Opposite Poles..Part 60

Part 60

“Hello…!” she called out in panic.
“Khushi?.. What happened?” Payal asked worried.
“Jiji, call Buwaji.. Its urgent!” she said hurriedly sprinkling water on Lavanya’s face.  Lavanya was trying to open her eyes. 
“Hello Buwaji…!” Khushi narrated Lavanya’s condition.  Buwaji thought for a second and said,
“Khusi, can you arrange for ingredients?” Khushi said “Yes! I will try!” Buwaji gave a list of ingredients.. All could be found in the kitchen.  She told her how to make the medicine and said,
“Khusi, this is stomach upset, NandKishore!  Keep giving her liquids..!” Khushi kept the phone.  Lavanya had opened her eyes.

“Lavanya ji.. Don’t worry.  You will be alright!” she said keeping her hand on shoulder.  Lavanya clutched her stomach again.
“Chamakiliiii!” she contorted her face in pain.  And the next moment she was running towards the bathroom.  Khushi followed.  Lavanya puked all over and sat down losing all her energy.  Khushi helped her get up.  Khushi took the towel and wiped her face.  Helped her change into comfortable dress and brought her on the bed again.  

“Don’t worry!” she said.  “Chamakili, call the doctor..!” she again contorted her face. 
“Doctor?” Khushi looked confused.  “Dr. Avinash! My Doctor..!” she said with efforts. 
“Yeah ok!” she said and took Lavanya’s phone.  Someone picked up after several rings. 
“Hello.. doctor?” Khushi called out in panic.
“Lavanya?” came a question from the other end.  “No! it’s me! Her assistant.. she is not well… actually…!” Khushi repeated the same story which she narrated to her Buwaji. 
“Ok! She is allergic to many medicines.  Bring the ones I tell you… write down.. !” he told authoritatively.  She did.
“Umm doctor.. It will be tomorrow morning…! We are in Nainital… umm.. my Buwaji told me to give …!” she narrated the procedure. 
“Ok! That will do.  But don’t allow her to dehydrate..!” he warned her.
“Thank you doctor..!” she said with gratitude and looked at wincing Lavanya. 

“Lavanya ji.. I will be right back!” she said holding Lavanya’s hand.
“No! Chamakili, don’t leave me!” Lavanya was miserable  “I will go and arrange for your medicine..!” she said and came out.  “Chamakili..!” she called out in pain.

“Ok! I will call Sir!” she said.  Lavanya nodded and then said..”No! chamakili, look at me! I can’t go like this in front of him!” she said losing courage.  Khushi gaped at her. “what is she hiding from him?”
“Lavanya ji.. I have to get the medicine for you! I will call sir.  He will wait outside .. just in case, you need something, call him! Ok?” she said.  Lavanya kept quiet.  

Khushi knocked on his door.  He opened after a while. “Khushi? What happened? Are you ok?” he asked concerned.
“Sir, she is not well.  I have to prepare her medicine.  Please be with her for some time!” she requested him. 
“I will call the doctor..!” he said getting worried.  “Will it be possible to get the doctor now? In this rain?” she asked him.  He looked hopeless.  “I had called her doctor, he gave me the prescription.. but we can get it  to tomorrow morning..!” she said hurriedly and turned.

“Where are you going?” he asked bewildered.  “To the kitchen!” her voice faded with her vanishing figure.  He came in… Khushi’s blanket was on the couch.  He sat there waiting for Khushi.  Lavanya had no energy. “Awaaa!” she groaned.  He went in.

“Lavanya?” he sat beside her.  She held his hand tightly.  He waited for Khushi.

Khushi found out the kitchen.  The only chef was sleeping on the bunk bed.  She woke him up and requested him for the ingredients.  She prepared Kadha, decoction putting jaiphal, ilaichi, mint leaves, basil, sugal, salt and ajwine, .. boiled the water to half with the ingredients and poured in the bottle with two drops of lime juice.  She thanked the staff and came out running.  It was still raining.  She entered the suite.  Lavanya was in pain.  ASR was sitting next to her.  She stopped at the door.  He got up.  She poured the decoction in a glass..

“Ok. Lavanya ji, here you go! You will be alright in no time!” she said brightly smiling optimistically.
“No! Chamakili, I can’t.  Please!” She looked like a child.
“Lavanya ji.. just close your eye, hold your nose and drink it in one gulp!” she helped her get up and forced her to drink it.  ASR was back on the couch.

“Thank you Sir!” she thanked him.  “I will take care of her.  You take rest.. You are tired too!” she said assuming responsibility of not only Lavanya but ASR also, and turned.  

“Khushi..!” He held her hand to ask about her palm and wrist.  She turned back.  “Don’t worry Sir! She will be alright!” Khushi said smiling at him. He gaped at her.  She went inside.  He lingered there for a second and called “Khushi..!” 

She came out.  He took out his mobile.  “Tell me your number!” he said.  She told him the number.  He gave her a missed call and said… “Call me.. I will be awake!” she nodded.

Khushi went in, cleaned the bathroom, wrapped Lavanya in a blanket and came out.
“Chamakili..!” Lavanya called her in pain.  She ran inside and took her to the bathroom.
“Chamakili.. don’t leave me alone!” Lavanya was miserable.  Khushi held her tightly and said
“No! I will not!” she sat there, stroking her head.  Slowly Lavanya drifted away in sleep.  Khushi sat there holding her hand.  Lavanya’s bathroom visits also subsided and she felt better.  She was fast asleep.

Khushi was on the couch again, wrapping herself in the blanket.  It was five in the morning.  She couldn’t sleep.  She opened the door, came out and sat on the stairs staring at the pitch black vacuum and hearing the dripping trees.  She looked up in the cloud filled starless sky.  The rain reflected in her eyes sending streams of tears on her cheeks.  She felt lonely… alone without anyone..! She heard footsteps but didn’t look back.  She didn’t want to talk to anyone.  Her loneliness was her company.  She sat there unmoved.  He sat a step above behind her without a word, din’t know for how long.  The rapid rain had picked up a rhythm.  

“I like rain.. but not in the night…!” she mumbled.  He did not respond. Both engrossed in their own thoughts, she spoke,
 “The clouds shroud the stars… like my Amma and Babuji were shrouded…that day!” A faint sob left her.  He looked up to the sky.  His heart cried for his mother.  

“I just want them to come back, once.. Just once..!” she turned her face to look at him with tear-filled eyes.  He clenched his fists.  His posture stiffened.

“Those who are gone, never come back!” he said gravely staring at her sternly. 

“Why?” she asked miserably. He lost his control.  Anger replaced every other emotion.

“Ask your Devi mayya!” he spat anger.
“What?” she was bewildered.  “Ask her to bring back your parents, my parents! Reverse the time! Ask her to remove the gun shot… from my mother’s head Ask her to bring back my Di's happiness!!” He said with disgust.

 “The one who couldn’t even save her won temple in the riots..!” he said clenching his fists.  

“What? How can you be so rude with her?” she was angry too.  He looked at her with anguish.
“She created everything.  This world! She doesn’t need a temple to prove her existance..!” she said with faith.
“World? This world? Yeah! This world! Brutal and merciless, world!” he was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

“No! This world,  this beautiful world, with ..!” she started off with bright eyes to narrate the beauty. 
“Stop it! Are you talking about this world? The one which snatched away all our happiness, my childhood, my parents..!” he chocked.  Khushi felt his anguish, his pain reflected in her heart. 

“But Devi Mayya has made different arrangement..!” she said in a consoling tone..!
“Those who are gone, become stars… We can talk to them in the night… every day!” she said defending her Devi Mayya.

“What rubbish!” he threw his hands in the air. “The stars! They are dead themselves..!” he said contemptuously.  She got up with a jerk.

“Yeah, those stars, may be dead.. but they listen to you, give you strength..! One should have faith!” she came a step up and glared at him.

“Faith? I have faith only on myself, my abilities..! You talk about faith.. Where are your stars now?” he said smugly looking up in the sky.

“Why? Why are you so bitter?” she asked him.
“Because the world is not sweet! Its bitter, brutal..!” he concluded and turned to leave..!

“Wait..!” she said from behind.  He had reached the door of his suite.  He turned..!

“Look! Devi Mayya has sent the brightest Star to this world… To make it more beautiful..!” she said brightly proving her point and pointing at the brightened up horizon from behind the mountain peaks.  The clouds were moving aside and the sun was rising from behind the mountains.  The darkness was vanishing and the beautiful world was smiling again…! He stared at the horizon for a second and then turned his back on her and the sun banging the door of his suite, going back to his dark shell!!
She was back to her spirits… Khushi!!