Part 6

Arnav and Khushi walked in sync as they headed for the far corner of the living room. By the time they reached, each member of the joint family stood, with nothing but utter shock radiating from their faces. Only one had a face of utter disgust and there was no surprise, it had to be Shyam. But what struck Arnav, was beside the shock, there was also hurt, especially in his sister's face. He did not count on this and again, he felt his indestructibility falling quickly.

Khushi, I'll handle everything. Don't worry. Ok?

He had given her his word and there was no backing of from it now.

Khushi's eyes remaind focused on the floor. She held onto Arnav's hand for support. She knew she would need it. There was no way they could get out or justify this situation without hurting somebody. There were no winners tonight, all were going to lose and hurt. The only difference is to what extent the hurt would be inflicted outwards and inwards. But she trusted Arnav, he would handle it. Actually, he had no choice but to handle it for them. Immediately, her chest tightened as she struggled to imagine the weight on his shoulders. She would help him, definitely, in any way she could. And right now, she would remain silent and dutiful.

She sensed her buaji approaching, studying her. She kept her eyes to the floor.  

Khushi stay calm. Devi Mayaa please help me and Arnavji. Please guide us so that there is only minimal pain inflicted to everyone. We had no choice really.

"What is all this, Nand Kishore? What kind of joke is this? This is a joke, yes?" Her buaji thundered across the room, a cocktail of worry and disbelief seeping through her voice and behaviour.

Khushi kept quiet. Arnavji stated he would handle it. She reminded herself and continue to pray.

Please Devi Mayaa, show Arnavji and I your guidance. Please Devi Mayaa. She kept chanting.

"Hey Titilia, please speak, what is all this." Buaji continued.

She watched as her mother approached, "Khushi, say something. What is all this?"

Again she stayed quiet. She didn't dare glanced towards her right to see how Arnavji was doing. But the fact that he too was staying quiet, spoke volumes. Maybe he was just thinking, preparing. She knew he did that a lot. He was definitely a man of few words but when he did speak, he generally made sense. Unless, he was angry. And she dismissed that possibility since he wasn't angry a moment ago. But what if seeing Shyam would tip him in to anger.

Oh Devi Mayaa, please keep Arnavji calm. He is a good man, but he does have anger issues. But who doesn't? and besides nobody is perfect. Just keep him calm, please.

Khushi edged slightly closer to him and gripped his hand tightly.

"Why are both of you silent? Why are you not answering? What is all this?" Naniji now stepped closer, raising her voice for the first time ever that Khushi could recall.

This was definitely not going to plan. There had to be a plan didn't there? Or were they both so engrossed in their wedding that they actually forgot why they were getting married and there would be consequences when they faced their family for the first time.

Khushi had to give it to Arnav and her. They were definitely in love. So in love that they were completely blind and naive.  Again for the first time, she realised it wasn't her alone that was naive. Tonight, would be Arnav's first as well for naivity. And she was pretty sure, tonight would be filled with more "first times" though not in the bed department, if they even reached Arnav's room. She straightened a back and neck slightly with the weight of her pallu on her head. She would need to get used to this, covering her head all the time. She pondered at the absurdity of that thought in a moment like this but then welcomed it as some form of distraction.

"Arnav beta, Ammaji is asking you something. Please give your answer."

"Hello hi bye bye, Arnav. Reply please. Staying in silent mode will not do anything."

Arnav pondered what should he say. Why was he unprepared? He surely had played several scenarios in his head for when he would come in front of the family. He had chosen a time when all the ceremony had finished and no guest would be around. There would only be his and khushi's immediate family. The timing was ok, he guessed. But preparing what he would say and actually saying it were two completely different things. Besides since their marriage, he had not thought about his family as much as about his actions and how it went wrong, and khushi. Nothing else came close, not even his inner most circle.

But he had to say something. With Khushi, he knew she would read his silence. But not here. Silence would not work. He felt Khushi's warm hand in his and sensed that she had moved closer. She was allowing him to take charge. He did say he would take charge and if he kept quiet for too long, it would raise too much suspicions. But suspicions were already raised.

"Chote, what am I asking?" His nani demanded.

Arnav briefly glanced towards Khushi, meeting her tender gaze.

"The answer is what you are seeing." He replied. His gaze fixed to his brother in law. "We have got married."

"Married? Got married? And that too quietly. Without telling anyone. But why?" Anjali stepped forward.

Immediately, all his defences started crumbling. He could feel his eyes welling. In all his actions in trying to save his sister from pain, never did he think that his one action would also cause his family, especially his sister immense pain. She was always there for him, since he was younger. And when they lost their parents, she had been his pillar of strength, standing with him along the way. When they had nobody and left in complete poverty, it was only Naniji, mamaji and Mamiji that stood with them. This was his family, the people that he truly trusted and loved immensely. His marriage should have brought them immense happiness but instead, it had brought nothing but pain. Maybe the way he did it was definitely wrong. He had chose to do it quietly and discretely, away from anyone. In his one action of marrying this way, Arnav realised that in trying to save his sister's marriage and in Khushi trying  to save Payal's wedding, both Arnav and khushi had done nothing but alienate themselves from their family. His one action had made his family, including his sister, strangers.

Anjali grabbed Arnav's arms with both her arms. "Chote, you will only tell us that you have been married. And nothing else after that."

"No Di." Arnav had to look away.

He watched as Anjali stood back, creating a distance between them. He felt his heart breaking. With one small remark, he had created a divide between his sister and him. All their togetherness was lost. He hoped that one day she would forgive him, if he was lucky. But what choice did he have. How could he answer the one question that she had- why did they get married? Would 'to save your marriage from the cheating c**t of a husband' suffice? He didn't think so. And he couldn't say for love either. Because first of all, they knew he wasn't that type to marry for love. Secondly, if it was for love, why didn't they wait and do the marital ritual the proper way. His family would be thrilled, afterall Anjali and Nani wanted him to get married. And they liked Khushi.

No, the married issue was not the problem. It was how they got married and why tonight that was the problem. And for that he had no answer that would be appropriate. He could not tell the truth and the lies would just be that, lies. So saying nothing would have to be it.

"Garima, what did bitiya do?" Buaji now fired.

Khushi felt her mother grabbed her arm tightly and dragged her to face her mother.

"Khushi, is this true? Look at me khushi, is this true? Is this true? Is this true?" Her mother shouted.

"Yes." Khushi whispered. And then felt the smack it her left cheek hard, the force forcing her towards Arnavji. His hand left hers, and circled around her waist for support. Their eyes meeting briefly and his eyes darken with anger. No Arnavji, stay calm.  She placed her left hand carefully on his chest for support and felt his heartbeat racing. She tapped it gently, hoping that he would stay calm. He had to. The slap was nothing. Her mother was entitled to it. She stepped away from him.

"Chote, you have to tell us, why did this happen and also now?" naniji intervened.

Silence.

"Look at me Khushi. Why did you do this? Why did you take this step?" Buaji asked as she shook her. "Tell me Khushi, say something."

Again silence. Khushi watched as he turned to look at her and his eyes spoke volumes. She now understood. What could he say? The truth left him in a dilemma. He had no plan and no justifiable answer. And she couldn't make light of this situation to try and diffuse it either to help him. How much of this were they going to take? She felt his hand slipped in to hers, squeezing it gently. They were both stuck, side by side. At least they were together. So silence was how they were going to play it. But for how long?

"Say something. Why are you not saying anything?" buaji shouted. "why would you do this khushi? Why would you chose to marry so quickly and that not tell anybody? Why Khushi. WHY?! ANSWER ME."

Now all she had was to rest her faith in Devi Mayaa. Devi Mayaa will definitely show us the way. Especially since they had taken this action to save both their sisters' happiness. Surely, their sacrifice would not go unnotice by Devi Mayaa. Khushi closed her eyes briefly and felt her faith in her one constant supporter increased. She wouldn't doubt. Devi Mayaa would show her the way and she would grasped it with both hands. In the past, Devi Mayaa had constantly being showing her that Arnav was the one but she failed to take notice. and in return, a huge mess has since resulted. Today, if there was anything to clutch to help them through this, Khushi would take it with both hands, irrespective of what the price it would cost her. She had Arnavji by her side physically and Devi Mayaa, spiritually, the rest would definitely be a walk in the park. She now had faith.

"Khushi, where I come from, the only time a girl and boy would get married quickly is if there was something untoward happening. Is there Khushi?" Buaji asked in desperation.

Untoward? Define untoward, Khushi thought. Would Shyam qualify for untoward? Definitely and she could tell her buaji and ammaji. They knew and they would understand why she took this action. But not in front of the Raizada family.

Could there be something else that was untoward. Was this Devi Mayaa's way of guiding them? But what was untoward to cause a boy and girl to get married so quickly? Khushi's mind raced with different possibilities.

Falling madly in love? They could use it but unlikely it would work. Knowing Arnavji already had problems admitting it to her, he would never say a word to his family. And besides, that would not account for a quick hush marriage.

Getting married in a haze in a drunk stupor? Possibly. khushi had seen it on TV regarding couples going to Las Vegas, getting drunk and then waking up the next morning - hitched. Could work but not for both of them. First, they were no where near USA. In fact she had never even been out of India and did not hold a passport. And second, she did not drink alcohol. She may pretend to be drunk in her previous role in entertaining her jiji. But that's it.

So what else could cause a boy to marry a girl quickly in a hush?

A switch clicked in her overactive mind. Khushi's heart skipped a beat and she froze.

As though on cue with cunning timing, "Khushi" Buaji inched closer. "Are. You. Pregnant?"

Was this divine intervention? Pregnant?

The mere question had tarnished all her honour and dignity. She looked across the room and studied the faces looking at her, trying hard to now hide a combination of shock, horror, disgust? Or was she just imagining things.

Who would look nicely at a 19 year old that even her family thought had married quickly because of the possibility of being pregnant? It was a fair assumption to make. It made sense and it would probably be the oldest excuse in the book. A cliche she suppose. And if she was standing on the other side, she would make the same assumption. Yes, they got careless, thinks happened, they slipped. No not just slipped, they would need to have done more than slipping for her to get pregnant. And voila, she confronted him about it and he did the decent thing. Everyone would be grateful.

So Khushi Kumari. No. So Khushi Arnav Singh Raizada, are you pregnant? Do you feel pregnant? Could you feel pregnant? Would you feel pregnant?

What a stupid question. Obviously not. She had to have sex to fall pregnant. An excuse of immaculate conception would not work. Not in this family. No in this era either. But how would her family know that she had not have sex? Yes, sex before marriage was frowned upon, is frown upon but once it was done, it was not like you could reverse it?

Khushi was shocked with herself. Was she seriously considering this? Khushi stood silently contemplating. Was there an alternative? Did she have a choice? She always had a choice but would this be what she would chose? What difference would it make? They were already married. To save Anjali's marriage, especially since she was pregnant. So could another pregnancy, even false, be another explanation for their action?

If she said no, their family would hopefully believe her but then the questions would continue why did they get married in a hurry and that too with such hush. What could they say? How long could they hide the truth about Shyam?

But if she said yes, at least the questions would end. Yes they would look unfavourably at her but they were already looking at her that way. At least the inquisition would stop. She would be the bad one and Arnav would be criticised for not restraining control. But hey, he was the eligible bachelor that had a string of girlfriends and from what she had occasionally read through the gossip column, going to bed with her wouldn't be his first with the opposite sex. Her family and his family would then be very grateful for him taking responsibility for his actions and this would be over. And if word leaked about the contract or prenup that they had signed, the family, at least would understand why there was such emphasis on children.

Devi Mayaa, is this the right way?

But would it be that easy?! If she said she was pregnant, two things stood in her way. Firstly, it was not the truth. And eventually, tests would prove so. Secondly, in order to make sure the first lie was addressed, they could pretend that she had a miscarriage or worse, could actually try to get pregnant without any guarantees. That would just stress her out and she could  just envision that no matter how much jalebis she ate, she would not be free from the stress. And not to forget, her honour would be non-existent. But no one would care few months down the line. At least it bought both Arnavji and her time, to deal with the snake. And time is what they needed desperately. time was also what she needed to address the mistrust issue.

"Khushi? ANSWER ME. You are pregnant?!" Ammaji asked and then Khushi felt the second slap. She did not see that coming. In truth, she was still preoccupied with her inner thoughts. But the slap certainly jolted her back to reality. Tighter than the first, with more force ' again throwing her into Arnav's arms.

Arnav watched the questioning about whether she was pregnant and was surprised why Khushi did not just say no. That would be the truth. And as he watched her, he felt a sense of dread overcome him. She was considering saying yes - explaining this mess efficiently and tarnishing her reputation with the same brush.

Again what she had said previously echoed in his head.

Even after all you have done and soon the sacrifices I will continue to make for this decision where I'm sure my parents and family will disown me and I will be all alone in every sense of the word, I cannot hate you even if I tried. I love you with all my heart and soul and all I can do is love, cherish, honour and obey you. 

What the? This was worse than he had imagined. She would make that sacrifice. He was pretty sure of that. She would sacrifice her honour for them to get them out of this mess. But could he just stand there and allow this? Could he allow anyone to have a negative view of his Khushi. To look at her with disgust? He would have to tell the truth, in some form.

"ENOUGH!" Arnav heard himself shout. He felt Khushi body straightening across his side. She tried to step aside, but again he slid his arms around her body and this time, he pulled her close, holding her there. "No one, and I mean, no one, has any right to hurt Khushi anymore. I understand you are all angry. That is justifiable. But slapping her is not. No one will touch my wife ever again. Understood?" Arnav glanced at her mother, buaji, and slowly shifted his glance towards Shyam.

"QUIET CHOTE" Naniji thundered. Her hand held firmly out infront of him. "You may have your way outside. But in this house, I am still the boss and your nani. Dont forget that." She turned her attention towards Khushi. "Khushi betiya. Your buaji and ammaji asked you a question. And I want you to answer it. Yes or no. Nothing else. Are you pregnant? And is Arnav the father?"

Arnav studied Khushi. He squeezed her waist slightly and immediately felt her hands rest on his. She raised her chin slightly and her eyes fixed on his. There was a softness and certainty in them. Arnav knew she was no longer the wounded animal, but his tigress. And she had already made her mind up. Now would he allow her to fall further to the abyss, stop her or would he join her there?