PART-62

Khushi sat nuzzling in ASR's lap as they lolled on the recliner in the balcony after a sumptuous dinner with a frown on her face,which didn't go unnoticed by him.

 

" What' wrong khushi?"ASR enquired softly.

"Its overcast.I can't see the stars."Khushi pouted.

"You are missing your parents."ASR said and it wasn't  a question but a statement.

"Yes I'm!Life would've been so beautiful if they were here by my side!I would've loved to introduce you to them."Khushi sighed,blinking her eyes against the tears that threatened to spill over.ASR gently wiped her tears,tightening his arm around her waist.

"Shh Khushi!Don't cry!I know you miss them a lot and I can empathize with you for I suffered the same.I know how it feels to be an orphan.How much it hurts! But you should never hold an exposition of your vulnerability for life is hardly fair and people leave no chance at smiting where it hurts the most!"ASR said quitely.

Khushi looked up at him,her brows furrowed.ASR met her gaze evenly.

"Why are you so bitter Arnavji?Why do you hang on this pseudo facade of stoic antagonism so tenaciously?Why can't you just let go of the masquerade of ASR and just be my Aranvji for once?"Khushi asked unnerved.

"I'm bitter,am I?Of course I am because I know that life is not a walk of cake! Its cruel in its most ugly form!There's nothing noble or pristine about it as you've deluded yourself to think.Just one wrong step on your part and thousands of people sit around to make you fall flat on your face....to destroy every shred of happiness!Perseverance,magnanimity,benevolence,fortitude are stuff of those ruddy fables and not of worldly pragmatism khushi!"ASR breathed heavily,his eyes glinting.A charged silence followed his monologue.

"You are referring to your parents,aren't you?"Khushi asked softly and immediately felt his hands balling up into fists.

"H....How did they...they die Arnavji?"She asked in a trembling voice and ASR froze.He looked down in her eyes searching and found them shining unmistakably with love and concern.He drowned in their depths,for how long?He didn't know,and then began speaking taking a deep breath.

"My dad had a big textile business....the famous chickankari of lucknow.We lived there with my uncle and grandmom in a joint family.My uncle,Yash Mallick was as loving and doting as anyone can be,the perfect brother,a family man so much so that there was no speck of doubt in the love that he had for us!Then one day everything changed!"ASR's voice became hard,his eyes sparked with hatred and khushi sat in his lap,wide-eyed,listening with rapt attention.

"Out of the blue cops entered our house one day and arrested my father on the charges drug peddling!They said that huge consignment of drugs worth crores of rupees was caught in the store room of my dad's factory and that the workers there had admitted that they were engaged in the smuggling of drugs and that my dad was the kingpin!We knew that it was all a lie,that someone had framed my dad yet we didn't have any proof!Then those officers told us that the complain against my dad was lodged by my uncle,Yash Mallick,who had dared to defy his brother and reported cops about his illegitimate business.We all were shocked and it didn't take us long to put two and two together.Apparently,that greedy bastard had duped his family,had put his own brother behind the bars for money!"Khushi stared at ASR ashen faced as he continued his story.

"My mom decided to confront him,to make him see the errors of his way,but that lusty fiend crossed all his limits!He tried to r...rape my mom and nearly succeeded, but my mom committed suicide to save her honor!She shot herself and that monster,infuriated at my mom's denial lasciviously advanced to my di who sat near mom's corpse crying.But listening to the entire racket,me and my grandma reached the room on time and saved my di from that pervert's clutches. That dope attacked us and in attempting to protect us my grandma sustained severe head injuries!That demon didn't even leave his own mother!..Till then nani, mami and mamaji reached and took us away!My grandma passed away after a few days due to brain hemorrhage and my dad,unable to bear the taunts and jeering and also the pain of losing half his family died in prison due cardiac arrest."ASR fell silent,his posture stiff,cold anger akin to death radiating from him which so terrified khushi that she was rooted on the spot,unable to move a muscle.

"And during all those time,my uncle had a loyal side-kick,his compatriot who helped me destroy our lives."ASR said through gritted teeth after a protracted period of silence.

"Who?"Khushi whispered making ASR look down at her and his eyes were expressionless.Cold!

"Surinder Manohar Jha."ASR announced taking khushi by surprise.