Part 3

Khushi slept like a log that night.  There was nothing to dream about.  Next day morning she got up late.  She saw sham at the table with a cup of tea.  He smiled sweetly at her.  She reciprocated mechanically and went into the kitchen.  Her Amma was busy preparing soup for Babuji.  Sham waited at the table for her.  She looked at the engagement ring blankly.

“Aray Khushi, go! He is waiting for you!” Buwaji pushed her.  She came out.  “Get ready! We will go to Mandir!” he whispered.  She looked away.  

“Umm, Sham ji.. You will be taking me to the new flat after the wedding, right?” she asked when Buwaji settled herself on the chair next to Sham.  “Of course, Khushi!” he said keeping his hand on hers.

“Umm.. I want to marry as soon as possible! Can we make it tomorrow?” she asked looking straight into his eyes.  Every second in the house with the burden of being bad omen was killing her.  

“What? So eager?” Buwaji couldn’t hide her grin.  “Yes, Buwaji!” she said plainly with no emotion, no blushing and shyness.

“Haiii ray nandkishore! Titaliya.... !” Buwaji pinched her fondly.  Khushi looked away.  Sham gazed at her face.  “Few days.. and you will be mine!” he licked his lips.  

“I will go to Pandit ji and find out a suitable date..!” Buwaji said contentedly. 

“Why can’t we have it tomorrow? Or today?” Khushi asked and heard a faint sob from the kitchen.  She ignored her Amma’s anguish.  

“Khushi... I am ready..!” sham said.  “Ok, then! We will get married and move out of this house ...!” she said getting up to do her packing.

“Aray... wait..Move out?” he asked in shock.  “Yes, Move out! We are moving out after our wedding, right?” now she was shocked at his reaction.  “Yeah... I mean... but I haven’t got the possession of the flat yet!” he said looking at Buwaji expectantly.

“Aray.. don’t worry.  You two can stay here till you get the possession..!” Buwaji was very generous.  “No! I don’t want to stay even for a single minute, in this house, after the wedding..!” she stood up furious.  “Make a suitable arrangement for our stay after our wedding and I will marry you immediately!” she looked at Sham.  Sham too had got up.  He placed his hand on her shoulder to pacify her.  “Yes! Khushi! Don’t worry! I will make the arrangement and we will get married.  Ok? Calm down..! Now before that, as I had promised you, I will take you to  your Lucknow!” He knew this will bring smile on her face.  But she repelled.

“No! I am not going anywhere!” she said firmly and Sham looked frustrated. His expressions changed.  “Khushi, if you want to save your shop, this house and your house in  Lucknow, you got to give me those papers.  I need them to present them in Court!” he said sternly in a threatening voice and she turned to face him clenching her fists.  She took a deep breath and turned to Buwaji.

“You said, after the marriage, everything will be alright! Babuji will be alright!” she stated looking at Buwaji straight in her eyes.  She nodded.  “Ok then, we will go when Babuji gets well after the wedding!” she said sitting down again.  Sham clenched his fists.  “But I want those documents! What if babuji doesn’t recover?” he couldn’t control his temper.  “Babuji should be alright!” she said firmly.  He too sat down thinking hard.  “Ok Khushi! As you wish.  We will go after the wedding.”  He calculated.  “After the wedding and babuji should be alright!  We will take him with us!” she added to his irritation.  He frowned. He looked at Buwaji for support.  She didn’t know what to do.  She was trapped in her own words.  She had told Khushi that everything will be alright after the wedding when she moves out of this house.  

“It’s ok! Nandkishore, let us not talk about it now!” she tried to pacify both.  “Now you two go to Mandir..!” she ordered and Khushi went into babuji’s room.  “Amma... I have a problem... I cannot go to Mandir!” Khushi declared and Amma understood.  She called Buwaji in to explain.

Khushi’s phone rang.  Sham looked around and picked it up from the table.  “Anjali ji!” the name flashed and he wiped his sweat from forehead.  He rejected the call pocketing it and went out.

*********    *********    ********

“Aray, why is Khushi, not picking up the phone?” Anjali was puzzled.  “I will call her later.!” She said and went away.  Arnav showed no expression on his face.  He continued with his breakfast.  Lavanya walked in happily.  “ASR!” he put her arms around his shoulders.  He nodded.

“Finally!” she was still in a dream state.  “Yeah!” Anjali joined her preparing the check list.  “Di, Call Khushi.. we will go for shopping..! Oh god! So much to do in such a short time..!” Lavanya was on cloud nine!  Anjali dialled.

“Hello... Khushi?.. oh! Ok!... Wa  What?  Oh!... Congratulations to both of you!” Anjali spoke flabbergasted and disconnected.

:”Did you hear that? Khushi got engaged yesterday!” She screamed in excitement.  Arnav froze! Lavanya got up with a jerk.  She looked at Anjali in disbelief.  “What? Chamakili? Got Engaged? Oh!” she clapped in happiness.

“Yeah! She got engaged yesterday! I just now talked to her fiancé! I mean this is great! I mean she didn’t tell us before! But its ok! I can understand!” She blurted happily.  

“Nani... Nani..!” Anjali went to Nani’s room to give her the news.

Arnav got up in a slow motion, to go back to his room.  “I told her about my engagement day before yesterday, and she got engaged yesterday... quite fast, haan? What a coincidence!!” Lavanya blurted smiling broadly.

*********   ******   ******

“Thank you! Your work is over!” Sham snatched Khushi’s phone back from his friend.  He thrust a 500 Rupees note in his hand and said, “You know what to do!” threateningly.  “Yes.. keep quiet about this..!” the friend knew what Sham would do to him otherwise!

“Humm... one hurdle crossed... Khushi’s engagement news is out! She won’t enter that house again! Now I can handle my saale saab and his probe into the accident case! Raani sahebaa! I am sorry! You will get hurt in all this! But can’t help!” he smirked at his victory. 

**********   *********   ********

“What did she do? Got engaged? Just after walking out?” he clenched his fists.  “I don’t care! You didn’t even listen to my explanation, Khushi.  Now i understood why! You wanted to walk away!” he threw his cell on the bed.  “Khushi Kumari Gupta! To hell with you! You were trying to trap two people! You .. you double crossed! Now you will face the music..!”  He paced angrily kicking whatever came in his way!

“But why should i bother? You don’t exist for me from now on!”  He stood before the mirror to style his hair looking calm.  He had declared to himself that he didn’t bother. 

“I... I came here to..request  you to...!” someone sobbed hard and he winced.  “Did she come to tell me this?” he floundered.  “No! Why didn’t you tell me Khushi? You spoke all the crap... and didn’t..!” he threw his hairbrush at his image in the mirror.  “Khushi!” his heart cried out.  He was Arnav Singh Raizada! His heart couldn’t be so soft for someone! He must be ruthless.. he must be heartless! He couldn’t be soft for a girl.  It was not him! He felt extreme emotions ripping him apart.  

“I don’t care! I declared my engagement before her! I won! I am ahead of her! I will go ahead with my plans and show her.. how an engagement is done!” he was not himself.  He opened his room door and came down.  

“Aman, contact even managers... media.. arrange everything, I am getting engaged!” he ordered to everyone’s surprise.  

“Media?” asked Anjali in surprise.  “Yes! Its going to be an event!” he said with glint.  Nani looked at him.  He avoided her gaze.  “Chote..!” she opened her mouth to speak.  “I don’t have time, not now, Nani!” he stopped her.  He knew his reinforced wall was still weak! Nani would crash it down anytime...!

“Oh! I am so happy!” Lavanya came running into his arms.  He hugged her and said..”I need to go to the office!” he broke himself apart and left.  He knew only one thing to keep himself away from her thoughts.. “Work!” but his heart was giving up!  He clutched the Mannat ki chabi taking it out of his pocket.  He couldn’t throw it however hard he tried.

*********   **********  ********

“Khushi!” her Amma woke her up in a hushed voice.  Payal sat up so did Khushi! “Amma? What happened? Is babuji alright?” she asked getting up from the bed.

“Bhaag Jaa, Khushi!” Amma said in a bear whisper.  “What?” Khushi screamed.  “Shuuu! Quiet! Take this!” Amma held out an envelope.

“What is this?” Khushi asked bewildered.  Payal was shocked at Amma’s suggestion.  A few days back she too had thought of the same solution.

“Khushi, yeh paise lay aur bhaag jaa!” Amma held her hand desperately.  “Yeh lay!” she held out a paper.  Khushi had not come out of shock state.  “There is address written on it.  She is my cousin and my best friend, my secret keeper! Go to her place Khushi! She will do something .. hide you from these people!” Her Amma was miserable.  Khushi gaped at her Amma.  “Khushi pack your bag! I will hide it under babuji’s bed.  Take the first bus tomorrow morning to Kanpur and I will come at the bus stand under some pretext to give you your bag...!” She had planned everything.  

“What if I run away?” Khushi had asked Buwaji.  “It will not change your name! Your fate!” Buwaji had doomed her.

“No!” Khushi jerked Amma’s hand.  “No use Amma! It will not solve the problem!” she said turning her Amma down.  Amma broke down.  “Khushi... bhag jao!” her mind could only think about this for her trapped child.

“Haan Khushi..! I will handle here!” Payal supported her mother.  “No!” Khushi said resolutely.

“No I am not going anywhere.  I will go out of this house only  after my wedding..!” she said with determination.  “And you don’t think and worry about my Amma! I will be fine!” she said smiling at her Amma.  “Go and have some sleep Amma! Don’t worry!” she assured her Amma.

***********   **********   *********

“Khushi, you have to come! Tumhe dosti ki kasam!” Lavanya missed her badly and wanted Khushi to be with her during the ceremony.  Khushi couldn’t say no.  She had avoided going to Raizada house since she walked out of ASR’s cabin.  She had not shown her face despite frantic calls from Anjali and Lavanya.  She had decided not to meet him again, every time bleeding her heart with his thought. 

“What if he really had forgotten to remove the slides?” her heart wanted to believe.  But she knew that was not the case! He had completed his kill with a vengeance.  She would never meet him again.  But she couldn’t reject Lavanya’s invitation.  She had to go.  She was determined not to confront him.  She stayed backstage always, avoiding both Arnav and Nani.  She knew, she wouldn’t be able to hide her feelings from Nani.  She wouldn’t want to break down.  

Every time she heard the name Chote, her heart sank and she had to bat her eyelids to send back her tears.  Lavanya kept on calling her on stage.  The entire Raizada house was decorated flamboyantly.  Khushi couldn’t recognise the house.  Within such a short period everything was managed so well.  The crowd fell short of words in appreciating the arrangements.  

“Khushi, why didn’t you tell me?” Lavanya whispered in her ears and Khushi looked down.  “It was a private function” Khushi gave some excuse.  “Why is he not here with you? I will not leave ASR alone anywhere after the engagement!” Lavanya blurted.  Khushi turned her face.  “Lavanya!” ASR was behind and Khushi walked away under his gaze.  He clenched his fists.  She was never to be seen again.  He tried his best to catch her off guard in vain.  She had merged herself in the crowd.

“I don’t care!” he gritted his teeth, his eyes searching for her everywhere, desperately!. He was trapped in that crowd alone.  Lonely he was, so was she trying to brush away her anguish by smiling broadly,  unnecessarily, sometimes.  “Why does Lavanya ji have to invite me? Mera dil kyun nahi maan rahaa!” she tried to reprimand her Dil which was out of control.  

“Usay Dikhanaa Hain, Amiron ki sagai kaise hoti hain!” he finally found out the reason to go searching for her.  

“Khushi bitiya!” Nani had held her hand.  Khushi winced.  “Ji, Naniji?” she smiled broadly. “What are you two doing?” she asked gravely.  Khushi wore confusion on her face.  Nini looked at her “Are you happy with your engagement? I don’t see him happy!” Nani tried her best.  “Yes Nani ji, I am very happy.  Finally getting married!” Khushi sighed happily and Nani shook her head hopelessly.  “Why can’t these two listen to their hearts?” she had no answer and no solution.  

“Nani..!” he was at the door and Nani looked up.  “Yes Chote?” she raised her eyebrows.  He forgot why he was there.  Khushi walked past him... “Khushi..!” he called out.  Nani sensed the danger..

“Chote, what is it?” she asked taking a step ahead and holding his hand giving Khushi some time to move away.  He lost the opportunity again.  He wanted to meet her desperately, before the engagement! To show her....She wanted to run away from that place to hide her... 

The rings were exchanged with full media exposure with pompous arrangements, suiting Raizada’s status.  Lavanya looked stunning so did her ASR! He was back in action.. confident, aggressive, smug! Khushi stayed back.  When the crowd started retreating, she came forward.  Without even glancing at ASR she congratulated Lavanya giving her flower bouquet and meeting Anjali,  pushed off from the place quietly.  She needed some respite at her Devi Mayya’s feet and he needed respite in her.  He refused to admit.  But she had no one to turn to.  Mandir was the only place where she could find solace.

The function was over.. Lavanya’s parents had gone back to their hotel.  Raizadas were still discussing the engagement.  Sham came in late after Khushi left and Anjali sulked.  He knew how to bring back her mood.  He played shrewdly his cards and managed to pacify everyone with his sweet talks.  Arnav sat there for a while listening to them and suddenly asked..

“Where were you, Jijaji?” Sham startled.  “Umm.. had some urgent work!” he said.  “Where?” came a stern question.  Sham fumbled.  “Do I have to explain everything in this house?” he flared up! Anjali got nervous.  “Chote, let it be! It’s not important! He came for the function, thats enough for us!” She tried to eliminate the row between these two.  Since a week, her chote, everyday used to ask about Sham and his whereabouts.  Anjali told this to Sham and he gritted his teeth.  “Raani saheba.. if I am to justify everything I do, I will not stay here!” he took out his trump card in front of Arnav.  “No!” he said looking at the pathetic condition of his Di.  

“Saale Saab, you are soon getting married.  Keep some secrets! Don’t let your wife know everything about you!” he teased Arnav.  “What are your secrets, Damad ji? Hello hi bye bye!” asked Mami loudly and Sham winced.  “My secret is this, that I love my wife more than my life!” Sham wrapped his wife.  “And my secret is I cannot live without him! I will leave everything for him!” Anjali closed her eyes resting her head on his shoulder.  He patted on her head passionately.  Arnav couldn’t bear it and marched out from there.  He came back to his room and threw himself on the bed, face down! He didn’t understand, why was he feeling so doomed and dejected!

His phone rang... “Khushi!” the name flashed and he picked it up...!