38. Why Did You marry Me, Khushi?


 
Arnav shut the door behind Shyam Manohar Jha, and returned to the living room to see his Di swaying where she stood, behind all the other family members. He shouted, "Di!", and ran to her.


(Thanx, Sarun_dewaani!)

Khushi, Payal, Mami, Nani, Akash, & NK crowded around Anjali, their hearts filled with pity for the girl whose sole fault had been to believe in her husband and his lies, put him on a pedestal and worship him, trust him to be faithful, a good man, a good husband, a good father...
"Call the doctor, Akash!", shouted Arnav, as he lifted Di and shouldered his way through the crowd to Nani's room. He placed her on the bed, her limp arms falling off it, her corpse-like stillness scaring him out of his wits. Di... His Di... How much could a human being bear? Wasn't there a limit to the trials and tribulations she had to face?
Khushi brought him a glass of water. He dipped his fingers into it and shook a few drops on Di's face. She moaned, and opened her eyes slowly, reluctantly.
"Chotey! Chotey!", she cried.


(Thanx, Sarun_dewaani!)

"Di!"
"Why? Why does this always happen to us? Nani! Why?" Tears flowed down her cheeks like the rain on a monsoon night.
Nani and Mami cried silently, trying to console Anjali by holding her hands and caressing her hair.
"Di!", cried Akash. "Sshhh... You will become ill if you cry like this..."
"Di, please don't cry!", pleaded NK. "He...he is not worth it, Di. He is not worth it..."
Khushi and Payal sat by Anjali, trying to get her to calm down.
"Khushiji, Payal, how could you say such things about my husband?", asked a sobbing Anjali.
"Di! We spoke nothing but the truth.", said Payal.
"We should have revealed all this earlier, Di. Naniji, Mamiji, Jiju, Nanheji..., had I spoken earlier, Shyamji would never have been able to kidnap Arnavji. My silence put Arnavji's life in danger..." Khushi closed her eyes in pain.


The doctor sedated a hysterical Anjali, and left. Her family sat around her sleeping form, trying to digest all the terrible things that had happened that evening.
Arnav spoke softly, "I should have killed him..." All looked at him with varying degrees of horror. "...when I found him trying to manhandle Khushi on the night of Payal & Akash's wedding."
"Arnav Bitwaa!", Mami whispered in shock.
"I challenged him. He said that he was going to leave Di for Khushi. I went up to tell Di. As I was about to speak to her, she fainted. And a couple of minutes later, we got her pregnancy report. Di was so happy. I... I couldn't take her happiness away from her."
Nani placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I gave the scoundrel a second chance. To reform. To be the husband Di deserved. To be the man we had all thought him to be..." He sighed.
"But he pretended to have reformed, and went about planning my death. Because his primary obsession is money, and his secondary one, Khushi..."
Mami threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him to her heart.


(Thanx, Vidya_luv_SaRun!)

"Every word that Khushi , Payal, and NK Bhai spoke was true. Every word, Nani, Mami, Akash... He lived with Buaji as her paying guest, forced Khushi to get engaged to him... And every word that he spoke was false. Base falsehood... Payal and Khushi did not want to become the bahus of this house. Nor did they want rich husbands. I had to force both of them to marry in to our house. And they hid the truth because they knew how much it would hurt Di. They wanted to avoid what just happened here in our house..." He looked at his Di, sleeping, oblivious to the tears shed by her family.
"But it had to happen. I couldn't let him harm us in any way, anymore. He is not just an unprincipled, immoral man, but also a criminal capable of killing others for his benefit. It was time to let the whole family know  the true face of Shyam Manohar Jha..."
"Bhai!", Akash went to him and took his hand. "You found out on our wedding day. Why didn't you tell me, Bhai? I would have helped you."
"Nothing could be done, Akash. And Shyam knew it. He knew that I could do nothing against him as Di was pregnant and believed him to be a saint. And your wedding..."
"Bhai, you shouldered the whole burden alone for six months. If only you had told me...!" He clutched Arnav's hand tight.
"I should have. I should have, Akash. But...but I was so upset that..." He looked at Akash in apology.
Akash nodded.
NK saw Anjali curl her feet under her sari, as though cold. "Nannav, I will get a quilt from Di's room. I think she is feeling cold." Arnav nodded.
NK ran up the stairs. The others sat silent, watching Anjali sleep.
The silence was marred by Nk's loud shout! "Nannav! Akash! Come fast!"
The men raced up the steps to find NK grappling with none other than Shyam Manohar Jha. The 3 men overpowered him in seconds. The ladies who had followed them, stood gaping at the sight of a vicious Shyam, hurling abuses at Arnav.
"Arnav Singh Raizada, who are you to throw me out of this house? Do you think you are God? Better than others?" He looked at the ladies. "Saale saheb!  That is exactly what he is. Saala... Forcing my Khushiji to marry him for 6 months! So that his sister can play the wife." His mad eyes spit fire at Arnav.
All looked at Arnav and Khushi, their mouths open.
Arnav opened his mouth to answer the allegation that had no answer. He had to admit his guilt to his family, confess all the terrible things he had done and said to Khushi...
But a sweet voice silenced him.
"Forced me? Are you in your senses, Shyamji?"
All looked at Khushi. No one was more shocked than Arnav.
"I married Arnavji because I love him. Because I can never deny him anything he asks for. He asked me to marry him. I agreed. He wanted to marry at night in the temple without the family knowing about it. I agreed. We walked into RM hand-in-hand, Shyamji. He did not tie my hands and legs and drag me in. I wear this mangalsutra and sindoor with pride, because it is Arnavji who has given me the right to both. He is my pati, and I his patni." Her voice was loud and clear, silencing even the mad & furious intruder.
Nani and Mami looked at Khushi with pride, tears filling their eyes at the memories of Khushi's anxiety and pain when Arnav was missing. NK, Akash, & Payal smiled. Arnav looked at his wife, his mangalsutra glinting against her skin, his sindoor filling her maang... He smiled. Who needed an armour when she was there to protect him?
Mami asked, confused, "6 month marriage? Ee kaa he?"
Arnav spoke before Khushi could.
"Shyam lied to me that Khushi loved him, and that she was involved with him. I wanted to nullify the threat to Di's marriage. I proposed a 6-month marriage to Khushi. She accepted. I hoped that in 6 months she would come to love me as much as I love her, so that we could get married here, at home, in the midst of all our family members..."
Shyam tried to kick Arnav. NK punched him in the face. Shyam lunged at Arnav, hands extended to strangle him. Akash flipped him on the ground. NK & Akash beat the pulp out of Shyam and threw him out on the streets. Arnav called for extra security guards to watch over the house.

Nani lit the lamp at the feet of Devi Maiyya, and the whole family prayed for Anjali's wellbeing and Arnav's safety. Then the men went to Anjali's room, sure that Shyam had returned to retrieve something of importance. They soon found the will taped to the bottom of the cradle.


Later, Akash asked Payal, "Why didn't you tell me all this, Payal? Why did you remain silent?"
"What happened when I told you, Akash?"
He looked at her confused.
"What happened when I spoke the truth? You didn't believe me. What kind of love is it, Akash, that you feel for me? How can you marry me, live with me, and not bother to know me?"
He looked at her, ashamed.
"You don't know me, Akash. You don't know what I think, what matters to me, what worries me... And you are always quick to find fault with me. I am tired of explaining myself, proving to you that I am guiltless of all the ridiculous things you accuse me of doing, like hurting Bubbly, damaging your documents, changing the TV channel... I am tired, Akash."
"I... I am sorry, Payal. I am really sorry..."
"You stood there and listened to Shyamji abusing me, accusing me of having trapped you into marriage... And you did nothing... Nothing. Even though you knew that he was lying through his teeth..."
"Payal, it was not that I didn't want to. But...but Payal, Di!"
"Yes, Di. Di is important. Her feelings must not be hurt. But I am your wife. The woman you married. The woman who was foolish enough to marry you...The woman you condescended to marry..."
"Payal, I am so sorry. Payal!"


(Thanx, Vidya_luv_SaRun!)

"I hope you are. It is time to choose, Akash. Do you have it in you to trust me? Stand by me in adversity instead of blaming me? The courage to protect me and a family we might have? If you don't, our marriage has no future."
"Payal!"


Later, much later, Arnav walked into his room after checking on his thriving plants. Khushi was there, placing a tray with hot, fragrant dishes on his laptop table.
She looked at him, and smiled. "Please sit down. I will serve dinner."
He looked at her, silent, watchful.
Her smile faltered. "The others had their dinner. I said I would bring yours up here..."
He walked past her to the bedroom door and locked it.
He then walked towards her, one deliberate step after the other, his eyes focused on her, the glint in them making his intentions clear. Khushi panicked and took corresponding steps backwards. She hit the wall, and stood like a doe caught in the headlights of a speeding car.
"Why did you marry me, Khushi?"
"Your dinner!", stammered Khushi.
"Why did you marry me?"
She looked down at his feet. "You know why...", she muttered.
"I do. But do you?"
"Uuhh?", she asked. His eyes were burning into hers.
"Why, Khushi?"
"Because you threatened to stop Jiji's wedding if I didn't..."
Arnav nodded. "Then why didn't you tell this to the family?"
She stood silent, her eyes looking frantically for a way to escape.
Arnav locked her in place with his arms on the wall on either side of her.
"Why didn't you, Khushi?", he whispered.
She ducked under his right arm, and tried to run away to safety. But his arm shot out and shackled hers. He pulled her close to him. Looking into her eyes, he asked, "Why?"
"Because...because whatever happens between us need not be disclosed to others. It is our secret..."
 He smiled into her eyes.
"You said so...", she passed the blame to him. "On Holi..."
His smile deepened. He lifted her in his arms, and carried her to his bed.
"It is not time for me to sleep...", she protested. "I am not feeling sleepy..."
"I hope you are not, Khushi..."
"Arnavji! Why are you getting into the bed? You normally sleep on the recliner!"
"Today is a special day, Khushi...", he murmured in her ear, his breath sending shivers through her.
"Acha?", she asked, uncertain.
"So you are a liar, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada...Tell me, Khushi, do you lie all the time?"
"Lie? I don't lie! I never..." She paused, unwelcome recollections of the many ways in which she had tried to fool Arnavji over the months flashing through her mind. The phone calls she had made & denied making, the 'A' in the mehendi..."
"You never...?"
"I... I almost never lie...", she said, lifting her chin to show her determination to stand by her word.
"Good. That's good. So you love me. You are proud to be married to me..."
She drew in a sharp breath of shock. When had she admitted to loving him? Her face flushed. In front of his entire family, she had... She had laid down her heart at his feet.
She looked at the smirk on his lips, and lifted her chin further.
"No. I mean, no. I didn't mean it..."
"Are you sure?"
"Ha...an!"


"There is no hurry to decide, Khushi. We have the whole night... to find out ...why you married me...if you lied or not...if you love me as much as I love you...if you can deny me...when I ask for something..."
She gulped. He lowered his lips to her trembling ones.