Chapter 2

                                                     
                                              Bangles' Musings.....

   It must be some magic wand whirled around Khushi Kumari Gupta indeed because she was uncharacteristically more than silent during the whole ride  from Raizada mansion to Lakshmi Nagar on the night before Akash and Payal's wedding day. Guptas were returning from 'Shantivan' where they had been  attending the 'Havan' arranged by naniji and Anjali. Khushi was continuously staring at her hands adored with new beautiful set of bangles without blinking even once.Her family was too tired to pay any heed to new antics of this  crazy girl so they plainly didn't notice her and were discussing about  remaining preparations for the wedding. 

  

  
           After reaching home Buaji and Payal retired Shashi to his room and started talking to Garima when suddenly buaji heard some sounds of vessel from kitchen.

  
   "Hai re Nand kishor, it seems some thief has barged into our house. Don't you worry . Let me handle this. Hum bhi dekhat hai kaise bachake jaat hao woh '"

   

          She picked a stick and went tiptoeing towards kitchen. Looking at the scene buaji dropped the stick with a noisy thud. Khushi was standing near  kitchen platform cutting brinjals and stirring something on gas.

  

       That sound startled Khushi and she looked at buaji. She was standing throwing daggers at her keeping her hands on hip.

    
    "Sanka devi, May I know what are you doing here at midnight? And are you planning to make some stupid experiment of brinjal  flavoured jalebis now?"

 Khushi noted the tip of making jalebis with brinjals.

 "huh? Are no no, buaji. I am preparing dinner for us."

 Buaji rolled her eyes and shaking her head she warned her

  

   "Look Parmeshwari, I want you to stop whatever you are planning or thinking with all your sanak. Tomorrow is Payal's wedding and I don't want to witness  any of your new antics till this function ends peacefully. Stop this, you won't get to eat more after all that u gobbled down while dinner at shantivan. Hai re Nand Kisore..eeka pet ka tanker to full hoveka naam hi nai lewat hai."

 Khushi tried to strain her memory and then reality dawned on her.

"Are ha..Humane to khana khaya hai...Ohh.. that's why I am feeling my tummy full. Wahi hum soch rahe the..."

 Buaji was at loss of words now.Silently pleading her Nand Kishore to come to her rescue.Composing herself she firmly spoke

  
"Sanka Devi, go get some sleep. Hopefully, that will spare us " and before she could say anything  further she warned her again 

 "And don't even think of making jalebis now. Go" with that buaji went marching to her room.

  Khushi glared angrily at those bangles.

"It's all in all that Laad Governers' fault . What was the need to gift me these adoringly beautiful bangles?  What does he think of himself? And he even didn't tell me the reason why he gifted me these. Now what am I supposed to deduce out of this?"

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[Related video links from the show]  

  {1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITbxJT3gjzg   : Khushi finds out bangles. 

  2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_HPCa-sTLQ: Khushi asks Arnav about the bangles

  3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z1Qvx9lLQw  : Arnav and Khushi at night }

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  She put her palms together,closed her eyes and called her deity 

"Hey Devi Maiyya,  why you always choose me to trap into such situations?" Staring at those bangles again she retired  to her room.

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         When Payal didn't see any chance of Khushi turning her glance away from her hands, she said disinterested ,

  

 "Khushi, Are you going to sleep  with  so many  bangles  in your hands?  Are  you  not  going  to  take  them  off ?"

  "No jiji,I won't  keep  them  away  from  me  whole of  my life." Her eyes still on those  bangles.

  

  
  "Pagal", Payal silently shook her head unable to come up with any story  which that heart of Khushi Kumari Gupta  must be cooking up this time.

    

  

 It was  the  universal  truth  that Khushi Kumari Gupta's  heart  does all the thinking business instead of her brain.

           Payal and khushi were lying on the bed waiting for sleep to overtake them but somehow sleep was miles away today.They were lost in their own thoughts when Khushi suddenly popped an unexpected question (As usual of course )

    "Jiji?"

  "hmm?"

  
  "Are you sleeping?"

  "what is that Khushi?"

  "Jiji, what was the first gift that jijaji gave you?" she was busy admiring her bangles.

  
  "you remember that dupatta Khushi? You had gifted me on my birthday?  That was the first gift Akashji gave me." She lost in those memories.

  

 Realizing something she continued , 

   
  "But actually it was just a coincidence then. Akashaji had given that to you for gifting it to your  sister unknown to the fact that I am ur sister. So technically it can't be his  gift right?...umm...so if I say it is a gift then my first gift was potatoes."

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[Related video links from the show]  
{1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njqO0PhrlL8 : Akash buys dupatta for Payal

   2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGWs-uEDUdk&list=PL1A637DDA754D2E9C :Akash finds out that Payal is Khushi's sister

   3.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-N_l7KB3KQ : Akash buying potatoes }

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  "What?" Khushi woke up with a jerk and sat crossing her feet on bed.  

  "Akash jiju gifted you potatoes , jiji?"

 Payal smilingly nodded saying,

 "And that made me think that he might  be in love with me..." speaking of her love made Payal closing her eyes in shyness.

  
"Offo  jiji, wake up no! Tell me the whole story. Was that so easy to woo you? Akash jiju gifted you potatoes and you fell in love with him?" There was mischievous glint in her eyes.

 "No silly" now Payal too sat up besides khushi. Slapping her on head she spoke,

"It is not a matter of gifting potatoes or rather what he gifted me. You know khushi, when a boy truly loves a girl , he does such things for her which otherwise he never would do. 

            
                   That day I went to market to buy potatoes for you. Akashjji  met me there coincidentally as he pretended it to be .Can u believe , he reasoned me that he had come to buy some vegetables. Which of course  I didn't believe. You see, being a billionaire Akashji ,he would had never entered   Laksmi Nagar Vegetable Market for any reason and in any case he really does not need to go for  buying  vegetables  either. So I did not buy that excuse but didn't show it too. Because I knew ,he had come just to meet me. Can you imagine? A rich businessman wearing a branded three piece suit holding a bag parks his white  Mercedes at Lakshmi Nagar Market and buy Potatoes at a stall? He did those things which he could not even dream of doing remotely. And that made me think that he is in love with me. "

  

    Payal had lost herself in that magic world when Khushi's chirp brought her back on this very earth.

  
 "How romantic , jiji!" Her clapped hands ,closed eyes and overwhelmed voice were enough for Payal to understand how much the idea was romantic. Before she could anticipate Khushi grabbed her into bone crashing tight hug. 
"Ohh jiji."

     

     Khushi's  eyes fell over her own hands again where those beautiful bangles were tinkling slightly. 'Even I don't  think that Arnavji would have bought bangles ever otherwise.' She spoke to herself in a trance.

 Removing herself from the embrace khushi asked Payal,

     "Jiji,what does it mean when a boy gifts bangles to any girl?" Her voice was slightly shaking.Reason unknown to her.

    "As I think Khushi, bangles are the most valuable gift any boy can give to a girl" Payal answered thinking over the question.

 "Why so,jiji?"

  
    " Khushi, Devi Maiyya has divided the world into two parts. One is masculine and another is feminine.  When any boy falls in love with any girl or vice versa then irrespective of who they both are , it's always that masculinity and femininity fall in love with each other. It's the basic rule of the universe.

          
            Now speaking of bangles , they signify femininity. When a boy gifts bangles   to a girl, then it represents that he  respects  her femininity and  wants her to belong to him. So gifting bangles  shows the pure and raw confession of love from masculinity to femininity. In short , the boy loves that girl, khushi."

   
     Khushi's mind went numb..The darker shade of those bangles rose on her cheeks and again her heart drummed erratically.. Dhak.. Dhak ..Dhak..Dhak..!An unfamiliar feeling churned her stomach with the light caress of bangles against her wrist.

      

   
     Composing herself not letting her excitement to be noticed by Payal,she spoke nonchalantly

   "Ohh no..jiji, those philosophical books you always read really have damaged your brain so badly. Now what will  Akash jiju  do? Poor jiju." 
        She pouted her lips in sarcasm. Before she could complete  all her teasing business,Khushi received a hard slap on shoulder from Payal.

  "Ouch,jiji it hurts."

  "Khushi, stop pulling my leg and let me get some much needed beauty sleep now.Good night!"

  "Good night,jiji."

  

      It was not so long when sleep fairy sprinkled sleep beans over Payal and landed her in dream land. But it was not that easy for her to do the same with Khushi. It was almost dawn when she finally succeeded.