To Love or Not To Love

Chapter 13

"We are poor people, bitiya. Where would we go for so much money? But when Saab found out, he simply gave me the money and asked me to take care of my mother.

"Since then I have tried to return the money many times but Saab won't take it back. 'It wasn't a loan' he says. Use this money for your daughter's education.

"It was only because of Saab's generosity that all my girls are educated until high school. The youngest one wants to go to University."

Khushi stilled. Ashok had just told her that a fiber of kindness existed in the great and mighty ASR and yet as far as Khushi was concerned, that was nearly impossible. The true nature of the devil had no kindness in it.

The air-conditioned car made the New Delhi heat bearable. The New Delhi traffic was altogether a different issue.

She was almost cursing her situation of having to fly to New Delhi rather than being able to take the train. The journey, the weather, the traffic, and her life for the past few days were playing havoc in Khushi's brain and she was almost on the verge of a breakdown when Ashok announced that they had entered Lakshmi Nagar and that her buaji's house was only a couple of minutes away.

*****

Stopping outside CR 267, Lalita Park, Lakshmi Nagar, New Delhi, the idea of finally meeting her buaji considerably raised her spirits. While she was busy tidying her appearance, before stepping out of the car, Ashok got busy unloading all her luggage and carrying it to her aunt's doorstep. As he was carrying the last piece of luggage to the door, he casually remarked: "Bitiya, Saab must definitely have a soft corner for you. Otherwise, he has never allowed any of his Business Developers to ever visit their family while they were working for him."

ASR, the city, weather, and traffic had already tested Khushi's patience to its limit. The fact that Ashok, a driver, was aware of the demeaning agreement acted as the proverbial last straw and totally against her nature and temperament, Khushi snapped at him.

"Ashokji, I don't really care what your Saab allows or doesn't allow. I will do as I please when I please. If I want to visit my buaji, I will visit her." She paused to draw a deep breath in and added: "And I am no Business Developer. I have joined AR as a Trainee Designer," before making her way to the spot where her luggage was neatly stacked.

She didn't notice the slight smile of appreciation that Ashok Yadav gave her. His Saab had finally met his match. If anyone could walk into the lion's den and come out unharmed, it was Khushi bitiya. He would pray for her success.

*****

Standing at the door, waiting for it to open, Khushi could smell the onion pakoras being fried inside the house. Even as a child, her aunt used to make them especially for her. Her Baba liked them too. She touched the frame of the house she had spent time in with her parents before it opened and  Madhumati Agarwal, the eldest sibling of Shashi and Rishi Gupta took Khushi into a warm bear hug. "What's all this", she asked eyeing the luggage stacked up outside her door. "You know New Delhi is a bustling city with loads of shops selling anything and everything you need, right?"

Khushi laughed. Her Buaji had a quirky sense of humor. "I know Buaji", she replied. "But when you compare the quality of the products you get in Lucknow with that of what you get in New Delhi, you are definitely left wanting", she added winking.

Her Buaji smiled. Khushi was crazy. And she always managed to come up with equally crazy explanations for her crazy actions. However, otherwise, could you believe that the quality of Colgate toothpaste in Lucknow was better than that in New Delhi?

"Khushi I am so happy to see you", she crooned. "I wish you could stay with me here, but Shashi babua explained about company policy. Still, it was very generous of your boss to let you spend a week with me."

Khushi didn't think Arnav Singh Raizada had an iota of generosity. She clearly remembered her last conversation with him, before she left Lucknow. 

She had walked Mr. High and Mighty out on her mother's insistence and was just considering thanking him for his polite demeanor towards her family when he said: "Don't think I am Prince Charming who has rescued you and your family from the depths of despair.

"I am no knight in shining armor and this is no fairy tale. It's just pure business. See you in New Delhi, Miss Gupta."

And in the true ASR spirit, he sat in the back seat of his Black Mercedes and drove away, leaving a flabbergasted Khushi staring in the direction of the car, long after it was gone.

Her aunt's constant chatter brought her back to reality. She was in New Delhi now. And there was just a little more than a week between Khushi Kumari Gupta and the new mistress of Arnav Singh Raizada. 

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Vocabulary for readers who aren't familiar with Hindi words:

Saab - Sir

Memsaab - Madam

Bhaiyya - Brother (used commonly to address strange older men)

Shukriya - Thank you

Bua - Aunt

Bitiya - daughter (used commonly to address strange younger women)

Ji - A suffix attached to a person's title, relation or name to show respect

Babua - a way of fondly addressing a younger male child