34

"Mrs Raizada, after you decided to quit Raizada House, you took up job in Kolkata, right?" the defense lawyer asked.
"Yes!" she said.

"Is it true that within one year you paid off the debts of your father, and supported him?" he asked.
"Yes!" she answered.

"As a care taker, what was your salary, Mrs. Raizada!" he asked.

"Objection! Your honor! This has nothing to do with the incidence!" raised the prosecutor.
"sustained!" 

"Ok! Mrs Raizada, where did you stay in Kolkata!" asked the lawyer.
"With my employer!" she answered.

"Who was your employer, Mrs. Raizada?" asked the lawyer politely.
"Mrs. Balwindar Singh!" she answered.

"You stayed with her. What were your duty hours?" he asked.

"Objection!" raised by the prosecutor.
"Sustained" 

"What was your typical day?" he asked her.
"I worked as a care taker of a woman who could not walk!" she said taking a deep breath.

"I wonder, what special service you rendered to Mr. Balwindar Singh, who transferred a block of shares of his flourishing company, in your name!" This was a nasty blow. There was a wave of murmur in the audience. Khushi's blood boiled.
"I was a custodian of those shares and have transferred them back!" she said steadily. 

This was news to the opposition. The defense lawyer looked at Sham. He looked confused. Khushi's good gesture of transferring her shares came to her rescue. She had a faint smile. "Thank you devi mayya!" she thought.

"And why was this arrangement made?" asked the lawyer disdainfully.
"I don't know!" came the answer.

"Ok. Mrs. Raizada, going ahead with my earlier question, how close were you to your employer!"
"I was her caretaker, staying with her for an year!" she said calmly.

"And Mr. Balwindar singh?" he asked trying to trap her.
"I worked in one of his offices as assistant to executive!" she said.

"So you were doing two jobs!" concluded the lawyer. Khushi took a sigh of relief.
"May I know who was your boss in the company?" came another question. Khushi looked at the lawyer and understood. He somehow wanted to establish her dubious relationship with Mr. Balwindar Singh to prove her illicit relations with rich people.

"Mr. Shondeep Banerjee!" she said firmly. She was shattered within. "How could one think about this kind of relationship?" she was devastated. Sham was staring at her. 


After a break of ten minutes, the defense lawyer stated off firing his questions.
"Tell me Mrs Raizada, how was your marriage conducted?" asked the lawyer.
"As per Hindu customs and rituals" she said.

"Who paid for marriage expenses?" came a question.
"It was a family affair!" she said under her breath controlling her anger.

"Where was it conducted?' asked the lawyer
"In my husband's ancestral house in Lucknow!" she answered.

The lawyer tried to trick by many questions but Khushi remained calm and firm not giving any chance to the lawyer.

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

"Hello Lavanya " Some one called from the other end. She could not place the person.
"who is this?" she asked.

"I think we need to meet, Lavanya!" said the voice.
"Who is this?" she asked again.

"Your welwisher.. my name is..!" the person at the other end spoke for a few minutes.
"Ok! Where do you want me to meet you?" she asked.

"Ok. Fine! I will meet you in the evening!" said Lavanya and disconnected. She was lost in thoughts. "What work this person can have with me?" she wondered. 


The girl was playing with the kitten in the kitchen. She heard the creaking sound of the window and shuddered in fright. She looked up at the window. A face appeared. She stood up with a jerk and came running towards the window.

"What are you doing here in the night?" she hissed looking around in fright. 

"Why didn't you come? I waited for you all day!" he hissed back, trying to get in through the window.

"No! wait! I will come out!" she said and within no time hopped out of that small window.
"Careful!" he helped her jump out .

"Come!" soon they crossed the road and vanished.
"What were you doing in there?" she asked in surprise.

"Why didn't you come?" he asked her again gripping her arm.

"What? Do you think my mother would allow me to go out? After what happened yesterday, at mela?" she asked him angrily.

"You know I was locked up in the kitchen since yesterday!" she said. "And also got the punishment!" 

"What? What did they do to you?" he held her tightly.
"Usual punishment!" she said bitterly. "This time more beating! And lockup!"

He clenched his fists. It was a starry night; they were at the back side of the Temple on the periphery of the woods. She looked like an angel.

"You know? But I took revenge!" she said grinning. He looked at her in surprise.
"I ate up everything I could, in the kitchen and also drank all the milk and gave the butter to my kitten!" she said shaking her body happily.

"Tomorrow morning, when mother will get up! She will have no milk to make chai (tea) !" she said grinning.

"You are impossible!" he was amazed at her. "How could you think of this?" he asked her.
"You know what? I mixed up Dal and Chaval (pulses and rice)! So for the whole next week, only Khichadi!" she said smacking her lips! "I love Khichadi!" He gaped at her with open mouth. They sat there holding hands!

"What made you so angry, yesterday?" she asked him.
He clenched his fists again.

"Had I not stopped you, you would have killed him!" she said holding his hand.
"Yes, I will!" he said with determination. His body stiffened. She could not understand his anger!

He gripped her hand. "I am going in four days!" he said snatching out all happiness from her.
"Why?" she asked in anguish.

"I have to!" he only could say.
"Why did you come then? I had learnt to be without you in these five years!" she said in tears.

"Five years Thirty nine days!" he said still gripping her arms.
"But next time when I come, I will come for good! I will make it up for everything!" he said in a whisper. She looked up at him with tearful eyes. 

"When?" she asked him hopefully.
"I don't know!" he said in a mournful voice. 

She looked away hiding her tears. He could not resist and hugged her.
"I should be going!" she said pulling herself away from him in a jerk.

"No! Wait! I am sorry!" he said apologetically. They heard a rustling sound in the woods. She looked frightened.

"I should be going!" she said braking into a run.
"Wait!" he followed her.
He helped her again in jumping off the window into the kitchen safely" She waved at him. He waved back!

"Go home safely!" she said softly!
"Where the hell were you?" screamed her mother.

"I ... I went to bathroom!" she said. He came back to the window. She looked frightened.
"Go... Go Away!" she screamed.
..........................

"Go..Go!" Khushi was screaming.
"Khushi... wake up!" Arnav was waking her up. 

"Whom were you telling to go away?" he asked her suspiciously. She turned and fell asleep.
"Was she dreaming about the girl and the boy? Did she see what happened at mela?" Arnav was curious. 

"I will read her diary!" He resolved. Smile appeared on his face at the thought of reading her dreams and hiding his own from her!

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