Part 28

Khushi walked into the living room, a room that was full of happy laughing people. She looked around first for her Jiji, who she found standing next to the kitchen entrance, she wanted to reach her Jiji unnoticed by the others.

But she was Khushi Kumari Gupta after all… when she started moving towards her Jiji she was so preoccupied with the desire to be unnoticed that she tripped on her own dupatta which was slipping of her shoulder and knocked the side stand over, her eyes squeezed shut afraid of the fall, but luckily her Jiji was quick enough….sorry experienced enough…. to save her.

“Why Devi Maiyya !! Why me???...” she whined to her guardian angel and after she took a deep breath opened her eyes to look into her Jiji’s which were twinkling with mischief which pretty much said “Why do you do this to yourself Khushi??”

Khushi gave her a pathetic smile in reply which meant “Manufacturing defect... Jiji..”

Payal smiled back and jestured with her eyes to Khushi to turn around and say hello to the now quite living room full of people. Khushi sighed and turned around and joined her palms together and greeted the eldest of the Raizadas.

“Na.. Namaste.. Naniji…”

“Namaste Bitiya.. how are you?”

“I am fine Naniji… How is your heath?”

“Everything is good now Bitiya…” Khushi smiled truly happy to know that the wonderful old lady was doing good.

Khushi now turned to Mamaji and exchanged pleasantries with him and then she turned to Anjali and asked “Anjaliji how are you?”

“Fine Khushiji…How are you?.. You look tired..” said Anjali noticing that Khushi was feeling very embarrassed and though she didn’t look tired Anjali said that to make her feel comfortable.

That’s when his head shot up from looking at his smart phone and looked directly in her direction… completely involuntarily…He had kept his head down from the moment she had walked back into the room “I don’t want her to feel embarrassed…” was his explanation to himself but… he knew it was a just a cover for justifying his decision to ignore her for the rest of their visit to keep his crazy thoughts in control.

But his muscles moved of their own accord when he heard that she looked tired… he had to check for himself that she was ok…”Why Dammit!! Why are you so concerned??” cried his frustrated brain.  

His eyes searched her face for signs of tiredness. He studied her face to the minutest detail…”Lack of sleep!!” came the verdict from his assessment.  When his unease about her health was put to rest, then he noticed the rest of her.

 

She was wearing an everyday chudidhar suit with pink flowers printed on it and a white bottom and a white scarf/dupatta. The dress didn’t look new, it was just plain cotton, and it was not stitched to perfection. Yet no other dress had looked so exquisite to the eyes of the owner of a top designer house.

She wore no jewelry except a silver bracelet/watch on her left hand and wore no makeup but a flimsy layer of lip gloss on her rosy lips and a thin outline of eyeliner. He had been around woman who were pretty, intelligent, beautiful, goddesses on earth but nobody had taken his breath away like she did standing there in her simple beauty.

He was trying to regain his breath when her eyes met his for a split second and then she looked away and his heart skipped a beat. Then he heard his sister calling him and he realized everybody else in the room was looking at him too and he immediately shot back to attention.

“Haan Di” he said shifting slightly in his seat and turning completely towards his Di, acting as if his Di held his complete attention, but in realty his entirety was tuned in to her every moment.

“Chotey, I was asking you to call Mami and find out where she is and when she will reach.” Said a slightly frowning Anjali… wondering why her brother seemed so distracted.

ASR merely nodded at his sister and getting up from the living room made his way out on to the veranda, dialing Mami on his way out.

Mami who had thrown a tantrum about not wanting a poor bahu had left to her cousin’s house the previous day not heading to anybody in the house. After ASR had got to know about the situation the previous night he had called up Mami and had had a very brief and to the point talk with her, the gist of which is a mystery to the rest of the Raizada’s.

The call had resulted in Mami calling Mamaji back and telling him that she is OK with the wedding but everything at the wedding and pre-wedding ceremonies have to be done according to her wishes, to which the family had agreed to happily. Mami had said she would reach the Gupta residence on her own in the morning, and the Raizada’s knew she was late on purpose but none of them were ready to talk to her scared she will throw another tantrum. But if ASR called Mami it would be ok.

As ASR stepped out on to the veranda, he noticed Mami stepping out of her black BMW in her full on goddess attire and looking around the locality with distaste clearly written on her face. ASR smirked his Mami is an intelligent woman, he knew she would understand her losses if she said no to the wedding and act in the manner that benefits her the most.

He went down the front steps and reached his Mami and said “Come Mami, everybody is waiting.”

She nodded followed him as he led the way into the house. She was welcomed warmly by Garima and buaji and she settled on the sofa beside Nani. Arnav stayed back by the door frame leaning slightly on it and crossing his arms. Nani looked around at her family and signaled that she was going to start the discussion that they had come to discuss. A smiling nodded encouragingly.

“Garima, Sashi beta we came to your house today to ask you something…” she paused so her next words could be nice and clear…” We have come to ask Payal bitiya’s hand for my grandson…”

As soon as the sisters heard her last words their heartbeats changed to a higher rate… one because of nervousness and the other because of a sharp pain that had pierced her heart. Both sisters immediately turned to look at the people who had caused the change in their cardiac rhythm.

Payal looked directly at Aakash a slight question in her eyes and Aakash gave a heartfelt smile back. Khushi’s head shot in Arnav’s direction and he looked in her direction too and their eyes met and held.

He saw some unknown pain radiate in her eyes and it made his heart flutter like a fish caught on a sinker. He pushed himself of the door frame and stood straight ready to go to her if she needed him.

Khushi was not able to control her feelings “Devi maiyya, why am I so aware of him… I had decided to remove these feelings but they come back with double the intensity when he is around. How can I bare it if he becomes my Jijaji…Devi maiyya… I have to be happy for my Jiji but …. But…”

Their eye lock stayed fixed one trying to figure out the reason for the pain he saw in her eyes and the other trying to get one last look at him before she cleaned her heart out of any feelings for him for her Jiji’s sake.

Garima who inferred that ASR was the proposed groom like the rest of the Gupta clan, except for Payal, voiced her thoughts.

“Chotey??” asked Garima which brought their eye lock to an end and caused Arnav to look at Garima in confusion.

But before ASR could understand what was going on Nani and Anjali caught on faster and quickly stepped in to clear the misunderstanding…”Nahi Garima bitiya, I am asking Payal bitiya’s Hand for my younger grandson Aakash..”

Garima looked at Aakash and smiled and still in shock did not say much then she looked to her husband and her sister-in-law to assess their thoughts. Sashi seemed to be in deep thought too but her sister-in-law was nodding encouragingly in her direction. Then she looked at Payal who looked back at her for a split second and lowered her eyes.

Garima started to smile if she knew her daughter even a little she knew Payal was not going to say no. Then her eyes travelled back to her husband who was looking at her a lot of questions going on in his eyes and she understood that what he was thinking he was thinking how he was going to manage the financial burden for this wedding as the groom’s side were extremely wealthy.

“Bitiya…” they heard Nani break into their thoughts and the Gupta’s realized that one of them needed to say something..

Garima spoke “Maaji… I can’t tell you how happy I am but I am afraid you have made this proposal out of love, it won’t be a good match we won’t be able to afford the luxuries and other things expected from a family of your stature and influence… We won’t be…”

Garima was cut off sharply by a loud voice from the door way “Garima … it will be a wedding that every guest will leave in awe and it will be talked about for weeks to after…” And everybody turned to see the person who spoke.

Gaurav Singhania stood at the door way and behind him stood his beautiful wife Shobha and behind her stood an exited looking Lavanya. The Gupta’s and Raizada’s smiled at the people who had just come in.

Sashi was frowning at what his friend had said and was about to say something in the negative but Mr.Singhania cut in again raising his finger at Shashi and saying “Shashi you promised that when time comes for their wedding you will not say no to me to whatever I want to do.”

Shashi was going to say something and now he was cut off by Nani “Shashi beta, we don’t want anything from you except Payal bitiya. Everything else is not important at all, we are happy with anything that you arrange for the wedding.”

Shashi gave up and smiled but the discussion was not done or rather Mr.Singhania was not done “No Mrs.Raizada, like I said it will be a wedding that will be talked about and written about…afterall …” he said walking over to where Payal and Khushi were standing and putting his arms around their shoulders “.. it is my older daughter’s wedding…”

The girls fondly cuddle into him just like they have been doing all their life. Shobha had gone over to Garima and hugged her and said “Remember I told you good eligible boys will come looking to our house for our girls….” Garima sighed a happy sigh and smiled at Shobha… some friendships become more than family.

Mr.Singhania was still not done he had already started planning the wedding “There will be dancers from Rajasthan, food stalls from all the states in India, there will be top designers working on the decorations, there will be….” And he went on…

Khushi’s heart was bursting with joy and she was eagerly nodding at whatever her beloved uncle was planning but she suddenly turned her head to see her mom and dad and her Jiji looking very uncomfortable with all the things that were being said… then it struck her no matter what her family will never be comfortable with extravagance.

Hence she turned back to her uncle and put a hand over his mouth and lovingly said “Gaurav Uncle!!... That’s enough if you become bankrupt with Jiji’s wedding how will you afford my wedding??”

And the whole room burst into laughter… loudest ofcourse was Gaurav’s.. he took his arm that was around Payal held Khushi by both her shoulders and looked into her eyes with fatherly love filled in own eyes and said

“For you … my butterfly… I will find a prince who will transfer his entire fortune in your name and become your slave for the rest of his life and I will work in your palace as the gardener as I will have no money….”

To which Khushi giggled and said rather sincerely “No Uncle not the gardener you will kill all the plants…” to which again the whole room burst into fits of laughter.

ASR smiled too …thinking how aptly she was named Khushi and even her nick name was perfect Titaliya…. “a butterfly she was…. a beautiful one…”