Prescribed Insanity

Chapter 4: Sleepless Nights and Monday Morning Blues

2 A.M., Monday, Gupta House

"Khushi! KHUSHI! Wake up!" Payal said groggily as she shook Khushi by the shoulders.

"Mwaat Jiji. Let me sleep!" Khushi groaned.

"Khushi your phone has been ringing since fifteen minutes. It's Dilip. Please receive and tell him to shut the hell up. It's 2 A.M. and I have school tomorrow!"

"What? Why is Dilip calling at this hour?" Khushi frowned, picking up her phone and squinting at the screen. She called her assistant back and the phone was answered on the first ring.

"Didi?"

"What is this Dilip? Have you seen the time?"

"Didi please pull my number down from Google page of Khushi Dental Clinic. You know that 6-foot-tall khadoos who came to the clinic on Monday? Arnav Singh Raizada? He has been calling non-stop asking to be put through to you."

"What?" Khushi sat up straight on the bed, rubbing sleep away from her eyes. "Why?! Did you not tell him I am not accessible at such hours?"

"I did, I did. I kept whispering to him that it can't happen right now and my wife thought I am cheating on her with another woman, Didi. I told her 'sweetheart it's not a woman, it's a man'. She looked at me in horror and started crying more loudly. I love my wife Didi but she can really jump to conclusions fast."

Khushi shook her head in exasperation. "Go console your wife Dilip. Text him my number and tell him to call me back in the next twenty seconds because that is the longest I'm holding my sleep for his sake."

"Okay Didi. And please pull my number down from Google. My marriage is at stake."

"Okay Dilip now stop being dramatic and put the phone down."

Khushi sighed as she disconnected the call, and groaning out loud, buried her face into her large fluffy pillow. Literally what had she invited into her life.

****

2:05 A.M., Gupta House

Khushi's phone rang before you could count to five. She sat cross-legged in her pink pyjama-suit on the bed, with a sleepy frown etched on her face and received the call.

"Hello?" she answered irritably.

"Miss Gupta?" questioned a deep male voice from the other end of the line.

"Yes Mr. Raizada," she replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this inappropriate behaviour?"

"It was obviously urgent."

"Well I hope it was, considering it is 2 A.M. and you have almost broken a marriage to reach through to me."

"What? Whatever- I need to ask you something."

"I'm listening."

"My teeth-..."

"Yes?"

There was hesitation at the other end. Clearly he was having issues with voicing whatever it was that he was about to say.

"My teeth-..." he tried again.

"Yes Mr. Raizada you have teeth. I registered that. Most of us do."

"Can you let me finish?" he snapped back. "My teeth..." he began again, and then with an audible intake of breath, continued, "are paining."

Khushi smiled. Finally.