22. OS 20. The Temperamental Tyrant (Part 22)

Part 22

The wedding was over and it was time for bidai.

As Khushi wept in her babuji’s arms and Arnav stood by, his hand held by buaji, mami said, “Enough of rona dhona, Sasiji. Your bitiya ijj going to her own homewaa.”

Sasi nodded and patted Khushi’s shoulder to calm her down.

“I will take care of her, babuji,” Arnav promised, his serious eyes meeting Sasi’s.

Sasi nodded. “I know, bitwaa,” he said quietly.

As mami hugged Garima, she said, “Garima, gibe me your bitiya too.”

Garima looked at her in amazement.

“Hamre Akash bitwaa ijj alone. You gibe me your Payaliya,” mami demanded.

“Manoramaji?” Sasi stammered.

“My bitwaa ijj standing here, looking at your Payaliya phrom here and there. Shaadi karwa diyo. He can look at her from closewaa,” mami said, her ususal irreverent self.

Buaji and Garima gasped and burst out laughing along with the others.

Payal and Akash blushed. It was a close competition as to who resembled a tomato more.

“We will see,” Sasi promised her.

“Jaldi see kariyo,” mami urged. “Or hamre Akass bitwaa bill become a sant. Then bhat bill I does?”

“Mate,” Akash murmured, embarrassed but happy that she had noticed his fascination for Payalji.

“Sasiji, we would love to have Payaliya as our bahuriya,” mama seconded mami. “Think over the proposal and let us know.”

“Payaliya?” Sasi asked.

She blushed a fiery red and nodded bashfully.

Amidst the sea of congratulations and hugs, Khushi hugged Arnav and he dropped a kiss on her forehead.

                                                                  ***

The wedding party reached Delhi to a rapturous welcome by HP.

Arnav and Khushi were happy but tired. Their eyes widened in horror as mami said, “Ab aphter-bedding gamewaa shuru ho jaaye!”

“No way,” Arnav thundered.

“Mate, we are tired,” Akash said, trying to stifle a yawn.

Mami winked at him and insisted, her eyes twinkling with mischief, “Arnav bitwaa, do you wants to look phor a ring in milkwaa or untie a knotwaa phrom Khussi’s handwaa?”

“Neither,” Arnav stated.

Anjali hid a smile as she said, “Chotey, the rasam are important.”

“Yes, Chotey,” nani said, smirking.

Without wasting time explaining to his family that he had absolutely no intention of playing games in public that night, he just lifted a surprised Khushi in his arms and strode away.

The whole family burst out laughing.

“Arnavji, yeh kya kar rahe ho, aap?” Khushi asked, scandalised.

“Hold me tight,” was all he said. “I am going up the stairs.”

Khushi tightened her arms around his neck.

“Aap na, bahut badtameez ho,” Khushi declared. “No manners. Khadoos. Arrogant. As fiery as a volcano.”

He smiled. “Jo kuch bhi hoon, I am yours. Ab sambhalo mujhe.”

“Awww,” Khushi replied, her mouth open in a perfect round.

He kicked open the door to their bedroom, entered the room with her and kicked it shut again before marching to the bed and depositing her on it.

There was a knock on the door.

Arnav sighed and went back to open it.

Nani, mama, mami, Akash and nani stood there.

“What now?” Arnav asked bluntly.

The ladies tried to hide their smiles as they said, “We haven’t decorated the bed.”

“Tanik thehro, Chotey,” nani urged.

“No way,” Arnav replied. “We are tired. Goodnight.”

He made to close the door.

“Chotey,” Anjali called.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Take your medicines,” she reminded him.

He smiled. “I already have. Do you think Khushi will let me forget?” he asked.

All smiled.

Arnav shut the door and returned to find that Khushi had left him to freshen up for bed.

                                                            ***

The Raizadas returned to the living room to relax after the last few days of frenzied activity.

“The peda, the gulab jamun!” mami reminisced. “Sasiji knows how to treat his samdan. Wah, wah!”

The other smiled at mami’s fondness for sweets.

“Akass bitwaa, marry Payaliya soon. I bill ask Sasiji to serve gujiya and jalebi too phor the bedding feastwaa.”

Anjali tried to hide her laughter. Nani shook her head in amused exasperation.

“Manno, are you more interested in your son’s wedding or the feast?” mama teased.

“The feastwaa,” mami confessed.

Amidst the laughter, HP served everyone tea and mami, badam milk.

“HP, aaj khush to bahut honge tum!” mami mimicked Amitabh Bacchan in Deewar. “Bahut khush honge ki aaj Arnav bhaiya Khussi se haar gaya!”

All laughed.

HP replied with a smile, “Bahut, mamiji.”.

Mami crossed her legs on the chair and slurped her badam milk. HP left.

Nani watched her for a moment and then called softly, “Manorama?”

“Yes, Sasumma?” mami asked, setting aside her glass.

Nani looked away for a moment. Then she gathered courage and said, “I am sorry.”

Mama and Akash were shocked. Anjali looked at nani with surprise.

Mami frowned. “Kaahe ki?” Her eyes widened.

Nani sighed. “Chotey was right. I should have treated you with the respect a Raizada bahu deserves.”

Mami’s eyes filled with tears. She blinked and tried to make light of the situation.

“Aap bhi na, Sasumma. You are the enemy no: 1 of my kaajal.” She turned to her husband, “Suno ji, you said it was water-proof.”

“Manno, it is,” Manohar tried to remonstrate with her.

“Aap shutupiya hi kar lo, ji,” mami shushed him. "My phool-jaisen cheekwaa are black. My muh is kaala."

“I mean it, Manorama. You have been a good bahu, but I haven’t been a good Sasumma,” nani admitted.

“It is alright, Sasumma,” mami replied. “I bill be a bery good Sasumma to my Payaliya. Because she is like me, from a small house in Lucknow, she won’t think I am not..oo kaa kehte he? Haan, cool.”

“You are the coolest mother, Mate,” Akash hugged her.

Nani’s face fell again. “We have all been guilty of ignoring Chotey’s well-being.”

All looked at her.

“He is difficult to get along with, but we should have made an effort,” nani said slowly. “Seeing Khussi smother him with concern and seeing him enjoy it...we let him be, thinking that he enjoyed his own company. Galti hui hamse.”

“You are right, nani,” Anjali said. “We forgot to show our love for him. We were so caught up in our own worlds that...”

Mami, mama and Akash nodded.

                                                              ***

She emerged from the washroom in a white night suit and he took his nightclothes and entered the washroom that held her heady fragrance.

He smiled, his eyes lighting up. His life had changed for ever. No more loneliness. No more sorrow. No more existing instead of living. His past was where he should have left it a long time back—in the past.

When he entered the bedroom, she was sitting on his recliner, fast asleep.

He kneeled down by her, his loving eyes on her glorious face. A minute later, he scooped her in his arms, careful not to jolt her awake.

Had buaji been there, she would have told him that only a bomb dropping on Khushi’s head and bursting inside her ear would have succeeded in waking up Sanka Devi.

Unaware of his wife’s fondness for sleep, he carried her like a piece of glass and placed her on his bed and covered her against the cold.

                                                              ***

Khushi woke up the next morning, stretching lazily. She had slept well. Had jiji woken up?

She opened one eye to look for her sister and saw Arnav looking down at her with amused eyes.

Her second eye too opened to full capacity.

“Aap?” she asked, too surprised to see him to remember that they had gotten married yesterday.

Arnav burst out laughing.

She sat up in bed to see that she was in his room and that he was in bed with her.

Her mouth fell open as she remembered their shaadi.

“I forgot, Arnavji,” she admitted, shamefaced.

He replied, still chuckling, “I have never woken up laughing.”

Khushi lifted the blanket and buried her face in it.

Arnav tugged at the blanket and uncovered her face. Looking at her bashful face, he said softly, “I love you, Khushi.”

Khushi looked into his molten chocolate eyes that were filled with love and adoration and breathed, “I love you, Arnavji.”

He bend his head to kiss her.

                                                             ***

THE END.

I will be starting the next ArHi story, An Unwilling Passion in December. Till then, love and a load of good wishes to all of you.