The next morning, Khushi woke up before Arnav and she looked to Arnav. She smiled and looked at her hand. They’d gone to sleep cuddling, but they must have pulled apart during the night, but he was still holding her hand. He kept his promise, he didn’t let her go. Khushi smiled and get her cheeks blush.
“He’s so beautiful.”
And that’s when Khushi noticed it. He was shirtless. When did this happen? They’d gone to sleep and he had a shirt on and now he didn’t. Khushi’s eyes widened and she checked under the covers and saw all her clothes were just as they had been last night, so nothing like that happened.
“I felt hot, so I took my t-shirt off.”
“When did you wake up.”
“When you started moving the covers.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s alright.”
Khushi got out of bed and went into the bathroom and Arnav smiled.
I will make your marriage official and I will let the world know you’re my wife. So everyone who ever made you feel like crap and eat their words. You’re educated, beautiful and you’re the wife of the great ASR. Arnav smiled and fell back into bed and then his smile slowly slid away. Maya…
*****
“Good morning Khushi! Did you sleep well?”
“I slept great Di, you?”
“Yes I slept well too. But the stress of this paperwork.”
“Would you like some help?”
“I may need your help a little later, but right now I just need to go through all these application forms.”
“What are they for?”
“They’re for the new head care worker job.”
“At the orphanage?”
“Yes, Mrs Chadda resigned all of a sudden a couple of weeks ago and I’ve had temporary people in for a quite a while.”
“Mrs Chadda resigned?”
“Yes, all of a sudden as well. She’d been doing the job for years so I don’t understand what happened and she won’t say much. She just says she’s realised she didn’t care for the children as well as she would have done and due to that she feels as though the best thing for her to do is step down.”
At that point Arnav came down and overheard the conversation, he smiled to himself.
“Khushi, you were there for a long time, what did you think of Mrs Chadda?”
“Di… I… I need to get Arnavji’s food ready.”
“His foods ready, please sit and help me, tell me what she was like, I always thought she was a pleasant person.”
At this point Khushi sat down at the table and Arnav came and sat beside her.
“I don’t really know what to say Di.”
“How was she like with you?”
Khushi’s eyes filled with tears and Arnav put his hand in hers.
“Khushi… It’s okay, if you don’t want to talk about it Di will understand.”
Khushi wiped her eyes and she started telling Anjali her story.
“Mrs Chadda was… She was very dominating and she was an authoritarian. Everything had to be done her way. Whatever she said to the matrons they did.
She… She particularly disliked me. I honestly don’t know why Di, but right from the start, it seemed as though she hated me. There were others who she was quite rude towards but I felt like she targeted me. Whenever I got a bad report card, she’d beat me, if I got home from school a little late, even if it was only a matter of a couple of minutes, she wouldn’t let me have dinner. I waited turn 16 and so I could leave, but then of course I realised I had no where to go. No one would give me a job and I couldn’t afford anything. And so I asked Mrs Chadda for a job at the orphanage. That way, I would have a place to stay, I would get food and I’d also have some money coming in.”
“But I was told that you worked for free, that you were doing it for the experience?”
“Mrs Chadda said that she wouldn’t pay me and that I owned her this in return for all the years that she cared for me.”
This is where Arnav intervened.
“Di would did you have such a woman in charge?”
“When I took charge, Mrs Chadda had already been working there for years, the previous owner had said that she was really good and that she was great with the kids. The staff all told me there would be no reason to ever have to worry about replacing her and none of the kids I spoke to ever said anything against her.”
Payal had been listening from the kitchen and now joined the group around the table. How much more did Khushi have to suffer? Payal placed her hands on Khushi’s shoulders and gave them a squeeze.
Khushi wiped her tears and went into the kitchen and Payal followed her.
“Khushi, do you want to go shopping with me after you get home from college? It’s been a while since we last spent time together.”
“Okay…”
“And Papa said to tell you he’d like it if you went round one day.”
“I… Jiji, I really can’t Maasi…”
“Forget about mom. Dad and Buaji really want to see you, they really miss you Khushi.”
“Maybe one day, just not yet.”
“Okay, whenever you’re ready.”
Khushi ate her breakfast and then rushed off to college. It was the only day when she didn’t have a photography lesson and so she was in college all day. When she got there, Lavanya and Amrita informed her that all their lessons for the day had been cancelled.
“So Khushi, me, you and La are going to the cinema today!”
“Cinema?”
“Yes!”
“What about the boys?”
“Raj and Tom are having a boys day out, they rarely spend time together any more and we don’t see much of you because you’re always so busy. So come on.”
Khushi smiled and the three friends went off into town. On there way to the cinema Khushi bumped into Shashi. She told her friends to go on ahead without here.
“Khushi beta? You here at this time?”
“My classes have been canceled and so me and my friends have come to see a film.”
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been good, you Mausaji?”
“I’ve missed you my dear, I was telling Payal only the other day she should bring you round one day.”
“I’ve been busy with work and college and then with everything at home. Hows everyone at home?”
“They’re all good my dead, all good. Jiji misses you.”
“I will call Buaji and speak to her. Mausaji, I really have to go now, my friends are waiting for me.”
Khushi took her leave and Shashi watched her go. If only his wife stopped being so stubborn, everything would be so different.
Khushi joined her friends and they watched a film together. When the film ended, Amrita suggested shopping.
“Let me call my sister. She wanted us to go shopping so I’ll just let her know I’m already here. You guys don’t mind her joining us, do you?”
“Of course not.”
Khushi called Payal and explained how she was already in town and Payal said she’d be there shortly.
The girls went and had a coffee and that’s when Payal joined. Khushi introduced her friends to Payal and that’s when Lavanya gasped.
“Khushi, you never told us your cousin was the wife of Akash Singh Raizada!”
“How do you know Jiju?”
“Why wouldn’t we know your Jiju? He’s the cousin and right hand man of the great Arnav Singh Raizada. Payal ji, can I just say I loved the issue of India’s Hottest when you and Akash were on the cover!”
“Please, just call me Payal.”
“Jiji? You never told me you were on a magazine cover!?”
“I think I have have that issue Khushi, I’ll find it for you. Yeah it was great, I loved your interview.”
“Why thank you ladies.”
They all spoke for a little while and then hit the shops. Some time passed and then La had to leave because she needed to go somewhere and so Amrita left with her.
“It was nice meeting you Payal and Khushi, watch what we do to you when we get to college next time. You never told us you LIVED with ASR!”
Khushi’s friends left.
“Jiji, they weren’t meant to know about me and Arnav ji.”
“They don’t. They just think you’re my sister and I wanted you to come and live with me because it was easier for everyone. People are allowed to know you live with us, they just can’t know about you and Bhai. Khushi has he said anything about making the official statement about you guys?”
Khushi shook her head sadly and Payal sighed.
“Hang in there Khushi, it’ll all be okay, I promise you.”
“I think it will Jiji, I think it will…”
Tanzeela’s Creative Writing Corner 