Opposite Poles..Part 43

Part 43

“Aree, ITANA SUNDAR MANDIR!! Such a beautiful Mandir!” Khushi exclaimed.  She was mesmerized with the beauty of Devi Mayya!  Nani smiled.  

“Anjali is a very religious person! She loves pooja and vrat!” said Nani.  Khushi was surprised.  “What? BHAI – BAHEN … EK NASTIK OUR EK ASTIK? How come, one is atheistic and another is a complete theist?” Khushi wondered.  She looked around.  Nani was arranging for the pooja.

“Naniji, Can I do it?” she asked looking at the elaborate arrangements with wide eyes.

“Yeah! But you need to take bath…!” Nani pointed out.  She took a step back biting her tongue. 

“Where are …?”  Khushi opened her mouth to ask about their parents but suddenly stopped.

“Khushi, you should not poke your nose in others’ matters…!” her babuji  used to always warn her.  She inadvertently touched her nose.

“What happened?” Nani asked looking at her lost face.

“No..nothing!” she said avoiding Nani’s gaze. 

“AAP KA GHAR KITANA SUNDAR HAI..! This house is very beautiful..!” Khushi complimented.  Nani Smiled.  “Chote’s choice!” she admitted.  Khushi got another shock.  “Can a monster have such an excellent choice?” she wondered.  

“You? You are still here?” he yelled at her coming down.  She turned her face away muttering… “Begin to admire him, he comes out in his Monstrous form!”  

 “Chote..!” Came a stern voice.

“Nani, I had asked her to leave in the morning!” he looked at her angrily. 

“Chote..! check the situation first!” ordered Nani.  He looked away.

“Arnav Bhiyya, Chai!” Ram Prakash brought in tea.  They all gathered at the table.  Mami threw a disgust at Khushi. 

“Hello hi! ABHI TAK BYE BYE NAHI HUI HO KYA?” she said disdainfully.  Anjali walked in and took place next to Khushi.  Khushi poured tea in her cup, Anjali took it with a smile.  

“Anjali bitiya, did you talk to Damadji?” asked Nani.

“Yeah, Nani! He said, curfew is declared in some parts .. Its dangerous to go out!” she said looking at her younger brother.

“Aakash, ask Aman to inform everyone!” he said.

“You two are also not going to the office today!” she said authoritatively.  Aakash and Arnav looked at each other.

“If things settle down by afternoon, you will drop her home!” he said looking at Aakash.  Aakash looked startled and then smiling inwardly nodded dreamily.  He would get the chance to meet Payal ji.  Arnav stared at him. “Crazy!” he thought.

“Chote, I need to talk to you” said Nani.  Arnav looked at her grandmother and glanced at Khushi.  She was busy sipping the tea making irritating noise.  “In my room in fifteen minutes..!” she said sternly.  Arnav did not react.

“Khushi bitiya, go, have a look around the house!” said Nani and Khushi nodded.

“No need!” snarled Arnav.  “Not going to the office, doesn’t mean no work!” he said glancing at her with hatred.  She looked down muttering. 

“Chote till we finish, let her have a look around..!” Nani came to her rescue. 

“KISI BHI CHEEJ KO HAATH MAT LAGANA! Hello hi bye bye!” Mami too joined the insult squad. 

“Go Khushi bitiya!” Nani said kindly.  Khushi went away.  

She wandered aimlessly through the passageways, stairs, corridors… up and down like walking in a maze.  She gave up finally keeping a track of orientation of the rooms, stairs and passages.  “HEY DEVI MAYYA.. YEH GHAR HAI YA BULBHULLYA? Is it a maze?” she wondered opening a glass door.  

“How beautiful!” she  exclaimed loudly.  She had come to the poolside.  The area was full of various plants, a tall evergreen tree rose up to the sky.  The open sky area emitted blue tinge of light everywhere.  The blue tiles inside the pool gave a cooling effect to the entire area.  She looked on to the plants neatly arranged and the creepers climbing on the walls.  She stood there mesmerized.

“This is so beautiful..!” she couldn’t stop herself from admiring.  She opened another door from the poolside.  She had entered a room which looked like a steel vault.  The combination of glass, gray and black gave it a mono gradient look.  She hurriedly closed the room and came back to the pool side.  She took the same route from where she entered the pool side.  She was about to cross the room and she was grabbed from behind.  Before a scream could leave her, a hand was pressed on her mouth.  She was scared to the core.  She was dragged again to the poolside.   He released her, came around to face her.

She looked at him frightened.  “How dare you!” he pushed her to the wall, pinning her against it, clasped his fingers around her neck.  She choked. 

“How dare you interfere in my personal life?” he asked her in rage.  She looked at him confused.  He pressed his thumbs on her neck.  She went breathless.  He was strangling her.  She lost her breath and gasped.  Her face became blue, her grip on his arm loosened, her knees gave way, she rolled her eyes upwards “Uuhha..!” her mouth fell open struggling to inhale. 

“How dare you talk about Lavanya to Nani!” he asked her giving her a chance to breathe.  She inhaled for her dear life.

“Wa..What?” she coughed hard.  He still was strangling her pressing his body against her and clasping his fingers around her neck. She struggled.  He took a step back still holding her neck.

“Wa…. I…I thought.. she already knew!” she opened her mouth weakly.

“Its none of your business… Who asked you to poke your nose in my personal life” he yelled. She inadvertently held her nose.

“So…Sorry!” She could breathe as he lifted his clasp.  He turned his back on her clenching his fists. 

“Sorry!” she called from behind.  She understood, she had made a mistake by talking about Lavanya.  He looked back.  She had tears in her eyes.  “Sorry!” she said again.

“Stop this sorry drama..!” he yelled coming on to her like a panther.  She winced.

“I know, girls like you… You wanted to impress my family…!” he alleged.

“What? No!” she was shocked.  “I know… Khushi Kumari Gupta! When you couldn’t trick me… you are trying this way…!” he twisted her wrist sending her in severe pain.  She winced..”Ouchhh! No! you are hurting me!” she screamed in pain.  “That’s what I want to..!” he twisted further.  She winced in pain.

“Khushi? Where are you?” came Anjali’s voice and he released her.  She turned, tears rolling down her cheek and went out of the room.  Anjali came searching for her.  

“What happened? Are you ok?” Anjali held her other hand.  She brought a forced smile on her face and said… “No! I am Ok.  I…I thought I was lost..!” Anjali giggled.

“Khushi, you are such a sweet girl! How will you be lost when we all are there?” she brought her in the sitting area.

“Take this, go and have bath!” she said pointing at a saree and accessories. 

“Sorry Khushi, I couldn’t find anything of your size, so wear this saree!” she said looking at Khushi.

“Come, I will show you the bathroom!” Khushi went with Anjali.

They were gathered for breakfast and Khushi entered dining area.  Morsel dropped from Arnav’s hand.  He gaped at her with mouth falling open, eyes fixed on her.  She felt embarrassed.  She looked at Nani and smiled.  Arnav came back to his senses.  

She was wearing a red saree with elbow length sleeves.  “Remember, Chote? You had gifted me this saree last year?” Anjali asked excitedly looking at her younger brother.  He did not answer. 

“Khushi, you look beautiful in this saree!” Anjali complemented.  “And like a woman, not like a grown up kid!” Nani pulled her legs.  Khushi blushed and Arnav lost his senses forgetting to eat.  Khushi glanced at him.

“Come, Khushi bitiya! Sit here!” Nani invited her.  She came and sat next to Anjali.  She looked like one in the family wearing Anjali’s saree!

“Khushi, pass that bowl of fruits!” Nani held out her hand.  Khushi stretched herself to give the bowl.  Arnav could see the finger marks on her wrist! He looked startled and gazed at her stretched neck.  His finger marks were visible.  He winced.  She sat back. 

“Aree, Khushi, what happened?” Asked Anjali pointing at her neck.  Khushi hid her hand behind.

“No! Nothing…It was my dupatta .. yesterday… when I was running!” she gave a weak explanation.  Both avoided looking at each other. 

“You will start the work after this!” he said sternly and got up to go.

**********  ******   ********

“Modify the power point presentation!” he ordered sliding a laptop towards her.  She had entered his steel gray, vault like room, and standing before him.  He was working on his laptop sitting on a big recliner…!  She nodded and took the laptop.

He asked her to rearrange the slides she had prepared earlier; Made modifications in the text, asked her to change the images, keeping the color combination same.

“Now refine this and come back.  Take into account the purpose for which this power point is made!” he said, looked at her for a second and

“But of course! You need brain to understand, which is missing in your head!” he said scornfully.  She flared up her nose to retort back but looked at her wrist and shut her mouth.

“You sit in the hall and complete.  You need not come here! I will come and get the laptop!” he ordered her .

“Hitler!” she muttered honoring him with another name, descending the stairs.  Actually she wanted to go to the kitchen to see the menu for lunch, but was bound by the work assigned to her. 

“Hmm, I don’t have brains..! May be..!” she admitted to herself and started working.