Dark Night Dawning Chapter 21

It was three weeks since Arnav had moved in and Khushi realized that he was having some trouble at work. He had been yelling on the phone and when she had asked him about it he had said that Akash was having some issue with a new client. He had gone into the room and banged the door shut. The next day she brought some plants and put them in the courtyard. She knew that tending to plants would de-stress him a little bit.

Two days later, when Khushi was walking back from the grocery store, she saw her neighbour’s four year old son Rohan walking on the compound wall of his house. She ran toward him so that she could pick him up from there, but it was too late, the boy fell off the wall and hit his head against a stone lying on the street. Khushi screamed as she saw the blood flowing from his wound profusely. The child’s forehead had opened up. Khushi picked up the child and ran into the house laying him on a cot in the courtyard. Arnav who was on the phone rushed to her side to see what had happened.

Arnav averted his eyes as he was unable to see the wound, on the little boy. Rohan was smallest of the group of boys who he had been playing cricket with on the street in the past few days. The boy’s old grandmother walked into the house tears streaming down her cheek, blaming herself for her negligence. She was in charge of taking care of the boy as both his parents were away at work.

‘Khushi, he is bleeding like hell,’ shouted Arnav, ‘we will have to take him to a hospital right away!’

‘That’s what I am planning to do Arnavji,’ said Khushi walking up to him, ‘I was looking for the keys to my dad’s scooter.’

‘What ____? Let’s take the car dammit!’

‘Arnavji, it will be faster to reach the hospital on a two wheeler compared to that big monster of yours.’

Arnav realized Khushi was right. The roads this area was quite narrow. ‘Alright then, let’s go!’

‘You?’ Khushi asked in surprise.

‘How will you manage to drive and hold Rohan?’ aske Arnav looking at her incredulously, ‘Are you planning to ask his 75 year old grandmother?’

‘No….alright…… you hold him and I’ll drive.’

‘What the ____?’She had got be kidding!

‘I know these roads better than you!’ Khushi argued.

Khushi assured the boy’s grandmother that they would take care of him and they set out for the hospital. Arnav sat behind Khushi holding onto the injured child who was kicking and screaming his head off due to the pain. After a few minutes driving it became apparent that there might more causalities if Khushi continued to drive. The boy was moving so much that she wasn’t able to balance the vehicle with her strength. Arnav asked to stop. The got off the vehicle and Arnav handed her the child.‘The boy knows you better and he may be calmer if you hold him.’

‘Do you think you will be able to drive on these roads?’ she asked him doubtfully.

‘Khushi, I grew up in Lucknow!’

But not these roads Laad Governor!Khushi muttered as she reluctantly sat behind while Arnav drove the rest of the way.

When Khushi and Arnav reached the hospital they were informed that the paediatrician on duty was out and would be in any time soon. Arnav was livid. He wanted to go to another hospital right away. Khushi told him that it would be better to wait for the doctor a few more minutes as the other hospital was more expensive and the boy’s parents might not be able to afford it.

‘You know I can take care of that Khushi.’

‘I know Arnavji but his parents might not like it,’ she explained, ‘Moreover the nurses have stopped the bleeding and told us that he is out of immediate danger.’

Just then the doctor walked in talking to someone on the phone. As Arnav and Khushi tried to get his attention, he continued to talk which was very obviously a personal conversation. Arnav’s temper rose at the doctor’s careless attitude. He walked up to him and snatched his phone. As the doctor protested he told him.

‘There is a boy who needs immediately medical attention. We have been waiting for you for almost half an hour. How dare you speak nonsense on the phone when there are patients waiting for you for such a long time? Do you know I can have your license revoked by complaining about you to the Medical Council of India?’

The doctor was speechless after listening to Arnav’s tirade. He came to his senses when he heard clapping. Arnav turned around and was irked to see it was Khushi. The doctor immediately apologized for his behaviour and hurried up to take a look at Rohan.

As they waited, Arnav told Khushi that he was glad she had made him stay so that he could give that doctor a much deserved lashing. He was sure that the doctor would think twice before neglecting his patients in the future.

After they had come back home, Rohan’s parents thanked them for saving their child. They were even more grateful when Arnav refused to take money for the hospital bill. They never knew that Arnav had also paid for the plastic surgery so that a scar could be avoided.

That evening as she was cutting vegetables for the evening meal, her thoughts went back to the morning’s incident. Khushi realized that Arnav was a selfless person who had gone out of his way to help a little boy who meant nothing to him. She had once told him that he didn’t have a heart. But she was wrong. He had a heart – a big one at that.

Lost in her thoughts Khushi was rudely brought back to the present when the knife she was using to chop vegetables cut into her skin making a deep wound. She let out a squeal of pain. Arnav who was on the phone nearby rushed to her side. When he saw her hand bleeding profusely he yelled.

‘Where is your mind these days? Can’t you be careful?’

‘It just a small cut Arnavji, it will be fine with a little turmeric _____’ her sentence was cut off mid-way when he took her finger in his mouth. Khushi squeezed her eyesshut, clutching his shoulder tightly as the throbbing pain increased.  Arnav looked up at Khushi and as he continued to watch her, her face transformed – her expression changed from pain to one of pleasure. Her lips opened as she gasped. He let her finger slide out slowly and took her lower lip between his lips and began to suck on it. He grasped her waist with both his hands, and pushed her against the kitchen counter. Khushi’s hand moved from his shoulder into the crisp hair at the back of his head, her other hand moving up his chest to grasp his shoulder, her nails digging in. As Arnav slid his tongue into the dark recesses of her mouth, she began to move restlessly against him. He lifted her onto the counter, pushed her legs apart and moved between them. Khushi felt his arousal throbbing against her core even through the layers of clothes. Hisright hand moved up from her waist to cup her breast, rubbing his thumb over a hardened peak, as he continued his ravishment of her mouth. Then suddenly he drew back. There was someone at the door.

‘Khushi!’Palak’s voice penetrated through the haze she was in and then she suddenly realized what she had been doing. How could she get carried away like this? She pushed Arnav back angrily and ran out of the kitchen to meet her friend.

F!@#! Arnav swore under his breath, as he watched Khushi’s retreating back, Shyam’s words came back to haunt him -

I have no doubt why he wants you --- your exquisite beauty tempts his rather jaded appetite -----  but when the bloom’s worn off he’ll discard you like a broken toy and never give you another thought

He was angry with himself for losing control like that. Things were going well all these days and he didn’t want Khushi to think that he was only interested in her physically.

‘Khushi, I am sorry for disturbing you and Arnavji while you were having a private moment,’ Palak told Khushi as the two sat on the bed in Khushi’s room.

‘Don’t be silly! There was no such thing,’ Khushi said flustered.

‘Dear Khushi, I may be unmarried but I can see when someone has been thoroughly kissed,’ said Palak giving her a mischievous smile.

As Khushi ran to the mirror to look at herself, Palak said, ‘I wish my life with Prateekji will be like yours and Arnavji’s.’

‘Physical relationship is not the only thing in marriage Palak,’ Khushi said not wanting to reveal too much to Palak, ‘there are a lot of others things that need to match as well.’

‘That’s exactly why I am saying this Khushi, I think you guys are made for each other.’

‘How can you say that? You have hardly seen us for a few weeks.’

‘I think a few weeks are enough to know if a couple is made for each other or not. You are highly attuned to each other’s needs. The other night when I came to your place for dinner, I saw how you had made sugar free jalebis for him and made sure he had taken his medications.Hehad bought some golgappas because you like to eat spicy food. It’s like you both know what the other needs even before either of you says it.

‘Don’t worry Palak, I will tell Prateekji all your likes and dislikes when he comes here.’ Khushi tried to lighten the atmosphere.

Palak didn’t seem to be in a mood to laugh. She continued, ‘Bhaiyya mentioned to me that Arnavji made a website for your business, I think that is wonderful of him to encourage you to be your own person Khushi. It is not so easy for some of us you know. I am marrying into a conservative family like my own, where women are not allowed to work. I am hoping Prateekji will turn out to be as broadminded as Arnavji is.

‘Actually, in the Riazada family everyone is broadminded,’ said Khushi, ‘Di, naniji, Akashji……’

‘Khushi, all that is fine, but the most important quality Arnavji has is the love he has for you.’

‘How…..how can you say that?’

‘Because …… there are not many husbands who will move to a different city so that they can stay with their wives for so long, to woo her back.’

‘What are you talking about Palak?’

‘The day you told me that you had moved here because Arnavji had shifted, I knew you were lying. I am your best friend Khushi, so didn’t even try denying it. I knew right then that you had fought and he had come back to woo you.’

Khushi just hugged Palak without saying anything. She needed a friend right now and was glad she had Palak.

Palak continued, ‘I don’t know about you Khushi but people in our colony are highly impressed with your husband. It’s not every day they get see the head of chain of industries carrying buckets of water from a water truck, driving on an old scooter on our narrow crowded roads or put the fear of God into the doctor at the local nursing home!’ News travelled fast in the colony.

‘Khushi, not many people have what you and Arnavji have. It’s like even with a room full of people, you both are aware only of each other.’ Palak said leaving Khushi more bewildered than ever.

**

A few days later, Khushi went up to Arnav while he was watering the plants, ‘Arnavji, I want to talk to you about something,’ she began, ‘I was wondering if you could teach me how to use that website.’

‘What happened to all that talk about personalized service and not fixing the menu?’ he asked her in mocking tone.

‘I ….. I am having problems with keeping the payments in order. I think Varmaji is trying to take advantage of my inexperience. Shuklaji was so nice,’She rued.

‘Do you want me to talk this Varmaji?’

‘No’ Khushi remembered how Arnav’s employees had once told her about the time he had slapped a business associate for being nasty with him. Poor Varmaji might just have a heart attack. ‘Just tell how this thing works. I will use this from next month.’

Arnav managed to hide his smile as he put down the watering can. Finally, his wife was on her way to becoming a practical businesswoman.