53

Khushi came down for tea. She was unusually quiet. Nani tried to coax her to talk. She just went into the kitchen. Lavanya was normal and was talking to everyone in a jovial mood. 

Khushi was staring unfocused at the boiling water. She was lost. She felt she was losing it. She had married a man who had a girlfriend and was still with her. She couldn't digest that her Arnavji could do this. Tears rolled down. She sobbed. "Arnav ji!" she called out in Anguish and pain.

Her phone rang. She ran out to pick up the phone and saw, both Lavanya and Anjali placed hands on her cell. Anjali picked it up and handed it over to Khushi.

"Khushi..!" Arnav called out.
"Ji?" smile appeared on her face. She went inside wanting to talk to her Arnavji.

"Khushi... you know, tomorrow is your hearing. Be careful Khushi! " Arnav warned her.
"Yes, Arnav ji. I will be careful!" she repeated his statement.

"Khushi.. are you ok?" asked Arnav in a concerned tone. He could feel something was wrong.
"Ye..Yes Arnavji. " she sobbed.

"Khushi..!" Arnav sounded aghast. "What is it, Khushi, tell me!" he asked her softly.
"Khushi.. are you ok?" he asked her little impatiently. She did not answer.

"Khushi, answer me Damn it!" he screamed. She came back to senses.
"I .. I am ok, Arnavji. Missing you!" she again sobbed.

"Khushi.. I miss you too! I will try to come next week! Khushi...!" his voice cracked with emotions. He missed her. He just wanted to fly away and come back to her. 

Khushi gathered herself and said "Arnavji  I am fine. Don't worry. Everyone is fine here!" she said bringing smile on her face which reflected in her tone too. Arnav felt better.

"Khushi, where are you? I want to talk to you... you know what I talk when we are alone..?" mischief reflected. Khushi blushed in that distressed state of her mind.
"Arnav ji, I am in the kitchen and everyone else is around" She said still flushing. Lopsided smirk cum smile appeared on Arnav's face.

"Then go to our room!" he ordered. Khushi came back with a thud hearing the word room.
"No! " She said "I am preparing tea and I will talk to you later!" she disconnected the phone. The boiling water was reduced to half. She poured some more water. 

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

Her phone rang again. It was her buwaji.
"Hello Buwaji!" she called out in a worried tone.

"Hie re Nand Kishore! Why are you so worried? Everything is fine here!" said buwaji.
"We are coming to Delhi, Sanaka devi to meet you all!" Buwaji gave her the good news. Khushi's spirits lifted. She jumped with joy.

"Arnav ji...!" Khushi dialed his number before even telling payal.
"Khushi?" Arnav was surprised.

"Arnav ji... Amma, babuji and buwaji are coming to Delhi!" she almost screamed in joy. Arnav smiled. Smirk appeared on his face.

"Khushi, now you can go to our room... I want to talk to you.. you know..!" he said in a deep husky voice giving her goose bumps. 

"No! I am busy now!" she said naughtily giggling and disconnected. 

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

The elderly man was at the door! His eyes were filled with tears.
"What?" the tall man asked getting irritated.

"Thank you!" said the elderly man wiping off his eyes. The tall man turned his back
"You do not know the happiness you have given me!" said the old man.
"Everything should be ok now! You made me the happiest person in the world!"
The tall man did not respond.

"I am sorry! I betrayed you!" he talked to himself closing his eyes. "I am sorry!" he was engulfed with the gust of wind. He froze. He did not open his eyes.

"DON'T BE SORRY! I AM HAPPY FOR YOU!" came a sweet whisper. Tears roll down.
"I am done! I don't want to live!" he whispered as if taking permission from someone.
"No!" came a harsh voice. "What did you say?" asked the elderly man. 

The tall man looked around looking lost.
"Haan?" he asked. "What did you just say?" the old man asked harshly.

"Nothing!" said the tall man going out of the room. He came down and stood in the porch.
"I must go back. She is waiting for me!" he blurted and started walking towards the gates like a sleep walker.

"Stop! Stop!" someone placed his hand on the shoulder. He opened his eyes and said "I should be going!" "I want to go back to her!"
"No! you can't!" He was stopped and was turned into statue. He couldn't move.

...................

Arnav got up sweating, feeling paralyzed. "I want to go back to Khushi!" he blurted and sat up on the bed. It was 2 in the night. He pulled his laptop and opened the notepad. After few minutes he slumbered again face down on the bed.

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

Khushi was in the witness box again facing the cross examination. This time she was with Aakash. She had asked Anjali not to come. She wanted to face it alone, but Aakash stayed.
"Coming back to the incidence, Mrs. Raizada.... You said he had a gun" asked the defense lawyer.

"Yes!" she said and turning to the judge said "This is the fifth time the question is repeated!"
"Please be specific!" ordered Kalindi to the Lawyer. He nodded.

"So he pushed you!" asked the lawyer

"Third time!" Khushi again turned to the judge. There was a murmur in the court room.
The lawyer took back his statement and said "No further questions!"

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

Sham was in the witness box. The prosecutor asked him to narrate the incidence. He went on giving the detailed description... of his version of the incidence. 

"I Entered Raizada House to meet my wife. I was intercepted by the family member Mrs. Manorama. She tried to push me out of the house and tried to injure me. I just defended myself. I pushed her aside and she banged her head on the iron bar and fell down" he went ahead.

"I called out for my wife, for I never wanted to meet any other member. But again I was intercepted by Mrs. Khushi Raizada and she held my hand saying "Take me... why do you want to call Anjali. I am here!" she came on to me and put her hands around my neck. She was hysteric. I tried to push her aside but she held on to me.

"My wife was all lost. She couldn't assimilate anything. She stood there like a statue. Mrs. Khushi Raizada looked at me with lustful eyes and hugged me. I slapped her square in the face" he looked at Khushi disdainfully. Khushi was shocked to the core. 

"Khushi ji, you can go out for some time!" whispered the lawyer looking at her drained out face. She shook her head refusing to go out.

"I want to see how low he can stoop!" She said clenching her fists in rage. She looked straight into Sham's eyes. He stared for a while but could not face the glare of her truth and looked down. 
 
"I am ready to take on any false and frivolous allegations you make, Mr. Sham!" she muttered. The lawyer looked at her in surprise first and then admiration appeared in his eyes. 

Sham went on describing completely different view of the incident. Khushi kept glaring at him. She was upset, but never showed it on her face. He alleged her being cheap, being after money, being lustful, being after rich people, being able to trap any man who came in contact with her ... giving so called instances of the proof of his statements. The prosecutor kept making the notes for the cross examination. 

Sham went ahead and justified carrying a gun. He said he had carried it with him for self defense as he knew that Arnav Singh Raizada had a gun and will not hesitate to shoot him. He said he loved his wife more than his life and will do anything to win her back.

He shamelessly admitted that he was married before, and that's the reason his marriage with Anjali got annulled. He since his first wife is dead now, he wanted his Anjali back and was ready to remarry her. He also said he knew she still loves him. He said he was afraid that the two Raizadas Arnav and Khushi would do anything to keep the lovers away and requested the Court for Protection for himself as well as Anjali, his wife. The plea got rejected as he was to be taken into custody in another economic offences matter. 

Khushi kept her face straight. Even Magistrate Kalindi secretly admired Khushi's courage. As she glanced at the statements made by sham.. smile appeared on her face. "IF Dasgupta sir helps the prosecution... these statements will be blown away with the wind!" Kalindi thought. She did not know yet, what was in store in this matter.

The prosecution was to continue with Sham next week. The defense lawyer forwarded an application and the magistrate approved inclusion of new witness from the defense side.
Khushi came out with Aakash in the evening. Her head was spinning and she felt exhausted. "How can one person concoct such completely false stories?" she wondered. 

She dialed Dasgupta's number.
"Khooki, let me talk to the prosecutor first. Its urgent. I will talk to your husband in the night. You need not talk to me..." he paused to Khushi's annoyance and then continued saying.."Your papaji has not paid my fees! So I am not wasting my time on you!" Khushi was enraged.

"UNCLE, how can you do this to me? ... You are so money minded!" "Shame on you!" she whispered keeping the phone little away. But Dasgupta had heard it.

Aakash looked at her in shock. "What is she talking about... ?" he wondered.
"How can she talk to someone like Dasgupta, like this?" he thought of stopping her. But was again shocked pleasantly listening to her giggles.

"She was listening to Dasgupta and was bursting in laughter! Dasgupta was entertaining her by telling her stories of what happened with papaji, when he asked for fees!" She was laughing her heart out. All the tension, the humiliation, the insult had gone in a minute.

"Ok! Khooki! I am disconnecting!" said Dasgupta. He was talking to her for more than fifteen minutes. Aakash started calculating his fees for these minuses. It ran into thousands. He gaped at Khushi and shook his head hopelessly.

Khushi came home. Anjali was eager to know what happened. Khushi told her censored version of the court proceedings avoiding the details. Anjali felt sad. "Khushi, I should have come with you, at least for some support!"

"No, Di! I was fine! By now I am seasoned to such humiliation!" she meant it. 

"um... Di can I sleep in your room tonight?" she asked earnestly. Anjali looked at her intently and nodded.