Part 9 Pretext

Fatima got stuck, seeing baby Khushi's teacher. Was she the one about whom baby Khushi talked? Fatima smiled at Khushi.

"Namaste..." She said.

"Namaste jee..." Khushi smiled.

"Khushi talks a lot about you," Fatima said.

Khushi looked at baby Khushi and asked,

"Is it?"

Baby Khushi nodded yes blushing.

"What do you talk about me?"

Before baby Khushi answered, Fatima, did.

"She says, I like Khushi's teacher very much, at least once a day... She was so happy when you fed her aloo puri"

Khushi smiled.

"To date, she didn't talk about anyone other than her father" Fatima intentionally said while observing Khushi's expression. As she expected, Khushi's facial expression changed for a second after hearing about baby Khushi's father.

"Please take care of Khushi... She loves you so much" Fatima added.

Khushi nodded ok.

"Fatima chachi, today is Khushi teacher's birthday," baby Khushi said.

"Really?"

"Yes... She gave us peanut candy prepared by her"

"Oh... That's nice... Didn't you gift her anything?" Fatima asked.

"No... Because I don't know today is her birthday..." Khushi said making a sad face.

"Have you forgotten, Khushi? You gave me this rose..." Khushi said pointing at the rose that was in her hair.

"Did you give it to your teacher?" Fatima asked, getting suspicion.

"Yes... Daddy said we can give a rose to convey our love"

"Oh... When did he say so?"

"Today morning"

"Oh..."

Khushi gulped down hard and Fatima didn't miss noticing it.

"Khushi is always talking about you. That's why Arnav should have wanted her to give it to you. Luckily, today is your birthday" Fatima said.

Khushi smiled awkwardly.

"I will bring you roses often," baby Khushi said.

Khushi touched her cheek lovingly.

"Can I get your phone number?" Fatima asked.

"My phone number? Buy why?"

"If at any cause of emergency..."

Khushi nodded ok and gave her number, writing it on paper.

"Thank you"

"You are welcome"

"Shall we go, Khushi?"

Baby Khushi nodded ok.

"Bye teacher"

"Bye..."

Khushi left with Fatima. Fatima saw a peon and stopped him.

"Where is Manju?"

"She is in the sports room"

Fatima came to the sports room and saw Manju writing something.

"Manju..." Fatima called her.

Fatima raised her head and a pleasant smile bloomed on her face, seeing Fatima.

"Fatima... How long has it been... Come"

Baby Khushi rushed to the ball and started playing with it.

"I wanted to tell you something very important," Fatima said.

"What?"

"I saw the girl..."

"Which girl?"

"The one Arnav wanted to marry..."

Manju was stunned.

"Where did you see her?"

"In our school..."

"Here? Is she a parent of our school student?"

"No... She is not a parent but a teacher"

"Teacher? Who?" Manju asked while thinking.

"Khushi..."

"Oh, yeah... I too heard about the new teacher..."

"Haven't you seen her yet?"

"No... our classrooms are in the opposite wings"

"Oh..."

"Are you sure of it, she is the one?"

"I'm damn sure... I saw her photo very recently too. It slipped from Arnav's hand when he kept it in the closet. His eyes were teary at that time."

"Oh..."

"I want her to know about Arnav"

"But why Fatima? It's over..."

"Maybe... But Arnav is still regretting... I don't think she knows about the situation that made him marry Sheetal"

"But, what would she do knowing that?"

"Arnav's mind would be peaceful"

"If he wants to be peaceful, he himself will tell her about it"

"It's different... He married Sheetal leaving the girl behind. I'm sure he would not have gotten a chance to apologize to her"

"How do you do that? Will you tell her about Arnav voluntarily?"

"I don't know how but I will do that. Arnav is like my son. I'm witnessing his struggle every day. I want to do something for him. I just want to give solace to his heart"

"His heart will never get a solace... He lost his solace a long ago..."

"Maybe... but we can do something for him to get rid of the guiltiness that was killing him"

"What do you want me to do?" Manju asked.

"It's your wish... You try in your way. And I will try in my way"

"Okay"

They saw Arnav rushing inside the school. Both of them glanced at each other.

"Arnav said he cannot pick up Khushi today but he came..." Fatima said thoughtfully.

Arnav rushed to Khushi's classroom. They looked at each other contently.

"I think he came to see her," Manju said.

"I too think the same. Let me check..." Fatima rushed to Khushi's classroom by the other way and stood, listening to their talks.

What they thought was right. Arnav came to Khushi's class. Khushi was securing her things in her bag. She got stuck, seeing Arnav.

"Khushi..." Arnav asked, pretending like searching for baby Khushi. That wondered Fatima as she confirmed to him that she would pick Khushi up that day.

"She left," Khushi said looking somewhere.

"Left? With whom?" He asked as if he didn't know about it, making Fatima lift her brows.

"Someone called Fatima picked her up," Khushi said.

"Are you sure?" Arnav asked.

"Khushi addressed her Fatima chachi"

"But, she didn't say anything to me..." Arnav said, frowning.

Fatima was sure that Arnav came to talk to Khushi as he was not ready to miss the chance of talking to Khushi.

Khushi stood and said nothing.

"When did they leave?" He intentionally extended the conversation.

"Ten minutes ago"

"Oh... ok..."

Taking her bag, Khushi waited for him to leave. Arnav turned around to go, but he stopped and looked at Khushi.

"Thank you for the peanut candies. It tasted so good and gave me a good feel... thank you"

"I made it for Kids," she said instantly.

"I know you made it for kids... luckily, I got the chance to taste it... at least..."

Both the ladies understood what the AT LEAST meant. Fatima felt bad for Arnav. What she was supposed to do for Arnav was worth doing she supposed. Arnav walked not waiting there as he said what he wanted to.

Khushi knew very well that he purposely came here to talk to her but why did he do that? Being someone's husband, didn't he know this was unnecessary? Khushi came out of the classroom with her bag and locked the door. She walked to the staff room as usual.

Fatima reached the sports room and sat in front of Manju.

"What happened?"

"What we think is right..."

Fatima told Manju what she heard.

"He knew I would pick up Khushi today but he asked her as if he didn't know about it... what does that mean?"

Manju nodded yes thoughtfully.

"I could sense hatred in her behavior" Fatima said feeling sad.

"Ok... I will try to let her know about Arnav's wedding"

"Ok. I'm leaving"

"I will call you if I get a chance to do anything"

"Ok, bye" Fatima left the sports room, taking Baby Khushi with her.

When they came home, Fatima asked Baby Khushi,

"Khushi beta, your teacher is a nice woman"

"Haan... didn't I say?" Khushi said proudly.

"Don't you want to gift her anything on her birthday?"

"How could I gift her if I don't know her birthday?"

"But, you got to know about her birthday now... you can gift her something now"

"Is it?"

"Yeah... you can gift her something as her birthday is still on"

"Shall I give her a cake?" Khushi asked excitedly.

"Good idea... but how could you give her?"

"I will ask Daddy to take me to her house... what say?"

"Wow... super idea"

"Shall I ask Daddy to buy a cake?"

"Daddy is a little busy... let's go. We will buy a cake first. Then ask Daddy to take you to your teacher's house. Ok?"

"Are you going to take me to the cake shop now?"

"Won't I do this for you?"

"You are so sweet, Chachi"

"Let's go"

Fatima took baby Khushi to the cake shop. She bought baby Khushi's favorite Black forest cake and came home. Fatima knew, after this, baby Khushi would take care of taking Arnav to Khushi's house.

In the meanwhile,

Arnav took the peanut candy box out and ate one from that. He didn't want to finish it right away. He just wanted to relish it little by little. He smiled while doing that. He was so satisfied as she wore the red rose given by him. At the same time, he felt bad thinking about their sweet memories. How happily they celebrated this day once upon a time...! Movie, restaurant, temple, gift, cake cutting, whatnot? He sighed as those days won't come again in their lives.

The last bell of the school rang. Khushi headed to the exit. At the same time, Arnav also came out of his room. Without giving him heed, Khushi walked crossing him. She stopped as someone called her name.

"Khushi madam..."

Khushi looked behind and found a teacher advancing her.

"Yes?"

"Have you had a formal meeting with our school principal?" she asked.

Khushi nodded yes.

"You know who is our principal. You just crossed him but you didn't wish for him. Don't you know it's a basic respect to wish the principal of the school? I can understand you would not have done that intentionally but not all the teachers and students will understand that. Please, be alert... Don't give others a chance to take advantage of your action"

"I'm sorry... I was in some other thought..." Khushi stammered as she knew what she did was not right. she should not have brought her personal problem to her profession.

"It's ok..."

Khushi was about to leave the place,

"By the way, I'm Manju" she introduced herself and left the place.

Khushi got stuck because she knew who Manju was.

To be continued...