Opposite Poles..Part 92

Part 92

“Umm,  Khushi,  I will drop you to Laxmi Nagar!” Ranjan offered hesitantly looking around at the crowd.  Rekha raised her eyebrows.  Khushi didn’t know what to do.

“I have a bike!” he said looking at her.  Rekha nudged her.  “Khushi I am going the opposite way, otherwise I would have dropped you! And these three are with me!” she said looking at her colleagues.  Khushi nodded.  Ranjan’s face lit up.  They all turned hearing screeching brakes.  Khushi gaped.

“Chalo!” he ordered opening the passenger door.  Khushi looked at Rekha, confused.  She raised her eyebrows with a style and said.

“Go Khushi, Sir is calling you!” Rekha pushed her.  Khushi ran around his SUV and sat in closing the door with a bang.

“Kya  Soch  Rahi  Thi  Tun? What were you thinking? Kisi  Aur  kay   Saath   Jaanaa   Tha? Wanted to go with someone else?” He asked her sternly slamming the accelerator.  She frowned.

“Lock the seat belt!” he ordered.  “Pataa  Hain..!” she retorted wearing a seat belt.  He glanced at her.

“Sorry, Boss! You lost the opportunity again.  May be some other time?” Rekha patted on Ranjan’s back sympathetically.

He looked at her when she turned to look at him.  Their eyes met and his eyes travelled up to her forehead.  She automatically tried to hide the dark mark on her forehead.  He looked away gripping the steering wheel.  She turned her face and looked out of the window, feeling the same burning sensation on her forehead.  His heart ached.  He focused on driving.

He was driving at comfortable speed.  She dying to fire the questions.  She kept glancing at his grim face opening her mouth and closing it again in fright. 

“Sabra  Kar  Khushi! Have patience!” She commanded herself.  But her curiosity was killing her.

“Tell me!” She started loudly turning to him.  He looked at her sternly.  “umm.. I mean… I wanted to ask…!” she stuttered with trailing voice.    He raised his eyebrow.

“What was that?” she asked him finally.  He was focusing on the traffic, ignored her.

“I am asking you, Mr. Raizada!” she was angry.  “You are asking ME?” he retorted disdainfully, showing her, her place.   She fumbled.

“I mean… I wanted to know..!” she was not to keep quiet. 

“Shut up!” he said in a deadly voice. 

“Why? Why did you send him away?” She asked him angrily.

“It’s none of your business!” he snapped.

“Ok! So you don’t want to tell me, what did you do to them!” she folded her arms and looked straight ahead.

“Fine! Do you think I will keep quiet? I know you well Mr. Raizada! When you don’t have the justification for your actions, you shut me up like this.  But remember, I will find out.  And when I find out the reason for sending Regi Sir away, I will not spare you, ASR!” she paused and then said “Sir!”  

“What do you think? You can get away with anything?” she raised her finger and banged her head on the dashboard ahead as he stopped the car with screeching breaks.  She looked around shocked.

“Bus stop!” he pointed at the bus stop.  “Get down and take a bus!” he ordered unlocking the doors.  She looked around and frowned. 

“Yeah! Typical of you Sir! I should have known!” She opened the door.

“I wish I had gone with Ranjan Sir! “ She spat banging the door closed and he slammed the accelerator. 

Khushi had to change two buses to reach home and get scolding from Buwaji for being late.  She blamed ASR for everything and stomped into the room.

******  *****   *********

“Jiji, why can’t a person look as he is actually?” Khushi still had not come out of the trance.  What she saw at the airport was beyond her comprehension.  She needed answers.  She had seen an altogether different ASR.  “Aru?” he was not ASR, he was Aru to someone.  She was lost. 

He was a monster to her, cruel, brutal, heartless person! He had left her half way through… ! But he was something else to others..! She was puzzled.

“How can one be different to different people? How many faces he has? How many masks he wears? Which is his true face?” Khushi lost the track. 

“Jiji, how do I see his true face?” Khushi asked all lost.

“Why do you want to see his true face, Khushi? The way he appears to you is his true face for you!” Payal said practically.  Khushi gaped at her.  “But jiji, he is not the one, the way I see him, the way he appears to me! He is someone else, something different..!” Khushi didn’t know how to explain her riddle to her Jiji.  Payal shook her head.

“Khushi, stop running after a mirage!! You will get nothing!” Payal was very serious.  She wanted to stop Khushi from thinking about her Sir.  Khushi looked at her and shook her head too.  “I think I am really an empty headed girl, as he says! I don’t understand anything..!” she got up in a trance and went into the kitchen.

“No! Stop, Khushi… you are not making Jilebees!” Payal held her hand running behind her. 

“I am confused, Jiji?” Khushi had taken out sugar container to prepare syrup.  “Khushi, Stop!” Payal stopped her.  She forcibly brought her to her room.

“Listen to me,  its of no use thinking about the things we do not know! Stop thinking about him “ Payal commanded and pulled her on the bed.

“Listen to this! Buwaji was talking to babuji giving him ultimatum about you and Sham ji!” Payal dropped the bombshell.

“Why Jiji? Why is she after me? I can’t think of marriage! How many times do I have to tell her?” Khushi asked in anguish sitting up. 

“Don’t know, Khushi! But you need to be prepared. Start thinking about it, Khushi!” Payal pulled her back.  Khushi lost her sleep.

“I think, I will have to do something..!” she said resolutely drawing blanket over her head.

**********   **********   ********

“No!” Khushi sat up in the bed with a start.   Payal was still sleepy. 

“Jiji, I must go to the office!” Khushi shook Payal.  “Khushi… its five in the morning! You want to go now?” Payal asked irritably.  Khushi slept back again.

“But I will go!” she said resolutely.  “It’s Sunday, Khushi!” Payal pointed out.

“Yeah! But I have to! Regi Sir had gifted me something and I left it on his table, that day …! Hope he didn’t throw it away!” she swallowed the words “in a fit of rage!”

“Why did you do such things, Khushi? Why did you leave it on his table?” Payal sat up.  She had lost her sleep now.

“Umm… I … I  was yelling at him..!” she confessed.  “Khushi…!” Payal slumped back on the bed.

“I have to find it before he throws it away!” Khushi was determined.  “He must have, by now!” Payal muttered.  Khushi winced.  “Hey Devi Mayya! Give him some good sense! Please!” she prayed hard.

********   *********   ******

Khushi was frantically searching the gift in his cabin.  It was Sunday and the office was empty.  Only the security persons and some in Accounts department  were working.  She looked around everywhere.  It was not there.  She frowned.  “Hope, he didn’t throw it!” She joined hands praying Devi Mayya.  She went behind his table.  And pushed the glass door.  He had a small private room behind his cabin.  She stepped in.  It was a small neatly arranged room with same mono gray combination.  A small table had two chairs with a desktop system, A book shelf, wash basin, refrigerator, a fitting bed with plain while sheet on it, a writing pad and a locked small cupboard.  She looked into the bookshelf.  It was a small book like gift, she remembered.  She tried to open the cupboard.  It was locked.  She banged on it frustrated.

“What the hell are you doing in here!” she was so engrossed in the search operation that she failed to sense the foreboding trouble.  She froze.  Then slowly straightened herself up and faced him.

“Can’t you see? I am searching!” she said continuing her search.

“What? Here?” he looked astonished.

“Yes!” she was determined.

“And may I ask you, what?” he asked her with mock politeness.

“Yes, you may!” she said with equally mock authority and continued… “I am searching the gift, Regi Sir gave me!” She looked at him.  He stared at her. 

He remembered Khushi while yelling at him, had banged the gift on his table and later on he had picked it up and curiously had opened the wrapper.  It was a duel photo frame with Khushi’s close ups from the foundation day party! One smiling happily with all her glittery ornaments and her white churidar and the other one when she was drinking bowl of poison in anguish!  Both the close ups had stabbed his heart!! He couldn’t take his eyes off.  He didn’t know which one stabbed him more.  He couldn’t help holding it to his heart!

He couldn’t resist and had hidden it in his cupboard.  Now she was in his private room claiming it! He wouldn’t give!

“I threw it away!” he declared and she blew her head off!!

“Threw it? .. I knew it! You would do the same…!” he came on to him like a wild cat.  He stood his ground.  She clenched her fists… ! 

“You threw it..! Yeah… right… you can do only that..!” she said disdainfully walking past him and coming out in his cabin again.  He followed.

“Only person like you can throw away someone else’s gift!” she yelled freely as there was no one in the office.  He gaped at her furious avatar!  She was revisiting the same blaze!

“Yeah! It was of no use to you! So threw it! Isn’t it? Throw away things which are of no use! Use people and throw them away! Isn’t it?” she had changed the track in rage.  ASR looked shocked for a moment and then coming on to her said “Yes! I throw away unwanted things and unwanted people, Understand?” he said in a deadly voice giving her shivers of fright.

“So you threw Regi Sir away,, after using him..she concluded!” looking at him with hatred.  Tears of fury welled up in her eyes.

“You can do that Sir, use and throw!” she said trembling in rage.  He turned and went inside.  She stood there furiously not knowing how to take out her anger on him.  She felt like hitting him with whatever she could lay her hands on!  He came back with the frame and thrusting it in her hand said.  “this is it! Your gift given by Regi! Take it and go away!” he turned his back on her.  She gaped at the gift and looked up at his back, his muscles flexing, he was clenching his fists.  She had seen him like that at the airport, trying to control his emotions…!

“Why?” she asked in anguish.  “Because I had to!” came a painful answer.  She took a step ahead and he turned.

“Go, Khushi Kumari Gupta, before I lose my temper!” he clenched his fists gritting his teeth.  Khushi turned her back and descended the stairs thinking resolutely.  “I will find out the reason… of your anguish, Arnav ji!”