Part 7 It's not a lie

"Whaaaat? Are you sitting on HIS bench?" Ratna almost shouted. She could not believe her son gave space to Khushi on his bench.

"Yes, Aunty. At first, he didn't give me space but I'm Khushi after all..." She laughed.

Ratna looked at her gulping down.

"Let's go Aunty"

"Don't you really want the notes?"

"I want it but I want him to give it to me. You know, one day, I snatched his bag and ran away"

Ratna was horrified.

"What did he do?"

"Nothing"

"Nothing...?" She frowned.

"Yes, aunty."

"Didn't he chase you?"

"Nope... but he reached my house before I reached. I thought my cheek would ripe with hard slaps but he gently left the place taking his bag"

Ratna's surprise had no limits.

"That was when I got to know he is a nice guy. That was why I got the courage to address him as my boyfriend... I'm really sorry about it, Aunty. Without knowing you are his mother, I talked too much"

"Because of those talks, you are here and we became friends"

"NK said Arnav's mother is a nice woman. Really you are...!" She smiled.

Khushi entered the small room. It seemed like a storeroom. Her eyes widened seeing a piece of extra large-sized iron chain there. Khushi went to it and tried to lift it.

"Mmmmm... My god... How heavy it is!"

She looked at Ratna.

"What's this chain for Aunty? It seems at least five to six persons need to lift it"

"Uncle brought it from somewhere just to show me the heavy chain. I too was surprised to see that" she plastered a smile.

They came to the living room.

"Doesn't your house have a pooja room?"

All of them were struck. Arvind took the lead, managing himself.

"I don't believe in God," he said.

Khushi raised her brows.

"You too Aunty?"

"I do... I go to temple for every FULLMOON day and stay there for the whole night,"

"Alone?"

"No, uncle will be there with me"

"But he doesn't trust god"

"I don't trust God but Ratna does. For her, I go to the temple with her"

"If you could go to the temple and stay with her for the whole night there, you could allow her to do pooja at home..."

"He allowed... It's me who doesn't want to do something he doesn't like" Ratna said.

"Wow... I have never seen such a couple in my life that are not forcing their partner for anything and cooperating. If every couple is like you, no problem will hit the family" Khushi said smiling.

She looked at Arnav who was looking somewhere.

"Mr. Chotte, do you trust in God? Won't you go to the temple with your parents on full moon day?" She asked.

Arnav looked at her and then averted his gaze not answering.

"If you have faith in God, pray to give you a nice wife like your mother" She chuckled.

Arnav threw a penetrating look at her, whereas Arvind and Ratna spared a glance.

"Ratna, let's have lunch" Arvind diverted the topic.

"Yeah, I too am hungry," Khushi said.

Ratna went to the kitchen. Arnav followed her to bring dishes to the table that wondered Khushi.

"I think Arnav would do things that no one else wants to do...! See, how cleverly he is helping you...!" Khushi countered.

Arnav went to the kitchen again to bring water.

"He helps me if he is at home" Ratna smiled.

"That's what I say. Usually, boys won't do house chores"

"Let's have lunch beta" Arvind said.

Khushi nodded ok. Ratna served her food. It was a mixture of Tamilian and north Indian food. Khushi relished the food to the fullest.

"You cook so tasty aunty," she said the truth.

"Thanks..."

"I want to learn cooking..."

"It's not a big deal..."

"Mmm..."

They finished eating. Arnav again helped Ratna to take the dishes back to the kitchen. After cleaning the dining table, Ratna brought them dessert and served it to them. She too sat with them.

"You know Aunty, I always eat alone. This is the first time I had lunch with a family" Khushi said tasting the sweet.

"Why? Won't you eat with your mother?" Ratna asked.

"I don't have mother... I lost her when I was a kid"

Arnav's hand stopped hearing that.

"I'm sorry beta..."

"Don't feel bad Aunty. I don't even know what she looks like..." She said with a painful smile.

Ratna felt bad for her. She thought to change the topic.

"Why did you join in the Beryl College in the second year? Where did you study the first year?"

"I studied at Madras Christian College. After my mother's demise, my grandmother raised me. She was everything to me. Without her, there was no happiness in my life."

They sensed her tone changing. At the same time, they didn't understand why Khushi was talking about her grandmother which was unrelated to the question Ratna asked.

"Seven months ago, my grandmother died"

"How...?"

"Heart attack... it was her first attack. She was feeding me lunch, and talking about my childhood memories. Suddenly, she stopped talking. I felt no movement in her. I got up from her lap and tapped her shoulder. She slid on the ground lifelessly. She died in front of my eyes. I could not understand anything for a while. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to cry my heart out but I could not as I felt a hard substance was blocking my throat. I could not believe my grandmother was no more. I felt like the sky got down on my head, the earth slipped from under my feet..." tears overflowed from Khushi's eyes uncontrolled. She was completely lost when she spoke about her grandmother.

Ratna touched her hand with concern, looking at her bewildered. Khushi wiped her cheek and tried to make up herself.

"I went under depression to the extent that I needed counseling to come out of the grief. That's why I could not concentrate on my studies. I passed in the first year with border marks. My father got transferred to Ooty last month. He didn't want to leave me in Chennai alone. He knew I would be thinking of my Dhadi all the time and would spoil my health. So, he got my admission to Beryl College."

Arnav was gazing at her not taking his eyes off. He felt bad for her. He thought Khushi was a carefree girl. He didn't expect there was an unknown side to her.

"Death is the worst feature of life... that too, sudden death...! It not only kills the particular person but everyone related to her/him" Khushi smiled at Ratna who was looking at her miserably.

"I'm alright Aunty. I attended many sessions and understood the reality"

"But, you cried while talking about your granny..."

"Can't help... I too am a human... I too have emotions. She was everything to me. After her, I became alone...! To forget my granny, I do something stupid often... just like, chasing Arnav for his notes" She smiled.

Ratna felt bad.

"Don't you have relatives?"

"They may be in North India. As my father was roaming around India getting back-to-back transfers, all the relatives got disconnected from us. If he doesn't even have time to spend with his daughter then how would he maintain a relationship with other relatives? I don't even know who my relatives are. I have no one except my father who is a busy man" She smiled painfully.

"If you want a change, you can come here..." Ratna said.

Khushi nodded ok, smilingly, looking at Arnav who looked somewhere else.

"May I ask you something?"

"Tell me, beta"

"Do you know my Dhadi?" Khushi asked which made them confused.

Ratna looked at Arvind with confusion.

"Her name is Uthra Gupta" She took her phone and showed them her Granny's photo.

"She is my granny"

Arvind and Ratna looked at the photo and nodded frowning.

"We had not seen her beta"

"Oh... we are North Indians. I thought you may know her" Khushi smiled.

They nodded no. Khushi sighed. She thought the name ARNAV in her grandmother's prayer might be related to CBM. That was why she came to meet Arnav's parents with the excuse of getting their forgiveness. As they didn't know her grandmother, he should be some other Arnav. She concluded.

"Ok, Aunty, I'm leaving"

"It's just 4 o'clock. You can be here a little more time"

"That's ok, Aunty. I will come another day... no matter who doesn't like me" she said looking at Arnav smilingly who looked at her directly for the first time and wondered Khushi.

"I will come drop her," Arvind said, standing up.

Ratna nodded ok. Khushi went with Arvind. Ratna sends her off. Arnav stood a little aloof and watched Khushi through a window. Ratna noticed it. She felt bad for her son. She prayed to God for his betterment.

Ratna understood Arnav liked Khushi. Though he didn't show it in the open and pretended to avoid her, it was not true. She knew that.

Arvind came home after two and half hours, after dropping Khushi in the SP bungalow. Arnav and Ratna were watching a blockbuster Tamil movie on the TV. Arvind also sat with them.

"Did the fight scene finish?" he asked.

"Not yet," Ratna said, not taking her eyes from the TV screen.

It was a break.

"Shall I bring you tea?" Ratna asked.

Arvind nodded yes. She went to the kitchen to bring tea. Preparing ginger tea, Ratna came and gave it to them.

"Did you drop Khushi at SP bungalow?" she asked sipping the tea.

"Yeah..."

"Did she say anything?"

"She said you are a nice woman like CHOTTE"

Ratna raised her brows whereas Arnav looked at him and then again looked at the TV.

"Did she tell that you too?" She asked observing Arnav from the corner of her eyes.

"Haan... did she say that to you too?"

"She did but I can't believe it. I think she is building up a story to impress us..."

"Why? What did she say?"

"She said, one day she snatched Chotte's bag and ran away..."

Arvind lifted his brows. He didn't know whether Ratna was telling the truth or not.

"And, she added one more thing that Chotte said nothing to her for doing that. Does it sound believable?"

They saw Arnav suffocating.

"She is a nice girl but, lies a lot..." Ratna said.

"It was not a lie," Arnav said in a low tone.

Arvind and Ratna looked at him.

"She is SP's daughter... that's why I didn't do anything to her," he said.

Arvind and Ratna gazed at him and could not believe it because they knew it could not be the reason...!

To be continued...