The phone in the Raizada mansion rang without pause. Arnav Singh Raizada slowly rose from the recliner in his room with impatience.
"HARI PRAKASH!" He yelled.
No reply. Letting out an exasperated sigh he descended the stairs to the main room.
---
Nani was busy with Lakshmi when she heard the phone. Hari Prakash had gone to the market, so Nani hurried to the main room.
"Hello?" Nani spoke into the reciever.
"Na-Naniji?" A frail voice on the opposite side whispered.
---
Arnav Singh Raizada was not a man accustomed to the element of surprise. However, the words his Nani spoke into the telephone shocked him.
Arnav was half way down the stairs when he saw Nani approach the phone. With an annoyed grunt he had turned around and began his climb up the stairs.That's when he heard Nani slowly say a name that awoke in him an unsettled past. She said the only name that had any kind of control on the uncontrollable ASR.
"Khushi betiyan? Is it really you?" Nani had said.
Khushi. Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada. Arnav was frozen. His left foot was caught midway in action. Slowly, he put his foot down and turned to face his Nani, listening.
---
Nani could not control the emotions that went through her mind when she first heard the voice. Khushi, her beloved granddaughter in law.
"It's me." Khushi replied.
"How are you? Where are you, betiyan? It's been so long! Do you not miss me? Do you not miss your Jiji? It's been a year, darling, where have you been?" Nani couldn't stop herself.
"Me teek hoon, Nani. I'm fine. How are you, Nani?"
"I'm fine now. I'm glad you called, child. You have yet to answer my question, where are you?"
"Nani, actually, I'm..." Khushi hesitated. Was this what she wanted to do? It didn't matter, she told herself, it was the right thing to do and so she'll do it.
"Tell me..." Nani urged.
"I reached Delhi today, Nani. I'm coming back... today."
"Aaj?!" Nani was delighted. "When?"
Suddenly Nani was brought back to reality. "Khushi... Why?"
Nice start
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