Chapter 52-Frozen hearts..will they melt by Deepti

Chapter 52

Seeing the girl who was sobbing, lying flat on her bed, Anjali’s face saddened.She stood at the doorstep, not understanding how to console Kushi but when she could no longer bear the sight, she walked into the room calling out, ” Kushi!”. She took a seat next to the crying figure and placed her hand on the back of Kushi’s head. “Please… stop crying”, she said moving her hand gently on Kushi’s head.

As she was  not of so fond of her tears being witnessed by others, Kushi wiped her cheeks and sniffing her nose, she sat on  the bed facing Anjali, drawing her knees closer to her face.

“Everything is going to be fine”, said Anjali placing her hand on Kushi’s knees. And when she got no response from Kushi, she continued saying, ” I’m sure that these people will change their decision. Just give them some time. They will come around.”

“I don’t think so, Di. They will never send me. Didn’t you see how firm Maa was about her decision. She wasn’t even ready to listen to me. And the worst part is, I don’t have any support from my father too. For that matter, from no one in this family. I don’t think anyone in this house likes me”, said Kushi between her hiccups.

Though Anjali felt like laughing on that last statement, since now was not the time, she handed a water bottle to Kushi and waited for her to take few sips from it.

Placing the bottle which Kushi handed back to her,  back on the night stand she said, “If no one likes you, they will try their best to get you out of this house, but not hold you tight and prevent you from getting  out of their sight”,  trying to enlighten Kushi. But as if she disagrees with that statement, when Kushi looked the other way, not wanting to meet Anjali’s eyes, Anjali shook her head.

” Listen to me ,Kushi”, she said holding the chin of the girl who was upset with everyone and anyone in this world, and made her  to face her.  ” None of us ever knew about your plans to study abroad, Kushi. So your announcement at the breakfast table must have taken everyone by surprise. They weren’t prepared for it. Give them some time. Let them think about it. Who knows, they might change their mind. And if they don’t, let’s try our best to change it. You can’t give up like this and keep on crying. We should keep trying until we can succeed. All this crying is not going to send you to London. And I think you are aware of it.So, just be patient and hope for the best”, said Anjali looking straight at Kushi.

As Anjali’s words started making some sense to her, sniffing her nose, Kushi got lost in her thoughts. May be Anjali was right, may be she should give some time for people to sink in with the idea of her studying abroad. But still, will her mother ever agree with her? Will she let her father support her? Too many thoughts filled her head.

Holding her head which started bursting with thoughts and pain, ” I think I need some sleep, Di. My head is aching”, declared Kushi.

“Okay! You sleep then”, said Anjali raising from the bed as she understood that Kushi needed some  time.  While Anjali directly went to her grandmother’s room to find out what’s wrong with the elder lady, Kushi waited until Anjali left and then locked her room so that no one else can invade her privacy. She took some paracetamol and crashed on the bed and due to lack of sleep and the emotional turmoil she just underwent, she fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes.

“I know that you were trying to avoid me at the breakfast table,Dhadhi. But I do need to know, what’s wrong with you? Why didn’t you not support Kushi when everyone else were so against her idea of studying abroad”, asked Anjali the moment she stormed into Devyani’s room.

“How could I, when that is not what I have in my mind”, replied Devyani calmly.

“And can I know what is that which you have in your mind”, asked Anjali crossing her arms.

“Don’t you know”, questioned the elder lady.

“Of course I know. So what?”, replied Anjali who understood  what Devyani was referring to.

“You are asking me, so what?Just now these two have started behaving little civilized with each other. And now, if Kushi goes away for a year, don’t you think that’s going to create a huge gap between them? Being under the same roof, if it is this tough for us to get these two closer, do you think whatever I want to happen will ever happen, if they are thrown in two different continents ?”, asked Devyani.

“Come on,Dhadhi! Why do you think that this one year time frame will keep an end to all your wishes? Sending Kushi to London is not like sending her away from Arnav”, said Anjali.

“Of course it is. What if in this one year Kushi finds someone there and decides to settle down with that guy? And what if your brother finds someone here meanwhile?”, questioned Devyani.

“Dhadhi! Kushi wants to go to London to study. Not in search of a groom”, replied Anjali rolling her eyes.

“It’s a mater of heart, Anjali. You never know, when, where and whom it get’s filled with”, stated Devyani.

Anjali fell short of words for few seconds while Devyani said, ” When we come across the right person everything just falls into place. People don’t have to plan for it, Anjali. It just happens”.

As if she found the solution in her grandmother’s words, ” Exactly! That is what I want you to understand, Dhadhi. Even I want to see them as a couple. But not at the expense of sacrificing Kushi’s dreams. If Arnav and Kushi are meant to be together, we don’t have to bring them closer. But if they are not, there is nothing we can do about it. In spite of our infinite attempts, we might still not make your dream come true. So why make Kushi suffer, Dhadhi?”, asked Anjali, honestly.

As Anjali’s words made her realize the blunder which she was making, Devyani’s eyes widened. “How did I miss this? If Arnav and Kushi are meant for each other, nothing can come in their way”, she uttered as if she was talking to herself.

“That’s what I’m trying to say, Dhadhi”,responded Anjali feeling relieved knowing that her partner was back on track.

“Poor girl! She must have been hurt. I should have supported her”, said Devyani feeling bad.

“You still can, Dhadhi”, reminded Anjali.

“Ya, let Shashi return from work. I will have a chat with them. Meanwhile, I think I need to talk to Sakshi too”, said Devyani getting ready to leave her room.

“That’s my sweet Dhadhi!”, responded Anjali giving a hug to her grandmother.

“You are the one who is sweet, Anjali. Had it not been for you, I wouldn’t have realized my mistake. For my selfish intentions, I was all set to make that poor girl suffer”, said Devyani guiltily.

“But you didn’t. So look at the bright side and let’s go”, said Anjali tagging Devyani with her. The duo went straight to Sakshi and said what they needed to. But when they didn’t get the response which they were expecting, they gave her some time to think and went to Sakhi to take care of some unfinished business.

Few hours rolled by and during lunch time Sakshi went to Kushi’s room to call her for lunch. But even after multiple knocks when Kushi didn’t open the door, assuming that she was fast asleep, she didn’t disturb her daughter. Knowing Kushi’s tolerance levels for hunger, she was sure that she would come down when she is really hungry and decided to wait for her. She had hurt her enough, didn’t she? But what to do? She loved her daughter to that extent that, blinded but her love she wasn’t even able to see where her daughter’s real happiness lied. Leaving a deep sigh, she descended down the stairs hoping that Kushi would come down soon.

She waited for Kushi for few more hours but when there was no sign of her she went back and knocked on the door. Not getting any response, she got worried. “It’s almost 4 o’ clock! What is this girl doing inside?”, she wondered pounding on the door. Hearing the pounding sound, the other three ladies came to  Kushi’s room.

“She isn’t answering. I don’t know what’s going on”, said Sakshi who was almost at the verge of crying seeing the other women.

Devyani and Anjali who just came back from ‘Sakhi’ were surprised to know that Kushi never stepped out of her room after the morning incident.

“I left her room around 10. She doesn’t sleep this long”, mentioned Anjali as she too started banging on Kushi’s door and hearing this Sakshi panicked. She asked Aarthi to give a call to Shashi and let him know about the situation while she herself was busy in banging on the door calling out Kushi’s name.

Since he had tough time in focusing on his work, Arnav returned home early and was stepping inside the house when he heard the shouts and sounds coming from upstairs.

As he entered the living area, the shouts became more clear to him. “Kushi! Open the door”, he heard his sister say. Throwing the laptop bag in his hand on the couch, he dashed towards the stairs lifting his head to get a peek of what’s happening upstairs.

Seeing her brother approaching them , ” Arnav, Kushi didn’t come out since morning. And she locked the door”, said Anjali while she continued banging on the door.

“What???She locked herself up in the room since morning? What were you all doing then?”, he  asked in a tone which made everyone there stand like his culprits, while he too banged on the door calling out Kushi’s name.

“In spite of knowing that she was depressed, how could you leave her alone ,Di”, he asked his sister as if the rest standing there meant nothing to him.

The  word ‘depressed’ hit Sakshi bang on and she got more worried than ever.

“She wanted to rest, Arnav. So I had to give her some space. I thought she will be fine in couple of hours.But didn’t expect this. It’s been more than 6 hours. She normally doesn’t sleep this long during the day”, responded an equally worried Anjali.

“Keys!!! Where are the spare keys??”, he asked as it suddenly occurred to him and the others were glad that at least he got the thought which didn’t cross their heads in that tense situation.

“I have them in my room”, replied Aarthi who was already on her way to get the keys. While the rest continued their attempts in making the girl on the  other side of the room to open the door, Aarthi rummaged her room for the keys. She couldn’t remember where was the last place she kept them and this delayed the process of finding the keys.

Losing his patience with his each passing second, Arnav thought about the alternative and rushed to his room. He went straight to the balcony and jumped over the 3 feet grill partition which was the only barrier between their connected balconies, hoping that she didn’t close the blinds. He was glad to find the blinds drawn to one side of the french door, and when he took a closer peek, he found Kushi lying on her bed with her face covered with her hair. He tried his hands on the door was extremely glad when he found that it wasn’t locked from inside. Sliding the door, he set his foot inside her room while his eyes were fixed on her. Seeing the movement in her body as she took steady breaths, he let out a deep sigh and felt relieved.

He walked towards the bed and sat on his crouches right near hear head.Looking at the long locks of hair which were covering her face, he moved them carefully, to view her face. As he gently tucked the strands behind her ear lobe, he got to see the innocence  which  was in a deep slumber. She moved in her sleep and parted her lips which made a tiny smile bosom on her face. She looked  like a child to him with the stains of dried tears on her cheeks. Thinking about the ones who were cause of those and who were banging on the door now, he clenched his jaw and tried to wake up his sleeping beauty.

“Kushi!”, he called out softly, wondering how could anyone sleep so peacefully with such banging sounds and shouts coming from the other side of the door.

“Kushi”, he called again tapping on her hand which was lying on the bed, and this made her stir in her sleep and  a sweet moan escaped her mouth.

“What the”, he reacted as her moan reached his ears and increasing the intensity in his tone he said, ” Kushi, wake up!!”

She was in her own dreamland all the while and hearing his voice which made  her open  her eyelids, she still thought it was a dream, seeing him up so close.

As she stretched her lips and smiled, looking at him, all the restlessness which he had been carrying since morning vanished into the air and he too smiled looking at her.

“Glad that you woke up”, he said in a gentle tone which made her realize that it wasn’t a dream. She looked around to make sure and when she figured out that she was in her room, on her bed, with him near her, she sat upright and screamed,”Aaaaa”.

“What the”, he reacted and got up not understanding how to shut her up. And at the same moment the door burst open and all the women walked inside to Kushi’s relief.

Seeing the worried faces and the concern in their voices when they inquired about her well-being, “Why do you all look so worried? I’m perfectly fine. What happened?”, asked Kushi.

“You should be the one who needs to answer that. You locked yourself in your room for the past six hours and weren’t responding when we were banging on your door. Do you know how worried we were”, reacted Anjali.

Kushi looked at her mother’s moistened eyes and realized what might have worried her.     “I’m sorry,Di. I just closed my eyes and don’t know when I slipped into a deep sleep. I didn’t hear any sound and just woke up when he… wait a minute! How did you get in here when the door was locked”, she asked looking at Arnav, as that thought suddenly crossed her head.

He rolled his eyes in reaction and pointed his hand towards the french door, saying, ” You left that open”.

She made a mental that she should never leave it unlocked in future an as he knew what’s going on in her head, he shook his head scratching his brow.

“You didn’t have breakfast and you skipped your lunch too. Wash your face and come downstairs. I will fix something for you”, said Sakshi getting ready to leave the room.

Hearing her mother’s tone as the morning incident came back to her, ” You don’t have to worry about that, Maa. I’m not hungry”, replied Kushi.

“At least have something lite”, requested Sakshi.

“No need. My tummy is full with the support my family gave this morning”, mumbled Kushi in a tone which was audible to everyone, as her eyes again started tearing up.

“Kushi..Don’t talk like that”, her mother tried to persuade but was cut off by Devyani who said, “Why shouldn’t she, Sakshi? Is that not what we did to her this morning? Not showing even an ounce of support when she shared the news of her achievement with us.”

“But Maaji”, Sakshi tried to explain when Devyani interrupted her saying, ” You need to rethink about your decision Sakshi. But I’m with Kushi in this.”

While Sakshi and Aarthi were surprised to hear Devyani’s declaration, the other three were glad to hear it.

“We can talk about this later. First you come and eat something, Kushi”, said Sakshi trying to sideline the issue but since Kushi was firm about her decision she said, ” I’m not hungry at all and if you all leave me alone, I prefer to continue my sleep”.

The other ladies too tried to persuade Kushi but when they realized  that she wouldn’t give in that easily, they decided to leave her alone.

“I know that you can’t stand hunger. So, I won’t force you further. Come done when you really want to eat something. I will be waiting  for you there. No matter how long it takes”, said Sakshi in the end knowing that Kushi can’t go on a hunger strike for more hours.

“And don’t lock the door”, she added as the others exited the room.

Understanding the hidden concern in those words, “Don’t worry so much about me , Maa. I won’t harm myself. I can guarantee you that much”, replied Kushi sarcastically.

Throwing a glance at her while Sakshi left from their, Arnav who had been a silent spectator all the while, didn’t miss the lone tear which escaped  Kushi’s eyes after the others left.

Feeling a sting in his heart seeing her in pain, he cleared his throat and asked, ” You okay?”, with concern.

Realizing that she still had one visitor left, Kushi wiped the tear off her cheek and nodded her head in response without meeting his eye.

He knew that she wasn’t okay. Then why was he even asking? Tightening his jaw line with a determination that he would make everything okay, he took two long strides and exited her room.

He came downstairs and was glad to find the men entering the house. The concern in Shashi’s face didn’t got unnoticed by him.

“Babuji, I need to talk to you”, said Arnav as soon as Shashi came close to him.

“Later, Arnav. I need to check on Kushi first”, replied Shashi without stopping in his tracks.

“It’s something which is related to Kushi only, Babuji”, said Arnav blocking Shashi’s way. Shashi stood still seeing the determination in the angry young man’s eyes while Arnav looked at the rest and said, ” In fact, I need to talk to everyone in this house.”

Getting the attention which he needed, “Let’s go to the home theater room. I have something to show you all”, he said, taking the lead after ordering Shyamlal to get some fruits to the room and the rest though confused, followed him silently.

While on their way to the home theater room which was on the next level to the  youngsters’ bedrooms, Shashi took a quick peep into Kushi’s room and found her on the bed with her back towards the door. Assuming that she was sleeping, he followed the clan to the next level but little did he know that Kushi was wide awake and the footfalls on the stairs did push her into a confusion.

Once everyone took a seat, and Shyamlal too joined them with a tray of fruits, Arnav closed the door and switched on the projector. Passing the pen drive in his pocket to Rishi, and asking him to plug it in, he took the remote control in his hand.

As the first slide appeared on the screen, ” The one you are seeing now is Central Saint Martins which is top ranked fashion school in the world. “, said Arnav.

Moving on to the next slides,”Many famous fashion designers like Stella McCartney, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen  graduated from here”, he said and Aakash interrupted him asking,”But why are you showing this to us, Arnav”.

“I’m coming there Papa”, he told his father and then turning towards the crowd he said, “Many budding designers dream to do their masters here. But not everyone who dream,  get a chance to get in that college as they have very limited seats for the course. Only few lucky, talented and skilled candidates get into it…… and Kushi is one among them. She made it to this school only, which is located in London”.

As his motive behind the presentation became clear to the people there, everyone got lost in their own thoughts and Shashi felt very bad for not acknowledging his daughter’s achievement.

“I understand what you are trying to convey, Arnav. But I’m not ready to send Kushi far away from us”, said Sakshi who was the first one to react.

“Don’t you see it,Maa. It’s not that she just got lucky. She made it there with her very own talent. Why don’t you want her to excel in what she want’s to?”, questioned Arnav.

“When did I say that I don’t want her to. All I’m saying is, why can’t she do whatever she wants here itself. Why does she have to go all the way to London for it?”, retorted Sakshi.

“Studying in the world’s top school and studying in some good college in Delhi aren’t the same, Maa”, he replied, which made Sakshi fall short of words.

As silence prevailed for a minute, “Okay! I have one question for all the four of you”, said Arnav addressing both the couples.

“Why was I sent abroad for my Bachelor’s when we have very good colleges in our very own city?”, he asked.

“That’s different Arnav. It was your Papa’s dream to see you graduate from Harvard. So we all had to agree”, replied Aarthi.

“And since this is Kushi’s dream, you all don’t want to care about it? Papa’s dream meant a lot to everyone and Kushi’s dream means nothing?”, asked Arnav which made everyone feel guilty.

“If that was the case you should have told that silly girl that she has no right to dream. Only the adults of this house have that luxury”, he mocked with a sarcastic smile on his face.

“You are not getting it, Arnav. It’s not what you think. We are not so mean. The only reason why I didn’t want to send Kushi away was, I can’t live without her. And so does her mom”, said Shashi accepting his weakness.

“You have to, Babuji What will you do when she gets married and leaves this house?”, asked Arnav. He had said it to make Shashi think but he himself didn’t like the taste of his words.

“It’s just a 45 weeks course, Maa. After that she will be back with us”, he said trying to persuade Sakshi,

“But it’s a different country, Arnav. And Kushi had never been to any foreign country. How will she manage there? With all foreigners around her”, asked Sakshi.

“Oh come on Maa. Have I been to any foreign land before I went to the states? Didn’t I survive? She will too”, said Arnav.

“Both are not the same, Arnav. She is a girl. Things will be difficult for her”, said Sakshi expressing her fears.

“Oh God! What are you talking, Maa. We are in the 21st century. People are sending their 17 year old daughters abroad for studies and you are worried to send your 21 year old?Kushi is not a baby,Maa. She knows how to stay safe and take care of herself. Even if she is in Delhi, you can’t guard her 24/7. What guarantee can you give that she doesn’t have to face any difficulties here? “, asked Arnav throwing his hands up in the air for which Sakshi had no answer as the disturbing articles she had been reading daily  in the new paper supported every word which Arnav uttered.

Seeing the lady who got lost in a deep thought, Arnav pulled a chair  and sat in front of her, taking her hands into his. “She just want’s to flap her wings and fly, Maa. Will you chop her wings and burn her dreams”, he asked in a tone filled with pain which moistened Sakshi’s eyes.

“She is not so cruel, Arnav. She just loves Kushi too much”, came the reaction from Aarthi, who knew about Sakshi, more than anyone else.

“I know Mamma. But what kind of love is this which is destroying the loved one’s happiness? If we really love someone I don’t think we can see them in pain”, he uttered and as the meaning of those word synched in his head he became blank wondering, “Is that why I couldn’t see her in pain”.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her. What will I get if I see her unhappy. I’m her mother. And as a mother don’t I have any right on her”, asked Sakshi who started sobbing.

“Of course, you do, Maa. More than anyone else in this world. You are the one who brought her to this world and you have every right on her. You can take any decision related to her. But what about Kushi, Maa. Doesn’t she have any right on her own life? Can’t she do what she really wants to do just because you don’t want her to do?”, asked Arnav coming out of his thoughts hearing Sakshi’s sobs.

May be she was thinking too much. May be she was being too selfish. Selfish to that extent that she is not ready to see where her daughter’s really happiness was. Just because she gave birth to her she can’t be the dictator of her daughter’s life.  In the pretext of protecting her was she  forcing her to do what she wants her to do? What kind of mother is she? And what kind of love is this?   Several thoughts crowded Sakshi’s head.

As Arnav’s words changed everyone’s view about the issue, “But where will she stay in London?”, inquired Aarthi.

“She can live in one of the University’s halls of residence or rent a home.”, answered Arnav.

“Oh… does she have to live alone in a rented apartment”, asked Devyani hearing which Sakshi who was almost at the verge of getting convinced, got shocked. “How can her girl who lives with such a big family go to some new country and  live all alone in an apartment”, she wondered as the colors on her face changed.

” If you want you can give her company, Dhadhi. Why don’t you go with her”, said Anjali who noticed the change in Sakshi, gesturing her grandmother to look at Sakshi.

Realizing what damage her words could cause, ” No no, I didn’t mean it that way. What’s the need for her to stay all alone in an apartment. She can stay on the campus . Right, Arnav”, asked Devyani looking for some support.

“Actually, there is one more better option, Dhadhi. She can stay in the flat which we own in London. Couple of our Indian employees live in the same building and can give her some good company”, said Arnav and everyone liked that thought. He gave some time for everyone to think and then asked, ” So, What do you say, Babuji”,looking at Shashi.

“I can’t disagree with anything which you just said, Arnav. But the very thought that I can’t see my princess for a good one year is something which is really not going well with me”,  replied Shashi.

“Why do you think that you can’t see her for a year? It’s just a matter of one night travel, Babuji. You can fly to London whenever you want to see her. Anyway, one of us have to travel to London every now and then to take care of things there. So, as long as Kushi is there, you can make all those trips instead of me and Papa. What say, Papa”, he asked to get his father’s support and Aakash readily agreed for it.

He didn’t realize that those words would make him regret in future as what mattered to him at that moment was convincing the peopled around him. And he was successful in his deed as Shashi responded positively and so did Sakshi.

As his job was done, he raised from his seat saying, ” I said what I have to. And now it’s up to you people. But honestly, in my opinion, SHE SHOULD BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO LIVE HER DREAM!”, and grabbing an apple from the fruit basket, he walked out of the room.

He came down one level and stopped in front of her room looking at the girl who had her hands on her abdomen. Sensing his presence at the door, when she turned and looked at him, their eyes met. He threw the apple in his hand in her direction and Kushi caught it just in time. When she looked back at him, “Everything’s going to be fine!”, he said with a smile on his face. And as he walked away from there with the smile still on his face, Kushi too smiled staring at the red apple in her hand.

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All rights goes to original writer -Deepti(Myriad of my dreams).

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