Opposite Poles..Part 53

Part 53

“ASR! Let us go for a dinner date!” Lavanya said dreamily in the evening.  ASR looked at her.  He couldn’t decide.  The office was almost empty and so was Khushi’s cubical.  She had not turned up.  No one knew where she was. 

“ASR!” Lavanya came nearer.  “Haan?” “Ok!” he agreed.  Lavanya was on the top of the world.  He picked up the phone.

“Di..!” he called his Di to inform. 

********   ********

“Why are you looking so lost?” asked Lavanya sipping red wine.  He still looked lost. 

“ASR! You know, I am so happy! We will be together… just you and me! Away from everyone!” she was in a dream state.  He gazed unfocused.

“You know what? I have planned it all…! For two of us!” she kept her hand on his.  He looked at her and nodded. She took another sip. 

“Lets go Lavanya!” he wrapped her around her waist.  She leaned against him happily.

***********  *********

He was in the office exactly at nine in the morning, pacing restlessly.  He was not sure about Khushi. 

“ASR!” Lavanya walked in.   He looked at her.  “ASR! Finally I had to prepare the itinerary!” she would never leave an opportunity to complaint about Khushi.

“Ok!” he smiled at her.  “Oh! ASR, I am so happy..!” she wrapped her arm around his.  “This is going to be great! I can’t wait, ASR!” she looked at him passionately and hugged him.  He too placed his arms around her and Khushi walked into the office. 

He froze.  She came to her cubical, opened her bag, took out her Tiffin, kept it under her desk, Joined hands praying her Devi Mayya and switched on her system to resume work.

With every action of hers, his rage mounted the peak. 

“KHUSHI..!”He screamed like never before.  His voice reverberated in the entire office. She had expected it.  She looked up.

“ASR! Stop calling her like that!” Lavanya was not at all happy that he called her so loudly.  She never liked ASR calling Chamakili, by her first name.  He never did that with anyone else.  “ASR! You can use intercom…!” but he was not looking at her.  He was glaring at Khushi.  “ASR!” Lavanya held his hand.  He jerked it.

“Lavanya, Go!” he said in a deadly voice.  She felt hurt.  “Ok, ASR! But please control your anger!” she said and moved out.

“You will have it, today, Chamakili!” she thought smirking.

“KHUSHI…!” his scream trailed as he saw Khushi climbing up the stairs.  His gaze followed her.  She came in and stood before him without a word.

“Where the hell were you, yesterday!” he yelled.  She looked at the floor locking her fingers in front.

“Answer me!” he was toned down.  She didn’t answer nor looked at him.

“Khushi, I am asking you, where were you?” he asked her calmly.  No response! He stepped forward.  She stood her ground.

“Where the hell were you, Khushi Kumari Gupta?” he gripped her shoulders.  She shuddered and looked up.  He was glaring at her.  All his worries, frustration, anxiety had culminated into rage.  He was relieved to see her in the office again… but then his rage went over the edge.  He was all set to punish her more.

“Couldn’t you make a phone call and inform me?” he asked her raising his voice.  She looked down but didn’t answer.  His grip tightened.

“Why didn’t you come to the office?” he asked her.  She batted her eyelids to send her tears back.  She didn’t look at him.  He left her and took a step back.

“Didn’t you read the terms and conditions? Don’t you know the consequences of remaining absent without prior intimation?” he asked her.  She nodded.  His rage reached no boundary.  He came on to her like a bulldozer.  She was frightened.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was?” he asked her under his breath.  She looked at him in surprise.  “You will be punished for not letting me sleep even for a minute, last night, Khushi Kumari Gupta!” his voice was deadly enough to make her shudder.  A surge of hatred ran through her spine.  And then she retaliated.

“Last night? Only last night, Mr. Raizada?... Then what should I do to you? I have lost my sleep, since I met you…! You ruined everything I had.  Even my sleep!” she yelled to make him wince.  He gazed at her.  Now it was his turn.  The entire office wore a pin drop silence.  Though people couldn’t see anything, they could hear everything. 

“Who are you to count your sleepless nights, Ms Gupta? You are nobody! You have no existence…!” he retaliated. 

“Yeah, right! I have no existence… and yet you spent a sleepless night for a nonexistent entity? Surprising…! “ she asked him panting, and losing her breath with rage.

He pushed her backwards. She hit the wall behind his chair. 

“If my money was not involved… I would have thrown you out of my office for this!” he hissed gritting his teeth.

“If my self respect was not at stake, I would have spat on this job and walked out!” she retorted. 

“How dare you, Khushi! You are crossing your limit!” he was so close, she could feel his anger on her face.  She closed her eyes in fright.

“You amaze me, Khushi.. A girl like you talking about self respect? Do you even know what is it? A classless girl like you can stoop down to any level… !” he didn’t complete his sentence.  She opened her eyes spitting anger and hatred. 

“Let me see how long you will survive without money, Khushi Kumari Gupta..! You will be penalized a month’s salary for this!” he smirked disdainfully.

“Do whatever you want, Mr. Raizada! I don’t care..!” she pushed him away with all her might and moved around the table unable to control her sobs.  The tears in her eyes blocked her vision and she tripped. 

“Khushi…!” he was quick enough to hold her in time from falling  and pulled her closer wrapping his arm around her back.  She broke down losing all her energy.  He forgot all his hatred.

“Khushi..!” he couldn’t stop himself from holding her to his heart.  They didn’t know for how long they stood there. 

“No!” she came back to her senses braking away from him and turned her back.  He still had not come out of the trance.  “Khushi..!” he blurted raising his hand to stop her and say sorry.  But she had already vanished.

She came down and sat on her chair holding her head.  “What am I doing here? I should be back in my home, my Lucknow!” she thought.  She looked at the files, wiped off her tears and put her head down in her work. 

“Khushi…!” Rekha started off in a soft tone.  “No!” Khushi refused to tell anything.

“You don’t want to share…!” Rekha asked her.  “Yes!” Khushi said fixing her gaze on the floor.  Rekha understood.  She signaled everyone.  No one asked Khushi where she was.  The lunch went on piecefully.  Her small group felt sorry for her.  Regi came over. 

“Khushi..!” he held a box of sweets..! Khushi looked up at him in surprise.  He bent down and whispered in her ears…

“I am blessed with a baby girl, yesterday! Had kept the news from everyone!”

“What?” Khushi got up in a jerk.

“Yup! I wanted to tell you first!” he said smiling at her.

“How mean of you, Regi! We all were wondering, where were you, yesterday!” Rekha scolded him with mock anger.  Khushi smiled broadly forgetting all her anguish.  She held his hand tightly.

“Congratulations! Regi Sir!  I mean… Regi, the Papa!” she said clapping.  The lunch table erupted in whistling and clapping.

“This is so Cool!” Khushi’s heart filled with happiness. 

“So, Jilabees for me, tomorrow?” he asked her.  She promised.  “Yes, Pakka!” she smiled. 

***********   *********

“I want this in one hour!” came an order with a file.  She nodded without looking at Lavanya. 

“Look, Chamakili.. I am very happy toady! Don’t spoil my mood by making mistakes , Ok!” she said scornfully.  Khushi again nodded opening the file.  Lavanya went away,

Khushi started with the work.  As she started progressing, her mood changed and at the end she was grinning. 

“Regi Sir! Your daughter is a lucky charm for me!” she said raising her hand without any inhibition.  He as usual was gazing down at her. 

“This is cool! Three days of Peace!!” she joined hands.

“Devi Mayya! You are great! You are the rescuer..! You are the one!” she prayed closing her eyes. 

“I am happy! Finally, Devi Mayya! I will have peace in this office…!” she said loudly closing the file and entering Lavanya’s office with the printouts..!