2020. 1. Heart of a Rose (Part 5)

Part 5

Sasi rushed into his house, panting.

“Garima, jiji....” he called, frantic with worry. How could he make the necessary arrangements in two days?

“Kaa hua, Sasi babua?” Madhumati asked, waddling towards him.

“Jiji, we are in trouble,” he gasped.

“Kaa hua, Payaliya’s father?” Garima asked, pulling her pallu firmly over her head.

“Chandu Lal...a boy is coming to see Payaliya...” he said, wiping the sweat on his forehead.

Buaji looked at Garima, her eyes dancing with joy. “Khushi ki baat he, Sasi babua. Why are you upset, Nandkisore? Unhappy that you will have to do your daughter’s bidai?” she teased.

“They are coming on Wednesday. This Wednesday. In two days. They will be here at 5pm.” Sasi slumped in his chair.

Buaji clutched her heart. “Hai re Nandkisore!”

“Yeh kaise hoga, jiji?” Garima asked in shock. “How can we make the arrangements in two days?”

“I was planning to get the house and shop whitewashed next month,” Sasi sighed wistfully. “I never thought a rishta would come so fast.”

Garima asked, “Who is the boy, Payaliya’s father?”

“That is another problem. He is rich, educated, and from an aristocratic family,” Sasi said, his worried eyes on his wife and sister.

“Hein?” buaji exclaimed. “Why should such a boy come to our house with a rishta, Nandkisore?”

“How will our Payaliya adjust to such circumstances?” Garima asked, scared for her daughter.

Sasi nodded. “It is easy for people like Chandu Lal to say that our daughter will live like a rani in that house, but what about the difficulties our child will face in that house? The difference in circumstances! How will their friends and family treat her? What if her husband feels that she doesn’t fit in?”

Buaji nodded. “What is wrong with the boy? Why isn’t he seeking a bride from a family that matches his wealth and station, Nandkisore?”

Sasi grimaced. “He is a Mallik from Sheesh Mahal. Son of Arvind Mallik and Ratna Raizada.”

Buaji clutched her heart. “The double suicide?”

Sasi nodded.

“Hai re Nandkisore!”

“Payaliya’s father, tell them not to come here. Our bitiya will not go to that house. The Malliks were disagreeable people, all proud and very conscious of their consequence. We will not let our bitiya go to that house to suffer. How dare Chandu Lal bring such a proposal?” Garima’s cheeks turned red with anger.

“How can we ask them not to come?” Sasi asked. “That is rude. Hamare sanskaar ke virudh he.”

Buaji nodded. “Sahi keh rahe ho, babua.”

“And Chandu Lal said that the boy is handsome, well-behaved, educated, rich...and that he liked Payaliya’s photo and wants to marry her,” Sasi informed them.

“But his parents, Nandkisore...” buaji wailed.

“What’s the use of blaming him for what his parents did?” Sasi asked wearily. “If he is better than his parents and that beastly chacha of his, then he is to be commended. But I seriously hope he takes one look at us, our house, and circumstances and decides to seek a bride elsewhere.”

Buaji and Garima looked at him with wide, worried eyes.

“Whether we like the proposal or not, we have to make them welcome,” ruled Sasi. “Mujhe poora yakeen he that once he realises how far beneath him we are money-wise, he will vanish like gadhe ke sir se seengh.”

Buaji and Garima heaved sighs of relief.

Sasi glimpsed his daughters crossing the courtyard. “We have to inform Payaliya. It is no use getting her hopes up.”

The ladies could only concur with him.

“Babuji,” called Khushi. “Kya hua? I looked for you at the shop, but you were missing.” A teasing smile bloomed on her face. “You found a free moment and came home to spend time with your wife, didn’t you?”

“Khushi!” Payal was scandalised.

Garima gasped. “This girl!”

“Parmeswari!” buaji thundered. “No manners, no sanskaar, no laaj, sharm! Hai re Nandkisore!”

Sasi only chuckled. When his amusement died down, he said quietly, “We have something to tell you. Payaliya, a boy is coming to see you on Wednesday at 5pm.”

The moment of shocked silence that followed this revelation was shattered by Khushi’s squeal of joy. “Jiji! You are going to be a dulhaniya! Babuji, who is the dilwala who is coming to steal away our dulhaniya?” She turned to Payal. “Jiji, remember your promise to me. When you have children, you have to name your son, Aloo Kumar and your daughter, Poori Kumari!”

“Hai re Nandkisore! This Sanka Devi! You are deciding the names of children when the boy hasn’t even come to see Payaliya,” buaji thundered.

“The chances of this shaadi happening are slim,” Sasi warned his daughters.

“Why, babuji?” only Khushi asked. Payal was too shy to ask her father the pertinent details of her future!

“The boy is from a rich family in Delhi,” Sasi replied cautiously. “I don’t think we are a suitable match for them. I am certain that Chandu Lal made a mistake. Everything will be cleared up once they visit us. Anyway, Payaliya, when they come, go to Preetho’s house with Khussi and stay there. If there is any need for you to join us, I will call you.”

“Yes, babuji,” Payal, her babuji’s obedient pet replied.

Khushi’s face fell. “Babuji, this is ghor anyaay. I want to see my jiju. Pleaseeeeee. Aap ki paau padti hoon. Let me meet him once, babuji.”

Buaji heaved a sigh strong enough to send the walls of the house shaking. “Chup, Sanka   Devi!” she chided. “Chup karke go to your room. Now. Don’t show your face here, Nandkisore, or I will go for the belan. Kaan ke neeche ek kheench ke doongi that all bharam flies out of your head!”

Khushi grumbled under her breath about the unfairness of the whole plan and led Payal to their room.

Once the door was shut, she leaped on her jiji.

“Jiji, aren’t you excited?” she asked, hugging a pillow and jumping up and down on the bed. “Your first proposal! A boy is coming to see you for the first time.”

“Khussi!” Payal sighed. “What have we to give a rich man?”

“You! You are a price beyond compare, my jiji!” Khushi enthused. “The poori you make! They are round like a ball. And the aloo sabzi! Wah, wah! So mouthwatering! Any man should fall to the ground and thank God for being able to marry you!”

“Khushi, tum bhi na!” Payal had to smile at her sister’s antics.

                                                          ***

The next two days flew by in making sweets and changing the furnishings of the living room to make the house more presentable for the guests.

Khushi insisted on drawing a rangoli design of a peacock in the courtyard to welcome the guests.

“Khussi, I told you that this shaadi will not happen,” Sasi told her gently. “Don’t make so many arrangements. Why did you make five types of sweets and namkeen, bitiya? The boy is not for your jiji. Let’s not embarrass the guests with our preparations.”

Khushi’s face fell. “It is jiji’s first proposal,” she pouted, making her way towards her father to hug him tight. “Do you know how long I have been waiting for my jiju, babuji? Longer than jiji has been waiting for her husband,” she claimed.

Sasi sighed and ran his hand gently over her head. A moment later he said softly, “Get Payaliya and go to Preetho’s house, bitiya. You have done enough here and it is time for them to arrive.” He glanced at the clock. “Chandu Lal hasn’t arrived yet,” he muttered anxiously.

                                                             ***

Chandu Lal rushed into Gomti Sadan a few minutes before the Raizadas arrived.

“Sasiji, aren’t you happy? No? Don’t worry. Soon you will be. When you lay eyes on the boy I have picked for your bitiya, aap khushi se paagal ho jayenge. Wah, wah, Chandu Lal, you are a magician!” he praised himself.

Sasi grit his teeth. When he could control his desire to strangle the man and loosen his jaw enough to speak, he asked the broker, “Why did you pick such an unsuitable boy for my daughter? What will my child do in Delhi in a rich family except feel out of place?”

Chandu Lal dared to laugh. “Sasiji, you must meet the Raizadas. Very down-to-earth and easy-going. And Arnav Singh Raizada is very family-oriented, a far cry from his father. You will thank me...” His attention went to the entrance where two high-end cars had come to a stop. “Lagta he they have arrived. Chaliye, Sasiji, let’s welcome them.”

                                             ***

Khushi peeked from Preetho’s terrace. “Jiji, they have come!”

Payal hissed, “Come inside, Khussi. They will see you hanging from the rooftop like a shameless hussy.”

“I want to see my jiju,” Khushi insisted. She stretched her long neck out further to catch a glimpse of the boy. Her mouth fell open. “Jiji, he is so handsome! Bilkul made for you, jiji.”

“Khussi!” Payal tried to tug Khushi away from the terrace.

 Preetho joined the fun. “He is good looking, Payal jiji, but he has spectacles,” she remarked.

“And he is tall!” Khushi almost trembled in excitement. “Jiji, you will look like a doll next to him. Bilkul gudiya ki tarah.” She turned to look at her sister, her eyes filled with joy. “Jiji, when I tie raakhi to his wrist on rakshabandhan, I will have to stand on a stool!”

Preetho laughed.

Khushi dragged Payal to join them. “Look. Look at him,” she insisted.

Payal’s eyes fell on the tall, handsome, bespectacled man standing by one of the cars. His face was lifted to look at the havelis in the neighbourhood. The gentle breeze played with his hair and he lifted one hand to tame the strands. He looked up to see Payal spying on him from the roof.

Her heart skipped a beat.

After one long moment of holding his intent gaze, Payal recalled her surrounding, gasped, and turned to run away into Preetho’s bedroom.

Khushi and Preetho who had ducked when he had looked up, followed Payal into the room.

                                                     ***

“Akass bitwaa, watch and learn how your bhai gets a girl. It ijj your turns nextwaa,” mami advised her son.

Akash managed to smile, feeling his heart beat so fast that it almost jumped out of his chest. Who was that girl? Her beautiful eyes, her clear skin that looked softer than the finest silk...the startled gaze...a gazelle in motion...who was she? He felt almost dizzy, leaving him deaf to his father’s remarks and his dadi’s teasing.

“You go in,” Arnav told his family softly. “ I need to take this call from Aman.”

Akash blinked. 

"Chaliye Akash," Anjali said, taking his arm. He let himself be dragged into the house next to the one where he had seen the girl. The rest of his family followed. Arnav alone sat in his car, speaking to Aman.

                                                    ***

“Have they entered the house, I wonder?” Khushi whispered as she crawled back to her vantage point to spy on her jiju and his family. Her face fell when she saw that the street held only the two cars.

“They were in such a hurry to go inside,” she grumbled. “I couldn’t even catch a second glimpse of the groom.”

The car door opened, startling her.

A tall man emerged, phone held to his ear.

From her hiding place, she could see the shiny waves of his hair and the lean lines of his body clothed in expensive-looking fine fabric.

“Who is he?” she mused. “The groom has already gone in with his family. Is this his friend?”

“Khushi, come in,” Preetho called, laughing. “Payal jiji seems to be lost in dreams.”

Khushi was too focused on the dapper man on the street to hear her. She leaned forward, endangering her slim body and reputation as she tried to get a clear view of the man.

He ended the call, slipped the phone into his pocket in a smooth motion, and turned his head to look at her house.

Khushi felt her breath stop. He was handsome, more handsome than Salman Khanji, younger than all the Bollywood heroes she worshipped, and so charismatic that she felt time freeze as she stared her fill.

Arnav took a deep breath. He was finally in Lucknow, standing outside the house of one Khushi Kumari Gupta he had been obsessing over for the past couple of weeks. It was time to join his family and meet her. A tendril of nervousness clung to the walls of his heart. Anticipation mingled with anxiety unsettled him. Years of handling complex negotiations with great panache meant nothing as he stood outside her house, gathering sufficient courage to step inside.

About to step forward, he paused, feeling eyes on him.

He looked up and into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen even though her face was upside down. They looked startled, bereft of naughty laughter. Khushi Kumari Gupta in the flesh. He gulped. She stepped back, her tight hold on the railing easing. The movement made her nose pin glint before she vanished from his sight.

He stood for one long moment by the road, feeling energy course through his veins as it had never done in all the years of his existence. He felt strong, invincible. His mind was made up. It was Khushi Kumari Gupta or no other for him.

He frowned. What was she doing in the house next door? Had he gotten the address wrong? He looked at the plaque on the wall. Gomti Sadan. This was the house.

He looked at the terrace once more. No Khushi.

He strode into Gomti Sadan, determined to settle things at the earliest.

                                                    ***