Part 22

Arnav went in, took along shower to relax his muscles and his mind. His mind wouldn’t quit thinking about her so he decided to force it to think about the important matters at hand. His mind first went to the meeting he had with Mr.Chopra (head of legal department at RI) this morning at RI.

He had asked Mr.Chopra about a lawyers activities and Mr.Chopra had explained very patiently that Indian law graduate can practice law anywhere in the country and his clients could be in any corner of India. Mr.Chopra also explained that most lawyers chose to build their reputation at one place especially if it’s a city like Delhi they will have no shortage of clients if the lawyer is good at what he does. Mr.Chopra also said that even if a lawyer accepts cases from clients from other places they are most likely from influential clients, he also expressed that when he says influential it doesn’t have to be in the good way always. Some rich thugs force lawyers to work for them too.

This got Arnav thinking what if his jijaji was in trouble but he wouldn’t share it with Arnav or anyone in the family. His jijaji was a self-respecting man. He would not like to ask help from his in-laws family. What if his clients were not the good kind and his jijaji was being forced to travel every now and then and work for them. He had to find out if his jijaji needed his help, he couldn’t ask the man… jijaji would never give in.

He walked out of his shower put a towel around himself and walked out into his room and located his phone and dialed Aman…

“Sir, Good night”

“What the!! Aman… you don’t wish people good night as a greeting, you say good night at parting..”

“Sorry Sir”

“Aman I want you to get an appointment with the best detective agency in town and schedule it for tomorrow morning… tomorrow afternoon at most.. at my office.”

“Ok Sir…Sir I have booked your tickets to LA for next Wednesday, like you asked and I didn’t book the return ticket sir.”

“Ok great … see that any meetings that need me to be there personally are scheduled this week itself.”

“Sir, I thought since your schedule is already very busy for this week, I won’t change it but work little changes in your schedule so that you can conference in on meetings that you are required in from US, I have changed the times of those meetings so that they are mornings and early evenings in LA time sir.”

ASR smirked… he had the best assistant but didn’t let his approval seep into his voice too much, but made a metal note to raise Aman’s salary “Ok, did you notify the house keeper in LA.”

“Yes Sir”

“OK Aman, I want you in the meeting with the Detective agency tomorrow, so you can follow up on it when I am not here”

“Yes, Sir.. Goodnight Sir”

To which ASR just “hmphed” in reply and cut the call.

He looked up and realized he was at the poolside door again and within a split second his thoughts were filled with her… her smile.. her long hair… her eyes and her “Arnavji”.

A soft smile played on his lips ”Yup that’s what she had called him Arnavji”

“Arnavji” his own name sounded so beautiful from her lips… he hurriedly got dressed and ran down the stairs to the living room hoping to get a glimpse of her before she left, and ignored his brain that said “She is gone… didn’t you hear her sister?”

********************

Just as he reached the living room he saw his family relaxing around the dining table and HP serving them hot tea. He saw the workers clearing up the decorations from the living room. He realized he was too late….took a deep breath and went to face his family. He knew convincing his Di would be a hard task but he knew if she came to know about his US trip she would not leave his side even for a second forget being angry at him. He would use that card…to pacify her.

He reached the living area went up to NK and congratulated him and his parents and settled down beside his Di and said “Di, the meeting was with clients from another country I couldn’t just reschedule on them, don’t know when they would be available next.” He said in his most apologetic tone he could muster up.

His Di just ignored him and drank her tea, he sighed and turned to his Nani and she seemed to be in very deep thought and didn’t even look in his direction, he thought it best not to disturb her thoughts.

He took the black coffee that HP placed in front of him and started drinking an awkward silence lingering at the dining table which was broken by the Sharma’s getting up and saying goodnight to everyone before heading towards their room and once again the awkward silence returned to the table. The silence kept stretching and he got up to leave from the table to leave his family in peace and that’s when it happened

“Chotey, sit down, I have something important to share with the family.” Nani said in a very serious tone.

Immediately ASR’s gut told him to run and run very far from this place but he did not want to anger his Nani further today so took a deep breath and sat down. Nani looked around the table at her family and started “I was very happy today seeing a grandson getting engaged to a worthy girl. Now I want to be selfish and ask for more happiness, I want to see my own grandson’s settle down in life. I want my granddaughter-in-laws to fill this house with love and laughter and I want to breathe my last amidst that laughter.”

Her eyes slightly misted she turned to Arnav and looked directly in his eyes and said “Chotey, I have never asked you for anything but please think of this as my first and last wish, don’t say no.”

Arnav bit his tongue and his fingers dug into his palms as he tried to control his anger and not blast of at his Nani for trying to emotionally blackmail him into doing the thing that he hated the most in this world. The worst part was she was one of the few who actually knew why he hated the institution of marriage so much...”How could she?”

“Nani…why are you doing this?? You know why I don’t believe in marriage… mom dedicated her whole life to a lying, cheating, abusive b*star*!!  He cheated on her with another married woman… a woman who sold herself for his money… it killed my mom when she came face to face with the truth…. There is no loyalty left in marraiges…I don’t know if I can be with one woman all my life I don’t want to turn into my dad by cheating on her….” He paused and took a deep breath and continued in an equally raging but a far more dangerous tone and said “And god forbid if she cheats on me, I will make her life a living hell and she will wish she was never born.” he thundered

Nani stood up she was shaking with anger or pain he couldn’t be sure “Chotey, what about Sanaa you seem to be interested in her, I am willing to accept her as the daughter-in-law of this house for you but please agree to get married…” she almost pleaded..

Arnav cooled down a little his Nani never pleads… she just orders… but he had to get it through to her once and for all that he is not going to get into this sham called marriage so he continued his tirade “Nani, I DO NOT WANT TO MARRY SANAA..”

He could see tears in his Nani’s eyes but she wasn’t his role model for nothing, she made sure they didn’t leave her eyes and blinked a few times to hold them in. But he saw her eyes mist and it hurt him to hurt her like that but he couldn’t give in, it was his life at stake here, but he softened a little more.

“Chotey, I have a girl in mind for you who will surely fill your life with happiness and love.. ” she tried, by now all his family were up and at his Nani’s side not that they wanted to isolate him but he knew they could see her pain just like he could and she continued “Your mom will feel happy too with the girl I have chosen…”

His brain started working superfast at her last words… who is she talking about and as pieces of the puzzle started settling in, he held his breath and waited for his Nani to continue.. ”She is your mom’s best friend’s daughter…she is educated, beautiful, mature, and loving… what more can anybody ask for? Please Chotey.. listen to me..”

Arnav just stood there thinking of marriage…with her, having her smiles to himself, having her thoughts to himself, having her in his arms… having the right to hold her close to him whenever or wherever he wanted…. coming home to her… hell… would he be able to leave her and go to work….

Nani taking his silence as encouragement spoke up “I am thinking of taking the proposal for Payal bitiya tomorrow if you say yes..”

“WHAT!!” echoed the two horrified voices

To Arnav’s surprise no one was looking at him, including himself everyone was staring at the origin of the second voice…

“mmm….I mean….tom… tomorrow might be bad I have some …mmm… work” stammered Aakash

Everybody looked at him as if he had gone crazy and turned back to face ASR… yes now they faced ASR, Aakash had given him the break he needed to come out of his crazy thoughts about marriage and her….

“Nani, hear me out once and for all, I WILL NOT MARRY ANYONE AND I WILL NOT GET MARRIED NOW OR IN THE FUTURE” he gave a pause so that his words could sink in properly “and if you force me into talking about this in the future, I will leave this house as I don’t want to be the cause of arguments in our house.”

Nani broke down hearing his ultimatum and almost collapsed on the floor but for everybody supporting her, Arnav reached her too and helped her sit in the chair and he kneeled down in front of her and held her hands in his and looked into her wise old eyes and said “Nani, you and Di are the two people I live for, you are everything for me, ask me to do anything, anything at all and I will do it, but don’t ask me to get married…please understand.”

His Nani looked at him smiled a tiny smile, he noticed that the smile never reached her eyes, she brought her hand and caressed his face just like she used to when he was a little boy sighed and said “Chotey, I just want you to be happy, I want to be able to answer to your parents when I meet them..”

He cut her short and said “Nani, you answer to NO ONE…and I am happy this way…” he assured her…

She sighed and nodded her head as if finally understanding him and said “I am tired I want to rest now.”

All the Raizada’s helped her to her room and her bed that night and as he held her close to him to walk her to her room, Arnav noticed how beaten she looked to his eyes she looked old and tired and he did not like it one bit. He wanted her to yell at him and possibly even chuck him out of the house for not listening to her but here she was weak and looking tired of fighting this world.

He sat down on the bed beside her and said “Nani, don’t you want to punish me for not obeying you?? Shall I kneel on the floor on my knees till you forgive me or shall I do sit ups?” he asked her, he was not joking he wanted to bring back the fire in her eyes and he would do anything to take away this helplessness that surrounded her.

Nani Laughed this time it did reach her eyes she patted his knee that was closest to her and said “So you still remember your punishments Chotey, no need for all that but never ever say that you will leave the house Chotey, I will not be able to take it another time…” she concluded

He nodded and could feel all his family members relax as the grandmother-grandson duo who were both as stubborn as the other came to an agreement. They slowly started leaving the room one by one and Arnav was the last one to reach the door he turned back and said

“Nani though I will never get married, I promise you that I will do anything you want in Aakash’s wedding I will not miss a single ritual and I will not complain and I will even go ask for the girl for my brother if you want me to…Goodnight Nani” ASR turned around walked out and smirked, he had planted the seed and he could feel it grow in his Nani’s brain..

As he walked past Aakash’s room on the way to his room, he remembered and smiled at his brother’s outburst during the fight, his brain had started to connect the dots then and now he understood all the new things Aakash was up to nowadays and so he had decided to guide his Nani to go after the grandson who will fulfill her dreams.

He sighed as he got into his room “Hope his brother knew what he was getting into…”