Valley of Flowers Epilogue

Valley of Flowers – Epilogue

Five Years later….

KHUSHI stood in the garden picking jasmine flowers, standing in the midst of the Plumaria, Ipomoea, Jacqemontia creepers. Suddenly she felt two strong hands enveloping her waist and the rasp of stubble as her husband placed his soft velvety lips on shoulder.

‘Arnav, stop it,’ she admonished him. ‘Our neighbours might see us.’

‘You think those lazy gooses are up this early?’ he continued up her neck, sliding the spaghetti strap off her shoulder. ‘You were so enthusiastic last night.’

The bathroom door opened.

‘Khushi?’ He sat up looking at her from top to bottom.

She stood there wearing a short, red night gown with a deep U.  Lacy nets adorned the neckline and the hem. She looked utterly sexy with her thick khol lined eyes, rose tinted lips and her long black hair on one shoulder.

He gulped as she came up to him. She placed her palm on his chest and pushed him back to lay on the pillow. Then she straddled him and raked her nails across his broad shoulders, his rippling chest, down to his abs and paused at the waistband of his pants. She leaned over so her lips were inches from his. ‘Tell me Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada, what I can do for you tonight.’

She knew he wouldn’t relent. She turned around and allowed him to claim her lips in mind numbing, heart stopping kiss. Then she pushed at his chest. ‘Look how beautifully these plants have grown Arnav.’

‘Why wouldn’t they?’ he said nonchalant. ‘You personally re-designed this garden five years ago.’

‘Thanks for buying me my dream house Arnav.’ Khushi’s face filled with pride as she looked at their perfect two storeyed white house, with white Georgian windows, white pillars and a white picket fence around it.

On their return from Dehradun five years ago, instead of going back to the Raizada House he had driven her to a gated community that was close to their farm house. Just as they entered the gates, she had realized it was the same place Arnav and she had visited on the night of Akash’s bachelor’s party, on her insistence.

Arnav had bought the house from the owner paying much more than what it was worth and had planned to gift it to her on her birthday. But their argument regarding the joint account had made him sceptical and he had kept mum. Then, when she had accepted the car without a fuss he had planned to surprise her with the house on his return from Singapore. Khushi remembered how thrilled she had been at a chance to re-design the garden to her liking. She however had to wait until much later to decorate the house as they had left for their honeymoon to Mauritius the very next day.

They had come back and had immediately left for the US, as Arnav needed to be back to take care of his business. After a two year stay they had returned back when Arnav realized that Khushi had begun to feel homesick.

They walked back into the house. ‘Are we all set for the party this evening?’

‘Well, the event organizers are taking care of everything,’ Khushi replied. ‘There is nothing for me to do.’

He looked at his phone and then back at her. ‘Looks like there is nothing for me to do either – at least for the next half hour,’ He turned on his husky voice. ‘There might be something we could do together.’

‘Arnav!’ Khushi gasped, her heart beating its erratic rhythm as he picked her up in his arms and walked up the stairs.

Later that evening, Khushi stood in the kitchen, staring dismally at the last batch of jalebis, that were burnt beyond recognition. She threw them in the trash cursing herself for her negligence. Even after years together, her husband had the ability to distract her to this extent. Oh well, it wasn’t going to be a big loss as she had made enough already.

When someone tapped her shoulder on her shoulder, she turned around. ‘Di!’ she exclaimed taking Anjali in a bear hug. They walked into the living room and Khushi saw Manav, coming in with a snoozing toddler in his arms. Arnav showed him to the guest bedroom so he could lay him down on the bed.

‘Khushi, the orchids look beautiful!’ exclaimed Anjali.

‘They just began to bloom Di.’ She looked around the living room to see her purple and white orchids, her pride and joy scattered all over the place.

‘You have put your husband to nanny job di.’ Arnav teased.

After Anjali and Shyam’s divorce, Manav had been instrumental in healing Anjali, slowly but surely. It was nearly a year later that he had proposed to her and she had accepted readily.

‘I haven’t put him up to anything,’ Anjali retorted. ‘He insists on doing this when we go out as he is so busy with the hospital.’

‘When do you plan to go back to work?’ Khushi enquired.

‘Since Aarav has turned two, he will be ready to go to play school very soon. I am going to start part time from next month,’ she explained. ‘I miss going to work.’

Manav came out of the bedroom. ‘The inmates of Ashray miss you more. Every time I visit, they ask me when you will be back. They don’t care about me at all.’ He sighed.

‘Stop the drama Manav,’ Anjali said affably. ‘You know they love you.’

‘Chachu!’ Ashu barged in like a tornado and Arnav picked him up in one sweep. ‘Did you get it?’ he asked excitedly.

Arnav put him down. ‘Go look in the shoe closet.’

‘Bhai, you spoil him too much,’ Aakash came in holding his one year old daughter in his arms. ‘That’s a 5000 rupees bat.’

‘Well a GM Icon bat doesn’t come for less and my budding cricketer has got to have the best.’ Arnav said proudly. ‘We might have the next Sachin Tendulkar in the making.’

‘Jeeju, put Akshara down next to Aarav in the guest bedroom.’

‘I simply love the style of your furniture Khushi,’ Payal said looking around the living room. All the furniture had been shipped in from their house in the US. The sofa flanked by huge table lamps, was a soft beige with a self design and the mahogany furniture contrasted it beautifully. The curtains and carpet matched to perfection.

‘When you came back, I thought you were planning to stay with us’, Akash said tentatively. ‘Bhai, please bury all hard feelings and come back home.’

Arnav looked at Khushi first and then turned toward Akash and Payal. ‘There are no hard feelings Akash,’ he began. ‘Mama and mami have always thought that the house belonged to them. It will be hard for them to accept me as the owner of that house, how much ever they try. I think we should just let it be. I never ever had any intention to stay at the Raizada House in any case. The house is a little too big for my taste.’

He continued. ‘Moreover, I have no say in this. This house was chosen by Khushi ten years ago. I go live wherever she tells me to.’

‘What crap!’ Khushi said hitting her husband’s arm. ‘I was the one who followed you to the US Mr Arnav Singh Raizada.’

‘But I made sure you were able to continue teaching dance to your students via web cast, didn’t I?’ Arnav raised his eyebrows cockily and Khushi agreed with a smile.

‘Were you able to finalize the deal on the dance school Bhai?’ Akash enquired.

There was a pin drop silence while Payal threw Akash a sharp look.

‘What deal?’ Khushi’s eyes were wide with curiosity.

‘That’s alright Akash,’ Arnav put Akash out of his misery. He looked at Khushi. ‘Mrs Bedi called me some time back. She is going away to the US to live with her son. She asked me if I was interested in buying the school.’

‘What?’ Khushi was astounded. ‘She didn’t tell me a word about this.’

‘I told her not to.’ Arnav opened a drawer in the centre table and took out the papers. ‘I was going to surprise you today.’

As all eyes turned on Khushi, she leaned in and kissed him on his cheek. ‘You think I can do this?’ She said tentatively.

‘Of course!’ he said without blinking an eye. ‘You will be able to reach out and help those who are interested in the art but can’t afford it.’

 ‘So you both packed for your trip tomorrow?’ Anjali said breaking into their moment.

‘I am still having second thoughts about it.’ Khushi muttered as she stood up.

‘We have to go Khushi,’ Arnav said looking at her with disbelief.‘The head of Sarpanch of Ghangaria has personally invited us.’

‘I heard you made a huge donation to build the towns surrounding the valley,’ Manav said.

‘It was just money Manav,’ Arnav said. ‘The people of those towns are the real heroes. Once it became habitable they went back and rebuilt their homes with their own hands.’

Suddenly there was a noise and both Arnav and Khushi rushed upstairs.

A little later, when they came down they held a drowsy toddler in each arm – their two year old twins Ananya and Kritika.

‘They look so adorable!’ Anjali exclaimed as Arnav and Khushi came down and sat down on the sofa. The twins dozed right back to sleep in their parents arms.

‘You are lucky you got twins Khushi,’ Payal said a little wistfully. ‘At least you don’t have go through pregnancy again.’ Payal wasn’t very happy with the fact that she had put on a lot of weight after the birth of her second one.

‘Lucky?’ Khushi said looking at her in disbelief. ‘Do you know how tough it is jiji? If Amma hadn’t been there to help me I don’t know what I would have done.’

‘And who told you Khushi won’t be going through pregnancy again?’ Arnav said nonchalantly.

‘No way!’Khushi’s eyebrows snapped together ominously.

‘I want a boy so I can play cricket.’

‘Arnav!’

‘Ok ok you can decide when you go to Dehradun tomorrow,’ Anjali winked at her brother.

Before Khushi could open her mouth again, the bell rang announcing the arrival of the elders, which was a cue to get the twins ready for their second birthday party.

Later that night, Arnav changed into his pajama pants and sat on the bed, browsing through the pictures on his iphone. He looked at one picture of the entire family and smiled. Mamiji kept a possessive hand on her grandson Ashu, mamaji standing docilely next to her. Garima held her granddaughter in her arms standing next to Shashi uncle who had recovered from his long illness, while Buaji looked grim faced. Akash stood next to him with his arm around Payal who stood sideways trying to make herself appear thinner.

He looked at the joyous face of his sister her arm around Nani, while Manav stood on her other side holding their son. In the middle of this group, he saw himself and his three angels. These last five years with Khushi had taught him the importance of family. He was glad Khushi had convinced him that they should get back to India. How could he miss all this?

The twins had enjoyed themselves immensely playing with their cousins and had happily gone with Payal and Akash who were keeping them for a few days until he and Khushi came back from Dehradun. This brought him back to the little fight he and Khushi had a little earlier.

First off all she had insisted on cleaning up and ended up coming late to bed. And then she had spent half an hour on the phone with her mom giving her instructions about how to take care of the twins. He had been miffed when she had told him she was having second thoughts about going on the trip and then she had told him he didn’t understand a mother’s feelings and walked into the bathroom and banged the door shut.

Two days later, Arnav and Khushi stood, looking at The Valley of Flowers in its full glory. ‘Arnav, it’s back!’ Khushi said emphatically clutching his arm to her breast. Then she sobered down. ‘I hope we never have to see devastation like what we saw five years ago.’

‘Khushi, what we saw was a result of man’s greed, the constant need to make money of everything. This was nature’s way of telling mankind that enough is enough. Until this gets into people’s heads, I don’t think we have seen the end of this.’

Arnav was in a sombre mood and Khushi knew that it was the result of the cold war since the night of the party.

‘Arnav I am sorry,’ she said turning toward him, her almond eyes searching his face. ‘I know I have become a little fussy since the twins came. I –‘

‘You can be as fussy as you want to be sweetheart,’ Arnav said pulling her into himself. ‘It’s your right as their mother.’

Khushi smiled radiantly, hearing words that were not uncommon to her ears anymore.

‘But it is also my right to complain,’ he quipped tongue in cheek.

Khushi went on her tip toes snaking her arms around his neck and looked deep into his caramel eyes. ‘I am listening.’ Her eyes dropped down to his lips.

Hell! Arnav swore under his breath as his head moved of its own volition to claim what his sweet wife was so blatantly offering, as the Valley stood witness to the effervescence of a love so pure that it had endured storms again and again only to get stronger with the passage of time.

Back in Delhi, two little girls slept peacefully in their great grandmother’s house after listening to the story of a prince and his princess, caught in the midst of love, hatred, deception and the ultimate triumph of love over hatred. Naniji ended the story saying they lived happily ever after, and why not she thought silently -- afterall they were written in the stars.

The End

Valley of Flowers Chapter 25 Parts 1-2

Part - 1

TWO weeks later, Anjali sat in the park outside Ashray talking to Manav. ‘I am worried about Arnav. Since he came back from the police station last week, he is behaving strangely. ‘What exactly happened there Manav?’

After one week of running to and fro to the police station, the SP had finally been forthright with him. He had told him that Shyam hadn’t confessed to kidnapping Khushi in spite of the third-degree they had meted out to him. They believed that he was telling the truth. He was being shifted to Tihar after which he would be awaiting trial for the murder of his father. They had also found the remainder of the fifty lakh rupees stashed away in his house.

Then the SI had told him that since there was no foul play in Khushi’s disappearance, he would either have to wait for his wife to come back to him or go looking for her in places she was likely to go after a fight.

‘This is ridiculous!’ Arnav exclaimed banging his fist on the table. ‘I am sure Shyam is lying.’

‘Sir, he has nothing to lose now, why would he lie?’ The SP was trying to be patient.     

‘You don’t know him like we do.’ Arnav insisted.

‘I beg to disagree Mr Raizada,’ he countered. ‘We have been dealing with criminals all our lives. Have you considered the fact that your wife wants some time off to think?’ The inspector said gravely.

Arnav sat back a little taken aback with the suggestion. His eyes blazed with fury. ‘You are just not trying hard enough.’

The inspector’s temper rose up. ‘We don’t usually interfere in domestic disputes Mr Raizada. We have better things to take care of. How can you be so sure she wants to be found?’

‘I thought Arnav was going to hit him,’ Manav chuckled.‘I calmed him down and brought him home.’

Anjali was surprised. ‘Is that why he is behaving like this? He goes to work in the morning, comes back late at night. He hasn’t been eating well. I think he has been drinking. When I tried talking to him, he completely closed up. He isn’t even searching for Khushi.’ She added anxiously.

‘It’s a delayed reaction to everything that has happened Anjali. I think he is feeling guilty.’

‘It was mom who caused all this.’

‘That is exactly why he feels guilty,’ explained Manav. ‘In the past five years, Arnav has lived with the belief that Khushi betrayed him for her career. He thought he was the victim. Now he suddenly finds out that Khushi was innocent all along. He blames himself.’

‘He shouldn’t.’ Her face creased with concerned.

‘Well, I don’t know the depth of the relationship they shared at the time, but considering their age, I can only surmise that it was still in a nascent stage.  Arnav and you come from a broken home and hence you both have serious trust issues.’

‘Me?’ Anjali was taken aback.

‘Yes, you as well. Your relationship with Shyam was based on duty rather than trust and sharing. In spite of being in a marriage you have tried not to depend on your husband for anything. You knew all this and felt guilty. If Shyam was a good husband he would have tried to earn your trust, with patience and understanding. But he played on your guilt and took advantage of you.’

As Anjali remained silent, he continued. ‘This inherent distrust in relationships probably caused Arnav to hold back all those years ago. Khushi didn’t know where she stood with Arnav at the time, whether she meant anything to him at all. That is why she couldn’t come to him when your mother asked her to leave.’

‘It makes sense,’ Anjali agreed. ‘But from what I could see of them in the last few months --  they love each other immensely Manav. 

‘I don’t understand why Khushi left him like this. What sort of love is that?’

‘Anjali, I understand that you feel for Arnav – he is your brother and it is quiet natural,’ he said patiently. ‘But from a neutral stand point, this is what I think. From what I heard from Garimaji and Buaji the other day, it is pretty clear that Khushi has had an abusive childhood. She probably thought that she could gain their love by pleasing them. She has been doing that all her life and probably doesn’t know where to draw the line.

‘Five years ago she left Arnav not only because she could protect her dad from going to jail, but also because she probably felt that your mother was right and she didn’t deserve a person like him.

‘Now she left so she could protect Arnav from having to face the truth about your mother, her mother. It’s in her nature Anjali.

‘I can’t bear to see him like this Manav.’

‘He will be fine,’ Manav smiled at her affectionately. ‘He just needs some time to think. He will figure it all out. Don’t worry.’

Arnav stood in the garden at the farm house, a glass of vodka martini in his hand and Khushi’s diary in the other. Where are you Khushi? He asked silently. It had been three weeks since Khushi had left. The first week he had been so sure that Shyam would disclose where he had hidden Khushi. When that hadn’t turned up any results, he had spent the next week in denial that Khushi had indeed left him. And then anger took over. Had she really gone to Mumbai? He wasn’t going let her get away with it this time.

 He had flown to Mumbai determined to carry her back on his shoulder, tied up and gagged if the need be. He had somehow tracked down her roommate, only to find out that Khushi hadn’t contacted her either. She was sure that Khushi had not come to Mumbai as she not heard anything from her friends circle. After, a couple of days he realized that Khushi was definitely not in Mumbai.

A dread began to form in his heart. Was the SP right? Didn’t Khushi want to be found?

He had come to the farm house in desperate need of some peace.But standing in the garden reminded him of the day he had first brought Khushi here, on the night of Akash’s bachelor party.

How exhilarated she was to see the beautiful flowers. Oh my God, Arnav this is just beautiful…

Histhoughts went back to the night of the Dandia when he had seen her dancing gracefully. He had been drawn to her instantly, but had been trying to fight his attraction for her, first with indifference and then rudeness but she had broken down all his defences one by one. Once he had given in to his impulses and kissed her on the night of Diwali, he had had a tough time keeping his hands off her.

He looked beyond to the banyan tree that had been witness to his first intimate moments with Khushi. After the implicit trust that she had shown that night, why had he so easily accepted that she had betrayed him?

That night, Khushi had confessed her love for him, but he had not reciprocated.He had realized how much Khushi had come to mean to him but he had procrastinated the decision of letting her know. This decision had to lead to the chain of events where Khushi was forced to leave everything she held dear -- in the blink of an eye.

He tried to imagine the mental trauma the young eighteen year old girl might have gone through when his mother had confronted her on the day of Akash and Payal’s wedding. He recalled the entire day in minute detail.

She had ignored him and had concentrated on talking to some boy from Lucknow. Then he had witnessed Buaji’s embarrassing rantings against mami regarding some gift. Already irked by Khushi’s erratic behaviour, when Lavanya had teased him about Buaji becoming his mother-in-law he had blown his top --

Akash is a big fool to be getting married into a low class family like that

Had she heard him talking to Lavanya? No wonder she had brought that up in a conversation they had when he confronted her under the stairs, pushed her against the wall and kissed her against her will.

‘If you are done, can I go now?’

‘I should have known not to engage with -- ’

‘A low class girl like me!Is that what your mom taught you?’

‘Don’t you dare bring her up! You don’t even know her.’

It was he who didn’t know his mother. A woman who had traumatized an innocent girl, playing on her weakness – her obligation toward her foster family.

She had not told her parents about the fraudulent papers. She didn’t want to face the remote chance that the accusation might have been true. What a dilemma for a young girl to face. Her sister’s wedding was at stake, the likelihood of her father going to jail – all these critical decision at a time when she should have had the freedom to grow and spread her wings.

She had probably agreed to leave when his mom had threatened her with breaking up Payal’s wedding. But his mom hadn’t stopped at that. She had further blackmailed the poor girl with fraudulent papers. Why?

As he kept staring at the plants he realized it. Of course! It was the same afternoon, hours before Akash and Payal’s wedding that he had revealed to her that he loved Khushi. She had hugged him then and told him everything would be alright. But all she had been doing was plotting to send Khushi away from him. He threw the glass against a tree in anger. How could his mother do that to him?

Later that evening, Khushi had completely avoided him. He had been so angry with her that after the wedding, he had insulted her by slapping Rs 10,000 on her hand for Akash’s slippers. A knife twisted in his heart as he remembered the tear that had trickled down her cheek from her already red eyes. He had wanted to drag her to himself and wipe away the stricken look on her face but he had let his temper rule him. He had walked away.

Even after five years, in spite of his mother being gone, Khushi had refused to let it out once that it was his mother who had sent her away. She knew how much it would hurt him. But she had tried to tell him, hadn’t she?

He wouldn’t listen.

Don’t mention my mother Khushi or I don’t know what I will do.

F@#$! He had incessantly tortured her with insults about her relationship with NK.

After their marriage, Khushi had only been giving. On the night of his father’s thirteenth day, she had given herself to him -- no questions asked -- only to comfort him. During the argument they had about NK she hadn’t hesitated to declare her love for him openly. She had come looking for him driving all the way to the farm house with a box of kalmi kabab which she had learnt only for him. She had ardently kissed away his nightmares and listened to him when he had poured his heart out about his father.

He remembered their conversation after the nightmare.

He had never been able to forget her…

He could never love her because of this woman…

She was very hurt by his betrayal.

There was only one reason she had left him now. She believed that her mother had been responsible for destroying his parent’s marriage. She was also probably worried herself to death thinking their relationship might be a forbidden one as that b@#$%^ had insinuated. And Khushi being Khushi, she had taken it upon herself to protect him from this ugly truth.

And why would she stay back and share this fear with him? He had held back the one thing she probably craved to hear.Three simple words.

He hit his hand against the bark, but the sharp stinging pain did nothing to assuage the one in his heart. As he sat down to read her diary again, it hit him. Khushi had mentioned her great grandmother’s house near Dehradun. What if she was stuck in that calamity ridden state?

His heart pounding wildly, he called his mother-in-law to get the exact location of her great grandmother’s house and found out that it was Govind Ghat. He called the help line numbers and heard with dread that the river flowing in the The Valley of Flowers had wiped out the valley and surrounding areas. His heart almost stopped when he realized that Govind Ghat was quiet close. Since they didn’t have any information about Khushi, he decided that there was only one way to find out.

After driving through the night, Arnav finally reached Gauchar in the early hours of the day. Gauchar was the base camp from where all the rescue operations were being organized by the Indian army.He had found out from the authorities that there was a chopper headed toward Joshimath as they had just received information about many pilgrims who were stranded there. He requested them to drop him off there and that he would manage to get to Govind Ghat by himself. In spite of their strong warning not to take this risk he brow beat them into acceding. He had set out on this journey based on an intuition. He was not going to back out now.

In Joshimath, with that help of a local boy Gopal, who had promised to take him on a short cut, Arnav hiked up the slippery, rocky terrain. The landscape looked fiery in its devastation –nature’s response to intruders who were trying to invade and destroy. Resilient andfull of hope thateach step would take him a little closer to Khushi, he trudged on.

After scaling a treacherous rocky hillock, they had finally reached Govind Ghat by midday. Then he had to walk a few more kilometres toward Gangharia. With the directions that Garima gave him, he managed to find the little house that belonged to Khushi’s great grandmother. He stepped inside and smiled with relief when he saw the lamp lit by Devi Maiyya’s idol. Khushi had to be here.

A little later, he found Khushi standing under a tree, a little distance from the house. The pain of the entire journey melted away in seconds when he saw her, looking as beautiful as ever. He had always wondered why people took so much pain to take treacherous journeys to visit holy places or climb mountains. Now he knew. 

Part - 2

KHUSHI looked up as though compelled to find Arnav’s caramel brown eyes staring back at her. ‘Arnav?’ She took in his dishevelled appearance--  his hair, a little too long curled at his nape, a few days growth of beard on a gaunt face, mud-streaked clothes and shoes. Her heart lurched when she saw that he had lost some weight. Her face contorted with apprehension as realization hit her with full force.

‘Arnav! What are you doing here? Don’t you know how dangerous it is here right now?’

His face suffused with anger. This girl would never change. ‘What are you doing here?’ he retorted.‘Are you rehearsing for your movie here in the middle of nowhere?’

She ignored his jibe. ‘Look at how this place is Arnav,’ She spread her hand toward the destruction meted out by nature. ‘You could have been killed.’

‘Stop protecting me Khushi!’ He strode up to her. ‘I have had enough of women manipulating my emotions in the name of love!’

She didn’t know if it was the drizzle or Arnav’s words that made her shiver. Arnav had discovered his mother’s deception. Tears welled up in her eyes when she thought of the shock and pain he must have had to face. She wasn’t even there to console him.

‘How did you know I was here?’

‘It was very simple really,’ he said his tone laced with sarcasm. ‘First I thought Shyam had kidnapped you. Then the police told me to get out of their face and ruling this out as a domestic dispute. So I decided to take your letter at face value and went looking for you in Mumbai. Even though your friend assured me you were not there, I still searched for two whole days. Finally, I came here – on a hunch.’

‘I …I am sorry Arnav.’

‘As much as I wished I had killed him, I am thankful to Shyam for his blunder which revealed the truth about mom. Why didn’t you tell me Khushi?’ He demanded.

‘I was going to ---’

He didn’t let her finish. ‘Then you decided to run!’

Khushi’s eyes flashed with anger at his tone. ‘Look who’s talking? You keep running off to the farm house whenever you are upset.’

‘Are you trying to tell me that this is an “eye-for-an-eye”?’ Arnav took a few steps toward her, his eyes simmering with a barely controlled temper.

She took a few steps back ward. ‘Didn’t you also want to do something like that when you first met me eight months ago?’

‘You let me go on believing a lie!’ He lashed out.

‘What was I supposed to do?It had been five long years Arnav! I had moved on. I was all set to marry NK ---‘

‘You had moved on?’ He took a step closer to her, backing her into the tree, ‘How?’ He raised his eyebrow in a familiar manner. ‘By holding onto my tattered t-shirt?’

Khushi’s flushed. She had forgotten that bag in a hurry. She stood silently thinking of all the memoirs she had collected over the years. It was something she had started as a child of thirteen and hadn’t been able to wean herself off, even as a grown woman.

‘I would never have let you marry that moron.’ He said arrogantly.

Khushi’s eyes flashed with anger. ‘NK didn’t turn up that day,’ She reminded him. ‘And that was no thanks to you!’

‘So what? You think marriage would have stopped me?’

‘Of course not!’ She shot back. ‘You don’t believe in the institution.’

‘Do you blame me?’ He came up to her and held her arms. ‘It did nothing for my parents, my sister, Lavanya--  just to name a few. Would only marriage, prove my love for you?’

‘What did you say?’ she whispered.

 ‘Why do you think I came running from the US to stop your wedding and marry you?’

‘You told me you ….wanted me.’ Khushi reminded him of their conversation on their wedding night.

‘I was scared Khushi! I was afraid you would break my heart. That is why instead of telling you I thought I would show you. Actions speak louder than words they say. I thought I could keep you with me by giving you all the luxury in the world.’

That was why he had bought her all those expensive gifts – the diamond necklace set, the saree, the dishwasher he had bought so she didn’t have to wash dishes and then the join account. ‘Oh Arnav, I didn’t care for any of those gifts,’ Khushi said emphatically. ‘What mattered to me was the donation you made to the dance school – for my students.

‘It was then that I had decided that I’d rather live with you than marry NK. I went to himand came clean with him, hoping he would call off the wedding.’

‘But you decided to go ahead when he didn’t! ’ He said sardonically.

‘I was planning to call it off just before you landed up on the wedding day!’ She cried.  ‘I realized I couldn’t go through with it Arnav. Not even for my parents’ sake. I loved you too much.’

Arnav’s eyes filled with tears even as his face remained stoic. With the slightest of quiver on his lips he said. ‘You loved me so much that you left me without saying anything and came here to hide out in this Godforsaken place, putting me through hell these past three weeks!’

Khushi’stears, were being washed away by the rain that had begun to get stronger. ‘You think I have been in heaven all this time – without you?’ she tried to shrug off his hands but his grip was firm.  ‘Let me go!’

‘NEVER!’ He pushed her back against bark of the tree, his eyes blazing. ‘I am not letting you go this time!’ He released his fingers when he heard her wince. He raked a hand through his wet hair. ‘I am sorry but I can’t let you go,’ he said with a catch in his throat. ‘If I did --- I don’t think I will survive Khushi. I LOVE YOU!’

I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU

Khushi’s heart clamoured joyously as Arnav’s words reverberated all around the woods echoing against the hills and valleys around them. Words, she had been longing to hear from the past five years.

‘Why Khushi?’ He said stepping back a little. ‘How long were you going to continue to protect everyone but yourself?’

‘I only care about you Arnav,’ she said brokenly.

‘I don’t need protecting Khushi. You do.’ He groaned and put out his arm, pulling her unresisting body against him while she clung, clutching his t-shirt.‘You sweet little fool!’

‘It’s a terrible story isn’t it?’

‘The most terrible part is how you were made to suffer. You were so young Khushi – too young. If you had only told me!’

‘Please understand,’ she implored.

‘I don’t,’ his brown eyes bore into hers. ‘I can’t believe it.’

‘I love you, Arnav,’ she exclaimed.

‘Why you should, baffles me.’

‘Anything that hurts you, hurts me.’

‘God,’ he said resting his chin on the top of her head. ‘You didn’t write that monstrosity of a letter either.’

‘Forget about it,’ she begged.

‘I can’t believe my own mother would do that to me. A mother who claimed to love me. I spent so long hating you because of that letter. You, the other half of me.By far the better half.My only love.’

‘But no one knew that Arnav,’ she said sadly. ‘You said yourself no one understood what we meant to each other – the compulsive, unquenchable love. You mother considered she was doing the right thing.’

‘Right for whom?’

He stepped back and kneeled down on the ground. He looked up at her and took her hand in his. ‘Will you just allow me to say, sorry?’

‘No.’ She shook her head.

‘Please.’

The break in his voice affected her violently. She pulled him to stand up and put her arms around his lean figure and hugged him as tightly, as fiercely as she could. Arnav felt his pain in his heart ebbing away little by little. He moved his hands all over her back, the need to feel that she was really in his arms foremost in him mind.

‘I am sorry for leaving you like that Arnav,’ Khushi whispered looking deep into his eyes. ‘I didn’t know what to do. I realized my mistake when I got here. I had planned to come back. But then the floods came and the roads got closed.’

‘What if I had lost you Khushi?’ He said his voice heavy with anguish. ‘You know I couldn’t have lived without –‘

‘Don’t!’

She went on her tip toes, her hand snaking around his neck as she pressed her lips to his with a  an ardour that made them both tremble. The drizzle had turned into a down pour but neither cared, lost in each other as the rest of the world ceased to exist.

When Khushi started shivering uncontrollably, he realized that there were drenched to the bone. He picked her up in his arms ready to take her back into the house.

‘What the --?’ He swore as he saw two girls standing a little distance away.

‘Oh that’s Lakshmi and Shanti,’ Khushi said emphatically.‘Don’t you remember them Arnav? There were the two little girls who told us about the significant of this match making tree when we came here ten years ago.’ She pointed to the tree they were standing under.

‘Thisis the same frigging tree?’  He looked up with disbelief as the girls started giggling again. ‘Unbelievable!’  He was still shaking his head as he walked toward the house. They had no chance in hell, did they? It was providence.

Just as they entered the house, Arnav shut the door and pulled her back into his arms.

‘Arnav I --’ He bent his head and captured her lips pulling her flush against himself. As the warm aroused musky scent of his skin assailed her senses, she responded by digging her own fingers into the sensitive area of his back, her senses thrilling as he responded by raising his hand to her hair, threading them through the wet strands, imprisoning her head so that she had to press even closer to him, forcing her to lift her face as the heat of his body transmitted itself to her.

After what seemed like an eternity he lifted his head. ‘Now, tell me what you wanted to say.’

‘Uh?’She seemed to have lost her train of thought.

‘Khushi,’ He had been wondering about this since the moment she had kissed him outside.

‘Aren’t you worried we might be related?’

‘What?’ She stepped back in horror. ‘Hey Devi Maiyya!’ She put a hand to her mouth. ‘I thought you knew. Arnav, the woman in the picture was not my mother! She was –‘

‘Your aunt,’ he finished for her. ‘Your mother told us everything.’

Khushi hit his chest in mock anger. ‘How could you scare me like this?’

He grabbed her hands and pushed her against the wall. ‘You know how scared I was when I couldn’t find you at first?’

‘I am sorry Arnav --‘ she began.

‘Khushi,’ he said looking at her with his caramel brown eyes. ‘I meant what I said earlier. You can’t leave me like that every time there is a problem.’

‘I didn’t know what to do when Shyam showed me the photograph!’ she said defensively.

‘Why didn’t you come to me?’

‘What was I going to say to you Arnav?’ she retorted. ‘Should I have come up to you and told you “The woman who destroyed your parents’ marriage was my mother. I hope you don’t mind.”’ Her tone was laced with acrimony.

‘Amma had not told me anything about the past. Buaji always taunted me about my mother. I thought it wastrue. And the possibility that we could be –‘ She couldn’t finish the sentence. ‘I couldn’t face you Arnav.’

He pulled into his arms and regaled the drama that had taken place in her absence. ‘I wish I had killed that b@#$%&! I can’t believe my mother brought this scum into our lives.’

Khushi placed her hand on his cheek gently. ‘Don’t!’ She pleaded. ‘You have to find a way to get past that.’

A window banged shut with a loud noise making Khushi jump. She stepped back from him. ‘I have to go shut all the windows and light the lamps. The power lines are down.’

Arnav’s face lost its colour when he realized how scared Khushi was of darkness. Khushi put her hand on his shoulder and said, ‘Lakshmi’s family have been very helpful. They came right away and took me to their home that night. After that, they gave me hurricane lamps, a kerosene stove and provisions to make food. They are used to this weather and generally stock up on provisions in case of emergencies. This is one of the safest places in the world. The people here are innocent to the point of being naïve. Don’t worry.’

She brought him a towel and told him to clean himself up while she put together something for him to eat. Arnav looked around to see the house for the first time. There was one bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchen. The entire house would probably fit into the living room of the RaizadaHouse. He stepped inside the bathroom to wash himself.

A little later, he stood at the door of the bedroom watching her towelling her wet hair. His heart began to beat erratically as he watched a drop of water, slide down her creamy back. He walked up to her, wrapping his hands around her tummy and pulled her flush against himself even as his lips claimed the delicate skin at the nape of her neck.

Khushi gasped as her back touched the bare skin of his chest. ‘Arnav ---‘  She turned around and stopped abruptly when she saw him standing in just the towel, his hair damp, his muscled body glistening in the glow of the oil lamp.She stepped back and hit the wall in the tiny bedroom. ‘You will be …cold.’

‘You too. So,let’s get you out of these wet clothes.’ He rasped.

‘Hurry!’ She said, her own eyes reflecting the hunger in his.

His lips fused with hers, hot and starving. She tasted passion… desire. His tongue stroked and cajoled, sending a sizzling jolt right to her core, so she answered him fire for fire.

He peeled the kurti off her body, skimmed his hands up her narrow rib cage, then cupped her breasts. As her breathing grew heavy, Khushi clutched her hands in his hair and dragged his mouth up to hers. He had wanted to go slow but her lips were wild and desperate. He understood that it was what she needed. He let himself go.

He ripped at her bra, making her eyes go wide with shock and arousal. When his hands moulded her this time, they were greedy and rough.

She moaned when his mouth, hot and moist closed over her breast. His tongue caressed, stabbed. He suckled strongly, wanting to devour her, mark her.

He untied the strings of her pyjama bottom and dragged the material down her smooth legs. The panty was no hindrance as he plunged his fingers inside her. As his thumb began to make swift circles around her nub, her nails dug into his shoulders telling him she had reached her peak. The whimper in her throat turned into a cry that was both a shock and joy.

His breath hissed out, as he watched her rise up and topple over the edge. The dazed look in her eyes brought him a dark pleasure.

He threw his towel aside. As he caught her leg, wrapping it around his waist, Khushi came out of her daze and her eyes widened for a brief second. Then she closed her eyes and leaned back, her finger curled in his hair as she pulled him for a kiss.

As Arnav thrust into her slowly, he found her moist entrance more than ready for him. As he filled her to the hilt, she was gasping, her breath coming in little pants of pleasure.

Arnav began to move, in rhythmic movements fast and slow, deep and hard. Her soft little moans emanating from her throat were driving him crazy. Her nails bit into his back, her breath came in gasps and her eyes clouded with heat.

He lifted her to wrap the other leg also around him and drove deeper, his hand biting into her waist.

Khushi forgot where she was. Who she was. There was only the pleasure coursing through her body, as she threw back her head and indulged herself.

Arnav murmured something incoherent, his hand tightening on her, he thrust fiercely into her. Khushi threw back her head, shuddering with pleasure as she body spiralled out of control, wave after wave shaking her. She stifled her cries as she buried her face against his shoulder. She dropped one leg on the floor, unable to hold herself against him.

He thrust one last time and his body crescendoed like a hot volcano. He felt like his body had turned into lead, as if she had drained his very strength. He placed his forehead on her, struggling to regain his ability to breathe.

A little later, Arnav brought her the food she had prepared a little earlier, wearing his track pants riding low on his hips.

‘Khushi?’ He sat down beside her, gulping when he saw her bare legs stretched out in front of her, the t-shirt riding high on her thighs. His body hardened at the thought of her wearing nothing but his t-shirt. But he stemmed his thoughts. ‘How did you find out about your aunt?’

‘Uh?’ She had been busy staring at the hair on his chest. He had no idea what it did to her.

He repeated his question as he handed the plate to her.

‘Oh…..I found her diary hidden away in the trunk here in this room.’ She fed him from her plate.

‘What did she write in that?’

‘Arnav --’ She hesitated. ‘Aren’t you angry? Even if she was not my mother, she is still my aunt.’

‘I am angry alright, but not for the reason you think.’ He said his jaw tightening with fury. He told her about his mother’s role in the whole fiasco. He said, ‘I can understand why dad had fallen for Gauri. She was not only beautiful outside but inside as well.’

A tear trickled down Khushi’s cheek as she thought of the aunt she never knew. ‘She sacrificed her love and life for the man she loved.’

‘You have similar sacrificial traits, like your aunt,’ he said wiping her tears. Luckily for me, you are not suicidal like her. You are stronger. I guess you take after your father. He had the courage to wait for his love – unlike mine.’

‘Don’t be too harsh on your dad Arnav,’ Khushi said sadly. ‘He did come for her. My aunt firmly refused to marry him and sent him away.’

‘So what?’ He said emphatically. ‘Did that mean he should have agreed to marry --’

‘Don’t!’ She put her fingers on his lips. She couldn’t for one second think of a scenario that he didn’t exist. Luckily for her, he had turned out like her dad. ‘All that matters is that we didn’t let go of our love. I have been in love with you for so long, so madly. I can’t have anything spoiling it now – not the past, not your mother, not Shyam or anyone else. We are going to be together the way it was meant. I am not going to let you hold on to the wretched past. If I can forgive and forget so can you. We have to start afresh Arnav!’

He laughed a little at her passionate response.She looked beautiful, invincible and passionately alive.

He went up to the knapsack he had brought with him and took out her diary. He opened it and took an old letter that was stuck inside the flap of the cover. ‘I know how long you have loved me Khushi.’

I was in the middle of my riyaaz with Naniji when I felt like someone had called my name. When I turned around, there he was--- dressed in black denims, dark grey hooded jacket with a dark blue t-shirt inside and grey-yellow sneakers. Those were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen I my entire life. Eyes, the colour of caramel.

When I took him some tea the next morning,he looked so anguished that I wanted to take him in my arms, but didn’tdare.He had just taken off his t-shirt and it made me feel warm all over. I couldn’t even talk properly and so I ran away from there.

Though he was trying to ignore me all through the journey, I don’t know why I wanted to go on talking to him.The next day,under the matchmaking tree, whenI made that silly comment about the song,he laughed. His stern face had totally transformed, making him look like a little innocent boy. I was so happy that I couldn’t help joining in his laughter.

The Valley of Flowers was as beautiful as I had imagined it. It had reminded me of the time I had spent with my own Amma and Babuji. I forgot about Buaji and her cruel taunts for those few wondrous moments. Then it began to rain and I had found his caramel eyes looking at me. My heart began to beat a strange rhythm of dhak-dhak when he walked toward me and I was suddenly overwhelmed with joy.

Now he is gone far away from me and I don’t feel that good. Yesterday I had a dream about marrying him under the matchmaking tree! Hey Devi Maiyya! What is wrong with me?

 A wild rose colour had mounted her cheeks and she tried to close her face with her hand. She had torn that page from the diary and hid it inside the flap of the cover.

He moved her hands away and looked deep into her eyes.‘When I first saw you in Dehradun I too was overwhelmed by how exquisite you were Khushi. But I told myself that you were just a child. But at the Valley of Flowers, seeing the joy on your face I couldn’t help being drawn toward you. I had forgotten all my troubles in that one instant. My heart always knew that you were my salvation. But happiness had eluded me for so long that I failed to recognize it when it was staring right at my face. I pushed you away. Again and again.’

‘It wasn’t our time yet.’ She whispered.

‘It’s taken me ten long years to find you once again. I assure you that I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I love you Khushi.Forever.’

‘I love you too Arnav,’ She took a deep shuddering breath. ‘I am yours – heart, body and soul. Forever.’

With that promise they came together in rapture as the stars twinkled a little more brightly in the night sky. 

Valley of Flowers Chapter 24

ARNAV came down the stairs and saw the entire Raizada family, including mamaji and mamiji seated in the living room in deep discussion. They fell silent the moment they saw him.

‘Bhai!’ Akash exclaimed. ‘Weren’t you supposed to be back tomorrow?’

‘I came in a day early.’  He replied tersely.

Naniji got up and came up to him. ‘Khushi didn’t come back home yesterday night Chotte,’ she said lines of concern creasing her forehead. ‘I assumed that she had gone to her parents’ house. I found out this morning that she is not there. I was worried and called Akash as I didn’t know how to reach you.’

The doorbell rang and the Garima walked in along with Buaji ‘Why did you call us Arnav bitwa?’ she asked worriedly. ‘Is everything alright?’

‘Khushi is missing since yesterday Amma,’ Payal informed her with a low voice.

‘Bhai, do you think we should call the police?’ Akash asked.

‘No Akash, we don’t need to.’ Arnav said to everyone’s surprise.

‘Thank God you know where she is!’ Naniji exclaimed with relief.

‘No Nani I don’t,’ he said looking at Garima intently. ‘But I am sure her mother does.’ His mother-in-law needed to answer a few pertinent questions.

‘What are you saying Arnav bitwa?’ Garima said with shock.

Arnav gave her the letter and once she finished reading it, tears started rolling down her cheeks. Garima was silent. Buaji snatched the letter from Garima and read through it.

‘I knew this was going to happen!’ She exclaimed emphatically. She looked at Arnav scornfully. ‘Didn’t I tell you this girl had bad blood on the day of your wedding? That day you defended her saying it was the bring up that was important. Now look what she has done.’

‘Jiji please be quiet!’ Garima begged.

‘No, I am not going to be quiet today,’ Buaji retorted. She looked at Arnav. ‘Five years ago this shameless girl cavorts with you and your mother gave us a good dressing down for that.

‘She came home and insulted my brother and sister-in-law about Khushi’s bring up. She saidKhushi had set a trap for her son because he was rich. She also saidshe was not a fool like her brother who had got his son married to Payal. She wanted to get you married to a girl of your level --Lavanya Kashyap.’

Arnav looked at Garima his eyes burning with and his heart filled with dread. ‘Is it true aunty?’

‘Yes,’ she whispered in anguish. ‘Your mother -- warned Khushi to stay away from you.’

‘When was this?’

‘On the morning of Akash and Payal’s wedding day.’

The day of Akash and Payal’s wedding flashed before his eyes. She had ignored him the entire day, had got into an argument with him later, under the stairs and had refused to talk to him all through the wedding in the evening.Khushi seemed to have changed overnight.

‘These people are lying saale saab!’ Shyam exclaimed suddenly. ‘How can they accuse mother-in-law like that? Especially now, when she is no more? Can she come and defend herself?

‘They are trying to cover up for their wanton daughter’s behaviour. She must have done all this for money.’

Arnav’s eyes darkened at Shyam’s insinuation about Khushi, and was also a little surprised by his outcry. He was the last person he had expected to speak up in support of his mother. How much did he even know her?

‘No!’ Garima exclaimed. ‘Sharadaji gave Khushi the money to go away to Mumbai.She cried the entire night after your mom left our house. ‘I didn’t even console the poor soul,’ Garima lamented. ‘All that girl has craved for, all her life is a little love and affection. I failed her miserably! I had always been a little reserved with that sweet girl because I didn’t want to offend my in-laws and also because I had been bogged down by family tragedy in the past.’

She looked at Arnav, her eyes pleading for understanding. ‘I didn’t know what happened between you two at the time but I realized later that Khushi genuinely loved you.’

I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU

Arnav remembered how she had chanted over and over again as he made love to her under the banyan tree. It was at this beautiful moment under the banyan tree, when she gave herself with abandon, had he realized that Khushi had come to mean a lot to him in the last few months.

But had he told that to the girl who had trusted him implicitly? N0. He had equivocated.

‘Even if my sister-in-law did offer money, Khushi could have refused,’ Mamiji interjected.

‘At the time even I was surprised that she took the money,’ Garima said quietly. ‘But she later told me that Sharadaji threatened to ---‘ She paused.‘ ---Khushi didn’t want to see her babuji in trouble.’

‘How dare you accuse my mother-in-law of blackmail?’ Shyam exclaimed. ‘Do you think a woman of her stature would have stooped so low as to implicate your husband in fraud?’

Garima looked nonplussed as she shook her head. ‘I was trying to say that she threatened to stop Akash and Payal’s wedding if Khushi didn’t comply with her demands. Payal’sbabuji would have been devastated ---’

‘Oh no!’Nanaiji put a hand to her head. ‘Sharada…’

‘Don’t believe their lies Naniji!’ Shyam told her.

‘I agree with damadji. ‘Sharada was spoilt and arrogant but even I find it hard to believe what these people are accusing her of. I think they are lying!’

‘Amma, please don’t say thing likes that.’ Akash said in his mother-in-laws’ defence.

Arnav walked up to Shyam and raised his hand and slapped him right across his face. A shocked gasp went through the room as everyone froze with shock.

‘Arnav!’ Shyam roared back in anger holding a hand to his cheek.

‘So my mother blackmailed Khushi,’ Arnav said brown eyes simmering with intense rage. ‘How did you know about that?’Anjali’s analysis of Shyam’s nature a week ago, had made him extra perceptive. In the midst of the chaos he had not missed Shyam’s goof up. 

‘I never said that! It was she –‘

Arnav slapped him again. ‘Aunty never mentioned fraud. You said my mother wouldn’t have stooped sow low as to implicate Khushi’s father in fraud. If she didn’t – then you must have.’

‘Have you gone mad Arnav?’ Mamiji exclaimed. ‘Why are you hitting damadji like this? How can you believe these people over your own family?’

‘They are my family too!’ He said loudly and clearly.

‘You are angry because, you went against us to support Khushi in this house!After all that you did for her, what does she do? She leaves you with this.’ She waved the letter in her hand.

‘NO!’ He roared. ‘Everything that Khushi wrote in this letter is a lie,’ Arnav said defiantly. ‘She only wrote this letter because I told her about a letter my mother gave me after she had left me five years ago – a letter she never wrote in the first place.’

A little while ago

As he paced about his room, hehad accidentally stepped on a plastic bag and as he kicked it aside, a small square object slipped out of it. It looked like a walk man. He took the bag and spilled its contents on the floor. They belonged to Khushi. It looked like she had forgotten this bag in a hurry.

He squatted on the floor as a familiar object caught his eye. It was a tattered navy blue T-shirt with the words –“I was an atheist …..until I realized I was God” written on it. It used to be his. He remembered that this was the t-shirt he wore when he had rescued Khushi from the hooligans at the Shiv-Gauri mandir. He had asked her to get rid of it so no one in the house found out.

He found more. The movie tickets of the movie where he had held her hand, a paper napkin from the Taj Mahal resort where they had spent New Year’s eve before Akash and Payal’s wedding, hoards of picture clippings of his articles in some business magazine in the past five years.

On a second look, he realized that walk-man was his too. He had given it to Khushi ten years ago during their trip to the Valley of Flowers. The he saw a diary dated ten years ago. He opened it.

There were picture clippings of Madhuri Dixit in some movie. He read through some of the things she had written and his jaw tightened at the plight of the thirteen year old girl.

“Today again Buaji told me about me about not being their blood. I don’t understand because we both have the same blood group”

“What can I do if my teacher recommended me to the old Mrs Raizada for the dance classes? I don’t even want to go there, but now she says I have to go. I will do anything as long as she doesn’t talk ill of my sweet amma”

“Anjaliji is planning to take jiji and me to Dehradun during the holidays. My amma used to tell me that her nani lived in a small town near there. I am so excited.”

There seemed to be a few pages missing from the diary and then there was a page where she had written Arnav plus Khushi inside a heart shaped design in the center of the page while she seemed to have scribbled her signature all around it. On closer inspection, he realized that the letter K was beautifully blended with the letter A making it look like one single letter. Something flashed to him.

He looked for the letter he had thrown on the floor, picked it up and straightened it out. Her signature was the same. She signed in English and not hindi. He hurried to the wardrobe and opened the drawer. He took out a diary and found the letter he had preserved for the last five years – the one his mother had given to him when he had come back home. The sign was in hindi. Not only that, the handwriting in the letter was different from the one Khushi had left for him. She did tell him that she hadn’t written any letter. So why had his mother told him that it was Khushi’s? Who had written this letter?

Now he knew who had written that letter five years ago. He looked at Shyam and walked toward him. ‘I thought the letter had been written by Khushi because it was in pure Lucknowi hindi.’ He caught hold of his collar. ‘What I --and probably you --didn’t know Shyam, was that Khushi doesn’t sign in hindi. You wrote that letter five years ago. Why would you do something like this to people you didn’t even know?’

 Arnav raised his hand to punch him when Shyam screamed, ‘Rani Sahiba!’

Just as Arnav loosened his grip, Shyam ran toward his wife who was standing just inside the main door with Dr Manav on her side. ‘Your brother has gone mad! He is saying ---‘

‘I know Shyam,’ Anjali said quietly. ‘I heard everything.’ She raised her hand and slapped him hard, tears streaming down her cheeks.

‘Di!’ Arnav rushed to his sister who would have collapsed if Manav hadn’t caught her in time. He looked at Manav, ‘what happened to Di?’

Manav looked at Arnav and spoke gravely. ‘On Khushi’s birthday we went to return the slipper she was wearing when she fell from the stairs. They told us that the slipper hadn’t cut because of wear and tear. It had been neatly cut with a blade.’ He looked at Shyam intently.

‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ He exclaimed. ‘Why would I want to do that?’

Anjali looked at him, her eyes flashing with anger. ‘Because you wanted to be the sole beneficiary of dad’s house.’

 ‘What nonsense!’ Shyam exclaimed. ‘Are you accusing me just because babuji wrote the will in my name?’

‘No, I am accusing you because you killed him!’ Her voice echoed all over the house.

‘What ?’ Arnav was astounded by his sister’s words.

‘You know babuji died of a heart attack in the hospital.’Shyam looked at Manav. ‘You were there Dr Manav.’

‘Something triggered the wheezing that led to his heart attack,’ Dr Manav said. ‘I checked at the hospital. You were the one who came to give him lunch that afternoon.’

‘So what?’ he countered. ‘Anyone could have come in after me.’

‘Let’s not waste our time with him Manav,’ Anjali interposed herself. ‘We found Raju with the black mail money you paid him for his silence.’

Shyam went completely still.

Dr Manav explained that after realizing that her slipper had been tampered with, Anjali and he and gone to Ashray to enquire with the proprietors about her dad’s care. There they had found that the boy Raju, who had been assigned to take care of him had absconded to his village in UP since the day Anjali’s dad was admitted to the hospital. Through his friend, they had traced him to the village and after a week of search had found his house. When the police took him in for questioning he had confessed to everything.

In the blink of an eye Shyam ran across the hall and into the utility to get to the back door. Arnav was on his heels and caught him just as he reached the garden. Arnav had him pinned against a tree and began pummelling his face.

‘Where the f#$% is she?’ he raged. ‘Where is Khushi?’

‘I don’t know!’ He screamed in pain when he received a blow to his gut.

‘Don’t play games with me Shyam! I know you have a hand in this.’

‘I swear I don’t know where she is,’ Shyam said as blood oozed from a cut in the lip.After a couple of punches more he began to beg. ‘Stop! Don’t hit me!I really don’t know where she is!’ He screamed and a malevolent look entered his eyes. ‘I guess she ran away in shame when she found out that her mom had been having an affair with your dad!’

The entire Raizada family who had just followed them, gasped in shock while Arnav froze. ‘What?’

Shyam slipped his hand into his pocket and took out the photograph of Arnav’s dad and Khushi’s mother and threw it on the floor. ‘See for yourself.’

As Arnav picked up the photograph, his face went pale.

Anjali came up to him and took the photograph. ‘This photograph is obviously fake!’ She said emphatically. ‘Dad didn’t have any affair.’

Arnav looked at Anjali his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

‘Arnav?’ she said and began shaking her head.

‘I found this photo in your father’s belongings, Anjali,’ Shyam began to laugh. ‘Look --the sort of family you come from!’ He jeered. ‘Mom was a conniving b@#$%, dad was an adulterer and your brother has probably married his own half-sister because the lady in that picture is none other than Khushi’s mother!’

As an audible gasp went through the family members, Arnav lunged at Shyam and wrapped his hands around his.‘One more lie from your mouth and you won’t be fit enough to talk!’  Akash and Manav rushed to his side and extricated him with effort.

‘Why don’t you ask your …..current mother-in-law Garimaji?’ Shyam coughed out. ‘Ask her if this photograph is fake.’

Everyone looked toward Garima staring at the photograph in her hand. Her face looked like she had just seen a ghost. She raised her head and looked at Arnav. ‘Arun Malik was your father?’ she whispered.

‘Oh God!’ Anjali exclaimed in horror. ‘Is it --- true? My father and Khushi’s mother?’

Arnav felt like the entire world was falling around him. He didn’t want to hear the answer. He began  to walk away from there when he heard Garima’s yell out.

‘No No No! The woman in the picture is not Khushi’s mother!

Arnav stopped in his tracks and turned around, his face twisted in confusion.

‘She is Khushi’s aunt Gauri – her mother Gayatri’s twin sister.’

Arnavfelt the life seep back into him. He turned toward the policemen. ‘I think you should take him now,’ He indicated toward Shyam. ‘I am pretty sure Khushi gave Shyam fifty lakhs. You can confirm by checking the serial number from my bank. I am not sure he is telling the truth about Khushi’s whereabouts. Get it out of him.’

Manav accompanied the police assuring Anjali that he would take care of the formalities.

Arnavurged everyone to go back into the house. Once everyone had taken their seats he turned toward Garima. ‘Khushi’s mother had a twin sister? She never told me.’

‘We have been living together for more than twenty five years and she hasn’t told us!’ Buaji grated.

‘Payal’s father knows,’ Garima said quietly.‘I swear I did not know that  your dad was Arun Malik --- Since Sharadaji and you had the name Raizada we never could make that connection.’

‘Please continue aunty.’ Arnav urged.

‘Gauri and Gayatri were my beautiful, identical twin sisters, older to me by three years. They were inseparable and had decided to marry brothers or best friends so that they could live close to each other.’ She reminisced with a wistful smile.

‘Our family were very good friends with the Maliks and socialized a lot with them. Arun was their only son and Ajay was his best friend. We all grew up together.’

‘During the summer Arun came home after completing his engineering in Delhi, he and Gauri realized that their friendship had turned into something much deeper. Luckily for them, our fathers decided that Gauri and Arun should get married so that the friendship could be turned into a family relationship. Arun and my sister was ecstatic that they had their elders’ blessings. Around the same time Gayatri had also fallen in love with Ajay.’

‘Shameless girls!’Buaji commented.

‘It’s not a crime to fall in love Buaji,’ Anjali interjected. ‘Please continue auntyji.’

‘Four years later, as Gauri completed her degree, my father brought up the topic with Arun’s father. To his shock, his friend told him that he had never taken that verbal promise seriously and had fixed Arun’s match elsewhere. He did not divulge information of the match and my father was too proud to ask. He came back home hurt and angry and declared that he would get Gauri married to someone else. He forbade her to meet Arun.’

‘But Arun managed to meet Gauri somehow and explained to her that he was not interested in the match and begged her to elope with him. But she refused. She told him that she couldn’t put Gayatri and my marriages at stake. She advised him to go back and marry the girl of his father’s choice.’

‘Sounds like a movie story,’ Mamiji said caustically.

‘It’s not a story!’ Naniji retorted. ‘Garimaji is telling the truth.’ She looked at Arnav and Anjali.

‘We saw your father for the first time at a common friend’s wedding in Delhi,’ Naniji began. ‘Your Nanaji and I realized that Sharada was very taken in by him. So we enquired about him and found out that he was almost engaged to another girl. The marriage broker told their match was “written in the stars”

‘Sharada was very upset and insisted that she would marry only him or not marry at all. Your Nanaji was forced to send the proposal to Mr Malik. He responded positively and the marriage was fixed.’

‘What happened to Gauri?’ Naniji said softly.

‘She refused to marry anyone. Dad was already under stress when he found out about Gayatri and Ajay. He refused to let Gayatri marry him. As a result she declared she wouldn’t marry either. But Ajay loved Gayatri so much that he told her he would wait for her as long as it took.’

‘Unable to explain to his relatives, my father sent both my sisters to live with our naniji in a small town near Dehradun. He began to search alliances for me and with great difficulty I finally married Payal’s father. Soon after that my dad passed away.’

‘You hid the fact that you had a sister until Gayatri came to our house when you were pregnant with Payal,’ Buaji said angrily.

‘According to my dad they both were dead. He didn’t think he was hiding any information.’ Garima explained. ‘Gayatri was forced to come because I was confined to bed in the final stages of my pregnancy.My mother was sick herself and Gauriw ent to Lucknow to tend to her.

‘The moment Gayatri saw Payal, she knew she wanted to get married and have a child of her own. She and Ajay took my mother’s blessings, married and settled down in Lucknow taking care of my mother. Gauri went back to Dehradun. In three years Khushi was born.

‘Gauri came to Lucknow to take care of Gayatri and she fell in love with Khushi so much that she stayed with her for a year.’

Arnav turned toward Garima ‘Dad met a woman at a fair when I was seven years old. It was Gauri wasn’t it?’

Garima nodded her head sadly. ‘Gauri suddenly expressed her wish to go to the fair that day. Normally she didn’t go anywhere but that day she wanted to – for some reason. She found you, lost and crying and when she waited for your parent’s to show up she was shocked to see Arun.

‘They talked for a long while catching up about their lives. Arun wanted to meet her again but she had refused. The next morning Gauri packed her bags and left.

‘Arun came by a few weeks later to Gayatri’s house as she was living in my father’s old house. When Gayatri told him she had gone back to Dehradun he decided to go there to meet her. Gayatri panicked and called Gauri.

‘When Arun reached Dehradun he had no idea of the shock that awaited him. Gauri had consumed poison and was dead.’

‘That’s when dad met with the accident,’ Arnav said slowly looking at Anjali. ‘He was on the way back from Dehradun.’

‘It wasn’t anybody’s fault,’ Garima said. ‘Gayatri told me that Gauri had been depressed from a long time. When she saw Khushi it had gotten worse because she had come to realize she could never have such a child of her own. She was a broken woman.

‘She didn’t want your father to leave his family and come to her at such a vulnerable stage in her life. She was afraid she would give in to him as she still loved him..That is why she took her own life.’

A little later, Arnav dropped Garima and Buaji home. After Buaji had gone inside the house, Garima shut the door and stepped out in the porch.

‘Arnav bitwa,’ she began in a low-voice. ‘Khushi was very small when she came to live with us. ‘Since Khushi’s mother had refused to marry and eventually married her love after so many years, jiji had a bad impression about her. Sheincessantly taunted Khushi about coming from bad blood. I wish I had stopped her. I wish I had told her about her mother and Gauri.

‘That is the only reason why Khushi believed Shyam. I hope my little girl is okay.’ She began to cry.

‘I will find her aunty. I promise.’

He came back home and went to straight to Anjali’s room. She lay on nani’s lap crying. She sat up and hugged him.

‘I am sorry I didn’t believe you earlier Di --,’ Arnav said, ‘—about mom.’ He looked at Naniji. ‘I don’t even know her anymore.’

‘It was our fault really,’ Naniji said sadly. ‘Your Nanaji pampered Sharada a lot as she was his favourite. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. He would get her things before she would ask for it. Mahendra’s resentment for your mother starts from this fact.

‘After Sharada got married to your dad, she realized her mistake. She realized that though she had managed to get him physically, he was lost to her mentally. He was a perfect husband to her but her insecurities made her a bad wife. It miffed her to no end that she couldn’t make him dance to her whims and fancies. She couldn’t adjust with his middle class family in Lucknow and urged him to move to Delhi. He refused. When Anjali was born, she came here and refused to go back until he came and cajoled her to go back with him.

‘Then you were born and it seemed like things were okay for a few years. Then he met with the accident and things went downhill from there.

‘Once she lost your dad she latched on to you, Chotte. So much that she ignored Anjali her eldest who also needed her love.

‘Your Nanaji and I worried about her behaviour but what could we do? She was our daughter. We felt bad for her.’

‘So all that she did was a result of her insecurities,’ Arnav surmised rubbing his eyes.‘She sent Khushi away from me and brought Shyam into your life. God she ruined our lives didn’t she Di?’

Anjali sat next to him. ‘No Arnav,’ she touched his cheek. ‘She couldn’t quiet manage to do that. The love Khushi and you have,is too strong for that.’

‘But Di, you didn’t deserve the life she chose for you.’

‘Mom was too disturbed to comprehend the consequences of her actions Arnav,’ Anjali said serenely. ‘She had a failed marriage behind her, she knew you were upset about Khushi, her dad had just died and her brother was kicking her out of the house. Shyam had pushed her into a corner. She had no choice but to give in to his demands.‘I wish she had confided in me. I could have helped her.’

‘Di, take care of yourself first,’ Arnav said, ‘you have gone through quiet a trauma yourself. You know I am there for you, right?’

‘Now that I know I have my brother backing me up I have nothing to worry about do I?’ She smiled through her tears. ‘I have my whole life ahead of me. I am not going to sit and mope around.’ She wiped her tears.

‘She never understood that she was the other woman, did she?’Arnav said out of the blue.

‘What?’ Anjali’s eyebrows snapped together in confusion.

‘I am talking about mom. Think about it Di,’ Arnav said, ‘dad might have been happy if he had ended up with Gauri and mom might have been happy if she had met the person meant for her.’

‘I still can’t believe dad was in love with another woman.’ Anjali said. ‘Aren’t you angry with him Arnav?’

‘For the first time in years I am not,’ he said. ‘In fact I think I finally understand why he became that way.’

‘That’s because you have finally understood what it is to be in love,’ Nanijisaid. She looked up at him. ‘I know you don’t believe in all this…..but Khushi and you are also written in the stars, chotte.’ Naniji said, reminding him about his childhood days when she used to tell him mythological stories of prince and princesses.

‘I believe Nani.  said simply and nodded his head.

It was the wee hours of the morning, when Arnav went back to his room. He looked at the items Khushi had collected over the years and his eyes filled with tears. The time he had spent burning in hatred, Khushi had only loved him more and more. Five precious years.An image of an eighteen year old Khushi as she stood in front of his mother, flashed in front of his eyes and he fell on his knees tears flowing down his cheeks.

His agonized cry echoed through the walls of the huge Raizada House and up the heavens above, loud enough to pierce the heart of humans and ghosts alike.