FF - The Beginning at the End- Thetelleroftales - Page 8

I start reading this story today and bookmarked it

Edited by ranogill - 2 years ago

One wonderful story .. Will Anjali always pay Shyam or there will end to it. 

Thank you so much!

Please do consider reading my earlier FF- The Beginning of a New End when you have the time. (The link is on the first page of this thread)
As this story is woven into that one, everything will make more sense if you've read it. 

Thank you for the comment and the compliment. 

I do think the writers of the show did their best considering that they were limited in their creativity by the way the Indian television system works.

But the show's highlight was quite simply the brilliant performance of the lead pair. The show is worth watching just for that, even if it means you have to put on blinders to overlook some of the plot holes or cringe-worthy stereotypes. 

Well that's true. The writers may be too bound by the rules to freely write. It's a shame though.

Originally posted by: thetelleroftale

Thank you for the comments. 

All the characters went through quite a bit of turmoil over the course of the show by the time it reached its denouement- Arnav and Khushi's real/proper wedding. But we never quite saw them work their way through those issues or begin the healing process. (Not to my satisfaction at least)

I think this is the main reason that I (as a fan) didn't really take to any of the later tracks. I couldn't buy the frivolity or the forced trauma when they simply bypassed the unresolved bits of the earlier upheavals. 

If Arnav had known the things Khushi did to save him, would he have ever accused her of lacking courage and confidence? I'm not saying that there weren't lessons Khushi needed to learn but that was not the right one. 

Per usual, I'm writing this to fulfil my own whim on how things should have gone instead. And if there are others who enjoy this alternate fictional reality, then that's the icing on the cake. 😊

They are very good points.   In the same lines, I felt Arnav leaving to London no matter what the reason was (going away on his mother's birthday) did not make sense.

Shyam's issue was not resolved yet and Shyam's words on the day they returned from Lakshmi Nagar clearly proved that he is still into Khushi.  Khushi revealed something new on the way back from Lakshmi Nagar.  Even though he dismissed her claims, they should have triggered some thought process in Arnav.

Leaving Anjali alone or leaving both Anjali and Khushi in that muddy situation and going to London did not make sense at all.

Cheers..

Edited by Savera84 - 2 years ago

Chapter 11

“Mohan, take a left here,” ASR said, unexpectedly. 

Aman, who had been sitting up front and perusing the contracts they had just signed, looked up.

“There’s a Java Café on College Road,” ASR said, reading the address on his mobile. “Take us there.”

Studiously avoiding Mohanji’s eyes at the mention of the café, Aman asked ASR what was going on.

“There’s something I need to check out” 

Aman turned in his seat and saw an uncharacteristic dilemma on his boss’s face. 

A week had passed since his meeting with Anjaliji at the café had culminated in a trip to the hospital, but she had steadfastly remained in his thoughts for a number of reasons. 

Upon waking from anaesthesia and finding her gone, Pari had come to the conclusion that she had indeed been a celestial visitation. She continued to prattle on about her, necessitating an explanation to his mother about how his boss’ sister had become a good Samaritan at his time of need. Still, the words fracture fairy never failed to crack him up. 

The second reason he had been thinking of her was rather worrying. It had all started on the very day after the hospital. He had received a text alert on his phone for a transaction that was neither from his personal bank account nor from the company’s. Remembering that he had provided his number for the account they had created for Anjaliji to bait Shyam, he dismissed the first few assuming that she herself was using it with a mental note to change the contact number at the earliest. 

A few days ago, he had received another alert the transaction amount of which gave him pause. He recalled, rather belatedly, that Anjaliji had succeeded in giving the card to Shyam, per their plan. A quick investigation in the accounts section at the office revealed that the money had come from Anjaliji’s personal account. An unpleasant thought crept into his mind that if she wasn’t simply transferring money between accounts, she was giving him money. 

And finally, there was the matter of the book she had gifted him- a rare compilation of Hindi couplets and poetry. 

“What the!”

Aman and Mohanji jumped in their seats.

“What’s wrong?” Aman asked, as his boss continued to stare at his phone.

With a long sigh, ASR looked up and said, “I might as well fill you in now. I think that Di is still meeting that bas…man.”

Aman who had been pondering his course of action, with considerable relief, asked, “Er, why do you think that?”

ASR’s face coloured. 

“Akash and I have been keeping an eye on her”

Uh-oh.

Aman cautiously asked what ‘keeping an eye’ meant and ASR had the grace to look sheepish as he explained that Akash and he were basically spying on their sister since the day at the police station.

“It’s for her own protection” ASR insisted, “The last time that bas…man managed to convince her of his innocence. He convinced her to meet him behind our backs even after I threw him out of the house. And now, knowing everything he did, how could she let him walk?”

Aman did not have an answer, it had been bothering him too. He had to find out who held that card. 

“What does this have to do with the café?” he asked. 

“She’s been visiting the café a lot in the last few days,” ASR said, “And her driver just alerted us that he dropped her off there.”

Aman turned to face forwards and noticed the affronted look on Mohanji’s face.

This explained why ASR had expressly switched drivers. Normally, he didn’t trust anyone but Mohanji to chauffer his sister. But he must have realised, as Aman did just then, that the man who had once risked his life to save Anajaliji would most certainly have refused to participate in this invasion of her privacy even if the perpetrators were his bosses and her well-intentioned but priggish brothers. 

“She’s meeting some man there,” ASR said. 

All at once, the heat in the car felt oppressive. Aman loosened his tie and cranked up the a/c, ignoring the sideways glance from Mohanji.

What did he care if she was meeting some man? She was free to meet anyone she liked. He only cared about keeping his secret and his job.

When they arrived at the café, his discomfort mounting, Aman followed ASR inside. 

They spotted her seated at one of the indoor tables at the rear end of the café, next to the glass doors overlooking the backyard garden. 

She wore a demure but elegant peach-coloured saree with a silver border and matching filigree silver earrings. She had gathered her luxurious tresses on her left shoulder from where they cascaded down to her elbow.

“What the!”

ASR’s words directed Aman’s attention to the person seated across the table from her. An unexpectedly young man, he was dressed in jeans, a varsity sweatshirt and muddy sneakers. A backpack that had seen better days was tossed on the floor bedside his chair. 

For once, Aman concurred wholeheartedly with ASR’s truncated curse.

He followed his boss who marched up to their table, forgetting that once they had established that it wasn’t Shyam that Anjaliji was meeting, it was no longer either of their business. 

“Chotey!” Anjaliji exclaimed, on spotting him. A deer caught in headlights. “Tum yahaan?”

“Client meeting,” ASR said, turning his gaze to the young man who wore an expression of awe and squeamishness that one associated with a fan unexpectedly encountering their celebrity idol. “Aap yahaan?”

Although the question was addressed to his sister, ASR continued to glower at the boy.

Her smile of greeting to Aman interrupted, she turned back to her brother and with a sigh, she said,

“Chotey, yeh Dhruv hai. Dhruv Malik”

ASR’s attention snapped back to her at once. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. 

“Dhruv, Chotey” Anjaliji repeated. “Hum bachpan me inhe Roofy bulathe the?”

Slowly, ASR turned to the young man, his face awash with disbelief. 

“Dhruv, yeh Arnav hai”

“Humne pehchaan liya Di” Dhruv said, “Aap kaise hai, Arnav bhaiya?”

ASR did not seem capable of a response.

“Chotey, tum baitho na” Anjaliji said, placatingly. “Hum sab samjhaathe hain”

ASR complied and Anjaliji indicated for Aman to take the fourth seat at the table.

Feeling disconcerted, Aman sat down.

“Chotey, kuch mahine pehle Chachaji ka dehanth ho gaya” Anjaliji said, glancing back at Dhruv, whose face fell. “Unke jaane ke baad, Chachiji kaafi taqleef me aa gayin. Even though they were separated, unka legal divorce nahi hua tha. Iss vajah se Chachaji ke saare loans unke sar pe aa gaye. Aur ussi samay, Dhruv ko Delhi me engineering college me seat mila that oh Chachiji ne maddad ke liye hume phone kiya…sirf Dhruv ke khaatir.”

Anjaliji smiled at Dhruv who looked nervous.

So young Dhruv Malik was Chachaji’s son? Aman remembered him well. The paternal uncle who had ousted the newly orphaned Anjali and Arnav from their ancestral home and the very one whose financial ruin ASR had orchestrated by buying back Sheesh Mahal from under his treacherous nose. 

Although he had been working remotely at the time, due to Priya’s deteriorating health, Aman had been instrumental in making ASR’s dream of vengeance into a reality. In the course of his research, he had come across the estranged Chachiji but the existence of a cousin had fallen through the cracks of the paperwork. But what of ASR, had he simply forgotten?

“Aakhir jo kuch hua, usme Chachiji aur Dhruv ki koi galathi nahi thi na, Chotey” Anjaliji continued. “Isliye humne unki maddad ki.”

“Hume maloom bhi nahi tha, Bhaiya” Dhruv said, speaking fast. “Amma ne humse yeh baat chupakar rakhi ki humaare college aur hostel ke fees ke paise kahan se aaye. Woh toh iss baar semester ki chuttiyon me jab hum ghar gaye tab Di ka sign kia hua cheque dekha. Isliye hum unka shukr ada karna chahthe the…humaara aur koi iraada nahi tha”

The young man’s soliloquy seemed to affect ASR deeply. His eyebrows furrowed together, and his mouth opened, but no words came forth.

“Jaise hi humaari Naukri lag jaegi, hum paise lauta denge, Bhaiya” Dhruv said, earnestly. “Devi Maiya ki kasam”

This was the last straw for ASR who stood abruptly. 

“Chotey, please gussa mat ho” Anjaliji said, touching her brother’s elbow. 

She scrambled to her feet and Aman and Dhruv followed suit, the younger man looking stricken.

 “Kaante toh mujhe hamesha dard dete rahe, lekin uski sazaa main phoolon koi nahi de saktha” ASR said, in a low voice with his eyes closed.

“Chotey?”

“Roofy, tum itne bade ho gaye?” ASR said, his eyes glistening with tears.

Anjaliji let out a small sob as ASR awkwardly patted the young man’s arm.

“Kya bhaiya” Dhruv said, wiping away the dampness in his eyes with the back of his hand. “Chauda saal ho gaye aur aap bhi toh itne bade ho gaye.”

Aman passed Anjaliji some tissues, she was crying softly now.

ASR asked Dhruv about his studies and hostel and was delighted on hearing that, like himself, Dhruv played the drums for his college band. 

Presently the youngster took their leave citing rehearsal but not before both brother and sister invited him home to visit. 

“Humaari Nani aapko bohot yaad karthi hai” Anjaliji said.

Dhruv thanked them, promised to be in touch and took their leave.

Aman followed ASR and Anjaliji out of the café, lagging behind to give them privacy to talk. He couldn’t hear the words but sensed the tone.

At first ASR sounded indignant, perhaps because she had kept yet another secret from him and he watched as his downcast eyes transformed her reprimand into gentle instruction.

“Di, if you’re free, aap humaare saath office chaliye” ASR was saying, when Aman caught up to them. “I want to discuss how to help Chachiji also”

Anjaliji agreed. “Hume bhi tumse kuch baat karni thi, Chotey”

During the journey, Anjaliji explained to her brother how their Chachiji had got in touch, her financial woes and her request for help for the sake of her son. She said she had been helping pay for Dhruv for the past few months.

ASR apologised to her, he had assumed that Chachiji went to live with her parents and had never bothered to consider their financial status.  He insisted that he would take over Dhruv’s expenses and try to provide legal help to their aunt as well. 

“Aman, fix a meeting with Mr Roy as soon as possible,” he said.

Aman nodded and set a reminder on his phone. He was only vaguely aware as Anjaliji changed the topic shortly. She was saying something about seeking Khushiji’s help to convince ASR to move back home.

ASR’s indignation changed into relief when she reassured him that Khushiji had refused. Anjaliji apologised for trying to manipulate them and added that she was happy that ASR had chosen a wife who supported him against all odds. 

Aman tuned them out to address the niggling doubt in his mind. Even if she had retrieved the card from Shyam and given it to her young cousin, the expenses outstripped the needs of an apparently simple and scrupulous college boy. Something didn’t quite add up.

“Aur haan Chotey” Anjaliji said, dragging Aman back to the present. “Agle hafte hum Akash aur Payalji ke first wedding anniversary pe unke liye surprise party plan kar rahe hain. Tumhe aur Khushiji ko aana hoga”

ASR didn’t reply.

“Please Chotey, sirf party ke liye bula rahe hain” she said, “Agar tum nahi aaoge toh hum samjhenge ki tumne hume maaf nahi kiya”

“Theek hai Di, I’ll ask Khushi” he said. And after a beat, “Aaj raat Akash ne New Year’s Eve dinner plan kiya hai”

“Haan Chotey, Akash ne bataaya” she said, “Aap log jao aur enjoy karo”

“Agar aap nahi aayengi toh main samjhoonga ki aapne mujhe maaf nahi kiya”

Slightly taken aback by ASR’s ploy, Aman turned in time to see her stunned expression before she broke into a small laugh and gave in.

At the front entrance of the office, ASR’s phone rang, and he excused himself. Aman turned to her, determined to ask about the credit card but Anjaliji took the opportunity to ask after Pari. 

He thanked her for her concern. The cast was still a novelty and she had been strutting around the basti showing it off like a battle scar. 

She turned her laugh into a cough when ASR returned and as he followed them in, his mind still on the darned credit card, Aman felt torn between his loyalties to brother and sister. 

ASR was his boss but Anjaliji had become his friend? Or so the inscription on the book she had given him suggested- "When I was set on fire, I finally saw who poured the fuel and who fanned the flames. Of those who doused me, with the same embers I have scorched in my heart the names."

Edited by thetelleroftale - 2 years ago

Chapter 12-

“Ek minute, ek minute” Khushiji said, slamming down her glass of kaalakhatta. “Chauda saal ke baad Arnavji jab apne chotey bhai se mile toh haal chaal poochne ke bajai unka marks card kholke baith gaye?”

Anjali exchanged a smirk with Akash and Payal.

“He’s very intelligent, Khushi” Chotey said, “Thoda hard work kiya toh use Harvard me scholarship mil saktha hai, I was just trying to guide…”

“Hey Devi Maiya” Khushiji said, hand to her forehead. “Hume toh apne bechare bache ke liye gabrahat ho rahi hai, pata chala paida hote hi iss laad governor ne Harvard ke tuition me daakhil kar diya”

Anjali bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud as her brother’s face filled with colour. 

They were seated at an exclusive table at Desi Bistro with Chotey at the head of the table and Khushiji to his left and Anjali to his right. Payalji sat next to her sister and across the table from Akash who was beside her. The sixth chair at the table, across from Chotey, was conspicuous in its vacancy. 

In another world, Shyamji might have sat there with a highchair next to him. When they were shown to the table a few minutes ago, Anjali’s vision of what might have been was so powerful that tears had pricked her eyelids and she regretted having agreed to come out. 

But she had persevered, not wanting to be the spoilsport. Her family had had precious little cause for celebration since her brothers had married, it had felt like one endless stream of heartbreak and sorrow. 

Soon enough, she was distracted from her reverie by Khushiji’s interrogation of Chotey about Dhruv. 

Drawing in a deep breath and taking a sip from her nimbu paani, Anjali turned to Akash and asked,

“Akash, aane se pehle tumne iss restaurant ke baare pata toh kar liya tha na?”

“Haan, Di. Bilkul” Akash said, his eyebrows furrowing together. “Kyun Di? Aapko acha nahi laga?”

“Tumne yahan ke khaane ke baare me check kiya?”

“Of course, hum yahan pehle bhi aa chuke hain” Akash said, “The food has always been great.”

“Acha, tumne chair bhi check kiya hoga na?”

“Chair kyun…?”

Akash trailed off as Chotey and Payalji both raised their drinks to hide their smiles and Anjali could no longer keep up her straight face.

Akash’s face turned red.

“Aapko kaise…” he asked, as the three of them gave up their pretence and burst into laughter. “Bhai! Aapne promise kiya tha ki aap kisiko nahi bataaenge!”

“I didn’t say anything,” Chotey said, holding up his hands, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

Akash turned to his wife, his face awash with betrayal.

“Akash, Di ne humse kaha ki agar hum unhe nahi bataaenge ki pichle saal kya hua woh aaj humaare saath nahi aaengi”

Akash turned to her, disbelief in his eyes and Anjali took the opportunity to pinch his now tomato-red cheek.

“Par hua kya tha?” Khushiji asked, looking around the table. “Hume toh iss baare me kuch nahi pata”

“No!” Akash cried in vain as Chotey and Payalji narrated the incident of Akash getting glued to Buaji’s chair.

Khushiji started laughing, accusing them both of keeping this from her.

“Tumne baat karne kaha diya, Khushi” Chotey said. “Aur fir Buaji aa gayin aur…”

Chotey trailed off and they shared a look that made Khushiji blush, an inside joke.

To her other side, Akash was shaking his head at his wife in mock anger as she tried to appease him by passing over a plate of the entree he loved. 

Raising her glass, Anjali proposed a toast,

“Humaare dono buddhu bhaiyaon aur unki pyaari biwion ke naam” she said, “Khushiji jo jaldi hume Buaji banane wali hain, Nandkishore, aur Payalji jo apni mehnat se itni tarakki har rahin hain”

Payalji’s jaw dropped. “Di, aapko kaise pata chala?”

Uh-oh. 

“Humaare jasoos har jagah faile hua hain, Payalji” Anjali said, quickly. 

She answered Chotey’s questioning look with one of her own. 

“Kyun, jasoosi karne ka theka sirf humaare bhaiyon ne leke rakha hai kya?”

Akash coughed on his drink. Anjali had known well that her brothers would not let the matter rest and Chotey’s appearance at the café this morning had made her more than a little suspicious.

“Aap ghabraiye mat Payalji” Anjali said, interrupting whatever excuse Chotey was about to make. “Hum ghar me kisise kuch nahi kahenge. Lekin haan, humaari bhi ek sharth hai, aapko humaare liye ek gote vali saree banani padegi, manzoor hai?

Payalji smiled and nodded. Holding up her glass, she said, “Di, aapke naam bhi. Aapne jis tarah bure waqt ka saamna sugadtha se kiya hai, who sach me kaabil-e-taarif hai”

This unexpected tribute from her unassuming sister-in-law brought tears to her eyes. 

Was the bura waqt over then? Why did she still need to avert her gaze from the table on the other side where a little baby girl played in her father's arms?

There is a limbo, Payalji, she wanted to say, before the beginning at the end. A place of bitterness that tried to hold you forever by convincing you that you were not worthy of happiness. 

Almost in answer, Khushiji spoke,

"Bilkul sahi kaha, Jiji. Di, aapko zindagi ke saari khushiyon pe pura haq hai aur who aapko zaroor milengi. Aap bas aise hi muskurathe rahiye”

She looked around as they raised their glasses to her and said, “Di”

At that moment, she was happy and she wished there was a way to hold on to it. She didn't know if Chotey and Khushiji had had the opportuity to talk about her earlier interference but a new plan was brewing in her mind. She had to convince them to come to the surprise party she was planning for Akash and Payal's first wedding anniversary.

Anjali was wiping the corner of her eyes with the tissue Chotey handed her when she heard a loud, excited voice.

“Angel Aunty, Angel Aunty!”

She spun in her seat to see Pari bounding across the restaurant towards her. She was dressed in a lovely lace frock of deep red with a matching headband, her dark hair flying about her face. 

“Pari!” Anjali exclaimed, “How are you?”

Pari said she was fine, showed off her cast and had produced a felt pen for Anjali to sign it with by the time her father caught up to her, followed by, Anjali presumed, her grandparents.

Pari continued, undisturbed by the presence and growing confusion of the others, about an upcoming fancy dress competition at school and how she really wanted to be a ballerina, but her cast wouldn’t come off until then and could Anjali do some hocus-pocus, please. 

Amanji looked surprised and embarrassed to see them. 

“Sorry ASR” he said, “I didn’t know ki aap log yahan aa rahe hai”

“Akash ne booking kiya tha” Chotey said, taken aback by the little girl’s familiarity. “Di, aap inhe kaise jaanthi hain?”

Anjali vaguely explained that she had been with Aman and Pari at the hospital when Pari had her arm cast. In a lie by omission, she made it sound like she had run into them at the hospital instead of telling him that she had given them a ride there. 

Predictably, Chotey immediately wanted to know why she had gone to the hospital.

“Routine checkup tha, Chotey” Anjali said, firmly.

Aman introduced his mother and his laws to everyone. They thanked Anjali for her help, dismissing her claims that she had done nothing out of the ordinary. But when Khushiji invited them to join then, Amanji politely declined. 

“I’ll take your leave, please enjoy your dinner” he said, leading his family away. Their table was on the other side of the room. 

Pari lingered, she was staring at Chotey in fascination.

“Aap ASR ho?” she asked, eventually. She stood close to Anjali, facing him.

Chotey nodded.

“Par aap toh khaana kha rahe hain”

She stood on her tiptoes and inspected his plate as Chotey stared at her, nonplussed.

When Amanji settled the elders in at their table and came back to collect her, she said,

“Papa, dekho na, ASR khaana kha rahe hain”

His face colouring, Aman tried to hustle her away, but she was not so easily dissuaded.

“Aapne toh kaha tha ki who bachon ko khaate hain”

“What the!”

“Haan, jab bhi hum apna khaana theek se nahi khaathe ya fir time pe so nahi jaathe” Pari said, tucking back strands of hair behind her ear. “Tab Papa kehthe hain ki jaldi karo varna ASR tumhe kha lenge”

There was a momentary hush of morbid silence before a giggle escaped Khushiji’s lips.

Chotey turned to her, and she tried in vain to hold back the raucous peal of laughter that burst forth. Akash and Payal studiously avoided Chotey’s eyes, glancing at each other for moral support.

Anjali, unable to contain her own laughter, glanced between Chotey and Amanji, both of whom had flushed crimson with embarrassment.

“Kya keh rahi ho, Pari?” Amanji said, reaching for her arm. “Maine aisa kab bola? Kuch bhi bolti rehti hai”

His pained chuckle fooled no one, least of all Chotey, who had raised an eyebrow and was staring between father and daughter.

“Ab chalo” Amanji said, attempting to drag her away.

But she didn’t want to go. Now that she had gathered that ASR wasn’t going to eat her after all, she wanted to stay. She begged Amanji for five minutes time so she could get everyone at the table to sign her cast.

Amanji hesitated but when Chotey nodded, he let out a sigh and said, “Only five minutes Pari, varna…”

“ASR tumhe kha lega” Chotey said unexpectedly and made a grab for her.

Pari let out a loud squeal of laughter before throwing herself into Anjali’s arms. 

Such a beautiful plot…..loved all the chapters 🥰

Lovely story 

Specially ASR tumhe kha lega :))