Heart wrenching adoration Part-45

Khushi’s POV

“So what happened to lavanya?” I asked. It was twilight and Akash, Arnav and Payal di were sitting around me chattering.

“Well she has been sent to juvenile jail, though it wasn’t a pretty sight...I mean with her parents. They were in full denial mode that their daughter could do anything that horrible and her mom even fainted! I feel so bad for her parents.” Akash murmured, his voice mingled with disgust and pity.

“Its all my fault! Had it not been for me, lavanya would never have...” Arnav began, his voice breaking twice but I interrupted him fiercely.

“Of course its not your fault Arnav! Don’t you dare blame yourself for whatever she did, not unless you can truly help your natural charisma and face of Adonis!” I yelled, unthinkingly and their reactions were instantaneous.

“What?” I asked self-consciously, unable to make of anything from Akash and di’s relentless, smug stares and the faint blush that covered Arnav’s cheeks.

“WOW!” Bhai you are truly on progress!” Akash exclaimed.

“Natural charisma! Face of Adonis!” Di giggled and that’s when my senses kicked in and I blushed ten shades of red. Holy crap! I didn’t actually say that out loud!

“I think we should give you both some privacy for a while!” Akash grinned evilly before dragging a still-giggling Payal di out of the room.

I stared determinedly at the floor, felling so awfully embarrassed! 

“Adonis huh?” Arnav teased, his voice light and I blushed even more if that were even possible.

“I didn’t know that you had such high regards for my appeal!” He continued and his teasing snapped me into perspective, flaring my anger.

“ And I didn’t know that you had such strong romantic feelings for me!” I spat and regretted my impromptu reaction immediately as Arnav flushed and his eyes-widened.

“Wh...what did you say?” He gasped.

“I...uh.. nothing of much relevance.” I blubbered, lowering my head.

What was with me and babbling today like an idiot? I had promised myself that I wouldn’t bring the fact that I heard Arnav say ‘I love you’ to me over and over again as he thought I was unconscious to his notice!

“Khushi don’t lie to me!” He said severely, his voice rising a few octave in his embarrassment and nervousness.

“Did you hear...I mean were you able to make out what was going on...” Arnav trailed of suggestively and I sighed.

He knew that I had heard him confess and even if I tried to refute him, that wouldn’t be of much avail as he’d catch me immediately. It was better to spill.

“Yes, I could hear everything though I couldn’t move my body at all. I was totally numb!” I murmured, still not meeting his gaze.

Arnav groaned and immediately got up walking out of the room.I felt a strong sense of loss as he started to get out of the room and I immediately reached out for him! Embarrassment be damned, I wanted him beside me now!

“Arnav you don’t really walk out on a girl whom you confessed your love without hearing her response!”I growled at him playfully and he immediately spun around and rushed to my side, his handsome face expectant!

“Arnav... I love you too!” I breathed closing my eyes and remembering all those moments that we had spent together. They maybe inconsequential for others, but those simple moments were the foundation of our relationship. 

I didn’t open my eyes, but I felt the mattress sag as Arnav settled beside me and pulled me in a loving embrace, kissing my forehead. It felt so peaceful, so right! The world disappeared for me except for him and his loving touch.

“I love you too my beautiful khushi!” He whispered in my ears and my heart exploded with love for this beautiful boy.

We had found out eternal love!

8 years later

Arnav’s POV

“Arnav where are you taking me?” Khushi whined, pouting slightly and I smiled. Patience wasn’t at all khushi’s thing!

“Patience my love!” I murmured in her ears as I guided my blindfolded khushi inside the elevator.

I stared at her beautiful face to calm my nerves. This was going to be the most monumental moment of our lives and I wanted it to be just perfect.

“Arnav are we in an elevator!” She asked perplexed and I smiled.

“Yes sweetheart!” I replied shortly. Khushi had been trying to get me to spill about what I had planned for her to be a surprise and no way in the hell I was going to let her succeed!

The doors of the elevator opened and I took her in the empty room, our footsteps echoing. A gentle breeze ruffled our hair as I took her to the viewer’s point of the Eiffel tower, over-looking the sprawling city of love-Paris!

“Arnav what...” She began, as I proceeded to untie her blindfold, but stopped short as she saw the beauty of the scene in front of her.

“Oh my God! This is so beautiful!” She whispered, her face awed.

I smoothly took out the small velvet box from my pocket and knelt on one knee in front of her. Khushi gasped when she noticed my position.

“Khushi, I loved you since the very second I laid my eyes on you with my heart, mind and soul. You are my heart, my breath, my reason to live. I can’t spend even a second without you. Not even a lifetime is enough for me to love you...to show you how dearly I love you!  I want to be mine in every way possible! I want to cherish you forever. Will you marry me?” I asked, looking up at her beautiful, breath-taking face.

She looked overwhelmed and her eyes shown with love so deep that I was rendered breathless. Her angel-like face was glowing!

“Yes!” She whispered quietly, still I heard and never had been any word so pleasing to hear.

“Thank you!” I whispered, sliding the engagement ring in the third finger of her left hand and kissing it.

I got up and she threw herself in my arm, her lips crushing mine and her hands snaking up to grip my hair as my hands slipped on to her waist.

Through all tryst and turmoil that we had faced throughout our lives, the endless battle of jealousy, anger and agony, our love had emerges unscathed and victorious.

So, beneath the velvety canopy of twinkling stars, in the city of love, we found out happily ever after through our Heart Wrenching Adoration!

                                                                  THE  END

                                              Love    is   anterior   to   life,

                                               Posterior   to   death,

                                              Initial    of    creation,  and

                                              The   exponent   of  breath!

                                                                  Emily Dickinson.

                                                            

                                                             Acknowledgment

So, here I end my story ‘Heart Wrenching Adoration’! My special thanks and all the credit for this story goes to Nuts4arshi di, Smruti, Sc12345 di, Rasagna , Shravaya, Sa_arshi di and khushifan di, who encouraged me through their kind words throughout. Thank you so much guys for being so supportive and patient with me and letting go of all the mistakes in my writing. I’m indebted to your guys forever and I truly wish I could give you all big hugs!

I’d also like to thank Priyanka, Anonymous and all others who ever commented on my story. Please forgive me if I’m missing out any names.

I also want to request you guys to drop your e-mail id in the comments section and the unregistered users may do so by using Anonymous. The reson for my request is that I won’t be writing any story from now on for at least this year as it is my 12^th. This year is so crucial for me from studies point of view and I couldn’t keep on writing now.

I’ve my coaching classes all seven days of the week and that too for four hours(C.P.T and 12^th combined ). So, you can understand that after 5 hours of school and 4 hours of coaching I can’t possibly update!

I’m so sorry for this guys and I’m going to miss you all a lot and trust me taking this decision wasn’t easy on me at all, but I don’t have any option. But I promise to resume my writing at the earliest and I will inform you guys through mail when I do so. When I come back, I may in fact have a surprise for you guys if things go on as they are!

So, please, please, please drop your e-mail ids guys!

Love,

Akansha

Heart wrenching adoartion Part-44

Khushi’s POV

My entire body was numb. Blackness enshrouded every corner of my mind, fogging it. I couldn’t remember anything or anyone...I couldn’t remember myself. It felt as if I was sucked in a deep abyss...a black hole of nothingness.

As the surrounding blackness pressed me and I savoured the oblivion, I hear a sound...a husky plea which was uplifting, enticing.

“Khushi, please come back to me, please!” The voice said, soft and melodic as that of an angel and I was jolted a bit from my stupor. I had heard that sound! Heck, it was my favourite sound in the world to think of it!

“Khushi, please you have got to make it. I miss you so much, please, please, please. I love you baby!”The voice pleaded again and I felt warm hands engulfing , my cold, numb finger and soft lips brushing my forehead.

I tried to move. My entire being warmed at his profession. I was thrilled, euphoric and wanted nothing more than to get up and hug my angel to get him rid off of his worries. But I couldn’t move. I didn’t even feel my body.

“Chote, please come home with me. You have been sitting here for past two days! You bneed to rest or else you’ll fall sick!” Another voice said and I felt a pang of indignation.

He was actually playing with his health to be with me! I was outraged.

“Di I won’t go, not until she wakes up.” My angel said stubbornly and I could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

“She’s not going to like this when she gets up Arnav! Khushi will get beyond mad with you!” Another voice said and I couldn’t agree more. 

I so wanted to get up and slap him for playing with his health but obviously my body wouldn’t cooperate.

“I won’t leave her side!” He said solemnly and turned I felt fingers tenderly brushing through my hair and I sighed. What was I going to do with this stubborn, child-like guy whom I adored with all my heart and soul?

I laid there, revelling in his soft touches as feeling got back in my arms and legs gradually. I could tell I was getting stronger!

With my strength returned the ghastly memories of my unfortunate kidnapping and pain. I vaguely remembered being overpowered in the girls’ washroom as Lavanya looked on evilly. 

That girl really gave the devil himself a run for his money in her deviousness. I had never thought that she would actually stoop that low.

I recalled being dressed in a burqa and made to sit on a wheelchair as my kidnapper warned me that if I so much as opened my mouth, he’ll get my entire family killed. He had shown me the video of assailants that prowled around my family as they sat huddled, waiting for the plane.

I remembered being made to inhale chloroform and sounds of gunshot when I had come round. Everything was fuzzy but I could tell that a big fight was going on judging by the gunshots and loud yells. 

I was so scared, wondering if I’ll ever be able to see my family, goof around with Payal di, Akash, Anvesh, Aman and most importantly will I ever be able to see Arnav! That possibility scared me and I cowered on the ground, shivering in fear when I felt something warm sear through my chest and immediately my body was on fire!

Last thing I remembered was being lifted from the cold floor and I felt as if I was floating in the air and that’s when I knew I died!

But now as I feel pain gradually escalate in my limbs, I’m pretty sure this is not death! How could it be so painful?

“Khushi?” The all-too-familiar voice called and I fought against my torpor to answer him. With superhuman effort of will, I finally opened my eyes to a bright-airy room.

“Oh!” I gasped as my retina adjusted to the sudden bright light.

“Khushi!” An ecstatic voice yelled and the very next second I saw the face of my handsome angel hover above me.

“Ar...Arnav!” I rasped, my voice sounding as if I had eaten sandpaper. His smile got impossibly wider and his weary eyes twinkled with happiness as he bent down to kiss  my forehead.

“Thank God you came round! I was so afraid!” He whispered with a tender look in his deep brown eyes and my breath hitched. He was perfect!

“Don’t worry! I won’t get off your tail so soon Arnav! I’ve to trouble you a lot!” I grinned feebly and he growled fiercely.

“You should better not!”

“Arnav what...Khushi!” A voice squealed and the very next second my di’s jubilant face hovered above me.

“Khushi, you came round! I’m just so, so ,so happy!” I smiled as my di practically smothered me with wild kisses.

“Wait till I get mom! She has been going crazy with worrying about you!” She gushed and rushed out immediately, leaving me once again with Arnav.

“ Arnav I...”

“Shhh khushi you need to rest! The entire family will be here any moment. We were so worried for you love!” He whispered and I wondered if he realized that he had addressed me as love? The word had come so naturally from him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

But I didn’t get much time to ponder on it as my family came in and I was literally passed from one hand to other as they hugged and kissed me. I had to literally join hell and heaven to persuade Garima Masi into believing that I was actually fine, but finally she relented.

Gradually, my family relaxed as they let of all their worries about me and I gazed around at all of them in sheer adoration. The tempest was past, it was time for a glorious dawn of love, life and joy!

Heart wrenching adoration Part-43

We flew through the cobbles streets of Dehradun, dwelling on our own painful rumination. The ominous silence that filled the car was almost palpable, buzzing with electricity and was broken only occasionally, either by a dry sob from Garima Aunty or Payal or brisk commands from the C.B.I. officer to his juniors.

Our car was joined by two other police cars and now our caravan trundled towards the place from where the signals were coming. I closed my eyes and laid my head on the head rest of the seat, trying to keep all the depressing and horrid thoughts at bay. I wasn’t very successful!

So, more to escape the blinding pain than anything else, I just concentrated on all the happy times that I had spent with khushi. Her smile, her radiant, cherubic face, her positivity, her cute blushes and the flash of intuition in her beautiful eyes whenever she saw through my pretenses.

That distracted me a bit, and filled me with a renewed vigour and positivity. I wasn’t going to lose my khushi! I wouldn’t allow that!

I happily drowned in khushi’s memory and each blissful moment made me realize how unconditionally and irrevocably I loved her. I absolutely cherished her!

How had I ever thought that maybe she was a mere crush...a childish infatuation! I myself had insulted my love.

All of a sudden, the car came to a halt with a loud screech of breaks and I was jolted from my blissful oblivion to the painful reality. Khushi was still lost to us but we will find her soon! I resolved!

“Why are we stopping here? The signal is  coming from quite a distance from this place!” Akash asked baffled as he glanced at the screen of i-pad.

“Don’t be ridiculous Akash! That will warn those nutters and they will have a chance to escape which is the last thing which we want now!” I explained, before anyone else can so much as open their mouths and the C.B.I. officer gave me an appreciative look.

We all alighted from the car and so did the other police officers who had followed us.

“Alright! So, here’s the plan- the signal is coming from further east. We have to proceed very cautiously. Hide behind the trees and surround the place inconspicuously. Under no circumstances you are to fire without my order. We have got to get the child out, preferably before the firing starts. Make sure that none of the goons manage to escape. This case involves high-profile diplomatic ties with U.S.A , so under no circumstances we are to jeopardize this mission. I hope I’ve made myself clear?” The C.B.I. officer ordered, calling the gamut of armed policemen to order.

The men nodded and stealthily disappeared in the surrounding woods, except for a few who were to accompany the C.B.I. officer.

“Let’s go!” I said impatiently, starting to walk towards where the policemen had disappeared, but I was immediately yanked back.

“Where do you think you are going kid?” The officer growled.

I turned to glare at him furiously and met his eyes levelly. 

“Obviously I’m coming with you guys! You really can’t expect me to stay here?” I asked incredulously.

“Oh but that’s exactly you are going to do kid! Civilians aren’t allowed anywhere near such tight spots and this mission is too important to jeopardize due to a stubborn child anyway!Besides, though I admit that your ideas were really helpful till now, yet you couldn’t be allowed anywhere near that place. Its very dangerous! As for your friend, we’ll find her and get her back safe.” The officer said reasonably.

“Damn it! She ‘s my friend and...” I began furiously, but I was cut short by my di.

“Chote he’s right! If we go there, they will be burdened with our safety too. That will be a distraction. Let them go and save khushi. She is going to be fine! They’ll save her. If we go there, we’ll put khushi’s life at risk ourselves!” Di said, looking tearful, yet determined.

“Let them go chote. They can’t violate the protocol!” Jiju said solemnly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I sighed in resignation as their logic worked on me. Still, the decision to stand here in perfect safety while I had to put my trust on total strangers though competent to bring her back to me, took all my will.

I watched painfully as the officers slithered in the surrounding labyrinthine of primordial trees.

Never a wait had been so painful! I paced anxiously back and forth, as I waited for some news, straining my ears for even the slightest of sound.

Akash and Payal leaned against the bonnet of the car, watching me pace around, my worried expression mirrored on that of their own faces.

Garima Aunty stood crying, while Shashi uncle and my di and jiju tried to calm her down in vain.

The feeling of despair and helplessness was so tangible that it almost felt as if we were smacked down in the seventh circle of Hades!

Gradually as the time passed, my anxiety grew and so did that of the others. When the gunshots started echoing horridly in the lush green valley, my anxiety got worse.

Each breath that I took involved a supreme effort of will and I didn’t even realize when I began to shake and hyperventilate!

“Hold on bhai! Khushi will be fine! She’s a tough girl and...” Akash began but his voice was drowned in loud sirens that nearly made us jump out of our skins in fright.

I wheeled around to find an ambulance speeding towards us and my honest blood froze! Somebody was hurt!

The ambulance screeched to a stop and we heard the oncoming din, the loud, frantic voices of several men as they rushed towards us.

Two ward boys jumped from the ambulance clutching a stretcher and ran towards the oncoming men. I ran after them, followed by others, a dreadful foreboding swelling inside me, making it almost difficult to breath.

A body was carefully laid on the stretcher and the ward boys immediately whipped around, carrying it to the ambulance, that’s when the face of the person lying on the stretcher came into my view.

My breath came out in a whoosh and my heart contracted painfully as if it had been mangled as the tears-stricken, bloodied face of khushi came in my view!

Heart wrenching adoration Part-42

“Chote we can track her! Don’t you remember?”Jiju asked, looking at me suddenly, breaking the hushed silence that fell on our entire group as we watched the C.C.T.V. footage and it hit me like lightening.

Oh! My plan! In all the frenzy and numbness of losing khushi, I had all but forgotten about the plan that I had so assiduously devised in order to ensure khushi’s utmost safety though, I had fervently hoped that we wouldn’t have to resort to that.

I had hoped that my khushi will be safe! Though that wasn’t happening right now!

“Track her?”

“Can you track her?” 

Several startled faces looked at me for explanation and Garima Aunty rushed to me grabbing my arm.

“Can you...can you do that? Can you tell me where my  baby is?”She sobbed, her entire frame quivering.

“Shh Aunty, we can track her!” I said patting her arm gently and then I turned towards room at large. I saw my jiju fish for his i pad in his bag.

“Well, I sort of had an idea. I asked jiju to get me a GPS tracking device so that I could plot it with khushi, you see in case something the like of this happened. Apparently, jiju got it for me and before we came here, I put that small chip in khushi’s juice and made her drink it. So, now we can track her using that!” I quickly explained, practically the snatching i pad from my jiju’s hands and fiddling with the controls of GPS.

“Woah bhai! You should join IB(Intelligence Bureau) or something!” Akash said awestruck and I couldn’t help but grimace.

So much so for being called brainy, I should actually have put some brain of mine in ensuring that khushi wasn’t kidnapped in the first place! 

“Hmm not a bad idea!” I heard the C.B.I. officer say gruffly and despite all the mess that we were in, I couldn’t help but feel a bit smug at his petulant tone! Clearly, he didn’t like to be outsmarted!

We all gazed with stark consternation and utter concentration at the bobbing red blot that was the signal of the G.P.S device.

“They are taking her out of the town!” I said, horrified. This felt so much like de javu! A scene straight from the crime thrillers.

I was so anxious that I nearly felt my breath chock, as all appalling ideas swarmed in my head, intensifying my fear.

What if those mangy dogs had done something to my khushi? What if we were already too late? Even the thought of slightest scratch or pain to khushi was unbearably painful for me.

I could practically feel the world crumbling, my entire body locked down as my hands shook with the intensity of my fear.

“Chote! Are you alright?” Di asked concernedly and I realized that my haplessness and agony hadn’t gone unnoticed.

 I squared my shoulders and looked up in the concerned eyes of all those surrounded me.

“Yes,I’m fine!” I said in a strong voice. I couldn’t afford to lose hope now. My khushi had to be safe, I’ll save her! After snatching away everything from me, giving me agony right from the childhood, God couldn’t simply snatch away my this comfort! He just  can’t be that cruel!

“Let’s go! Khushi will...”I began but was cut off by the C.B.I. officer.

“You guys are staying behind! I know what you did is really commendable Arnav, but you are still a child! Those men are dangerous, they will...”

“I’m coming God damn it! And there is no way in the hell that you can shake me off because I’ll try to search for khushi anyway! So, let’s just not prolong this discussion for too long and get going!” I fumed.

Everyone tried to talk us out of going to find khushi, but neither me nor Akash or Payal budged. We simply couldn’t sit around not knowing!

So, soon we all were crammed up in a flight of cars as we took off with lightening speed towards where the GPS signal guided us.

As we flew by the serene vales of Dehradun, a phone call shook us all deeply. The officer who had been injured back there in Airport as the goons had taken khushi away, came round and told all that had transpired there.

My doubts on lavanya were proved right, giving me just all the more reason to hate her. Apparently, she had gone up to the C.B.I. officer as he waited for khushi outside the girls’ washroom and told him that her brother had somehow gotten stuck in one of the cubicles in the guys’ washroom and the door simply wouldn’t budge.

Since, nobody was in the washroom, his call for help were going unattended. Lavanya claimed that he had called her and asked her to get help for him, so she requested him to help her brother and the C.B.I. officer had fallen for her tactic.

Not so surprisingly, as soon as he had entered the was tackled and overpowered by several men who had then given him a heavy blow on his head so that he fell unconscious.

Then, they kidnapped khushi! I heard the C.B.I officer as he told us about these happenings in stark disbelief.

Lavanya had actually committed a crime, out of her jealousy and anger for khushi! This was beyond cheap!

I felt white hot fury course through me as I heard of Lavanya’s involvement. Sure she was a headstrong girl, but I had never expected this kind of brazenness from her. If I could get my hands on her, I will sure as hell strangle her to death!

“We are nearing! I’ve already called for reinforcement!” The officer informed us, snapping me out of furious abstraction and once again reminding me forcefully and painfully about the danger on khushi’s life.

I felt my breath becoming shallow as we flew towards where the signal of GPS was coming from. My mind was filled with all sort of ghastly images.

So, for the first time in 14 years, since I had lost my parents that fateful night, I closed my eyes and prayed to God for my khushi’s safety!

Heart wrenching adoration Part-41

“What..how..when..surely not...I mean come on she could be just out there somewhere, you know just lolling around...we shouldn’t jump to conclusion!”Akash wailed, all sort of cohesiveness left him, yet I couldn’t process what he said at all. 

I t simply flew out of my head in my dumbfounded state.

“No, that couldn’t be possible! Rakesh would’ve informed us had the girl decided to go some other way.” The officer frowned clearly worried and then he turned to Payal.

“Were there any signs of struggle in the bathroom?” He asked.

“No, there isn’t any sign of struggle whatsoever, still there is no sign of khushi too!...Oh, I should’ve never left her alone!” Payal cried, trembling. She looked like she would collapse any second.

We didn’t get much time to wallow in bafflement or mind-numbing pain, in my case, as that very second a man came pelting out of the boy’s washroom that was adjoining to that of the girls and started to bolt away gasping something incoherent.

I gazed at the man as if through a haze as Akash and Payal helped me up from the ground and the C.B.I officer with us stopped him.

“Wait! What’s wrong?” The officer asked urgently.

“There is...a man...in there...gagged..bound..un...unconscious....help!” The man gasped, clearly still in shock.

But he only managed to choke out the words before we spun and ran for the door. It didn’t take an Einstein to figure out that the gagged and bound captive that the stranger was talking about was the C.B.I officer who had accompanied khushi.

We darted inside the door, whilst Payal waited outside and I skidded to a halt as the insides of the washroom came into my vicinity. I gaped in horror as I realized that the entire area looked like the set of an out-an-out action movie.

The mirrors were cracked and taps were sprinkling water everywhere. The water flowed, mixing sickly with  the blood that was emanating somewhere from a grey lump a distance away and we immediately made our way to the lump, which was surrounded by a gamut of onlookers.

“Rakesh!” The other C.B.I officer exclaimed and rushed forwards and so did we.

“What happened? What’s all this?” I gasped, uttering my first word ever since receiving the news of khushi’s kidnap.

“Damn! The entire place looks like it has been hit by a tornado!” Akash exclaimed, looking horror-struck at the appalling wreck around us.

“Please move! Clear up! Airport security!” More men came pelting in shoving people aside. I and Akash scrambled sideways to make way for them.

One of the men immediately leaned down and checked the neck of the unconscious man for pulse. 

“He’s alive! Get medical aid! Quick!” The officer ordered and then he looked over at the other C.B.I officer, who was groping around his unconscious partner’s pocket for his cell.

“Are you with him?” The Airport security officer asked.

“Yes, I’ll like to have a quick word with you! It’s urgent!”

The two men went over to the corner, while some medics rushed in with a stretcher and carried the injured officer away. I and Akash immediately made way to the two officers where they stood talking and as we approached the C.B.I officer looked at us.

“Go and let her parents know about the situation! We are going to rack the C.C.T.V cameras.” He ordered and we darted out together.

But we didn’t need to go over and let the elders know about the situation, as Payal had already done that job in our absence and now a very panic-stricken Shashi uncle and Graima Aunty were rushing towards us, followed by my equally worried looking sister and jiju.

“Officer! Where is our daughter? Where is our Khushi?”Shashi uncle pounced on the officer in his agitation whilst Garima Aunty went on crying hysterically.

“Calm down Mr. Gupta! We’ll find her in no time! We are just going to check the C.C.T.V footage now and we’ll get to know who abducted her.” The officer’s brusque voice was methodical.

Our entire group rushed over to the Administrative building, all thoughts of catching the plane forgotten! We were taken to a room with loads of Computers and hi-tech looking machines, the ones which you see in some kind of sci-fi flicks and followed the two officers as they made their way through the working techies!

“Did you get the clip, Samar?” The Airport security officer asked.

“Yes Sir!” The man nodded dutifully and immediately played the clip.

We watched with angst and trepidation as the clip was fast forwarded to the time when khushi appeared in the frame followed by her guard and I felt my heart constrict to see her beautiful, child-like face. Only the devil himself can have the heart to hurt an angel like her!

I wasn’t the only one who was affected by her appearance. I felt Payal tremble violently beside me and Garima Aunty sobbed more hysterically, leaning on a comforting Shashi uncle who had tears streaming down his face too!

We watched as the officer stood at the door of the washroom, while khushi darted in and after a while, as if confirming my foreboding that I earlier had, Lavanya followed khushi’s suit too. A few moments passed and Lavanya came out-maybe it was just the fluorescent or I caught a wicked glint in her eyes- as she went to the C.B.I officer and said, no pleaded something form him which made him duck inside the Men’s washroom.

After that Lavanya nonchalantly traipsed her way back to wherever she was going with a smug smile. 

We watched, our breaths hitched as neither khushi nor the C.B.I officer came out of the washroom. As I was started to get impatient, I finally saw the door to both the washrooms open almost simultaneously.

A woman wearing burqa came out of the Girls’ washroom, pushing a wheelchair on which another burqa clad person was seated and a man came out of the Men’s washroom with a huge bushy beard-no doubt a fake one.

They both made their way through the sea jostling people and were soon lost in the teeming crowd. 

I looked up horrified from the computer monitors to look at others and their expressions mirrored mine. 

The burqa clad person on the wheelchair was none else  but our khushi!