To Love or Not To Love

Chapter 36

Aman groaned. It was 2.30 am and he had just got off the call with ASR. He groaned again. He was now to fly to Lucknow the next day and he had no idea why. For that matter, he didn't know why Arnav was in Lucknow. But he did know that Khushi was there too. And the prospect that he would get to meet her wrung a smile from his face. She was cute, he agreed. A breath of fresh air in the world of fashion, where most people he worked with were overly competitive and fake. She also had unique ideas and was willing to experiment. What's more, she was the only one who had managed to get under ASR's skin. That wrung a chuckle from him.

He still remembered her reaction to ASR, when he had questioned her at Sheesh Mahal. Only Khushi could have spoken to him the way she did and gotten away with it. He was surprised about the fact that Khushi was now living in Lavanya's apartment. He knew what Lavanya was for ASR. But then he also knew that ASR never mixed business and pleasure. The fact that Khushi was working at AR meant she was only an employee. Aman didn't try to overthink things. ASR always had his reasons for doing whatever he did, and most of the time they didn't make sense to anyone other than ASR himself. The fact that Khushi was staying in Lavanya's penthouse meant ASR had decided to take a break from meaningless relationships, or so he hoped.

Sighing he got up to pack. It would be brutal of him to wake up their travel agent for tickets to Lucknow at this ungodly hour. He would do that at 6 am. In the meanwhile, he would pack.

*****

It was Khushi's third day in Lucknow when Shashi and Garima announced they would hold Payal's engagement ceremony before Khushi went back to New Delhi. The Panditji had told them that the Muhurat was good. And the boy's side had told them to keep the ceremony simple.

Preparations for it were in full swing. The caterers, florists, printers, all were making their way in and out of the house. Khushi, with the help of her neighbors, was busy rearranging the furniture in the living room to accommodate all the guests who had been invited to the ceremony.

Khushi had spent the last two days speaking to Payal about what she wanted to do in life. Payal had told her that she really liked the groom. Payal's new groom was Akash, an upper-middle-class boy who worked for a big multinational firm. He was soon going to get promoted and the news was in the offing that his promotion would take him to the United States of America. Payal did not have an issue with it. Life had been tough after her marriage was called off. Despite the fact that the family was bravely rallying around, snide remarks from all and sundry continued. It was becoming unbearable for Payal to continue living in their neighborhood. Moving away would be a welcome break.

Khushi also met Akash Mishra, Payal's fiancee. She openly questioned him about his values. Akash convinced her that the value of a life partner in life was more than that of a checkbook. He told her that he himself had three sisters and knew the pain families went through when the groom's side made unreasonable demands for dowry. He was against the practice and did not want any.

Khushi also questioned him about Payal's broken marriage and why he wanted to go ahead with the alliance. Akash's reply was simple. He said individuals should not be blamed for societal failures. What happened with Payal was not her fault. It wasn't Payal's nature or actions that led to the marriage being called off, it was rather the evil system of dowry, for which the girl should neither be blamed nor punished. He said he was aware of the pressure middle-class parents faced when it was time to get their daughter's married and it was not fair to demand more of them when they are already giving their most precious thing, their daughter, away.

He said girls and women are the foundation of a successful family, successful life and successful society. They are the roots of whatever grows above and bears fruit. People often see the success of a man, but fail to acknowledge the undying support and devotion a woman puts in, taking care of the family, house, and children, that allows the man to concentrate on his work and succeed. Just like a tree will die if its roots are not healthy, so also a family cannot function if the woman does not fulfill her role diligently and sincerely. It was unfair to liken something so precious and invaluable to mere coins that could easily be lost or stolen.

Khushi was touched by Akash's thoughts. Her jeejaji was one in a million and she was extremely happy Payal had found him. Assuring him of her support for their alliance, Khushi made her way back home.

****

On her way back, Khushi stopped at Devi Maiyya's temple. She needed someone to talk to, someone with whom she could share her joy. She also needed to thank Devi Maiyya. The last time she was here, circumstances were depressing. There was no silver lining. And she had prayed and asked Devi Maiyya to save her from the Raakshas. And hadn't Devi Maiyya done exactly that? What more, she had also made Khushi's dream of working at AR come true and now Payal had a really nice husband who would always support her and take care of her.

As she climbed the stairs, she remembered her silent plea. She thought of her unshed tears. She remembered her uncertainties and she thought of her parents. She joined her hands in front of Devi Maiyya's idol and thanked her profusely for protecting her and guiding her.

"Thank you", she told Devi Maiyya. "Thank you for protecting me and taking care of me. Thank you for staying by my side and watching out for me. Thank you for sending Akash Jeejaji into Payal Jiji's life. And thank you for sorting all problems Amma and Babuji were going through."

And just like she was talking to her long lost friend, Khushi stood there, telling Devi Maiyya all about her life in AR, her friendship with Aman, her fondness of Anjali and her confusion regarding Arnav. She didn't know she had been away for three hours until her phone rang and her mother inquired about her whereabouts asking her to come home fast, because there was so much work to be done.

Apologizing profusely to Devi Maiyya, Khushi sped her way down the stairs, not noticing someone had accidentally split oil on them. In her hurry, Khushi slipped, turned and closed her eyes awaiting the impact of her fall, only to feel a pair of strong arms blocking the inevitable. She opened her eyes to stare into the brown counterparts of a face she had come to recognize very well - Arnav Singh Raizada.