Removed the story - Page 44

I like the plot very much,eagarly waiting for the next update

Chapter Nineteen

Sunday, by far was the most hectic day of the week and for reasons beyond logic she always woke up early. Cursing her luck she went to the kitchen to make some coffee for herself and saw Bua preparing breakfast. If only Bua knew how to make yummy idli and vada; she would have a dozen of each submerged in a liter of sambar. Alas, Bua was health conscious and a terrible cook and therefore she had to settle for English breakfast; toast, fruit and tea, sad…miserably sad.

"Are you going to the boutique today Bua?"

"No, have to pick up a few things for the house and toiletries for myself. Do you want to come with me or do you have other plans?"

"If you are going to buy me lunch, then I have no plans. I too need a few things so we could go to the mall; but it will be very crowded today Bua…the parking ….the crowd will be such a bummer."

"Bummer…bummer…the language you kids use today is pathetic."

"Oh come on Bua….you aren't going to give me a lecture on the English language and its depth…la di da and all."

"That Shashi has filled you two kids with nothing but numbers in your head. When was the last time you read a book? At least you used to read some, that brother of yours is useless all he reads is rubbish on the internet."

"The last book I read was….which one was that…shit….I forgot the name…shit…shit"

"KHUSHI….stop using language and that too in that like manner, chee bachche what is with you? No talking like that"

"Sorry Buaji, I will not use bad language ever again, happy. Yes, the last book I read was The Godfather….yes I read that book"

"You have read that before Khushi and I remember you went on and on about that book for heaven would know how many days when you were in school."

"I read it again Bua, don't know why, just wanted to read it again…..so"

"Yes, some books you want to read it more than once, I have lost count the number of times I have read Thorn Birds. There is something about that book which is so timeless."

"Really Bua, I have read it and it is alright nothing that great, definitely no Gone with the Wind."

"Don't talk about Gone with the Wind; Khushi, don't talk about it. I was sure I wanted to marry Clark Gable and when I told your Dadaji that, he laughed and told he died a few years after I was born and I had cried buckets."

"Oh gosh Bua, you are just too much….it's like me wanting to marry Salman Khan, even if he is a good twenty years elder to me."

"Hell! I wouldn't mind marrying him even if he is ten years younger, he is something isn't he?"

"Yes, he is such a dreamboat……….."

"Enough of the men we can never have in our lives, if you are done with your coffee…go get ready and come. We will have breakfast and then set out"

Khushi finished the last sip of coffee and washed her mug and went to her room to shower and get ready. She came down to find Bua setting the table for breakfast. She helped herself and sat down to eat and they picked up the conversation from there.

"Shall I make a shopping list Bua; we always tend to forget something or the other?"

"Yes, please do…even then we forget…..also make a list of the things that need to be fixed before we go on our holiday. When we come back we will have to get back to work soon and those things will stand neglected."

"We have to give your car for service too; Raju Bhai was telling me the other day when he was cleaning the cars."

They set out before the traffic got heavy and find a parking spot in the mall would be nothing short of a nightmare. Khushi kept cribbing about the crowd at the mall and Bua continued to ignore her, they were here now and they would go back after finishing the work. Bua was at the Body Shop store when Khushi went to the car park to leave the shopping in the car and join her. She was walking towards the body scanner near the entrance, when she felt a small child collide into her legs and looking up to her for help. She bent down to help her when her eyes fell on a pair of tan loafers, must be the child's father and she slowly stood up to see the man who was wearing those loafers and it was her dear devil in disguise boss. The child gave her a slight push and demanded Arnav carry her and he obliged and Khushi took in all this with an open mouth.

"Hello Mr. Raizada" she said looking at the picture which she would have never believed had she not seen it herself, Arnav and carrying a child and this comfortably, revelation indeed.

"You know her Arnav Mamu" the child asked all interested in the girl whose legs she was hugging a while ago.

"Yes, I do and hello Ms. Gupta, what are the odds of running into you here" he said shifting the child to hold her comfortably.

"You are Ms. Gupta and I am Ms. Jhanvi Jha, pleasure meeting you" the child offered her hand to Khushi, which she shook in full seriousness and a wide smile on her face. This must be Anjali's daughter she concluded. A pretty girl of about four and the way she clung to her Mama, it was obvious they were very fond of each other.

"The pleasure is mine Jhanvi Jha" still smiling at her and hoping he would not flirt shamelessly in front of his niece.

He did nothing of that and seemed to be concentrating on his niece only and it was a good thing. She took this opportunity to say bye and go to Bua. She had clearly underestimated the power a four year old wielded and realized she would be allowed to go only if she wanted to. Jhanvi turned to her and spoke with all the intelligence her age granted.

"You work in Mama's office?" she asked in full seriousness.

"Yes, I do" Khushi replied walking through the scanner and waiting for the lady to check her bag to let her in. She watched Jhanvi wriggle out of Arnav's hand and come and stand next to her.

"I am a girl so I will be checked here before I am let in the mall, Mama is a boy so they will check him there" she offered as way of explanation for her coming and standing next to her. Adorably she held out her Hello Kitty handbag for the security guard to check and once it was done, that woman pinched her cheeks and was properly admonished by the child.

"Don't touch me, it is bad to touch small girls" she screamed and Khushi and Arnav were next to her in a split second.

The security guard was scared she would get reported and Khushi stepped in to handle the situation. She addressed the lady "Please do not touch children even if you find them cute, it is a form of abuse and it strongly discouraged. You can lose your job if reported, do not repeat this again; now apologize to the child and tell her it was a mistake and you will never repeat it again."

The security guard shook her head furiously and did as she was told and begged them not to report this to the authorities "madam, sir….please forgive me…I was just being nice to the child…she is very cute…I am sorry to have offended your daughter. I am sorry"

"She is not our daughter…………….. that does not give you an excuse to do such things, please do not repeat such acts" Khushi correcting the misconception as she warned her and bent to pick up the child who by now was demanding to be carried.

Arnav stood quiet watching this play out and let Khushi handle the situation; she did look very comfortable with Jhanvi. The child rarely went to anyone apart from family or the people she knew well. Another one bites the dust he thought ruefully; even the only child he loved was drawn to Khushi.

"She has apologized Jhanvi, do you want to forgive her?" she asked the child in full seriousness.

"But she touched me and she should be punished for that; so what if she said sorry….she did a bad thing and my mam at school told me….if someone other than your family touches you it is a bad thing" she said petulantly.

"Jhanvi, she found you very cute and how is that her fault? You are a very pretty child and hence pinched your cheeks. When she realized you did not like it, she apologized. Has your mam not told you to forgive someone if they say sorry and mean it?" trying her best to reason with her.

Jhanvi looked at the guard and then Khushi and forgave the guard in a princess like manner "I forgive you, but don't do bad things again…boogeyman will come and take you away if you do bad things to kids."

Suppressing a giggle, Khushi looked at the guard and asked her to leave the spot and watched her scurry away. Turning to Arnav she noticed him observing the whole interaction with amusement. She held out Jhanvi to Arnav to ask him to take her and the child clung to her and said "I want to be with you, Mamu I will go with Ms. Gupta…you go alone" deciding on a plan of action for the three of them.

"You are troubling her and she has other things to do, we have held her up enough and don't be difficult come with me" stretching his hands to take her.

It must have been his tone which worked and the child obediently got down and stood next to him holding on to his leg and looking up at Khushi with a cute pout. They were standing outside the elevator and not knowing what to say further she turned her attention to the child again. Before she could say anything the elevator door opened and they waited for the people in to step out before they entered and the crowd in the elevator did not allow conversation.

She got off first and turned to wave a goodbye to Jhanvi and found Arnav looking at her with such gentleness, she was taken aback and stood rooted to her spot till she was pushed aside for way and the elevator door closed with Arnav smirking and Jhanvi waving her hand furiously and smiling.

Arnav Singh Raizada was a complicated and difficult man, especially the kind no one could figure out. He would never, never cease to surprise her; he left no stone unturned when it came to riling her and here he was playing babysitter to his niece. She had not seen anyone else with them at the entrance of the mall or near the car park so he had come with her alone. On one hand she saw him as a sweet caring man who had would spend an afternoon entertaining a small child and on the other hand he displayed his primal self to her. He sure did not treat her as a sex object; however he took every opportunity to show one-upmanship with her. To be fair to him, he had never misbehaved with her in an overt manner, groping or leering at her. There was never a word whispered about him about unprofessional behavior toward any female employee, on the contrary he was polite and formal. In her case he seemed to stare to get her to lower her mask, she would admit first that she was always on guard and that may have been one of the reasons for him to take interest. She was after all someone who had joined RE out of nowhere and it would insult his intelligence if he was not concerned, all the more when his own uncle had hired her. She was attracted to this man and was in danger of attempting to figure him out, was she going to risk heartbreak. The answers were within her and she did not want to find them out yet.