Payal
I stumbled on my feet, and my ankle twisted as he pushed me away, and my hand hit the pillar and broke some of the glass bangles that I was wearing. I felt a stabbing pain on my left ankle as warmth slid down from my arm. But all I could think of was that I had to save her. I had to save her from him at any cost. And without thinking, I turned and ran back, limping, inside the house. Just stay strong, Khushi. I'm coming. I'll save you. I'll save you...
"Amma!" I shouted as I dashed down the hallway barefoot and stopped to check in her room, but it was empty apart from Babu Ji laying on the bed. I felt my body shake as I again ran down the hallway to the living room. "Bua Ji!"
"Amma..." I shouted again before I saw Manoj in the kitchen. I ran to him before asking with a shaking voice, "Whe-where is everyone?... Where's Amm.."
"Arre Nandkishore, Why are you shouting, Payaliya? Has Sanka Devi passed her Sanak to you today?"
Bua Ji said loudly from somewhere in the living room.
A sob escaped from me as I struggled to run out of the kitchen to the living room and found Bua Ji, Amma, and the whole Raizada family coming down from upstairs. But before all of them could finish descending, I limped up to Amma and looked at her in the eyes before I started pulling her with me.
"Arre, Payaliya, what happened? Why are you shaking?" Amma asked worriedly as she stopped me and looked down at my feet. "Are yo.."
"Amma... I... I...have to save her... We.. have to save her. I... We can't waste time... If...he ... Amma, let's go na. Please... Bua Ji, please come na..." I stammered as I begged while tears formed in my eyes, and my heartbeat quickened with fear. I have to... go. I... have to sav...
"Payaliya, you calm down first and sit for a second." Bua Ji said as she tried to calm me, while Dadi Ji also nodded and added, "Sit down, Bitiya. Then tell us what happe..." Why aren't you understanding?.. I.. can't calm down... She's in danger... I have to save her. What if he does somethi... No, no..
I didn't let myself complete that thought as I let go of Amma's hand and took a shaking breath before pointing at the back of the house with a trembling hand and loudly saying, "He's here. He..." They all looked at me with a confused reaction on their faces, but Bua Ji, Amma, and Dadi Ji's eyes widened as they shared a look and turned to me. "..Shyam Ji, he's here... He's.. not letting her go. Please, come with me. Please..." My whole body shook by the time I finished, and Bua Ji didn't waste another second before hurriedly running to the back with Amma, I, and Dadi Ji following right behind. We are coming, Khushi... We are coming... Devi Maiya, please let her be okay... Please, please, please...
Bua Ji shouted as soon as she stepped out of the door, and I saw Shyam Ji glancing at us while holding Khushi's hand close to his face. Then she also looked back, and her whole face crumpled while her shoulders slumped down as she saw us before turning back to him again.
"Let her go!" Bua Ji rushed down the stairs while he held Khushi. And by the time I reached her, Bua Ji was already pushing him away from her. "Leave her!" Amma and I held Khushi, whose whole body shuddered as she slowly breathed through her mouth, and stared ahead without blinking.
"Khushi Ji." He yelled as he stared at Khushi as Bua Ji pushed him. Then he pleadingly added, "Please don't separate us. I love her. You won't be able to keep me away. I'll always find my way ba..." Stop it. Stop it. Yo-you're hurting her. She.. she wo...
Khushi suddenly started slipping from our hands before Amma and I gripped her shoulders more tightly than before to support her.
"Then, Nandkishore, I'll be waiting for you." I heard Bua Ji over the sound of the crowd coming from the other side of the house as I stared at Khushi. Her lips trembled as she leaned slightly on me when Amma let go of her. He's gone... He's gone... She's fine... She..
"I swear to Devi Maiya, the day you come anywhere near her will be the last day you breathe..." I looked up at Amma as I heard her and found Akash Ji holding Shyam Ji with Arnav Ji standing close by.
"Because I'm going to tear you apart with my own two hands. Remember this."
I swallowed slowly as I looked at the side of Khushi's head and very slowly murmured, "You're fine... You're fine.." Amma closed the distance between us and pulled Khushi into a hug while, with wide eyes, she whispered, "Shhh... It's okay. You are safe. You won't see him again." She paused as her face turned stone-hard. "I promise." and looked at me.
I nodded at her assuredly. But suddenly Khushi broke the hug, and I saw her shoulders moving like she was trying to do something. But before I could take a step toward her, she ran inside the house.
"Hello-Hi-Bye-Bye! Has she gone mad after seeing him? Why did she run like soap opera heroines?" I heard Akash's Maa speak from my right.
I breathed heavily with my eyes closed, then turned to her with a glare and said, "If you can't say anything good or help in a situation, at least don't badmouth them in their own house."
She stared at me with wide eyes for a moment before opening her mouth to again say something disgusting, but I avoided her and ran inside the house to find Khushi.
I went to her room and found it empty, then decided to check the bathroom when I heard something break. Kitchen..
I ran out of her room as fast as I could with my limp and went toward the kitchen, and from the corner of my eyes, I noticed Amma and Bua Ji coming inside the house from the backdoor. I entered the kitchen through the hallway door and gasped with my hands over my mouth. Khushi stood on the glass-scattered floor and grabbed a knife from her left, with Manoj standing a few feet away from her, looking completely worried and terrified.
"Khu-Khushi.." I called her loudly while I ran towards her as a few glass pieces broke through the skin of my feet, and I snatched my knife from her hand. "What are you doing?"
I felt tears sliding down my face as she looked at me, looking completely devastated, before she looked down.
"What are you doing?" I asked again, more quietly this time.
Her shoulders shook as she stood there, and I felt my heart breaking at that sight. And when I looked down at her left hand, I finally saw what she was trying to cut with the knife. A ring sat on her bleeding ring finger. He... put a ring on her finger?... I looked up at her and I felt a ringing in my ears, with many muffled voices following from far away. He..
"...this off... Please." I looked up at Khushi, who stared behind me with her eyes begging and her body shaking.
"I will, I promise." I heard Arnav Ji answer from behind as I took a step forward, and more glass poked into my feet as I took her left hand in mine before saying, "We will." She looked at me with red eyes, and I swallowed before nodding assuredly and adding, "Come."
I pushed aside the pieces of glass with my feet in front of her so that they didn't poke her, and I slowly pulled her. As she slowly stepped closer, I wrapped a hand around her shoulder and threw the knife on a counter near us as we walked past Amma.
"Do you want us to come?" Bua Ji asked slowly from behind as we entered Khushi's room. I shook my head at them as Khushi went inside.
"I'll bring first aid." Amma said and left hurriedly.
"Then I'll send the guests back." Bua Ji added as she motioned for me to close the door, then hurriedly added, "Make sure to get all the glasses out of her feet and yours too."
*
I stood by the window with my bedroom door slightly ajar, just in case I didn't hear if Khushi called me. Although our bedrooms were exactly next to each other, I didn't want her to even wait for a second if she wanted me near. But I admit that I was a little disappointed when I offered to stay the night with her, and she refused... I know she wants to stay alone whenever something bad happens. But honestly, I'm too scared to leave her alone or to even let her be away from my sight for a second. Because maybe it's my fault. Maybe she wouldn't have to face all this; If I had pulled her free from his grip on the first attempt. Or maybe if I had fought harder, then I could have made him let go of her. If only I had done anything sooner, she wouldn't have poked her finger with a knife in order to get the ring off. If only I had saved her earlier, then she wouldn't have washed her hands like she wanted to skin herself.
I leaned the side of my head on the wooden frame of the window with my arms wrapped around myself. I should have been stronger for her. I'm her older sister. I'm supposed to protect her. But what did I do?... I tried to help her the first moment, then panicked the next and ran inside to get help. Why?... Because I'm not capable enough to protect my younger sister by myself... Because my younger sister always protects me.
I pressed my lips together as my chest felt heavy and my throat tightened. Only if I had gathered enough courage, Khushi wouldn't have acted like she did. She wouldn't have tried to cut that ring so carelessly because it wouldn't have been there in the first place. And even after saying that I would take that ring off her finger, I couldn't. Why?... Because we didn't find any jewelers who would cut the ring on a festival holiday, and she has to pass the whole day and night with that thing on her finger until tomorrow morning. Only if I...
A knock sounded on my door, and I hurriedly turned, but Akash stood there.
I swallowed deeply and tried to gulp down my emotions with it before asking, "You needed something?" I limped to the door and opened it a little more, but not entirely.
"I wanted to check on you about how you were doing." He said it with a small smile as he looked at me. Won't you ask about Khushi? Don't you want to..
I looked down at my bare feet, and some of my hair fell on the side of my face as I bit my lips.
"I.. I'm fine." I slowly nodded as I slowly tapped my feet on the ground. That's the problem; I'm always fine, and Khushi is always suffering.
"Payal?.." I heard a call.
"Hmm?.." I didn't look up at him because I couldn't look up at anyone. because I felt ashamed.
"Are you okay?" His voice was genuinely concerned this time. I wonder if Anjali Ji taught him this.
"Yes." I looked up at him and gave him a big, closed-lipped smile.
He stared at me for a few seconds before returning the smile and standing for another heartbeat before saying, "Aunty said she wants to talk about everything with the whole family tomorrow after the jewelers left." Why isn't it tomorrow yet?
I tried to answer, but I couldn't think of anything he wanted to hear. So, I just nodded.
"Have you decided?" He asked after another brief pause. He... doesn't see me, does he? He.. doesn't care about what happened today. He just.. wants me to say yes. He..
"Payal.." I focused on him again as he added, "Where are you lost?"
I shook my head as I stared at him for a few seconds while he had a small smile on his lips.
"So...have you decided?" I saw his eyes glittering behind his glasses in the dark.
I smiled a little as I nodded slowly while continuing to look at him.
"And?" He looked hopeful.
"You'll know tomorrow." I answered quietly.
"I can't wait then." He said as he smiled brightly before I bid him goodnight and waited for him to leave, so that I could keep the door ajar again and go back to the window.
Neither can I, Akash...neither can I. I thought and sighed.