Part 24 Targeting Anu Baby
Khushi cried on Arnav's chest, remembering Anu.
"She promised me, she won't commit suicide. I can't believe she deceived me..." She chocked.
Arnav hugged her tight close to his chest.
"Did Anu really promise you?" Arnav asked restlessly.
Khushi nodded yes.
"Yes... She promised me"
"Unbelievable..." Arnav murmured.
"Haan Arnavji... Anu never broke her promise" Khushi said restlessly.
Arnav became thoughtful. He too knew Anu never broke any of her promises. In fact, she hesitated to promise if she was not sure whether she could keep the promise or not. She promised only if she was damn sure. That was why it was easy for Arnav to get the truth from her. if she promised, he would be relaxed. If she denied her promise to him, that hinted to him that it was certainly wrong. Khushi snuggled more onto his chest and Arnav kissed her forehead. They stayed like that for a while as Arnav thought Khushi needs it to get normal.
Anu, who pulled a CD from the CD stand, tried to bite it. As she could not bite it, she had a glance at her mother. She saw her mother leaning on her father's chest. That was enough to trigger her up. Putting the CD down, she crawled fast toward Khushi as if she had to save herself from the biggest danger that was chasing her. Coming to Khushi, she pulled her saree while making a sound.
"Eiiii...."
Khushi saw her and about to break the hug, Arnav intentionally hugged her tight, controlling his smile. As Khushi didn't respond to her, Anu tried to climb on Khushi, clutching her saree. Khushi gripped her saree as Anu was pulling it out.
"Arnavji she will remove my saree. Leave me..." Khushi said holding her saree.
"Let's see what she does," Arnav said.
"Arnavji what is this...?" Khushi tried to come out of his arms.
"See, how jealous she is...!" Arnav tightened her more.
"She will cry"
"Let's see whether she cries or finds a way"
As expected, Anu pulled Khushi's saree out completely. Anu sat on the ground with a thud, pulling Khushi's saree in her hand. She again stood up and pushed Arnav away from Khushi. But Arnav was not ready to give up. He closed his eyes smiling.
"Aaaiii... Va dha..." She tapped his thigh.
"See, how she calls me... Aaiii, va dha" Arnav chuckled.
"Arnavji enough... Don't make her aggressive"
"Aggressive? Damn..." Arnav chuckled again.
Khushi pushed him and lifted Anu in her arms.
"What baby?" Arnav tried to kiss Anu.
Anu pushed his face not letting him kiss her.
"Madam is angry with me" Arnav laughed.
"Bha... Va dha..." Anu complained about Arnav to Khushi, extending her tiny finger toward Arnav and.
"My God... She complained about me. Poor baby, she doesn't know that she is complaining to my crime partner herself" Arnav tickled Anu.
"Aaaiii..." She again pushed his hand.
"We will beat him, ok?" Said Khushi controlling her laughter.
"Come on... Come on... Beat me" Arnav pulled Anu from Khushi, clutching both her hands.
Anu whined. Khushi again pulled Anu.
"Arnavji don't irritate her... Then, she will get angry with you"
"Yeah... This BIG WOMAN's anger will burn me alive..." He kissed Anu's cheek forcefully.
"This is not done Arnavji..."
"She is not allowing me to be with my wife damn it. No one can control me in this matter... Mind it"
"Instead of annoying her, try to get close to her..." Khushi said.
"She doesn't want me to be closer to you but she herself will come to me if I don't look at her... Such a dominant she is..."
"Like father like daughter..." Khushi said.
"Neat your saree first... if anyone comes here, they will think it's me who is the reason for your disarray and will look at me like I'm a murderer."
Khushi chuckled and stood putting Anu on the bed. But Anu circled Khushi's legs with hers not wanting to leave her.
"See, she is looking like a money toy that hangs on the curtains" Arnav laughed.
Khushi dropped her jaw and hit his shoulder. She pulled Anu up.
"Anu baby, let me dress up... see, what you have done," Khushi said, looking at herself.
She turned towards Arnav.
"Arnavji, you go to the recliner"
"Okkaayyy... Mother and daughter will make me mad..."
"Mad and you? You are making my daughter restless... see, how she is looking at you"
"Such a rowdy she is..."
Arnav lifted Anu. Making her sit on his shoulder, he ran, clutching both her hands. Anu started giggling as she liked it. Taking the gap, Khushi neatened her saree. Sitting on the bed, she saw them laughing together. These two were insane... really...
Arnav came to Khushi. In no time, Anu hopped to Khushi. Arnav lay on the bed, hanging his legs down. Khushi put Anu on the bed. In no time, she got off the bed and took something in her hand from under the bed.
Arnav noticed her crawling under the bed. He saw her putting something in her mouth. Anu coughed and Arnav rushed to her. Clutching her mouth, he made her open her mouth and saw what was. It was a cap of Anu's *drops* medicine bottle. Khushi kept it on the side table, after changing the filler with the medicine bottle. Anu coughed because she could not manage the cap in her small mouth. Arnav became serious.
"Khushi, see, she is putting everything in her mouth. We should be careful Khushi... this is not a simple thing. She could not be controlled... she would like to be free. Keep an eye on her all the time. You have nothing to do more than look after her"
Khushi lifted her in her arms sighing.
"What are you doing, Anu? You should not put anything in your mouth... it will chock... see, Papa is shouting at me..."
"Bha..." Anu touched Khushi's cheek.
"Don't call me bha... call me, Mumma... Mummmaaa..."
"She would have called you with a nice name if you too use something like WHAT THE in between your talks..." Arnav laughed.
That was when someone knocked on the door. Khushi went to open the door with Anu. She smiled seeing Manorama. Seeing her, Anu hoped to Manorama.
"Did you forget us Anu baby?" Manorama asked.
Anu started pulling Manorama's chain and put its pendent in her mouth.
"She is putting everything in her mouth aunty," Khushi said while walking with her.
"yeah... she started teething... it will give her an itching sensation. So, she will like to bite something... we must be careful" Manorama said.
"She became naughtier these days, aunty. She is not at all staying with me but roams here and there. That's why I keep the door closed."
"She was already naughty even before she started crawling... in a few days, she will start walking too... what will you do then?"
"Don't ask me about it, aunty... I don't know how I'm going to handle her" Khushi sighed.
Radhika and Kiran spared a glance upon hearing that. Something started cooking in their minds.
Kiran pulled Radhika aside.
"Amma, I got an idea..."
"I too got an idea"
"If Anu put something in her mouth and she got choked, it will definitely make Arnav angry at Khushi," Kiran said.
"And Khushi's angry will definitely raise on Arnav..."
"That's what I'm also thinking..."
Radhika nodded yes.
"If this plan worked, we can remove two of our enemies from our life..."
"Two enemies?" Kiran asked.
"Khushi and Anu... if Anu dies..." Radhika said.
"Then my path will clear," Kiran said.
"We should not hurry... we should do it at the right time"
"Done..."
They saw Anu coming out of the room crawling. They looked at each other. Anu came to the tea-poi and stood up, holding it. she took the toy that was on the tea poi. She sat on the floor, took it, and tapped it.
Taking a ONE-rupee coin from her purse, Radhika went to Anu and kept it on Anu's thigh, after showing it to Anu.
Anu saw the coin and then Radhika who rushed out of the place hurriedly. Hiding in her room, she watched Anu. When Anu tried to take the coin, it slipped from her thigh and rolled toward Arnav's room. Anu crawled behind the coin to catch it. Radhika and Kiran were tensed. They were not sure whether Anu would catch the coin or not. They peeped from their room. The coin banged on the wall and fell on the floor. Anu tried to take it. As it was flat, she could not take it easily. Sitting beside the coin, she tried to take it.
Kiran and Radhika were under pressure. They saw Khushi coming out of Manorama's room searching for Anu. Khushi saw her sitting close to the wall and doing something bending down.
"Anu... what are you doing there?" Khushi came towards her.
Radhika and Kiran pulled their heads inside the room whereas Anu looked at Khushi and again concentrated on the coin. This time, she took it in her hand. In no time, she put it in her mouth. Before Khushi lifted her from the ground, Anu entered Arnav's room crawling fast. Khushi rushed behind her. Arnav gestured to her that he will take care of her. Khushi nodded ok and went back to Manorama's room whereas Radhika and Kiran huffed in relief.
To be continued...