Vignettes - 28. An Old Friend

Posted: 8 years ago

Dear All...

Anticipating quite a few shouts and screams for my extended absence... And as I take a 

pause in Anjali's story... 

 

Hold it! Happy Valentine's Day!!

 

This takes place a few weeks after Anjali's wedding...

 

Without much ado, presenting the next OS in the series...


 

Vignettes 28. An Old Friend

 

It was a normal weekday at Shantivan and the womenfolk had settled down

 for the day after seeing off everyone to office. A rare break in the schedule 

of Annapoorna meant that Khushi was also at home, and Anjali had 

hopped over from next door, after seeing off Raghuveer and her 

mother-in-law, who was planning a day at the library.

 

"Arre, Di, aap aa gayi?", Khushi exclaimed happily, seeing her sister-in-law settled on  her usual spot beside her Nani. Quickly wiping her hands 

on a tea_towel, she walked  out of the kitchen, pulling Payal with her. 

"Ghar ki kaam se aaj aapko bhi chutti hai, Jiji."

 

They were all happily engaged in pulling the leg of the newly married Anjali when the landline phone rang. "Hum dekhte hain," Khushi 

jumped up and answered, "Hello?"

 

"Aha! Tum toh all sophisticated ho gayi ho!" came the reply.

 

Feathers ruffled, Khushi asked, "Woh hum dekh lenge, aap kaun?"

 

"Getting angry? Woh toh expected hai, considering who you're married to; 

Mr. Angry Man himself!"

 

"Haun! Aap kaun hote ho humare pati ke baare mein aise baat karne ke 

liye?" Khushi sputtered, annoyed thoroughly now.

 

The now laughing voice replied, "Main? I'm an old friend. Mujhe itni jaldi 

bhool gayi,  Chamkili?"

 

It was a shout that shook the rafters that came as Khushi's reply," Lavanyaji!"

 

Laughing in delight, she turned to the rest of the family and announced the 

obvious, "Lavanyaji hain, phone pe!"

 

Putting the receiver back to her ear, she asked, "Aap kahan se phone kar 

rahi ho, Lavanyaji?"

 

"From L.A., of course. Tumhein pata hain maine kitni mushkil se time 

difference ko manage kiya, to make this call?

 

"Shukriya!", Khushi smiled, "Kaisi ho aap? Aur yeh boliye ki aaj achaanak 

humein yaad kaise kiya?"

 

"Tum toh nahi karti!", Lavanya shot back, and smiling as she heard Khushi 

frantically trying to make amends, "No issues, Chamkili! Main buss mazaak k

ar rahi thi! Actually ek wajah hai, yeh call ke liye. I'm coming to India!"

 

"Arre waah!" prompt came the exclamation. "Kab?"

 

"Next week. And I just wanted to make sure you will be there so that I can 

meet you." A slight hesitation preceded her next words, "And ASR? How 

is he? Will he be there too?"

 

Smiling softly as she understood the multiple reasons behind that hesitation,

 Khushi replied, "Ji haan, woh bhi agle kafte Dilli mein hi honge. Aur hum 

jaante hain ki woh aapse milne ke liye utne hi utsuk honge jitne hum hain."

 

"I would love meeting you all. Aur baaki sab log kaise hain? Naniji, Mamiji, 

Anjali Di?"

 

"Sab theek hain. Aur yahan hain, aapke aane ki khabar sunke sab bahut 

khush hain."

 

"Please convey my regards to everyone, Khushi. I'll call you up later to 

confirm the date of my arrival, okay?"

 

"Ji. Hum bahut khush hain, Lavanyaji, aapse milke bahut saari batein karni 

hain, puraani dinon ke jaise."

 

Smiling fondly as she remembered how their unlikely friendship had thrived,

 Lavanya replied, "Pakka! Okay then, I'll talk to you later, bye."

**************

 

"Aur Arnavji, sabse khaas khabar! Pata hain aaj kisne phone kiya?" Khushi 

chirped up from her post on the futon, as she watched Arnav setting down 

all the office-related paraphernalia and shrugging out of his coat.

 

Smiling at his wife, whose habit of updating him about every single detail of 

her day as soon as he walked in from work always worked like a charm in 

helping him shed the stress of the day and unwind, he quipped,  "Pata 

hota toh bhi tum mujhe batati! Bolo, kisne kiya meri biwi ko phone?"

 

Scrunching up her nose as she acknowledged his teasing but let it go in 

her excitement on sharing her news, Khushi semi-yelled, " Lavanyaji ne! Amreeka se!"

 

Eyebrows lifting in surprise, even as he fought a grin at her Lucknowi turn 

of phrase which often made an appearance when she was at her most 

unreserved, he asked, "Really? Its been ages since you guys talked, huh? 

Maine toh usse baat karke lagbhag dhed saal ho gayi hogi! Magar tum 

baat karti thi naah, aksar?"

 

Even though Lavanya had contunued to work for AR's overseas office for 

a while, her contact had been another Vice President, with little official 

interaction with Arnav, making it easy on both of them. An occasional 

phonecall for some clarification or the other had been the extent of their 

communication, until it stopped altogether when she joined another firm 

with an office closer to her parents residence.

 

"Haan, Arnavji, baat karte the, lekin such maheenon se nahi. Hum donon 

vyast rehte hai toh schedule match karna aasaan nahi hota. Isi liye toh 

hum itna utsuk hai! Woh aa rahi hai, India, agle hafte!"

 

"That's good news, she hasn't been in India since...", Arnav trailed off as 

he remembered that last conversation just after their engagement was 

called off.  Grimacing as he recollected her agonized face, his hand, busy 

untying the knot of his tie, stilled.

 

Reading the expression on his face correctly, Khushi stepped up to him, 

gently pulling his hand away, and starting to untie it herself. "Aap uss din 

ke baare mein soch rahe hain naah?", she asked softly.

 

Looking down at her with a guilty smile, he replied huskily, "Hmm. I can't 

even begin to imagine how much it must have hurt her, and how much 

courage she must have gathered to make that decision to set me free."

 

Her hands smoothening down his shirt , she hugged him tight, "Hum 

andaaza bhi nahi laga sakte ki unpe kya beeti hogi, unke aankhon ke 

saamne, anjaane mein hi sahi, humein ek doosre ke kareeb aate hue 

dekhkar." 

 

She looked up at her husband with tear-filled eyes and contiunued, "Hum donon ko pata nahi tha ki humare dilon 

ka naata jod chuka tha, lekin unko samajh mein aaya, shaayad iss liye ki 

woh aapse itna pyaar karti thi. Ek pyaar karnewali dil shaayad doosre ko 

pehchaan paayi thi, aur humari dil ki baat bhi humse pehle unko samajh 

aayi."

 

Cupping her face tenderly in both hands, he whispered," Mujhe andaasa 

hai, woh kaise feel ki hogi. Exactly the way I felt when I came to know that 

you had gotten engaged... as if my heart would burst from the agony... as 

if I was bleeding unnoticed by everyone around me... as if the mere act of 

breathing was more effort than my heart could handle... as if I might feel 

better only if I get the chance to scream out my pain at the top of my voice...

as if...",  he trailed off, as a tearful Khushi shushed him with a trembling 

finger on his lips.

 

"Agar aisi baat hai toh humein bhi andaaza hai, kyon ki yeh hi haalat thi 

humari bhi. Kisi ko bata nahi paa rahi thi Shyamji ke dhoke ke baare mein, 

aapko bataana chaaha lekin darr gayi, yeh sochke ki aap par kya beetenge, 

apni Di ki parivaar tootne ki khabar sunke, lekin sabse badi dard toh pyaar 

ki thi... aapke pyaar mein pagal hone ki thi," she sobbed.

 

Dropping a tender kiss on her forehead, he replied,  "And in that attempt, I 

made Lavanya a pawn, without any consideration to what she must have 

felt.  She was the silent victim in all my machinations, the unwitting target 

of my frustration at my inability to  convey my feelings to you."

 

Hugging his wife with all his might, eyes misting as he remembered the 

torment he had put Khushi through, the pain he had seen in her eyes, but 

had been unable to comprehend, he asked, "Aur maine tumhare saath 

kya kiya? Kitna sataaya tumhein, maine? I was losing my mind, going 

completely out of control, at the thought that you were getting engaged, 

that you were going to become someone else's forever, with nothing that I 

could do about it. Itna conflicted tha main tumhein le kar, with all the 

emotions you evoked in me, all the longing and desperation I felt around 

you, that I didn't even know what was happening to me. Mujhe buss itna 

pata chala ki tumhein bhi aisi hi kuch mehsoos ho raha tha, and with all 

the turmoil you made me feel, I just wanted you to suffer as much as I was. 

Kya kuch nahin kiya, maine? Tum kaise seh payi, Khushi? 

 

"Jaise ek baar ek Ranjhe ne mujhse kaha tha, iss pyaar mein sach ya 

jhoot ka koi maina nahi, sahii aur jalat ka koi maina nahi, buss ek baat ka 

maina hai ki aap humshe aur hum aapse hamesha hamesha ke liye jude 

hue hain, aur saath janmon ka pyaar har ek pal mein mehsoos karte hain..."

 

"Khushi, I love you!", his voice sounded as if it were wrenched from his 

chest. "With everything in me,  itna ki shaayad main kabhi bhi express 

nahi par paaoonga. "

 

Understanding him as she always did, his wife smiled tremulously, "Toh 

yeh achchi baat huyi naah, ki aapke aankhein aapkeliye baat karte hain, 

aur aapke aankhon ki boli aapki sanki biwi se achcha koi nahi padh sakti."

 

As she wanted, her reply eliciting a smile from Arnav, he hugged her to 

him again, the loving silence washing away the memories of a time of 

suffering.

 

Author's Note

As I said, Happy Valentine's Day!

The long delay was due to my prolonged illness, but am all better now...

TKD will be updated on Saturday...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted: 8 years ago
It was a beautiful OS. Happy Valentines Day to you too :)
Posted: 8 years ago
Happy Valentine's Day! Good to know you're better now :)

A poignant glimpse of their depth of love for each other. The acceptance of the hurt inflicted as Arnav battled with his own heart shows just how much he's changed. Love the way Khushi tries to mitigate that hurt with gentle understanding, with both Arnav and Lavanya. 
Posted: 8 years ago
awww aparna...I love u🤗
I was worried for u since many days. but I waited for PMing u, coz, I always feel like I pester u so much. and I did it today, and u r back with a bang.
don't stress urself hardly aparna. take ample rest. especially, don't give urself dead lines regarding ur updates. work first and every one of us have our own personal lives. u r a brilliant writer. ur loyal readers will understand and wait for u. just like I waited for nearly months and years.
u know, I just cried reading ur PM reply today. I don't know why, may be coz I missed u, or happy that u r back, or just seeing ur PM made me so...
 
oh! this whole nuisance post is just welcoming u back.
I will make another post regarding the present vignette.
 
Posted: 8 years ago
Loved the os 👏
Thank you for the pm 😃
Take care of yourself, have rest and hope you feel better soon.
Posted: 8 years ago
Fabulous one
Loved it
Well written
Thanks for the pm
Posted: 8 years ago
Beautiful update
Loved it 😳
Thanks for the PM
Posted: 8 years ago
ok! coming the present and latest vignette, an old friend. I was actually wondering who might that be. stupid me! till I read chamkili, I could not guess that its about la.
 
I know, u wont neglect her. I always knew that this kind of OS is coming.
 
i really loved the open heart to heart conversation between arnav and khushi regarding their conflicted and confused engagements. i always wanted to hear this kind of conversation between them. i loved how the writers of IPK portrayed arnav's guilt regarding his and lavanya's relationship. and u essentially maintained the essence of it. arnav is feeling guilty for both, for what he did to la and his khushi.and again khushi is arnav's healer in this issue too.
 
 
lavanya was a sweet heart. even before she was changed under her chamkili's guidance, there was insecurity in her heart regarding ASR. he just completely neglected her presence. even la said the same during their breakup, that she kept on lying to herself, yet she know this would be the end to their relation. but she left for good... she knew she can never have a place in ASR's heart or life.
 
u r a brilliant writer. u know how to handle shantivan and its resident. but plz, plz write one or two more shots for this. continue it with lavanya's visit to shantivan. i want to see every one to be happy on seeing la, la and khushi reliving their friendship. la will be extremely happy to see how changed ASR is, in chamkili's love. i want to see this. but i could not imagine this properly. but u can do it. in ur writing skills and capable talent, this la's visit will turn out to be a nice, feel good vignette.
 
by the way, u need not do it, if u don't want. its just my request. coz its u who maintains the essence of vignettes. only u know how to shape them properly.
 
i loved khushi's answer. ek ranja said to her...😳 i loved her reply for arnav not being able to express his love to his wife, that "his eyes can speak for his heart, and she can understand his eyes" wow...just superb...just superb. ur works mesmerize me every time.👏
 
love u and ur vignettes so much aparna...i can say this for n number of times. u r like my stranger friend, silent companion. u can make me forget every other stress of my real life.
 
by the way, i got a doubt? where is Anjali living? she came from next door or house? i don't think she will bring raghuveer to her house, just like the way she brought shyam in to her house. atleast raghuveer is a respectable person, not a leech to eat on saale saheb's money. then where they are staying??? these things will be answered only after completion of TKD.
 
i forgot to say, happy valantine's day. woh kya hain na! i don't have a boy friend and i m not married yet. so i forgot to say this in the earlier post.
but i think u r married right?
 
uff! long reply. sorry.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Posted: 8 years ago
this series is the most wonderful i ever read and always kept the essence of ipk..beautiful
Posted: 8 years ago
Love it! Happy Valentine's Day to you too 😳
Take care!
Thanks for pm.

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