Khushi
"Why are they coming?.. What do they want now?" Amma asked, placing her tea cup down on the table with a puzzled look on her face, and she turned to look at Bua Ji.
"They want to talk about Akash and Payal. About their wedding." She replied. Her lips were pressed thin.
My grip on the tea cup tightened as I tried to keep my breathing as normal as possible and listened to them.
"Tell them, we don't want to talk." Amma said as she shook her head slightly. "We.."
"Listen, Garima, let them come. Let's.." Bua Ji started as she also turned to face Amma.
"No. I... I won't let them take my daughter. I won't." Amma interrupted and looked at Jiji with slightly wide eyes. "Do.. do you... want to marry him?"
I also looked at Jiji, but before she could say something, Bua Ji stopped her with a hand.
"Let's not panic right now, Garima. All they said was they wanted to come, okay?" Bua Ji insisted.
"But.."
"..I told them to come in two days. Till then, we'll have the house cleaned and arrange necessary things." Bua Ji said this and turned to face her again with a look in her eyes.
Amma nodded after a few seconds and looked at Jiji for another few seconds before saying, "I... I'm going to my room." And left.
I placed my tea cup on the tray and started gathering the others as I stood up while saying, "Why don't you go to your rooms and rest? We'll discuss everything we need at dinner."
Jiji tried to help me, but Bua Ji told her that she also should rest, and both of them left.
I carried the tray to the kitchen and placed it on the countertop near the sink with shaky hands. He's coming. He... he's coming.
I gripped the edge of the counter, closed my eyes as tears started to pool, and breathed deeply. He's coming... He...
"Bitiya?" I opened my eyes as I heard Hari Kaka's voice coming from behind me. I sniffed as I dabbed the corners of my eyes before turning with a smile.
"Ji?"
"We are done for today. So, I wanted to walk you through the progress we made." He replied with a tired smile before slightly lifting the tray full of empty tea cups and placing it on the nearest countertop.
I nodded my head and gestured for him to lead the way.
We walked up to the second floor and went to the big living room that was on the front part of the house. They had stripped down all four doors in the hallway that led inside the room, just like I had asked them to. It looks a lot wider now. If we open all the windows on the right wall, then it will be beautiful here. Hari Kaka started to tell me about the other things they did, and all my thoughts about Raizada's coming in two days were washed away.
*
I have been working nonstop for two days now. And I feel like my legs will give out if I don't sit down right now. But I can't. Because I'm feeling very nervous and scared about them coming here. About him coming here... Whatever we had in Delhi, it ended there. It was never mea... Hai, Devi Maiya, please help me keep my mind on track.
I huffed out a breath and gave a final look around the living room in the ground before walking past the dining room into the kitchen, where Amma and Bua Ji were cooking with Jiji cutting and chopping on the kitchen table while Manoj, our new worker, did the dishes.
"I cleaned the whole house." I announced as I washed my hands and dried them on a towel before walking to the fridge and taking out a bottle of water and drinking directly from it before putting it back inside again.
"Really, Didi?" He asked with his eyes wide. I nodded with a proud smile on my face.
"The whole house?" Bua Ji asked with a shocked look on her face, but her eyebrows rose in a questioning look.
I made a face and stared at her for a moment before walking up to the left side of the kitchen and opening a top cabinet before taking out a big container and placing it on the countertop below.
"The presentable part." I answered as I opened the lid, took out a jalebi, and ate half of it in a single bite.
"What about the bedrooms and other necessary things like blankets and pillows?" She asked, but I didn't turn to look at her. Instead, I pushed the rest of the Jalebi into my mouth and took the container to the table of ten, where Jiji was cutting something.
"I have already arranged blankets and pillows in the rooms with all the necessary things." Jiji answered.
"And I cleaned all of them. One on this floor for Nani Ji, and four others on the second floor for the rest." I sat on a chair opposite Jiji and suddenly remembered something. So I excitedly added, "I found some things today."
And all the heads turned to me as I met their eyes with a smile so big on my face that I felt my cheeks hurting. But I couldn't stop because I was very excited to tell them about my discovery.
"I found a room right behind the kitchen." I pointed at the wall right behind me with my finger. "It's full of big iron saucepans, pans, ladles, crockery, and so much more. But the best thing I found there was a perfect deep iron pan. I can make jalebis in it." I could literally see myself making Jalebi in it as I smiled again and took another bite. "Just like Ramu Kaka makes."
"Ramu Kaka?" Jiji asked. I looked down from my daydream and gave her a shocked look.
"You don't know Ramu Kaka?" She shook her head in denial. "Arre, the Jalebiwala. The one who used to make Jalebi behind Bua Ji's house in Delhi... How can you not know of him?"
Jiji's face suddenly turned bright, and her eyes widened with realization as she said, "But that's Raju Kaka."
I nodded my head before she could finish, then stopped as she finally finished, and I asked with astonishment. "Who's Raju Kaka?"
"Arre, the Chatwala." She answered with disbelief on her face and in her features.
"There was a Chatwala next to Ramu Kaka?" I asked as I looked at her with confusion while she glared at me like I had somehow offended her.
"There was only Raju Kaka. Khushi, how can you not notice a human being?" She asked as she placed her knife down on the chopping board and literally waited for my answer.
I opened my mouth but closed it soon since I had no explanation, and I ate another Jalebi. Was there really a Chatwala?
"Arre, there was only Acharwala, Ramesh, behind my house, not any Chatwala or Jalebiwala." Bua Ji said as she stirred something and asked Manoj to pass her the salt. "Because of you two, now I want to eat that Achar... Huh, what Achar that was!" Yeh lo...
I pressed my lips and made a face while Jiji shook her head and started chopping almonds. Why is she chopping almonds? Did Amma make kheer?
"Raju, Ramu, and Ramesh are brothers. They take turns in that spot every day." Amma spoke up, clearing up our confusion. And we all oh-ed together before getting back to our work.
"Sanka Devi!" Bua Ji shouted from behind as I stepped out of the kitchen and into the dining room. "Give a last check on everything, okay?"
"Okay." I shouted back and gave a last check on everything, then decided to check how the work was going on the back of the house. I walked up to the big window on the end of the hallway to the back of the house and peered down to the still-dry pool from the second floor.
"Kaka! How is work going?" I yelled. He looked up and motioned for me to come down.
I nodded and ran downstairs to the back through the hallway next to the kitchen, where Bua Ji was arguing with Manoj about something, but avoiding it, I stepped out through the open, heavy set of double doors where Hari Kaka was already waiting for me.
"Ji, Kaka?"
"After cleaning and painting, there's not much work left to do here. All we have to do is change the light fixtures." He said this, pointing towards the damp walls and broken light holders. "Do you want to keep the pond?"
I nodded.
"Then we'll have to fill it with water." He said it more to himself as he looked at the dried pool. I followed his line of gaze and looked at the pond, with the encircled balcony above looming around it from the second floor.
"The lights we bought would look nice on them." I asked as I pointed at the tall pillars under the balcony standing around the pond.
"I can add them today if you want. All we have to do is bring the lights down from upstairs and attach them since we already fixed the electric connection yesterday." Kaka suggested his answer as he turned to look at me hopefully.
I thought for a second before nodding in agreement, but as I remembered something, I asked, "Where can I buy a swing chair here in Hazratganj?"
"Do you want hanging or..."
"Hanging." I interrupted as I felt a sudden rush of excitement run through me. "But I want something very similar to that. Exactly like that, if possible." I pointed at the broken swing chair behind him in the corner of the outside hallway.
"I know someone who can arrange something like that. I'll bring him tomorrow morning with me." He replied, nodding, and went upstairs to get the light fixtures.
I stood there for another minute and took in the beautiful view in front of me of the now-setting sun, then looked around. This is going to be the first place to be completed in the house after the remaining work. Finally, it's coming together.
"Khushi, why didn't you take a shower yet?" Jiji's voice startled me.
I turned to answer but stopped as I found her completely dressed in a sky blue Salwar Kamez with her dupatta draped from her shoulders, covering the front.
"Why are you all dressed up?" I asked as I looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Is it because..."
"I'm just being civilized since we have guests coming over." She interrupted before I could finish taunting her. "And so should you." She dusted something off my hair before looking down at my old, faded suit that I was wearing.
"I have been doing the work of three maids for the last two days." I said this in my defense and gave her a look. "If it wasn't for Manoj, then I would've..."
"Acha, sorry, sorry. Now go take a shower." She patted my cheeks before leaving but looked over her shoulder while adding, "And please, wear something decent."
I huffed out a sigh but followed her down the hallway, and I entered the first door to my right inside my room.