222. OS 11: An Uncomplicated Wife (Part 5)

Link to my new short story: Taking Care of You


“I thought I was dreaming when I first saw you," he said.

 “How did you know it was me?” she asked. “I could have been anybody. A thief even.”

He smiled wearily. “I don’t know many thieves who would look at me with anxious eyes and then cry because I was sick,” he mumbled.

Is it possible for love to bloom, sight unseen? Juhi and Abhay are strangers who know each other better than they know themselves. One night changes the equation and the even tenor of their lives and puts all their doubts and fears to rest.

http://pothi.com/pothi/book/ebook-smita-ramachandran-taking-care-you

Link to my first e-novel; A Home for Meenakshi

http://pothi.com/pothi/book/ebook-smita-ramachandran-home-meenakshi

"I love the way you love, Meenu," he whispered, his eyes on hers. "Such loyalty, such passion..."

Meenakshi Sharma, an orphan, lives in Varanasi with her uncle, a chronic bachelor who wants her to become a professional musician. She unwillingly relocates to Delhi to study under a renowned musician for eight months. Staying for rent in the outhouse of the Agrawals, she meets Aditya Agrawal, an attractive young man brooding over the memories of his horrendous past. Pulled between her uncle's expectations of her and Aditya's love for her, Meenakshi struggles with her feelings. How can she disappoint her uncle who had devoted his entire life to her upbringing? How can she pretend to be blind to Aditya's feelings for her? A romance that moves between the alleys of the holy city of Varanasi and the modern city of Delhi.

A blog for my VMs:

http://smitarsvms.blogspot.in/

Part 5

Nani sat before Devi Maiyya’s idol with her eyes shut and her hands folded. “Please protect my Chotey and Khussi bitiya,” her voice trembled. “They have both been through so much. Don’t punish them any more.”

Anjali, lying exhausted on the sofa in the living room, sobbed.

“Rani Sahiba, don’t make yourself sick,” Shyam pleaded.

Mami patted Anjali’s hand. “Two days hui gawa. Hum poochath he, bhere ijj hamre Arnav bitwaa and Khussi?” she asked, her face pale. “Akass bitwaa, did you asks Aman if Arnav bitwaa has phoned?”

Akash who was pacing the room, stopped and sighed. “I called him two minutes back, mate. Bhai hasn’t called.”

“The car,” Anjali gulped. “Did you get the driver, Shyamji?” she asked.

“No, Rani Sahiba,” Shyam ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. “He absconded with the vehicle. The travel agency has no record of the driver. Nor does that black car belong to the agency.”

Payal sobbed quietly, dark circles under her eyes.

“How can this happens?” Mami asked. “Damadji, you arranged cars for the wedding. How can Arnav bitwaa’s car not belongs to the agency? Jhoot!”

“Mamiji,” Shyam’s eyes flew wide open.

“They are lying,” Mami continued. “I bill go and asks them. Damadji, take me to their office.”

Shyam stood up in nervous excitement. “Mamiji, I asked them, threatened them. They have no idea.”

“How can they not have ideas?” Mami asked. “Bhere ijj my Arnav bitwaa? That ijj bhat I am asking. I bill sit outside their office in hartal till they returns my Arnav bitwaa to me! How can they say they don’t knows bhere my Arnav bitwaa ijj?”

“Mate,” Akash tried to calm her.

“Aman has not heard from Chotey,” Nani murmured. “Aisa ho hi nahi sakta. Will Chotey stay away from his work or office?”

“Naniji, I was thinking,” Shyam said feverishly.

All looked at him.

“You know Arnav,” he began. “He is unpredictable.”

All listened keenly.

“Maybe he took Khushiji on a honeymoon, a surprise trip,” Shyam tried. “Maybe his phone is damaged. Maybe he picked a remote area for a holiday...”

“In a car you arranged but don’t knows anything about?” Mami challenged Shyam. “Driven by a driver nobody has heard about?”

“Chotey...on a honeymoon...with Khushiji?” Anjali’s eyes moved to Nani. “I don’t think he...”

“No, he won’t,” Nani said firmly. “He doesn’t even know Khussi bitiya. We forced the wedding on him; it was not what he wanted.”

Payal stared at them in horror.

“Hamre Arnav bitwaa ijj headstrong like a bull, but even his enemy can’t calls him romantic. Honeymoon! If he stays in his ophice for honeymoon, I will believe, damadji, but not on a secret running honeymoon.”

“He knows I will worry,” Anjali gulped. “He has never done anything of this sort before.”

“He has never been married before, Rani Sahiba,” Shyam tried to persuade his gullible wife.

“We must approach the police,” Nani decided.

“Naniji, the scandal,” Shyam blustered. “If the world knows that Saale sahib is missing, then it will affect his business. Am I not right, Akash?” he asked.

Akash nodded. He parted his lips to reply but Shyam rushed in.

“See, Akash agrees with me. The newspapers will love the scandal. India’s leading businessman and his bride missing immediately after their wedding. Naniji, reporters will camp on the doorstep of Shantivan. The news will be shown on TV.”

Mami parted her lips to reply.

Shyam added. “What if they have been kidnapped? If the news gets out, the kidnappers may kill them.”

This silenced the ladies.

Nani and Anjali sobbed, their throats and eyes raw from crying.

But Mami asked, “Bhat kind of third-rate kidnappers he yein? No ransom demand, no threatening letterwa, no phoone call?”

There was pin-drop silence in the room.

“I need to get to the office,” Akash told his family.

“I will come with you,” Shyam offered. “Saale sahib may call Aman.”

“You stay here, Jiju. Otherwise Di will starve and fall sick. I will be back soon,” Akash said, his eyes on Payal’s wan face.

She nodded.

“If Arnav gets in touch with Aman, let me know immediately, Akash,” Shyam said. “Call me on my phone.”

“Ji, Jiju,” Akash said before leaving.

Shyam’s phone rang. He looked at the display and jumped up.

“I will go to the travel agency once more, Naniji. Maybe I can get some new information,” Shyam told the ladies.

They nodded.

“Shall I comes with you?” Mami asked, standing up.

“No, Mamiji,” Shyam blocked her, his face flushing. “I will manage.” He rushed out to answer the call before Mami could make any more offers of help.

                                                ***

Arnav and Khushi joined a crowd of tourists leaving a bus and moved towards the lodge. Some of the travellers opted for the dormitory, some for private rooms.

When it was Arnav’s turn, the clerk asked him, “Name?”

“Sunil and Pinky Dhawan,” Arnav replied. He gave a false address in Delhi.

“Room or dorm?” the clerk asked.

“Room,” he replied.

“There is just one room left. It is a single room. The doubles are all gone,” he  said regretfully.

“We will take it,” Arnav said. What did the clerk know about how he and Khushi had spent last night? He quickly paid cash and pocketed the key.

“Third floor, last room. 310,” the clerk informed him.

Arnav nodded.

“Is there a pay phone nearby?” Arnav asked.

“Yes, near the restaurant,” the clerk pointed to the small cubicle placed near the on-site eatery. “We also have a clothes store, Sir. Woh kya he, guests often find that they have forgotten to pack underwear,” he chuckled.

Arnav nodded his thanks with a small smile, quickly took hold of Khushi’s arm and marched towards the steps.

The room was tiny but clean.

Arnav quickly shut and locked the door.

He rushed to the window and parting the curtains, looked out. He could see the highway.

“We can see if anyone is looking for us, Khushi,” he murmured to Khushi who had joined him.

She nodded. “Arnavji, shall I use the bathroom first?” she asked.

“Take the toothbrushes and paste from the bag, Khushi,” he replied. “We need to get some more clothes. I will go down to the small shop in the lodge after having a bath. I need to call Akash and Aman. Your parents too.”

“They must be so worried,” she said, her voice trembling.

“We will get home soon, Khushi,” he promised softly, his eyes kind, intent. “I promise.”

Khushi nodded. “I know,” she said.

Arnav turned to look out of the window, feeling something settle within his chest at her plain statement.

Khushi went to have a hot shower.

Arnav took a paper from the notepad on the bedside table, looked for a pen, found it in the drawer of the table and quickly made a list of things they needed to buy and do.

Khushi came out wearing the same green anarkali, rubbing her hair dry.

“Look at the list, Khushi. Add anything we need to get,” he told her before entering the bathroom.

Khushi looked at the list. It was comprehensive. She added some underclothes and a comb to their needs, placed the paper on the table, weighed it down with the water jug and slowly walked to the window.

She parted the curtains slightly and looked out.

It was night. Bright streetlamps lit the highway and the yard before the lodge. Buses and cars were parked in neat lines and drivers and cleaners were moving about washing and checking their vehicles.

Arnav left the bathroom and came out rubbing his wet hair with a towel.

“A...arnavji...” she called, her voice a scared, faint cry.

He dropped the towel and rushed to her. “Kya hua, Khushi?” he asked anxiously. Maybe she was feeling weak after their ordeal. He caught hold of her shoulders, tugging her to lean against him. She was trembling.

“There...” she whispered, pointing to the road.

He focused on the road. A car like the one that had carried their assailants was parked on the road by the low wall marking the boundaries of the lodge’s compound.

His fingers tightened on her shoulders. She leaned back for support.

As they watched, a man exited the vehicle.

Khushi gasped. Dressed in a black T-shirt and trousers, his build looked very familiar.

“Is it...?” her voice trailed away.

“They were masked,” Arnav whispered.

As they spied on him, he took out his phone from his pocket and answered a call. He looked around for landmarks to explain his location to the person on the phone.

They then saw him walk to the backseat of the vehicle.

The glass came down. The man passed on some information to the passenger seated in the vehicle.

“Khushi, move back,” Arnav murmured. He slowly let the curtain slide to cover the window. He then rushed to switch off the lights in their bedroom.

“They shouldn’t see us,” he explained. “Come on,” he said before leading her to the window and parting the curtains to look at the men and their car.

The suspect was pacing impatiently.

“He is waiting for someone,” Arnav surmised.

Khushi pressed against his arm to see the road. Arnav lifted his arm and let her move under it. They stood together in the dark for a long time.

A white-coloured car came to a stop by the black.

“What the!” Arnav exclaimed.

Khushi turned her head to look at him, surprised.

“What is my car doing here?” he asked in astonishment.

He stared speechlessly as Shyam alighted from his car and walked towards the man in black. The car door opened and the second suspect stepped out to join his friend.

“That is..that is Jijaji, isn’t it?” Khushi asked, her head spinning.

“Yes,” he breathed, feeling his world shatter into a thousand pieces.

Khushi moved closer to him and put her arm around his waist, hugging him close. His arm tightened around her shoulders.

They stood looking down at the proof of treachery as Shyam handed over a packet. One man pulled it open and counted the money within. The partners in crime seemed to be arguing with Shyam about money and Shyam was seen trying to placate the irate criminals.

Shyam argued with the men, maybe about their inability to kill and locate Arnav and Khushi. He pointed to the lodge as if asking them to check among the guests. The men in black moved towards the reception to gather information.

“Arnavji,” Khushi buried her face in his neck.

“Sshhh,” Arnav said softly. “Nothing will happen. We are safe,” he comforted her. “I don’t think the men have our photos and we have registered under false names.”

They looked down at an impatient and ruffled Shyam waiting for the killers to return with news.

“Poor Di,” Khushi sighed.

“I can’t believe he dared to try to kill us,” Arnav bit out.

The men returned to Shyam, apparently unable to get any information on Arnav Singh Raizada and Khushi Kumari Gupta. Shyam’s nose twitched with disappointment and fury. He gave hissed orders to the men and drove away to Delhi in Arnav’s car. The men got into the black car and drove away in the opposite direction.

“Khushi, I am going down to call Akash and Aman,” Arnav told her softly, his face drawn, his eyes pained. “This is the best time. Shyam won’t reach Delhi for another couple of hours.”

She nodded.

He took the list, pocketed his wallet and left the room asking her to lock the door.

                                                    ***

Akash looked at the unfamiliar number on his phone’s display and frowned as he answered the call.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Akash, don’t call out bhai,” Arnav warned.

Akash’s mouth fell open. He was too shocked to make any sound.

“Are you alone?” Arnav asked.

“Yes,” Akash croaked, his eyes moist. “Where are you?”

“Are you at office?” Arnav asked.

“Yes,” Akash confirmed.

“Shut the door,” Arnav ordered.

Akash ran to do his bidding.

“Done,” Akash said.

“Shyam paid men to kill Khushi and me,” Arnav said bluntly.

Akash sat down in his chair, his legs failing to hold him up. “What?” he cried.

“The driver stopped the car on the way, said it had to be repaired, asked us to wait by the road. Two men shot at us from another car. We managed to escape,” Arnav recounted.

“Bhai,” Akash was horrified to say the least.

“We walked through a jungle all day to find shelter in a lodge,” Arnav told him. “My phone is broken, Akash,” he admitted. “Otherwise I would have gotten in touch with you earlier.”

Akash swallowed the tears choking him. “Khushiji...?” he asked.

“Safe,” Arnav replied. “We had no idea who it was, Akash, till we saw Shyam paying off the killers now with our own eyes.”

“How could he?” Akash asked. “After all that you have done for him...”

Arnav sighed.

“Bhai, shall I come over now? We can get home tonight,” Akash asked.

“No, the killers are still around,” Arnav vetoed him. “Call Aman to your cabin and tell him everything I told you. Ask him to get in touch with the Police Commissioner and to keep this quiet. Tell him...” Arnav gave Akash a description of the driver, black car and the two men in black.

Akash noted down the points. He also gave him the location of the lodge they were in. “I will call you tomorrow, Akash. Hopefully by then the police will have picked up the killers and the driver. How are Nani, Di and Mami? Payal?” he asked.

“Praying, crying,” Akash mumbled.

“Don’t tell them we are alive. We have to trap Shyam,” Arnav told him.

“Yes, bhai,” Akash agreed. “Bhai, please take care.”

“How about the Guptas?” he asked.

“We didn’t inform them,” Akash replied.

“Good. I will stay in touch,” Arnav promised before cutting the call.

Arnav returned to the room with their dinner and the necessities they had noted down.

Silently Khushi took the packets of food from the cover and set them on the table. Arnav joined her and they ate without plates or cutlery, silent and thoughtful.

As Khushi cleared the remnants of dinner, Arnav took out the clothes he had purchased. Leaving Khushi’s on the bed, he went to change into nightwear.

Later, as he lay in bed, his eyes on the ceiling, Khushi slipped into bed wearing a pair of white pyjamas.

The single bed made it impossible for them to maintain a decorous gap between them. They lay together, their sides aligned and touching, both of them awake but silent.

“I never thought,” Arnav heard himself saying.

She listened quietly.

“Jijaji...” he shook his head. “Poor Di. How will she live with the truth?”

“Why?” Khushi asked. It was a cry of incomprehension.

“Money,” Arnav sighed.

“But murder!” Khushi was horrified. “And that too your wife’s brother!”

Arnav shut his eyes. He said softly, “Shyam was a two-bit lawyer when he met Di. I built him an office in Delhi; I paid for staff. I make a handsome monthly allowance to Di. They live at Shantivan. All their needs are met, all their bills are paid. No questions are asked.”

Khushi stared at Arnav.

“I wanted her to be happy, Khushi. I bought her a husband. I am paying the price now,” he confessed.

“You wanted Di to be happy,” Khushi defended him. “That is not a crime. It is not your fault that he is such an evil man.”

Arnav placed his arm over his eyes. “Mama was unhappy in her marriage. My father—my father...,” he paused, unable to continue. “I wanted Di to have a happy life with the man she wanted to live with. And it turned out this way.”

Khushi turned to lie on her side. She placed her head against his shoulder to give comfort.

After long moments of silence, he said, “My mother shot herself with my father’s hunting gun when she realised that he was having an affair with some woman.”

Khushi gasped.

“My father killed himself a couple of hours later,” he said, his voice calm.

“Arnavji,” Khushi gasped.

“This drama happened on Di’s wedding day. The groom refused to marry her. To add to the fun, my Chacha threw us out as soon as the funeral was over,” he said quietly.

“What?” Khushi sat up in outrage.

He removed his arm from his hurt, grief-filled eyes.

“The world is a terrible place, Khushi. Every event in my life has proved this truth to me. Shyam’s duplicity and greed is just another instance,” he said, his voice low.

“Why? How? How could he do this?” It was a cry to Devi Maiyya.

“Shyam reached Lucknow after our wedding was fixed, didn’t he?” Arnav asked.

“Ji,” Khushi agreed.

“He was supposed to reach there early, but told Di that he had a case in Allahabad. He joined us for Akash’s wedding at the last moment, never dreaming that I, the goose that lays the golden egg, was getting married along with Akash. The news must have been a terrible shock for him,” Arnav smiled wryly. “All his hopes of inheriting everything I had made must have been shattered. He had to act fast, had to kill both of us, not just me. That’s why he hired these goons.”

Khushi blinked, processing these facts.

“You became a target because you married me, Khushi,” he stated. What an introduction to married life, he thought. She must be cursing the day she had set her eyes on Nani, he was sure.

Khushi took one look at his set face and said mournfully, “Poor Kamla chachi. Khamoka I misunderstood her.”

Arnav had to smile at that.

“Shall we get some sleep, Arnavji?” she asked. “We have to deal with Shyam tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Arnav agreed. “Aman will get in touch with the police. Hopefully the hired clowns will get caught tomorrow. Then we can travel to Delhi and tackle the great Shyam Manohar Jha. I spoke to Akash.”

“How are they at Shantivan?” she asked.

“Crying and praying for us,” he replied. “Your family has no idea of the truth. They think you are happy with Payal at Shantivan.”

“Devi Maiyya, shukriya,” she folded her hands and prayed.

“So jao, Khushi,” he invited, laying his arm on the bed for her to place her head on.

Like a homing bird, Khushi lay down close to him, her head on his arm, her fingers seeking the neck of his nightwear.

They slept.