Part 22

Part 22



"Lavanya!" He screamed again. She woke up with a start. She came out and so did other family members. They were all gathered in living room and were looking at Arnav. Lavanya came out. She looked at his ghostly face. She was scared.
He came forward and said "Lavanya, look, its decided .. we are going ahead with our plans. That's final and I will make the announcement!"
"But, ASR" She blurted.. "Lavanya, I said its decided." He looked straight and said with a stern voice . 

"But Chote.." Started Anjali. "Di, please ... let me handle this!" He said assertively.

Lavanya looked helpless. Arnav disappeared in his room. The people in the sitting room were left speechless. 

"Bhai is doing the same mistake again..." Said Aakash sadly. He nodded hopelessly and went away.

Nani stood there for a while and then determined, walked towards Arnav's room.
She knocked on the door and without waiting for the response, opened the door. Arnav, looked surprised at nani standing there. He looked away saying, "Nani, please.. its between I and Lavanya. Let me handle this. Right or wrong I will take the decision." He looked at nani for her response. She looked lost. Then slowly she said "Bitawa... you are going on the same path your father travelled once and ruined everything. I will not let this happen to you. You have to think again .. Chote, don't do this. You have suffered for his mistakes You have gone through humiliation and pain. Even Anjali's suffered a lot because of this. Please, try to understand. Do not impose your decisions on others. Let them have their freedom. You already have married Khushi. And now..."

"Nani, please. Don't bring my father and Khushi into this. I have thought over this and its my final decision that I am going ahead with marriage plans. I don't give it a damn, about what I did with her. ... Now please leave me alone." Nani, looked at him and said "I am your grandmother and I will not let this happen to you. I will do anything to stop you from this. Remember I am your nani!" Nani stood before him tall.

“Ok! I will move out!” he said shrugging in a threatening voice.  Nani looked ghostly.  

“”Move out? Are you threatening me?” she asked aghst.
“Nani, don’t make me do this!” he said in a deadly voice.  Nani turned and left the room.  

Aranv got up slowly and stood there staring unfocused at the open door. Then said to himself "I know what I am doing. I know I am taking a chance and this has got more chances of success than any other methods. I have to take this risk. I have to announce my marriage"

Lavanya came into his room. "ASR... " She started. He looked at her and said "Lavanya, I will make the announcement soon. Trust me.!" "But ASR.." She started with determination.

"Listen to me and do what I say!" ASR yelled. 

"No ASR.. "She retorted. She took a deep breath and said "I will do what you say, ASR. But I need some time... I am not ready yet... Please ASR... try and understand...!" She looked at him. 

He was surprised to get such an answer from her. He looked into her eyes. She glared back and said "ASR, I need time and unless I am ready for all this .. please don't make any announcement"

He kept quiet for some time and then in a low, determined voice said "Don't make me wait for a long. I have very little time for all this. Understand?" She nodded in acceptance.

She went out. She wanted to buy some time and she had done it. ASR had agreed to wait for some more time. She thought, "I know this won't last long. ASR will make his marriage announcement. He will not wait for my acceptance. He will make me do as he says. But this time I will not budge. This will be injustice to Chamakili. I hurt her. I said things I should not have. There must something which I do not know, which compelled her to marry ASR. I have to find it out. I have to meet Khushi. And for that I have to find her out. I have to know the truth before I marry ASR." She sighed and went to her room thinking hard on how to find out information about khushi. She had a plan.

Khushi called out "Papaji" knocking the door. 

He came out and looked at her face. He asked her to get inside and made her sit on the chair. She looked at him and said in a low voice. "Papaji, I don't want to go".. She paused and then to justify her decision said, "I mean.. I am in the middle of my training and I will miss out crucial part of it. Also mummiji's routine will be disturbed.. I have learn so much. I cannot think of wasting my time..so I thought... not to go." He looked at her piercingly. She looked away as if he might see her through. He had already seen her through!

He said "Alright, puttar. I will cancel your ticket. But take my advice, girl. Don't take any decision in a haste. No flash and impulsive decisions are good. Learn to stand by it and be prepared for the consequences. No matter what repurcutions it may have on your life. You should be ready to face it. You understand?"
Mummiji said "Why are you being so strict with her? She is just a kid!" 

But he said "She is a child and that's why I want her to understand… She is still in a learning phase!" 

"Now tell me what do you want to do? Adhere to earlier decision or later? Do you want to go or not? 

Khushi looked at him....
“Ok! You are going!” Ordered Papaji to her shock taking a decision for her.
“No…!” her voice trailed seeing Papaji’s vanishing figure through the corridors. 

********************  **************
Avinash was busy with his hospital duty, his cell rang. There was Khushi at the other end. "Khushi? What a pleasant surprise! How are you and where are you?" Avinash was surprised to have her call. She had called him a couple of days before. "What is the matter, Khushi?" He asked concerned.

"Avinash, you were in US right? Tell me how to find out a person's whereabouts in US?" Khushi was asking eagerly. "what..? why..? whom do you want to find out, Khushi?" He asked puzzled. Khushi said "It's a long story, I will tell you later. But first tell me if I want to find out a person how can I do that? I have only his name." Khushi was in a hurry. "Him? Who is this Khushi? " he wondered. But, then said. "You can look into people's directory. Or open various social network sites and put his name and check how many of the same name are in US and then depending on the location find him out." Why ? Khushi..? 

"ok. Thank you Aviansh, thank you very much!... I will call you later. Bye!" She hung up. He stood there wondering what was she up to... then smiling, said to himself "She is back to her normal self... always upto something..." and then hurried back to his work.

Khushi was jumping with excitement. Now she was confident that she will find out. She said to herself. "I will do anything to find him out and get in touch with him." She went to Mummihi's room

*******
Mummiji had been very happy when Khushi decided to stay back. Everyday Khushi used to take her to Kaali Mandir in a car and from their Mummiji used to come back home and Khushi used to rush for her classes in a bus. Despite her hectic schedule, she made a point to visit Kaali Mandir everyday. 

When Papaji asked her which way she wanted to go.  Papaji took the decision that she would go back to Delhi.  But Mummiji insisted that she should take the decision and not papaji.  She had chosen not to go. She was not sure whether her decision was right. But she had stuck to it and faced the music after a couple of days.

Khushi had come to know about the tragic demise of their son Tejendar Singh from the other servants in the House "Tej Mansion". Tej was only 19 when he died in a car crash. 

Khushi took mummiji to mandir, that day, she looked grim and mournful. Khushi thought about her son whose portrait hung in the hallway. She waited and then asked "Mummiji... (kay hua) What is it?" Mummiji put her head on Khushi's shoulder and cried her heart out for the first time in these months. Khushi's eyes were wet reflecting her anguish and bereavement.

Mummiji said "I had come to terms that my son Tej, Tejindar Singh is never going to come back. You know, he died in a car accident 11 years ago and he was only 19 at that time. " We just could not accept his death. Kali maa gave us strength to accept the death and go through the ordeal. The business was growing. Papaji kept himself busy with his business. But the next blow after a year shattered us completely and since then I am on wheel chair" She could not continue. Khushi took her home dropping her computer class and gave her a cup of tea. Mummiji looked lost. Khushi knew Tej's death anniversary was in November and his birthday was in October. "This is only February, then why is she so upset today, why is this outburst?" She thought.

She went to kitchen searching for the butler. She asked him the reason. He looked at her aghast, looked at the calendar and said. "Khushi, please do not ask. I do not know anything. And Please do not ask anybody in the Hosue." Khushi looked puzzled.

She went back to mummiji's room. She was sitting at window side and was looking out of the window, tears rolling down her cheeks. Khushi went ahead and said in a soft voice, "Mummiji, are you ok?" Mummiji, gathering herself nodded. She asked Khushi to carry on with her daily schedule.

Papaji, was on business tour. Mummiji would be alone at home. Khushi decided to stay with her. She said, " Mummiji, training can wait. I am not going to leave you alone, today." She went near her and sat on the floor. She looked up at Mummiji and kept her head on her laps. Mummiji could not control herself.
She asked Khushi to get her vanity bag and took out a photograph from it. It was the same photo that had fallen down at the airport and Khushi had picked it up. Khushi kept looking at it. It looked like it was a photograph of a happy family. She could recognize younger Papaji, Mammiji and the kid Tej. But who was the fourth person? She looked at mummiji.

Mummiji, took the photo, stared at it and with tearful eyes said.....