pile of kurtas and pyjamas.
"Why are all his clothes so stiffly starched and ironed?" Anushka thought as she slipped a white kurta over her head and nearly giggled to see that it almost reached her toes.
A sudden noise made Anushka jump and the towel fell out of her hands. Somebody was at the front door and it looked like the door was being unlocked . Anu was in front of the mirror , just inside Rajat's room. At that point, if anybody were to come in through the front door, she would at once come into their line of vision. Grabbing up the towel , Anu quickly stepped aside , leaning flat against the wall on the side . Who could it be? Rajat , of course-that was the first and most likely guess. But it could also be Neel, another friend or somebody else-in case Rajat had hired help at home. Surely Rajat would not let any body come into his house-knowing she was in here? And what if it was Rajat? She simply could not be seen -dressed as she was by him!
The water from her hair continued to drip quietly down, wetting the kurta. Holding her breath and clenching her eyes shut with tension, Anushka stood pressed to the wall.
Rajat pushed the door open and stepped in. In his hands were two very large, brightly coloured shopping bags. Rajat brought the bags in and placed them in the corridor leading to his bedroom . Then, standing still for a moment, he turned around, opened the door and quickly went out again.
Anu , who had been expecting-whoever it was to come inside, heaved a sigh of relief. Coming to the edge of the room, she cautiously peeped around to confirm that she was alone in the house , once again. She was. There was no need to be quiet now, but she was still walking on tip-toes when she went up to the two paper bags that stood in the hallway.
The contents of the bags were a delight. From toothpaste to face cream, from hair brushes to safety pins-one bag contained all the bits and bobs a girl needed. In another bag were 2 sets of nighties, salwar suits and a soft chiffon saree- the last of which seemed to have been added as an after thought -because unlike the salwar suits-the saree had no matching accessories and even the blouse was not a perfect match. But to Anushka, the two bags seemed to contain the world's most beautiful and desirable things a woman could ever have!
Hands tucked into his trouser packets, his gait relaxed and leisurely, Rajt Sareen strolled down the road leading to his home. He had to give her at least fifteen minutes- or perhaps half-an-hour, people said that girls took a long time getting ready. Though what someone like Anu needed all those powders and creams for-he wouldn't know! Beautiful as she was, all that stuff the sales girls had packed- it would possibly cover up her good looks.
Almost as soon as he had stepped into the house, Rajat had caught sight of Anu- She was standing -her back to the wall, hiding herself successfully-or so, she thought. She was looking ridiculously cute -drowned in his kurta and closing her eyes tight-as though that would prevent others from seeing her. Anu probably did not notice that there were two full-length mirrors in his room. Although she had hidden away from direct view, the mirror in the far corner, showed her image clearly to him. Resisting the urge to go in and speak with her, he left behind the stuff he'd bought her and came out , locking the door behind him. That she did not want to be seen was obvious-as was the reason for it. But not even he could resist doing what he did just as he walked out. Sliding his phone into the flat of his palm, he took one quick snap of the image in the mirror- Anushka Shastri playing hide seek -this time in his own home. Rajat's eyes lit up and a little smile played on his lips as he looked at the picture in his phone, now.
"Do you know what I am saying..?" Mrs Narayanan asked , looking keenly at Rajat. When Rajat was strolling outside his home, he had received a quick call from his superior, asking him to pop into his residence for a bit. And thats how, Rajat found himself at WG Cdr Nrayanan's home.
A man in uniform came quietly in, placed a neatly laid tea-tray on the table and left as quietly. Having stopped speaking for a moment , Mrs Narayanan continued, " I understand and appreciate what you have done for her , but now you must give Anushka what she immediately and urgently needs!"
Sitting across from Mrs Narayanan, with WG Cdr Narayanan seated on the other side and Neel sitting right beside him, Rajat felt as though everyone was looking at him and he was supposed to utter something -only he did not know what. His thoughts went to the two paper bags he had left behind for Anu-did Mrs Narayanan mean something of that kind-surely, the sales assistant must have packed everything that Anu needed immediately.
Placing her tea cup down, Mrs Narayanan looked around at everyone's faces. Everyone was silent and everyone - Rajat, Neel, even her husband looked clueless about what she was referring to!
"Men!" Mrs Narayanan rolled her eyes, " The man picks up a girl from her wedding mandap," she pointed to Rajat, "brings her directly to his house and goes to work as normal...While the rest of the world is buzzing about how she flew like a red and gold missile into his arms and ran off with him!"
"Mrs Narayanan took a deep breath and said with forced calmness, "Tell me gentlemen , what do you think he should do now?" When the three men continued to stare silently at her, Mrs Naraynan lost her patience and stood up, "Rajat , you must marry the poor girl! At once!"
WG Cdr Narayanan looked as though a flash of lightening had suddenly woken him from slumber, "But of course, of course ,...marriage it is !"
Epilogue
Shastri ji, Sareen and Minty sat around the coffee table in Sareen House. "Clever little girl is our Anushka, " Sareen beamed, "the new air-force base is the best place for her & Rajat to be. No goons sent by anybody nor any media persons can even enter that area- it's strictly guarded and cordoned off !"
After she had run out of the shamiana and into Rajat's arms, Anu had not even turned around . As Rajat's friends came followed by a taxi, there appeared to be some hurried conversation between her and Rajat. After which, Rajat looked for one long moment at Shastri ji and then at his Uncle. After that, just before everyone's eyes, Anu and Rajat quietly slipped in to the taxi and drove away.
Needless to say, the Rais and all the shocked guests dispersed in a matter of moments. The presence of media persons, in particular , one Suresh, from a newspaper hostile to the Rais , had successfully silenced them.
"What a good plan it was to have that chap -Suresh , here..." Sareen was saying, when Shastri ji interrupted him, "Whatever it was, it couldn't have silenced the Rais for too long . Anu, Alka, myself - we all would have been open to all sorts of accusations and speculations...Its only because Rajat- a well known, decorated defence officer took her away-its only because of that our dignity has been restored. People are now speculating about the Rais and not us...!"
"Shastri ji, Sareen, " Minty looked form one man to another, "you both are over-looking something. There is a news agency more potent and more dangerous than any newspaper or TV Channel-THIS!" Minty held up her mobile phone.
When Devyani was worrying about whether or not Suresh would come, Minty had already set to work. One after another, she rang all her kitty friends . Although Minty directly said nothing about Shaurya, she made oblique refrences and dropped tricky hints. She knew her friends -their minds worked fast and their tongues faster. By the next day, the whole town was bursting with various stories about the Rais. Some claimed that they had demanded pots of cash and gold as dowry-the simple wedding was just a pretext! Some others said that a politician's spoilt son had threatened , forced and pressurised a good girl from a middle-class family. Some others even claimed that the groom in question was of questionable sexuality-that is why his family were insisting on a quick, simple wedding!
That very evening , after Mrs Narayanan had said that an immediate marriage was necessary-Rajat had contacted the priest at a small temple nearby. An immediate marriage, he realised was the best thing to do, under the circumstances.
As soon as Rajat unlocked the door, he saw her. She was standing, dressed in the chiffon saree he'd just bought. For a few moments, the two of them just stood staring at each other. Each waited for the other to speak but no one did. There was so much to say, that it was hard to begin.
"Anu," Rajat took a step forward, "Anu, I...Will you marry me? Tonight?"
Anu blinked and looked up at him, "I..." tears sparkled in her eyes and she smiled brightly, "But I don't want to dress up or fuss...I'm ready just as I stand!"
There was but one answer to give a girl who spoke like that. Before Anu could realise what was happening, Rajat had lifted her up in his arms and he was kissing her so hard that there were stars in her eyes and her lungs forgot to hold air. "Aren't you supposed to do that after the marriage?" she asked as soon as she regained her breath.Rajat looked at the face of his beloved- all tousled and pink from his kiss . What was he going to do with her? How much more lovable could she get? !
And so it was that Anushka Shastri was married in a simple chiffon saree, wearing an un-matching blouse and un-coordinated jewellery. Her tired groom who'd already had a full and eventful day, had to seek and fix a priest for the marriage. Consequently, he'd had no time to change out of his uniform. Yet, neither bride nor groom looked as if they wanted anything more.
"This is the best marriage I have ever been to," declared Mrs Narayanan who had attended many grand weddings , "Rajat is the most hand some groom and Anu , the most beautiful bride! They are practically glowing with joy!"
WG Cdr Narayanan beamed, Coming from his lady, who never appreciated anything easily, this was high praise!
The nurse wore a puzzled expression as she left the room and closed the door. Mrs Akhtar had been upset when her discharge papers were delayed by the Doctor's secretary. Then, what had made her so happy, suddenly? She was smiling ear-to -ear!
Unknown to the Sister , Mrs Akhtar had convinced a junior nurse to smuggle in a laptop for her . And it was through this laptop, that she came to know what was happening-Mr Narayan Rai had lost the Election. At least some part in this loss was said to have been played by the recent events concerning his grandson. Consequently, Shaurya had been packed off to Australia by his family-never to return ,the report said.
On checking her mail, Mrs Akhtar happily noted that there was a brief message from Anushka.
"Thank you for everything. Could we please come and visit you sometime?" She asked. Enclosed with the message was a picture of Anushka and her husband -wearing flower garlands- both looking very tired and very happy! So, they're married! Mrs Akhtar looked at the picture again & again, "God Bless" she nodded her elderly head with satisfaction, "God Bless!"
Originally posted by: A.Theepa
Thanks for the lovely update leela
Beautifull endI like sooomuchUngalinte intha story naanVasikumpothu manasilaetpadura sukanupavathaVaarthaiyala solla mudiyala leelaNeenkal oru sirantha eluthalarThodarnthu eluthungal..Your fan theepa
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