42. I am Your Husband, Khushi


"Arnavji! Arnavji!" The call woke him from an uneasy slumber, disturbed by the heartrending words of Di the previous night.
"Khushi!" He sat up to see a Khushi dressed and ready to face the day. "What happened? Are you all right?"
"I am fine. Wo Kya He, A..amma phoned. Buaji is not well. She is asking for me. I..I would like to visit her."
Arnav shook his head to clear it. "Buaji? Buaji is sick? I will be ready in a few minutes. I will take you..."
"No, Arnavji. Please, don't bother. I will get a rickshaw."
"I will take you.", he said as he raced to the bathroom.
"Arnavji! She is not critically ill. She is just short of breath as she suffers from asthma..." Khushi panicked. If he accompanied her...
"I will take you. And that's final." He slammed the door of the bathroom shut.
Khushi felt her breath leave her in one big rush. How to leave RM without making a fuss? Without letting Arnavji know that she was leaving him? The words that Di had spoken last night, questioning Arnavji's commitment to her after his marriage... They should never have been said. It was time. High time for her to leave the Raizadas to find peace without her irritating presence in their midst. She had tried so hard to make things alright, but as usual, her attempts had made things worse.
She looked at the calendar. She swallowed. Her term as Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada was over. When had her punishment become dear to her, her prison a paradise, her mangalsutra her most prized possession? She blinked rapidly to get rid of her tears. She would have enough time to weep once she reached Buaji's house...
Arnav came out of the bathroom and dressed fast. Through the corner of his eyes, he saw her picking up her black bag.
"Why have you packed a bag?" His breath seemed to catch in the region of his heart.
"Woh... Buaji... Amma... Buaji needs help. So... so I thought I would..."
"You would?"  He sounded harsh.
"I.. I would s..stay there for... for a couple of days." There. It was done.  She braced herself for the storm.
"A couple of days? Why do you need to stay there for a couple of days? I will drop you in Buaji's house in the morning everyday, and get you in the evening." He frowned.
"Woh... Amma needs help..."
"You can't stay there, Khushi! I told you that you are not to leave this house!" The lion roared. But before the lamb could reply, the lion's Nani asked, "Kya Hua, Khushi Bitiyaa?"
Khushi's legs trembled in relief.
"Buaji is not very well, Naniji. Amma phoned just now. I wanted to stay there for a couple of days and help Amma, but..." She looked suitably disappointed.
Nani smiled at her fondly. "You should definitely go, Khushi Bitiyaa. If your Amma & Buaji need you, you should stay with them. Will you be driving her home, Chotey?"
Chotey fumed, his fists clenched to control his fury. Choice had been taken away from him.


They went down, informing Mamiji, Payal, NK, and Akash about her departure. Khushi found herself battling and blocking her Jiji's teary questions about Buaji's fabricated illness. Mami's nasty comments were a relief from Jiji's anxious queries.
"Phatti saadi, you are goings to your maternity home? Good. Takes khoon bhari taang also with you."


(Sarun_deewani, thanx!)

Khushi looked at Arnavji sitting fiddling with his laptop, Nani holding out a dabba with sweets for her family, Jiju asking after Buaji's health, Nanheji promising her that he would come to meet Buaji and her, Jiji crying, Mami looking relieved that Khushi would no longer be around to hurt Anjali Bitiyaa's feelings... Tears flooded her eyes  and trailed down her cheeks.
Nani teased her. "You are going for two days, Bitiyaa. We will all still be here when you return."
"Why should she returns?" , grumbled Mami softly. "My two boys are go, went, gone after meeting two girls from choti phamilies..."
Arnav shut his laptop, jumped up, grabbed her bag, and left the room. Khushi followed him, turning to take one last look at the family that was as dear to her as hers. She looked up at Di's room. The door was firmly shut. She sighed, and left RM.

The drive passed in silence. She could feel anger come off him in waves. She shut her eyes and leaned back in her seat. He Devi Maiyya! Please give me the strength to tell him that I am not returning to RM ever again. And that Buaji is not really sick. And that I lied to him. She stole a look at his set face and swallowed hard in fear and grief.

They rang the doorbell.
"Kaun he Nandkisore! Who is here this early in the morning?", asked Buaji as she opened the door. She stared at Titliyaa and Damadji, who stared at her in return.
"Damadji? This early? Is everything alright in RM? Naniji is well, isn't she? Anjali Bitiyaa?", poor Buaji asked anxiously.
"Buaji, are you alright? You shouldn't be out of bed!", said poor Arnav. Khushi shut her eyes tight, praying for deliverance.
"Out of bed? Hein? Bitwaa, it is 8am. If we won't get up early and finish housework and our bath by 9.30, there won't be any water in the taps." Buaji laughed. "Imagine me taking bath at the tubewell in the street!"
Arnav looked at a hale and hearty Buaji and then at a pale and wan Khushi. His eyes promised her retribution at the earliest.
Amma came running. "Arnav Bitwaa, Aap kab aaye? Khussi!" She looked at the bag clutched in her daughter's hands. "What happened?" She whispered, "You haven't done something foolish in RM, have you? They haven't thrown you out, have they?"
"Amma!", Khushi said cheerfully, a big smile pasted on her pale face." I have come to stay for a few days." Arnav looked at her as though he could cheerfully strangle her to death.
"O Titliyaa!" Buaji got into action. "What have you done in RM that you had to come so early in the morning to your Buaji's house to hide?"


(Thanx, Vidya_luv_SaRun!)

"Kuch nahi, Buaji! I just wanted to see all of you!"
"You saw us the other day, didn't you?" asked Buaji. "Damadji, has she caused some trouble in your house?"
"N...oo", stammered Arnav.
"Nandkisore ki kripa he!", Buaji devoutly thanked Him for His kindness.
"Babua, won't you have breakfast with us?", asked Amma.
"Haan, Nandkisore, let's have poori pooris together. Don't worry...", Buaji giggled. "...this time, I won't force food down your throat as I did the other day." Amma smiled.
Arnav smiled at the happy women, and looked after a Khushi who had disappeared into her room with her bag.
"Yes..., yes, I will have breakfast with you. Buaji, Amma, can I speak to Khushi alone for a moment?"
Buaji & Amma looked at him and at each other. Then Buaji said, "Bitwaa, this is your house. That", she said, pointing in the direction Khushi had vanished to,"is your wife. Talk. Talk as much as you want in your bedroom." She laughed. "You don't need our permission, Nandkisore!"
Arnav nodded, smiling sheepishly. He walked into his wife's bedroom, pushing open the door. Amma & Buaji raced to the kitchen to make fresh pooris and aloo sabzi.



Khushi was standing near her bed, her hands joined, her eyes shut, praying desperately that Arnavji would leave. But Devi Maiyya was in no mood to spare her.
"Khushi!", Arnav bit out. Khushi jumped, her hands falling to her sides. "You lied to me! Buaji is perfectly fine."
"Yes...s. I lied to you, Arnavji. I...I wanted to leave RM..."
"Why? Why, Khushi?"
"I... I don't want to live with you, Arnavji. I want to stay here, in my home."
"What the!" He stood shocked, looking at her as though she were speaking an alien language.
Khushi slowly moved closer to the bed to sit down. There was no guarantee that her legs would hold her up. Lying to Arnavji took a lot of courage.
"You are my wife, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada, and you will stay where I stay. Samjhi Tum? Take your bag and come home with me."
"No. I won't come with you." Her eyes fell from his. "And... and I am not your wife. Not anymore."
He frowned.
"The contract ended last night."
There was absolute silence. A pin falling on the floor would have sounded as loud as an exploding grenade.
Arnav felt the ground falling away from beneath his feet. The damned contract he had threatened her with! He should have made it a life sentence instead of a paltry 6 months...
"The 6 months. Yesterday was the last day." She smiled at Arnavji. "You are free of me. You are not my husband and I am not your wife anymore. Jiji and Jiju are safe now. Shyamji is out of RM and Di's life. You know the truth. The marriage and the contract have served their purpose."
He watched her trying to make her way out of his life. He grabbed her by her shoulders, and pulled her off the bed to stand close to him.
"I am your husband. You admitted it last night when you ran into my arms." He watched the memories of her rushing into his arms flash through her eyes, her chest heaving at his proximity, the faint trembling of her body on being held so close to his hard warmth, her eyelids fluttering to hide the awareness in her eyes...
"No. No, I didn't admit it...", she said in a faint voice.
"Theek he. You can admit it now. In words."
"No. You.. You... I don't consider you as my h...husband..."
"Why not?", he asked, his voice soft and deadly. "I won the challenge."
"You tricked me. You knew that I am scared of darkness. And you deliberately terrified me so that you could win."
"I did. And I won."
"You can't trick me into into being your wife."
There was a killing silence. He took his hands off her shoulders, and crossed them.
"I see. So you don't want to be my wife."
"No...oo..." She turned her head from left to right to reinforce her decision, her eyes firmly on the floor of her bedroom.
"Look into my eyes, dammit, when you are lying to me!"
Her eyes shot to his, and then slipped away.
"Khushi!", came the murmur.
"Hmmm?"
"So I am not your husband?"
"No..o...", she whispered. Why did it feel as though there was a boulder perched on her heart?
"You are not my wife?"
"No..o...", she tried to swallow the huge ball of pain lodged firmly in her throat.
"So you don't love me?"
Khushi parted her lips to answer him, but couldn't produce a sound to save her life.
"Look into my eyes, Khushi.", he said.
She struggled to meet his smouldering, chocolate brown eyes.
"So you don't love me?"
She just shook her head in negation.
"Then why did you run into my arms as though I were your refuge?"
Khushi fretted. Why did he have to ask uncomfortable questions? "I told you. I was scared."
"I see. Why did you hug me a second time, Khushi?"
She shot fire at him, his questions riling her. "Because you pulled me into your arms. Because you are stronger than me."



(Thanx, Illyria!)


"I did pull you. But why did you close your arms around my shoulders and hold me close?"
Khushi looked at him, helpless.
"Why did you risk your life to save mine, Khushi? Not once, but twice."
Khushi looked at the stars hanging over her bed.
"Why does your heart beat faster when I come close to you, Khushi? Faster than your breath? Why do your lips invite me to kiss you, Khushi? Why...?"



(Illyria, thanx!)

She broke in, furious at her helplessness.
"I don't know. I don't know. Just leave me alone. I don't want to return to RM with you. I am not your wife and you are not my husband anymore. You can't threaten me anymore. The contract is over, suna aapne! The contract is over!"
"Arnav Bitwaa! Titliyaa! Breakfast is ready! Come and have hot pooris."
"We are coming, Buaji!", said Arnav. He looked at a defensive Khushi. "The contract is over, but our marriage is not. A contract cannot end my love for you or your love for me."
Khushi raised an unsteady hand towards her mangalsutra.
"Don't touch it! And don't you dare remove it!", he said through gritted teeth. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "You know very well that I love you. And I know how much you love me, Khushi. I intend to marry you again, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada. This time, we will have our sagai, sangeet, mehendi, haldi, shaadi, and... and suhaag raat..."
She stared at him in shock. "No...o..."
"Yes."
"No. Di, Mami..."


(Thanx, Vidya_luv_SaRun!)

"They will all agree to our marriage. And they will come here to ask for your hand. I promise, Khushi."
She looked at him, tears filling her beautiful eyes.
"I am not going anywhere, Khushi. I will change your 'No' to 'Yes'." He ran a loving finger down her wet cheek. "Be ready to be loved, Khushi, by your husband."