Opposite Poles..106

Part 106

“Hello Jiji... I will be little late.  Please request Sham ji to wait..I have some urgent work!” She shouted over the Phone and disconnected.

“I have to talk to her.  How can she do this to me?” Khushi muttered angrily and turned her scooter. 

It was afternoon and she was in the Mandir alone.  The veil was drawn for devi mayya to have some rest.  

“Sleeping..? How could you do this? I am so confused and you are sleeping after a nice lunch?” Khushi slid the veil slightly and looked at her Devi Mayya.

“Are you awake? I have to talk to you! I don’t have time to rest like you!” she said little loudly.  

“Beti.. go inside! Don’t shout here!” Panditji was about to leave for his lunch.  Khushi joined her hands gratefully and put her foot inside the sanctum.  

“No wonder, you are having a nice nap, Devi Mayya! This is so peaceful..! Calm and Quiet...!” She sat there looking at her Devi Mayya. 

“I don’t want to disturb you, Devi Mayya, but its urgent..!” She whispered feeling bad for her Devi Mayya.

“You know.. I have nobody to talk to.  Babuji.. you know his condition..! Jiji.. no use! She will cry for half an hour then scold me for another hour..! I don’t want to trouble Amma.. She will scold me only..! And Buwaji? No..Way! So you are the only one..!” She joined her hands apologetically.

“Devi Mayya,  this Laad Governer.. No! Before that.. this Sham ji has not paid the bills.  I found out..! But why didn’t he tell that he had not paid the bills? He was trying to take the credit..! I know! I won’t spare him for this...! 

“Now the next one is, this Laad Governor paid the bills... that too from his personal account..! Why Devi Mayya? Why?” She asked the question and sat there wondering!

“And then, look at my deductions, Devi Mayya... I got only five thousand..!” She spoke after a while.

“Yeh  Kaisaa  Adami  Banaa Diya  Hain  Devi Mayya Aap Nay? He is a mystery...! Why can’t he be straightforward like me? And why he wanted no one to know about the payment?” she asked looking up at Devi Mayya.

“Still Sleeping? Putting me in trouble! Now tell me what should I do?” Khushi asked angrily.

“One is this, Sham ji! Taking credit for what he has not done..! And the other one, doesn’t want anyone to know his nicer side!”  She put her head down on her knees and lost in her thoughts. 

Bright light came in and she woke up with a start.  She too went into afternoon sleep with her Devi Mayya.  She got up jerkily and looked up.  Panditji was standing before her.

“S..Sorry!” she said and came out after joining hands to her Devi Mayya.

But she knew what to do.

“Sham ji... I will find out.. your motive! I will find out what are you upto!” she said with determination. 

 “I am eagerly waiting for the evening! Mission One!” she said loudly.

“And You, ASR! I know what to do with you..! Mission Two!” she said smiling broadly.  

***********   ***********  **********

“What? Khushi collected the cheque?” he was angry.  Aman tried to hide his smile.  Everything worked against ASR.  His meeting didn’t go well.  The clients bargained heavily and he had to drop the deed.  His car had a flat tyre while returning.  He had to call the driver.  Khushi collected the cheque and went away without meeting him.  He clenched his fists in frustration.

“Cancel all my meetings for the day, Aman!” he barked and Aman nodded.  “And order something for me!” he said. He had not had his food. His phone rang and he picked up

“Yes Lavanya!” he said.

“ASR, I am not coming to the office.  We will meet for dinner..! Woh   Actually, Khushi is here..! ” she said and his anger went over the board.

“Have you lost it, Lavanya? “ he yelled in rage.

“ASR, actually Nani wants me to be in kitchen and I can’t work without Khushi.. you know naa, ASR? She said apologetically.  

“Yeh  Ladaki  Muzay  Pagal  Kar  Degi..! This girl is driving me crazy.. I have to stop all this.  I have to bust her plans ...!” he picked up his car keys.

**********   **********

“Aray, Khushi, come here!” Nani ji called her and Khushi dashed to her room. 

“Khushi, Bitiya...Give this to Anjali..!” she said and Khushi picked up the box.

“Anjali ji?” She knocked on the door and Sham froze.  

“Aray,  Khushi, Come in!” Anjali got up from the bed.  Khushi walked in and Sham dashed to the bathroom.

“Nani ji has given you this!” she kept the box on the side table and looked around. 

“Aray Khushi, baitho Naa! “ Anjali thumped her hand on the bed.  Khushi sat on the edge. 

“Anjali ji, Buwaji knows lot of herbal medicines... I mean.. I will get something for your leg..!” she said looking at her braces.  

Anjali smiled faintly.  “Khushi, I have tried everything..!” she said sadly and Khushi nodded. 

“Actually .. I am fed up of treatment now.  Sham ji says, I should not give up.. but I know, its of no use!” she said defeated.  Khushi held her hand.

“Don’t say like that, Anjali ji! You will be alright.  I will ask Buwaji.  We will try this also..!” she said brightly and Anjali smiled.  The heard flushing from the bathroom and Khushi got up with a jerk.

“Actually, he had a minor accident and has a wound on his forehead.  So we gave him compulsory rest!” Anjali said looking at the bathroom.

“Your husband is here? So finally I will get to see him..!” Khushi said smiling.

“Yeah.. Finally that day has come!” Anjali grinned.

“Ok. Anjali ji, come down for tea with your husband..!” she said and went out of the room.  Anjali closed the door again.

Sham clenched his fists in frustration.  He had hit himself to divert the attention of Raizadas from his Chandighar trip, when he saw his Saale Saab’s car parked next to his in Laxmi Nagar..! 

Such smaller wounds meant nothing for him considering the bigger benefit he used to get by drawing sympathy of everyone in the house.  But this time it boomeranged on him.  Anjali had disclosed that he had a wound on forehead.  Khushi already knew Anjali’s husband’s name was sham.  

He won’t be able to meet Khushi unless his wound gets healed.  Khushi was smart enough to put two and two together.  She would suspect and would probe.  Sham couldn’t afford this.  He had to drop the idea of meeting Khushi in the evening.

“Shit!” he threw the soap cake in rage.  He couldn’t afford to go out of his room. He had to think something else to avoid meeting Khushi.

“I must stop her from coming to this house, at any cost!” His shateer Dimag frantically tried to find out a solution.

***********   *************

He saw the rustic scooter inside the gates and smirk appeared on his face. He barged into the house and saw Khushi mimicking someone and the Raizadas roaring in laughter.  No one noticed but Khushi that he had arrived.  Her special sniffing ability told her that he had come.  She dashed to the kitchen to bring tea for him.  He looked at his laughing family and went to his room with a grumpy face.

“When will he learn to smile? He is a slow learner..!” Khushi muttered angrily.  She prepared his tea and brought the tray out.  He was nowhere to be seen.

“Jao Khushi, Bula Lao!” Lavanya ordered and Khushi shuddered.  Her friend was sending her into the lion’s den.

“Jao Khushi bitiya..!” Nani approved Lavanya’s order and Khushi went up.

“Arnav ji?” she knocked on the door.  There was no response.  She opened the door and peeped in.  There was no one.  She walked through and came to pool side.  The evening poolside was marvelous. 

 

“Kitna Sundar Hai  Yeh?” She again felt lost in the pool.  She forgot why she was here and sat on the edge of the pool dunking her fingers in the water. She grinned at the distorted reflection by the waves she send by running her fingers in the water.

“Why am I drawn to this place?” she wondered.  She heard some noise and came back to her senses. 

“Hey Devi Mayya... Raksha Karana! Rakshas Aa Gaya!” she got up with a jerk and ran into the room only to collide with him head on.  He had come out of the bathroom after shower.  She banged her head on his bare chest and he held her shoulders to gain balance.  She closed her eyes.  The shower gel fragrance still lingering, the droplets fell on her face.  She shivered in his arms feeling weak.  He gazed at her head on his chest and for the first time felt weak and disarmed in her proximity.  He could see her ears growing red and she broke apart.  He gazed at her face.  She was blushing furiously trembling slightly.

“Woh.. Tea!” she could not look at his face.

“Ok!” he said and she ran out of the room.  She stood on the top of the stairs still trying to catch her breath. He came out wearing his T shirt, she still was standing there.

“Move!” he gently pushed her and she descended with full speed.  He followed.

“See.. She has brought him down, Hello hi bye bye..! but where is Daamadji?” asked Mamiji.

“Umm he is not feeling well.  He will take tea in his room!” Anjali said sheepishly.

“Hello hi bye bye! Yeh Daamad ji Aur yeh  Phati Sadi  are playing hide and seek or what? When she come, he vanishes and when he is around, she is not there?” Mami spoke and Khushi looked startled.  It was more than a coincidence.  This had happened several times.  She looked around in realization and their eyes met.

“Woh  Sham ji  was with me..!” he remembered Khushi blurting when he confronted her.  He looked at her face and sipped tea.

“Maami... its not like that.  It just happened..! I will call him down and introduce Khushi!” Anjali said irritably.

“No Anjali Bitiya, no need! Let him take rest.  Khushi will meet him later!” Nani said and Anjali nodded.

Sham had escaped narrowly.

"Stay for dinner with us!" Nani invited Khushi and Arnav looked up.

"ASR! remember? we have a dinner date!" Lavanya reminded him. 

"Yeah!" he said still looking at Khushi.  Her heart ached for no reason.

"No, Naniji, thank you! But I should go home...!" she said turning her face.

She didn't want to miss her date with Sham.  Mission One must progress and that was possible only with Sham...!