What If? - IPKKND | slow updates

One, Khushi

3 August 2005
Laxmi Nagar

Khushi absentmindedly stirred the batter of her prized jalebis in her Buaji's kitchen and chewed her lower lip. Except for her husband, she indeed had a lot to worry about, the contract's existence now pushed to the back of her head.

She was wondering how they ended up here. Before her father's accident, they had been content. Money was enough for everyone's comfort. And now, owing to the increasing expensive of her father's treatment, they no longer had any savings that they had before.

However painful the saying, but it indeed was right. Money matters, especially in this day and age where everything had a value to it.

Even in relationships. She recalled a faint voice of her so called husband. A shudder passed through her and for once it wasn't positive. In the events of the past few days, only her misery had increased, blanketing any feeling she had for her husband. Khushi could no longer just be happy thinking about him, or even think of tolerating his actions.

She was tired.

And she needed a change. 

How is this going to work? She mused. Stroking her fingers through her hair, she pursed her lips. The jalebis made a splattering noise as they fried in the oil and with expert direction she took them out to put in the sugar syrup.

"What happened Titilya?" Buaji enquired, keeping a soft hand on a dazed Khushi's shoulder. Khushi sighed and turned to look at her aunt with tears in her eyes.

"Nothing. I am getting a call, why don't you sit, I will make some tea for you in the time being."

"Titilya, I'll make the tea, you go talk."

Khushi nodded as she went outside. Buaji was worried, what the coming days would hold for them.

"Buaji, the rent."

"I am so worried. I don't know how we are going to manage?" Buaji said worried, slapping her hand on her forehead.

Khushi looked at her aunt and shook her head gently. She took the tea cup from her.

"Buaji, the rent has been arranged!"

The loud Hai Re Nandakishore that her Buaji exclaimed scared Khushi, making her spill some tea. She giggled despite the mood in the house and scorned at her aunt's expression.

"Where did you get the money from?" Buaji asked hurriedly. She looked at Khushi suspiciously and added, "did you ask Arnav for money?"

Khushi shook her head and sighed, "You remember we had lent Preeto some money three years ago, when we were in Lucknow?" She didn't wait for her aunt's reply and added, "she paid her due today."

Buaji's smile was charming and Khushi felt happy.

"She has transferred it to my account, so I'll just go and give it to Shukla Ji."

Her aunt nodded and Khushi picked up her bearings and left. She left jittery as she hailed a rickshaw for her landlord's house. Not able to pin point to the reason, she shoved the thought in the back of her head and concentrated on the good things in her life.

Preeto had borrowed a handsome amount, for sending her brother to college in Mumbai. She couldn't help but thank her constantly for the timing of returning the half of the four lakhs loan today.

Now that she thinks of it, things were much better three years ago. Her father was healthy, the business had been blooming, she was in Lucknow and was enjoying the last year of her college. She yearned for those days rather too much. She had felt so free.

But well, with some money in their pocket now, the Guptas could finally breathe a little. She couldn't wait to tell her sister and her Amma about it. She was sure they were going to have a puri aloo dinner tonight.

The walk to her landlord's house in the narrow gully made Khushi reminisce of all the old times, when she felt way more independent than she was now. She was stuck in a loveless excuse of a marriage where her husband most often than not, refused to trust her. The premise of their marriage had been blackmail and she had only found out a few days ago it was the assumed affair with her husband brother-in-law that had been her undoing. Though he had billions in his pocket, she could no longer find the happiness she used to when she haggled for a fifty rupees gol gappa.

Khushi took her sweet time to walk the half way that the rickshaw had dropped her at. The air seemed stuffy around her but she felt liberated as she thought of her days in Lucknow. And the tug in her heart when she thought of her husband's mistrust was something she could not even put in words. She remembered crying for her innocence as he walked on, taking his flight to a place she had only dreamed of going to.

A lot had changed since then. Her husband had been kidnapped, he had said i love you to her, she had freed him from the clutches of the goons, they had tried but failed miserably to let Arnav's sister know of her own husband's treachery. Things had been salty since then. She had seen the look Anjali gave her when she thought that Khushi wasn't looking.

There was a mix of jealousy and insecurity. And all Khushi could decipher was, Anjali thought, how could the two men in Anjali's life fall for a simpleton like Khushi.

She had had her share of male attention in college. Khushi knew even with staying in her own world, how others were attracted to her. In the twenty five years of her life, she had put being in a relationship to the back of her mind. But for one she knew, no relationship could survive without trust. And that is the one thing that lacked in her marriage.

Contract marriage, she reminded herself.

A dry laugh escaped her lips, she let herself inside her landlord's house in Pitampura. She shrugged a jittery feeling inside of her. The meeting had been brief.

Khushi was sure that Shuklaji had been surprised for two reasons.

One, seeing not only the due rent but the advance for the next six months being shoved to him in cash.

Two, the lack of interaction on her part.

She had been miffed- wrongly sure- with the portly forty year old for receiving the cheque from her six months husband. And well, she had other things to worry about.

Despite of what Arnav had always assumed of her, she had been smart enough to get the receipt of the advance and a surety that the landlord would not pester them or throw them out on his own accord. She felt exhilarated with her decisions. Like she had become independent again.

It all resolved down to money, she thought with a bitter heart, but she knew, what she had to do next. And for that she had to let her husband, for the next twelve days, know.

- 31.07.2020

I am trying to establish her character a little bit before I go ahead. Khushi had resolved to stay away from the Raizadas and came back to Laxmi Nagar lying to them. My story starts from there. I tried to keep it as simple as I could.