47

"Don't worry, I will face it!" said Khushi putting up a brave face, but she did not know what would she do. Uncle had said it would be worst. What would sham do? She was not sure. She just kept praying her devi mayya.

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

"How could she do this?" he was pacing up and down. He had shattered his entire room in a fit of rage. He couldn't believe, she could do this.

"Mali kaka! I want to meet her!" he took out his gun.

"No! you cannot, chote Maalik!" Mali kaka bent down on his knees pleading him to calm down.

"I will kill everyone!" he was enraged. He started shattering everything that came in his way. Mali kaka was standing there looking at him aghast. He did not know how to bring his rage down.

"She couldn't help!" Mali kaka said in a small voice.

"What do you mean, couldn't?" he pointed his gun at Mali kaka. 

"I will kill everyone and start from you!" he came on like a storm. Mali kaka took a step backwards.

He stormed out of the room into the terrace. He looked at her house. It was in dark. No lights illuminated the house. The garden was overgrown and unkempt. It looked like ruins, deserted. He felt a surge of pain in his chest. He paced like a trapped tiger in a cage.

"No!" he screamed. "She cannot do this! I hate her! I hate everyone!" he came back into his room. Malikaka was still standing there prepared to take his wrath.

"Mali kaka, tell me where she is!" he asked in a low threatening voice.

"She has gone never to come back!" Mali kaka replied gravely.

"Tell me where she is!" he again ordered him.
"I don't know!" mali kaka said at last.

"Fine! I will find out!" he said pocketing his gun and turned.

"Where are you going?" asked mali kaka in fright.

"I am going!" he said in a calm voice. "To burn down everything!" he barely whispered.
A figure appeared at the door. A lady with broom came in trembling.

"C.. Cl.. Cleaning!" she stammered.
"Get out!" he screamed. Mali kaka came forward.

"Chote Maalik, I will find out! I will tell you where she is!" mali kaka said with determination. The boy stopped. He threw himself on the bed all defeated. He could not stop his tears. Malli kaka felt a knot in his stomach. He turned to leave. Nothing could be done. 

"Wait! Who is he? The same boy?" he asked sitting up on the bed.
"No! " said Mali kaka and left the room. 

He looked around at his shattered room, his heart bleeding.
"How could you do this to me?" he wept.

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

Khushi was cornered from everywhere. The court case was taking toll on her. Her dreams were worst than ever before. Emptiness filled her mind. Arnav was hardly of any help. He could not accompany her to the court, and for the dreams and nightmares, she did not want him to know. He too was going through hell.

"This is all because of me!" the old misconception cropped up in her mind. "I am the reason for this misery. Had I not been here, everything would have been fine. Arnav ji would have married Lavanya ji. They would have been happy forever. Anjali Di would have been happy too. She would have never known the truth of Shyam!" she started blaming herself. She withdrew! She was injuring herself, injuring her mind. Her heart bled. She lost her apatite. She lost her focus. She made errors in her work both household as well as business affairs. Her mistakes were beyond repair. Shondeep got worried. 

"Sir, she is not doing well. She is losing it. I don't know, but she needs help!" Shondeep expressed his fears to Papaji and Mummiji. He was genuinely concerned about Khushi's wellbeing. He knew Arnav was trying his best. Somehow external help was necessary!
"Ok! I will go next week. You know, we cannot go there right now! Our presence with her will have adverse effect. That Sham will blow up and crush her to pieces by alleging her on relationship with rich people. We have to keep distance!" said Mummiji gravely looking at Papaji. He nodded. He too felt helpless. 

"But once this is over, I will go to her next week. Stay with her. Bring her out!" said Mummiji confidently praying Kaali Maa! Shondeep nodded. 

"But I will send Dasgupta!" Said papaji dialing the number.

"Das... be with her. She is losing it!" he said gravely. Dasgupta agreed "As you say, Balwindar. I will go!"
Papaji's phone rang.

"Dada, you called?" Ramani was at the other end.
"Hmm" said papaji. "I need more information!" he said.

"Dada, no use! Raghuveer Malik died last week! " said Ramani. Papaji's source of information was lost.

*********** *********** 

"Khushi, I am coming this evening!" called up Dasgupta.
"No, Uncle, I will manage!" Khushi said.
"I am coming and meet me in the evening!" he said.

********* *

"Khooki, this is a mind game. These photos have no effect on our case. This is only to break you down mentally, understand? You got to face it!" Dasgupta was consoling Khushi. Arnav was sitting next to her. They both met Dasgupta. Khushi's cross examination was to continue next day.

"Remember! I am coming to the court! You will have no trouble facing the questions! Just say what I told you to!" Dasgupta was boosting up her morale. Khushi nodded. Dasgupts stared at her. She had lost weight. Dark circles appeared under her eyes. She looked anemic and pale. He felt sorry for her. Arnav's condition was no different. He was holding her hand for support. Dasgupta felt the pain and agony. He got up from his seat and came to the couple.

"Khooki, you are a brave girl. Face it!" he placed his hand on her head. She looked up with tearful eyes. He couldn't bear her pain. He turned his back and said "Now go home and have rest. I have some work!" 

Khushi and Arnav came home.

********  

"I understand!" said the man in the bedroom. The girl was standing near the bed and the man was sitting on the bed. She only sobbed. He got up and tried to place his hand on her shoulder. She withdrew with a jerk. 

"Look, I understand, but you should also come to terms with your fate. You cannot do anything" the man had a mild soothing voice. He looked considerate. He was looking at her intently. She was not ready to show her face. She took a step backwards.

"I...I can't!" she said quivering. "I know! I won't force you!" the man said and went out of the room.

The girl sat on the bed sobbing harder.

******

Khushi woke up to drink water to sooth her dried, hurting throat. She looked at sleeping Arnav and took his hand in hers.. 

**** 

The girl was shocked to see Mali Kaka in her house. She hid behind the door to hear the conversation.

"I worked in their garden!" said Mali Kaka to the man who was in the bedroom with the girl.

"I just wanted to know if you require any odd jobs done!" he said pleading, asking for some work.

"Hmm, yes you can do the garden!" said the man.

"Can I get some water?" Mali kaka's eyes were searching someone inside.
The man called for her!

She came out with earthen pot.
"Temple!" Mali kaka whispered.

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

The scene changed…..

She was behind the temple on the periphery of the woods.
"How could you do this?" the tall boy was screaming.

She had no answer. "I hate you! I just hate you!" the boy screamed again at her.
"Please don't hate me! I have hated myself enough for both of us!" she said earnestly.
"How could you...? " he was in pain. His eyes reflected defeat. He couldn't control himself.

"I won't be able to love anyone!" he blurted collapsing on the ground.
"No!" she spoke in a hollow voice.

He looked up.
She looked straight into his eyes and in a stone like voice said
"I couldn't kill myself. I killed my soul!" he got up with a jerk.
"No! no!" he said coming forward a step. She went back.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" he asked her with pain in his voice.
She looked at him with tearful eyes and said "I couldn't! the boy tortured me!"
"And you married him?" he asked enraged.

"No! I killed him!" came the answer in a deadly voice.
"What?" he looked aghast.
"I pushed him in the waters!" she said.

"My father took me away!" she said. The boy stood there like a statue staring at her unblinkingly.

"Oh!... why didn't I die?" the boy asked her clutching his own neck.
"No! don't say it. Don't give up!" she said taking his hand in hers. He withdrew it immediately.

"No! Don't touch me!" the boy hissed at her.
"Carry on with your life!" she said 

"No! I can't! Why did you do this to me?" he asked her losing everything.
"I felt weak! I couldn't kill myself!" she said blaming herself.
"But I can!" said the boy in deep deadly voice, taking out his gun. She looked at the gun and smiled.

"Yes do it!" she said holding his hand and pointing the gun at her head.
He withdrew and held the gun at his temple. "No!" she screamed and snatched the gun throwing it away. 

They both stood there glaring at each other. She slowly gained her senses and smiled.
She held out her hand. He could see imarati(jilebee) in her hand. He slapped on her hand snatching the imarati and throwing it away

"No!" He screamed in rage. "I won't be able to eat sweets again!" he hid his face in his hands. She could feel his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Some day we will unite. There would be another world far away, no one will separate us there!" she said in a calm voice. There were no emotions in her speech. Both of them had lost everything they had in life He was crying and she was emotionless, empty.
"I will wait for you there!" she said gravely. "No!" he screamed banging his head on the tree.

"I give up!" he said dropping his shoulders hanging his head.
"No! Don't give up! The moment you quit, I will be gone!" she said holding his hand tightly.

"So will I!" he said looking into her eyes. She could feel his warmth. They both took out their keys..

He looked at her and without a word turned his back and started descending.
"I cannot quit! For her sake!" he resolved.
"I cannot give up! For his sake!" she resolved.

An old figure came out from the shadow. "I am sorry! I could not do anything for you! But I will give my life to unite you in that world of yours!" Malikaka turned away wiping off his tears.

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

"What the...!" Arnav woke up with a weight on his chest. He felt Khushi on his body.
"Don't quit! Don't quit!" She was whispering and kissing him all over. She was on top of him holding him tightly 

"Arnav, Arnav!" she was calling him. He couldn't resist responding to her passionate calls. He started kissing her back. She had closed her eyes. She was in some kind of trance. He was snogging her!

"Don't quit!" she kept saying, pulling him closer and closer. She had already unbuttoned his shirt. He reciprocated. "Arnav!" she moaned. He came on to her like a storm.

They made love like never before, in a hypnotized condition. They both were riding waves of passion feeling each other within. They were in ecstatic, rapturous condition making love and feeling the pleasurable pain. She did not wake up from trance.

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