Chapter Thirty Three (2) : What Morning Brings

The air carried the scent of winter fog and freshly cut grass. The terrace gave a lovely view of the gardens below and the lush trees that lined the boundary walls. The view was breathtaking, and perhaps on another morning, Arnav would have spared more time in appreciating the craftsmanship and regal infrastructure of the house. It is often said that houses over time begin to clothe a personality of their own, and Abharana haveli stood tall in its stature like one with wisdom of several centuries.

Opposite Arnav sat Ashish Gupta, clad in a khaki kurta with a shawl draped across his shoulders. Between the two men sat a small table, with steaming cups of tea and cashew biscuits lined upon fine china ware on a tray. Arnav watched as Ashish Gupta solemnly reached for a teacup, and then frowned at the stain it left behind on the tray. With a tissue, he wiped it, and then picked the cup, flicking an invisible speck of dust off of his kurta as he did so. There was something Arnav found almost eerily familiar about the action, but couldn’t quite place a finger on it. Instead, he followed Ashish’s gesture and helped himself with his own tea, and to no great shock, came straight to the point without trying to ease into conversation with the senior Gupta.

“Charges pressed against Shyam are on the counts of stalking, criminal intimidation, assault, and more. I guess since the allegations of domestic violence and cruelty were unfortunately not raised at the time of divorce, it would hard to pursue them now. But even so, there’s enough to ensure him behind bars. I also expect some third party lawsuits on corporate fraud coming his way very soon, and they should keep him busy if nothing else.”

Ashish Gupta remained quiet and sipped on his tea while Arnav spoke. Arnav understood his silence for his disapproval, and once again struggled to rein in his anger and disbelief at such misplaced loyalties. A flash of annoyance marked his face, before he released a cold breath and set the teacup down on the tray. “If I may say something?” he asked.

Ashish looked at him with the mask of an unreadable expression and gestured for him to continue.

“If your concern still rests on what this might do to your family reputation-wise,” Arnav said, “then I think it’s safe to say that isn’t a problem any longer. Shyam is going to be in no position to make his word count within any respectable circles hereon. I don’t think even with existing prejudices, society attaches much weight to the word of a man devoid of money, power, and now even dignity. Shyam is in more of a legal mess than what we are about to burden him with, perhaps why he was so desperate recently for money from you. It shouldn’t take time for the word to go around, should you want it. That essentially gives you the power to give this whatever narrative you want, and have your family name come out of the whole mess unscathed.”

At this, Ashish Gupta’s set his sharp eyes upon Arnav. “I hadn’t guessed that you would think this to be a matter of any concern.”

“To me, it’s not,” was the reply.

“Aah, right,” Ashish exaggerated a nod. “To you it’s not, but you think that’s all we care about as Khushi’s parents. The evil, selfish parents who aren’t concerned with their daughter’s happiness but only their own name and reputation.”  

Arnav drew in cold breath and replied evenly, “I never said that.”

“Don’t think I haven’t read the accusation in your eyes. I am no fool, Mr. Raizada.”

There was a muscle movement in Arnav’s jaw but he kept his silence, struggling to restrain the honest words clinging to his lips that didn’t require much to make an escape.

“No, go ahead, I insist,” Ashish gestured encouragingly. “I am all ears to hear your opinion of us. My daughter shared her opinion in no unclear words last night, and you should ask her if she was met with an interruption. And you…you took a blow or two last night, didn’t you? I guess that earns you a right to have a say in the matter. You should say what’s on your mind. Unspoken words anyway have a way of making their escape eventually.”

“I wished to let you know of the possible way forward with your ex son-in-law, and I have,” Arnav replied. “Beyond that, you wouldn’t wish to know my opinion in the matter, and I don’t see how it would make any difference either.”

Silence fell between the two men after the tersely delivered response, and Ashish waited; waited as he watched Arnav’s resolve break slowly, until the accusation left his eyes and finally leapt on to his lips.

“I just don’t understand how could you do this to her.”

Ashish crossed his arms against his chest, and faced Arnav, meeting the latter’s words with an unmoved expression.

“A girl like Khushi…How do you see a man like Shyam and find him deserving of her? How could you throw her away to a guy like him and then just leave her all alone to deal with it. When I think of all that she— …when it’s hard for me to accept what she went through, how could you as parents bring this upon her? You had to get her married so what, just any man would do?”

Arnav paused in an attempt to filter out some of the harsher words he wished to say, then continued. “I apologize for my honesty, but you did insist on my opinion so I can’t help but express to you my shock that anyone, let alone her own parents, could come to know Khushi and believe that she isn’t worth much better.”

Ashish let out a bitter yet amused snort. “Shocked, are you? Well…I understand your frustration Arnav, but while you accuse us of having been unfair, isn’t it also unfair to judge us without knowing our side to the story?”

When Arnav didn’t respond, Ashish reached for his pocket and withdrew a box of cigarettes. Lighting one up, he offered the box to Arnav, who politely refused.

“Non-smoker?” Ashish arched a brow.

Arnav shook his head, “No. Just not in a mood for one right now.”

He lied, of course. The setting, the conversation, every single thing about the situation had him craving for a smoke, and the heady scent of tobacco rising from the burning end of the stick in Ashish’s hand was doing nothing to help the situation. It didn’t take much for a fellow smoker to recognize the restraint being exercised in the face of unbearable temptation, and Ashish was no exception. He looked at Arnav with a flicker of confusion in his eyes, then slowly nodded and withdrew the box from him.

“I understand your…outrage,” he said instead, taking a drag on the cigarette. “But it’s not an entirely fair accusation I must say. When you accuse me of thinking that just any man would do for my daughter, I can’t help but wonder if you’re aware of how unjust it is an accusation coming from your mouth.”

Arnav’s shoulders involuntarily stiffened, and a flash of regret darted across his face before he masked it with composure.

“So you are aware,” Ashish commented, quick to notice the subtle shift in expression.

“I am aware now,” Arnav answered, “but the incident has only recently come to my knowledge. I wasn’t aware then of any such proposal, and any conversation that happened remained between you and my grandmother until Khushi and I became aware of it very recently.”

“So you weren’t aware that she was the girl you had rejected when you employed her at your company?”

Arnav almost flinched at the choice of words. “I wouldn’t say I rejected her when I wasn’t even aware of the proposal. Like I said, that was between you and Nani.”

“And Devyani Raizada was aware? That Khushi works for you?”

“Not that she’s the same Khushi as your daughter.”

Ashish nodded. “That’s good to know. I almost thought you and your family were gloating in the opportunity of having given employment to the poor, vulnerable Gupta daughter.”

“That is not how I have ever seen Khushi,” Arnav replied sharply, now doing nothing to mask the affront in his voice. “Nor do I come from a family where this could be the line of thought about a girl like her.”

“Oh I know all about the standards in the Raizada family,” Ashish remarked with unveiled sarcasm, tapping the cigarette against the ash tray. “Tell me Arnav, what are we to do if such progressive, well-educated, and so called modern upper-class families as yours consider it beneath themselves to marry their sons into our very backward and regressive households? And then we’re accused of not finding perfect matches for our daughters, unfair isn’t it?”

Without waiting for an answer, he continued. “You accuse me of not knowing my daughter, Arnav. Why do you think I sent a proposal to your family? Was it because I was unaware that my daughter has grown up cultivating ideals that would only be tolerated in a very broad-minded household? Was it because I was unaware that your family and ours have very different value systems and outlooks on life, and unfortunately, my daughter against our best efforts mirrors those that belong to yours? Trust me, I did not approach Devyani Raizada because I think very highly of this new lot of families that believe in abandoning traditional systems for modern values…that was not my reason. And how did your grandmother respond? She straightaway rejected my proposal stating the reason as differences in family values, and how her very forward thinking grandson could never possibly find a match in a daughter belonging to our family. It would be beneath her grandson…beneath you to be married to Khushi.”

Arnav swallowed, feeling the burn of an unhealed wound scald his skin. “My Nani knows me well,” he said, speaking for those absent, “and she was aware that at the time, I wasn’t willing to consider marriage at all. That would have been the foremost reason for the proposal not working out. Beyond that, she is aware of our family differences and the fact that you suggested dowry would have been sufficient to make her wary. She must have assumed that Khushi—”

“That Khushi wouldn’t match your standards,” Ashish finished for him. “And did she take any measure to confirm her presumptions? It’s never happened in our family before, but I told your grandmother that you and your family were welcome to meet Khushi, speak to her, and get to know her for yourself, before taking a call. She clearly didn’t think that any meeting could warrant a revision in her opinion. Are you aware of this?”

Arnav exhaled sharply, fighting a battle both within and beyond himself. “Mr. Gupta, like I said, I wasn’t aware of any of this because I wasn’t considering marriage prospects at all back then. But even if things didn’t work out with our family, I hardly think Shyam Jha is the only deserving match you could have found for Khushi. She could easily have found someone much better than me, let alone…”

The words died on his lips, frustration and regret not allowing him to finish his thought. All his words were at oddity with how he truly felt about the situation, for if truth be told, if there really was a way he could bring changes to the past, there would be no question of “someone better”. The only person he really had a grief with in his past was his own self, and his own ignorance of what he had lost and to whom he had lost, unknowingly.

“Yes,” Ashish nodded. “But word travels fast doesn’t it? Your grandmother didn’t make any secret of having turned down a proposal from our family. Doesn’t hurt to gloat a little about having turned down a daughter of only the richest family in town for her grandson, does it?”

Arnav swallowed, the grip of his fingers tightening against the arm rest of the chair.

“Yours is not the only reputable family in our circles, I am not unaware of it. That Devyani Raizada remains well-connected to many well known families is also a truth. I did consider a handful of other “progressive” families in our circles, but despite their initial interest they were quick to withdraw, and I would not be surprised if it was because of a glowing review of our family values from your grandmother.”

“Nani wouldn’t—”

“She did. In an arranged marriage system, it’s customary to do a background check of the family through network and contacts. It would be a great coincidence that news of Khushi’s proposal being turned down by the Raizadas, an information that was left no secret thanks to your grandmother, simply ran simultaneously with some other connected families taking a step back. How very….forward thinking of your lot, I must say.”

Arnav’s glance darted towards the cigarette case kept on the table, before he tore it away.

“Wouldn’t no husband be better than what you chose for her? Why is marriage so absolutely necessary for a well-educated, smart woman li—”

“Please Mr. Raizada,” Ashish raised a hand forbidding him from finishing his thought. “I know how it is especially with this fresh lot of youngsters and your western influenced ideals, but do not begin to lecture me on how important it is or isn’t to get a daughter married. Just because I said I was open to considering a family different from ours for Khushi, does not mean that I would throw away any wisdom passed down to us since centuries and deny the importance of institutions that have been keeping our name and social standing going since you or I were even born. You are young and think yourself as all wise and all knowing, but I know better about how this society works for an unmarried woman no matter how “independent” she is. Not getting Khushi married was never an option and I stick to the correctness of that wisdom.”

“So marrying her to an abusive, wretched criminal was okay and very wise I suppose?” Arnav snapped, struggling with both frustration and disbelief.

His anger was finally mirrored on Ashish’s face. “You think we intentionally married her to him despite knowing all this? When I realized that Khushi wasn’t likely to be accepted by families such as yours, I turned to those that mirrored our own in thoughts, values, and social standing. What other option did I have? And truth be told, I myself approve of many of those values that my daughter finds so very reprehensible. Still, I knew that if her partner’s family matched her own in every which way, Khushi would never have any upper hand whatsoever and would most definitely have to forget every single foolishly ambitious dreams she had built up inside that head of hers. Indeed, if I had a daughter-in-law and could have a say in the matter, I wouldn’t approve of her walking around building businesses, working in offices, and such other things ignoring her family name and responsibilities. But that is, if I could have a say in the matter. Therefore, I chose the Jhas. They have a family name that goes back several generations, are well recognized in elite social circles for this very reason, but happen to have lost all ancestral wealth due to excesses committed by the newer generations. That wasn’t a problem for me, because Khushi is an heiress to wealth that can sustain generations without any of them having to lift a finger. I knew they’d be eager for an alliance and would be open to Khushi’s conditions – her only condition – which was to have full freedom to steer her career forward any which way she wanted. Can’t say I approved of it, but it was what it was. Shyam not only enthusiastically agreed, but said that he welcomed the prospect of a wife who would share his entrepreneurial ambitions.  I chose a reputable family for my daughter. I valued her conditions and found her a match accordingly. I gave money to her husband to set himself up in business and do something with his life and therefore, do better for her. I did every single thing I could do to make sure this went right, only to sit here today and listen from you, the man who turned her down without so much as meeting her, how I should have been a better father.”

Ashish rose up from his chair, flicked the cigarette stub into a pot nearby and directed the full force of his affront, his guilt, his failure, and his anger, towards Arnav – the man who had protected his daughter, while he had watched on the sideline. The man whose arms his daughter had cried into, after having lost every last hope or faith in her own father. The man who represented everything that Ashish Gupta in the moment felt he was not. Once again, like the night before, Ashish felt his shoulders slumping and the carefully constructed aura of composure he had planned to display falling apart. Because he knew, that this is where his defense ended. This is where his justifications stopped, and his daughter’s grievances began. Khushi’s accusations had not been so much about what was done to her before the marriage, as after it. Ashish Gupta couldn’t as confidently speak for himself on events that transpired after Khushi moved to Delhi, not after what he had witnessed the night before. He knew that, and he knew Arnav knew that as well. He could read that knowledge, along with unmistakable pity and judgment in the young man’s eyes. And the look in Arnav’s eyes along with Khushi’s cries echoing in his ears from the night before, chipped at the defenses and justifications he had carefully built for himself over several years.

After a few quiet seconds, Arnav ran a palm across his sleep deprived face, took a deep breath, and addressed the man whose back was facing him. “Khushi and I will be meeting her lawyer today to discuss a restraining order* and other matters. I believe you should be present as well if—…..”

The unfinished sentence made Ashish turn around to look at Arnav, and find the reason of his sudden loss of speech standing at the entrance to the terrace. Khushi stood at the door in her clothes from the night before with her hair falling loosely across her shoulders. It was clear from her wide eyed expressions that she had only just entered the scene, and she hesitantly looked first at her father, then at Arnav, trying to figure out exactly what she had walked into.  

Ashish watched the instant change in Arnav’s expressions – the way his eyes immediately softened, and all marks of tension or anger flew away from his face. He saw the flicker in Khushi’s eyes as she met Arnav’s gaze, and the faint blush that slowly lit her cheeks. Arnav smiled at her, mouthing an inaudible ‘hi’, and she managed to smile back, albeit a little nervously. Then her eyes darted across the terrace, at the table with tea, biscuits, and cigarettes, and once again questioningly at the men who stood before her. She looked at her father, and as the memories of the previous night came flooding back, her expressions visibly sobered.

“You’re up,” Ashish remarked, breaking the silent conversation that seemed to be happening around him.

“Yes,” she replied, moving her arms to wrap her warm stole more snugly to herself.

“Slept well?” he asked.

Khushi met his eyes at the question, and it was Ashish who was the first to look away this time.

“Yes,” she replied softly. “I wanted to check on Maa but she is still asleep. Then I was told that you were with Ar…”

Ashish nodded. “Yes, I gave her a sedative along with her pressure medicines last night. She should be up after sometime, you can see her then. I had asked Arnav to have morning tea with me.”

Khushi darted a quick look at Arnav.

“Anyway, you should show your… friends around the house, now that you’re here,” Ashish said, picking his cellphone from the table and walking towards the door to the exit. “I’ll check on your mother.”

Without waiting around for a response he walked past his daughter, and out of the terrace leaving the two people behind him in each other’s company.

---

When he entered his bedroom, he saw Garima up and resting against the bed frame with a pillow behind her back. Upon seeing her husband, she sat up straight, her agitated fingers pushing away the bed covers off from herself.

“Did you speak to him?” she asked, trying to read the expression on Ashish’s face.

“Hmm,” he replied.

“And?”

Ashish blankly unclasped his watch and placed it on the dresser, then rang the servant bell.

“Have you thought about how we will handle the scandal that’ll come? How are we even going to—”

“Shyam is arrested and Arnav Singh Raizada is going to be your future son-in-law,” Ashish interrupted her in a voice that was as blank of emotion as the look on his face. “That is effectively going to take care of any slander and scandal that would have followed Khushi’s divorce. Once the news goes out, people will take less than a month to forget the rest…or atleast no one’s going to believe that Khushi has in any way been blameworthy in whatever happened.”

Garima’s fingers froze in place as her eyes widened. “What? Did he ask you for her hand in marriage?”

“Not yet.”

“Then? How can you be so sure?”

“….Because I have eyes.”

Garima opened her mouth to say something but shut it, then looked at her husband with an expression that was a mixture of both confusion and skepticism.

“If you’re so sure…then why don’t you look more relieved or happy about this?”

Ashish swallowed thickly, and with a dark cloud gathering on his face pulled out another cigarette and placed it between his lips. Without answering his wife, he turned around and walked out of the room and down the corridors, his eyes deliberately avoiding the portrait of his late sister staring at him on the way.

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A/N: Happy Diwali friends! Love and light, always ❤️ To those still reading, I wish to convey nothing but my love and gratitude for your patience! Abhi ke liye just this much, aur kuch bolna hua toh “notes” toh hain hi 😛

• * Technically, there’s nothing such as a ‘restraining order’ in India. The result is achieved through an injunction, but for simplicity in language I’ve used the more familiar phrase.