Chapter 20

Hello everyone,

I know I kept you waiting for a long time, for that please accept my apologies. I don't know if you are aware of it, but the area I live in was flooded about 2-3 weeks ago due to heavy rainfall. My home was safe, but the entire Calgary downtown was under water. There was more than billion dollar damage, lots of people lost their jobs, homes and everything they owned. All the offices were shut down more than a week, electricity, hot water etc were down. The affected areas were Calgary, Canmore, High River etc. After flood was cleared up, some of us went to volunteer to help as well as donate to Red Cross to the needy families. The situation is finally under control and Canadian Government has promised to cover the damages. However, the scars of losing everything still remains in the heart of a lot of people. Hope they all get over this trauma soon. 

Love
T

Recap -

Khushi frowns as she rubs her forehead which starts pounding again: I remember how he proposed to me and our engagement. In fact I remember our Mehendi, Sangeet, Haldi. I even remember our wedding and our first night. We had an accident on the way back from the garden where we spent our first night together.

Arnav’s eyes widen with surprise. Khushi is talking about the dream he had when he was in coma.* But if that was all a dream or hallucination of his, then how is that Khushi’s memory?

He looks at Lacy and sees her looking at him, solemnly.

*Reference: Prequel to First Forward – Rewind (Link on the first page index)

Those who forgot the story, I suggest you give it a quick read. From this point forward, there will be a lot of links to the prequel.

Payal walks to Khushi and says: What are you talking about Khushi? You never got your dream wedding. You eloped with Arnavji on the day of my wedding, remember?

Khushi wrinkles her brow and says: That’s not how I remember. I remember getting married in the same alter as you, Jiji with all the rituals and customs. We had everything together remember? I even had a few accidents.

Everyone in the family was looking at Khushi stunned at her words. They were looking at each other thinking may be the trauma was too much for her.

Garima comes to Khushi and says: Come with me, Khushi. You should lie down. You had a traumatic day today so it’s no wonder you are stressed out. We will go to bed for the night, everything can wait until tomorrow.

Lacy walks towards Khushi and walks her to the room a still stunned Arnav showed. Then she gave Khushi’s medicine to her and made her lie down on the bed and left the room.

Main Hall, Sheesh Mahal:

VJ was flipping through Khushi’s medical file and muttering: I don’t understand. What the hell is Khushi talking about? How can she have a different memory than the rest of the family? Is she hallucinating? But her medical file doesn’t say anything like that…

NK was silent until now, but he suddenly blurts out: Oh, but it was not Khushiji’s hallucination, it was Nannav’s.

Naniji turns to NK and asks: What? What are you talking about?

NK eagerly explains ignoring Arnav’s furious expression: Oh remember when Nannav went to coma and he was unconscious for a few weeks? When Khushiji was also in coma? When Nannav came back, he was talking about him getting married to Khushi like she always wanted?

VJ’s eyes widen: But if that was ASR’s hallucinations during coma, and Khushi was also in coma during that time, then how did she remember it? Did anyone mention this dream to her?

Anjali smiles a sad smile: No, when Khushiji came out of coma, she had partial amnesia. The doctor specifically asked us not to mention anything related to old memories and let her heal first.

VJ runs his fingers through his mussed hair with frustration: Then how the hell she remembers ASR’s coma-induced hallucination?

Naniji slowly smiles: Because Khushi bitiya never needed to hear Arnav’s thoughts to know them.

Khushi’s Room, Sheesh Mahal:

Lacy left Khushi’s room and was slowly closing the door behind her when an iron-grip grabs her arm and drags her to the balcony.

Lacy turns with a gasp to see ASR was standing there with fury radiating from him: What games are you playing Lacy? Or should I say Lachhi?

Main Hall, Sheesh Mahal:

Naniji looks at Anjali: Remember Anjali bitiya when Arnav bitwa lost his voice because of mosquito coil’s smoke? None of us understood what he was saying, but Khushi bitiya read his thoughts before he could even show them with his gestures. They always had this connection, that none of us understood.

Anjali’s eyes fill with tears and she nods.

VJ growls: Are you kidding me? Now I have to believe that Khushi had this filmy divine connection with ASR? The man who never bothered to read her conscious thoughts, she read his coma-induced hallucinations? What next? A bunch of dancers singing freaking Om Shaanti Om?

Anjali straightens up and walks to VJ: VJ, have you ever been in love?

VJ scowls: What? Yes… No… May be, err… I don’t know.

Anjali smiles: When you do fall in love for real, you’ll not be in confusion. You’ll know that you are in love in your heart. But if you are lucky enough to find a soul mate, then you will know that some love defies the science, because they go beyond life and follow even after death. They connect through soul and heart. When one heart beats, the other does… When one stops, the other stops too. That’s the love my brother and Khushiji have. We can never understand it because we haven’t found the other half of our soul yet.

VJ growls: Oh really… Then where was that connection when ASR was torturing Khushi and breaking her dreams on the basis of a misunderstanding that didn’t even have a solid ground to stand on? Where was that love then when Khushi was fighting alone for her belief, love and dreams? Tell me Anjali, why ASR didn’t use this convenient connection then?

Anjali replies: I can’t answer that to you, VJ. Because I was only a bystander at that time too busy and involved in my own world to pay attention what was going on around me. But I know that my brother spent most of his life denying love’s existence because all he had experience up to that point was betrayal and greed. He lost any trust or belief in tender emotions at a very young age. Whereas, despite the adverse circumstances, Khushiji had never lost her belief, trust and hope for a love. Khushiji was ready for her prince charming; she was waiting for him her entire life. My brother never hoped nor was ready for love to come into his life. So when Khushiji came into his life, it was not easy for him to accept his feelings as real or believe that someone like Khushiji who was so different from him, can love him for who he is.

The misunderstanding just cemented what he always believed that love means betrayal and it was easier to believe that Khushiji betrayed him than believing that his entire family, including his Di and himself had made the biggest mistake of their life by trusting a low life and allowing him to be a part of their family.

But think VJ, he could have offered Khushiji money to leave the city, the state or even the country. He could have threatened her family. Hell, he could have forced anyone to marry her and take her out of Shyam’s reach forever. Why would he marry her himself, if somewhere in his heart he didn’t knew that she was meant to be his and he could not live without her?

So was he wrong for taking the easy way out? Yes he did. Was his way wrong? Yes it was… But it doesn’t mean that he hadn’t paid for his sins when he watched her suffering in the hospital at the death’s door or when she forgot his existence.

VJ goes silent for a minute. Then slowly asks: But what now, Anjali? Is ASR going to remain silent and let Khushi think what she thinks now and let her live a lie or is he going to man up and reveal the truth for once in his life and let Khushi make an honest decision based on all the facts?

ASR’s voice booms from behind: I will answer to that.