Ch_6

Khushi's P.O.V.

.

I just kept looking at the man who was trying to convince me to teach her daughter. It was not because he thought me as a good teacher. He didn't know me even. All he was trying to wipe the tear of his daughter's eye.

He was just trying to make her smile again. Is this really how a father cares for his daughter!!

Then why I was left behind all alone while crying? Why!!

Breaking the chain of my thought, the man uttered, "Sister?"

Finding nothing else to say, I spoke up, "You must be loving your daughter very much."

"Of course. I mean every father loves his daughter.", hearing him say this, a word automatically came out of my mouth, "Really!"

He got startled at my word and kept silent for a moment. Then before he could say something, the little girl and maybe her mother came close to us.

The girl was not crying then but tears were still visible on her cheeks. She kept looking at me hopefully.

The woman then spoke up sadly, "Will it be much of trouble if you come to teach my daughter? You don't have to come everyday. If you can come twice or trice a week, even that will be enough. You can just think of this as visiting a little friend from time to time. But please don't say no."

The little girl spoke up in between, "Aunty, you will come, right?"

I was really in a dilemma. What to do, I wasn't getting. But one thing came to my mind and I spoke up, "Please. Don't misunderstand me. But I don't think my father will"

Interrupting me, my mind chided, "As if he cares what you do! And you shouldn't think that you will be able to get his permission to do this. As you know to give you permission, he will need to listen to your word. And he doesn't have that time to listen to you."

I was lost in my own thought when the woman again spoke up, "Then talk to him. I don't think he would mind as you are just helping us for our daughter. Being the father of a girl, he will obviously understand. And don't worry about other things. Our driver will pick you up from your place and get you back there."

What she said after that nothing was going through my mind as one line was echoing in it, 'Being the father of a girl, he will obviously understand.'

I came out of my thought when the man extended a card towards me and said, "Keep it. It's my business card. After talking to your father, give me a call."

Taking the card, I was about to leave without saying anything but the woman again spoke up, "Hey?"

I turned back and she said, "I didn't get your name."

"I am Khushi." I said with a little bit of smile.

"Nice name. I am Areesha." She was about to say something more but the little girl spoke up happily in between 

"I am Esha."

I laughed at her cuteness and couldn't help saying, "I must say, your daughter is very cute."

Esha was laughing happily and the man looking at her, spoke up, "Yeah, she is." then turning to me, he continued, "Thank you. By the way, I am Muhib and you can think me as your brother. Hope to hear some good news from you."

At that, I just smiled and left from there saying, "Allah Hafiz."

But I could hear Esha asking her father, "Abbu, aunty will come, right?"

When he wasn't responding, Esha pleaded, "Abbu please."

I didn't get to hear anything for his answer as I got pretty distant from them but was very sure what he would have answered her then.

"What should I do!" I left the park while thinking like this.

☣

Whereas Areesha and Muhib left the park while answering Esha's repeated questions.

"Mummy, Aunty will come, right?"

"Abbu, Aunty will come, right?"

They were glancing at each other hopefully while answering, "Yes, Princess. She will."

☣

Arhaan's P.O.V.

.

While working on the project in campus, I kept thinking about Esha, "She will be fine, right?"

Giving my thought a break, I decided to call api to know for myself.

When she answered the call, I spoke immediately, "Api, how is" but couldn't complete my say.

Esha spoke up interrupting me, "It's Esha, mama."

By her voice, though I could tell she was fine, I asked for myself, "How are you Princess?"

"Good. But mama, she will come, right?" When she said that she was fine, I felt relieved. But the question she asked after that I didn't understand even for a bit.

So I asked again, "Who are talking about, Princess? Who is she?"

"Who is she! She is Aunty." she answered innocently.

I laughed at that and said, "Aunty? Okay. But princess, how am I supposed to know whether she would come when I don't even know this aunty of yours?"

Esha replied to me questioningly, "When you will come home, I will intoduce (introduce) her to you, okay?"

I didn't understand who was she talking about. So I thought of asking Api and asked her "Okay. Where is Api, princess?"

"Ammi is saying her prayer, mama."

Hearing her answer, I spoke up, "Tell her to call me, okay?"

"Okay mama. Allah Hafiz." saying this, she cut off the line and I uttered, "Aunty? Who could be she?"

Abeer was beside me and hearing me, he gave me a questioning look.

When I gave him the same look, he asked me suspiciously, "Who is she?"

Not understanding him, I asked him, "Who are you talking about?"

"Esha's Aunty. Who is she?"

"I don't know. And Abeer, don't start again. Focus on your work." Answering him in a cold tone, I started working again.

After a few minutes, my mobile rang off. I looked at the caller ID and answered the call immediately.

But before Api could say anything, I asked her, "About the girl, Esha is talking about who is she?" and Abeer laughed out hearing me only to stop after getting a glare from me.

"Khushi. Esha is insisting on getting tuition from her." Api normally replied to me.

"Who is this, Khushi? Do you know her well?" I asked her as I didn't recognise anyone of that name.

But when she answered, "No. Esha met her today at the park. We just happened to know her then."

I got angry and spoke up, "What the! Api, why do you let Esha to get along any random girl? What if she is a bad girl and might have any ulterior motive behind this!"

But my Api, being herself tried to defend the girl whom she didn't even know well and said, "Arhaan, we should trust on others first. If you think good, good things will come to your way. By the way she didn't look like a bad girl and Esha or you can say, we tried to convince her to tutor Esha. She still hasn't agreed."

When I didn't answer her, she again spoke up, "Arhaan, we are not sending your Princess to her house or outside with her. She will come to our house. And here I will be with Esha always, right? Then why are you worrying?"

I still wasn't convinced and spoke up, "Api, I just don't want any random person around my Princess. That's it. And anyway I not feeling good about this."

Api again said, "Arhaan, you are thinking way too much. You know when at first Khushi didn't agree to tutor Esha, she was crying badly." only to make me get more angry.

And I spoke up in utter annoyance, "What the! She already made my Princess cry and here you are saying that she is not a bad girl. Is it so?"

Api uttered again, "Arhaan, you are not getting the point. I am just saying, she wasn't trying to get along with Esha or us intentionally. And you know Esha. Whenever she feels rejected, she starts crying."

I just cleared my point saying, "Api, just make sure that my Princess is safe and happy. And of course you guys too. I am coming back in a few days. Then I will handle everything. "

"Okay. You too take care. Have your lunch on time, okay?"

"Okay, Api. Bye." saying this, I cut off the line and uttered, "I am not feeling good about this girl whoever she is."

Abeer uttered while looking at his laptop screen, "Was there even a single time when you felt good about a girl!"

After giving him a death glare, I focused on my work.

☣

Khushi's P.O.V.

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When I arrived home, it was the time of Magrib prayer. I rushed to my room and made ablution and then said my prayer.

As soon as I completed my prayer, my phone rang off. It was Preety. I answered the call immediately and before she could say something, I spoke up, "It's good that you called."

With a concerned voice, she spoke up, "Why? Anything happened?"

When I spoke up, "Nothing like that but I just wanted to tell you something.", she seemed to feel relieved as she said, "I thought..Anyways, tell me."

I told her everything whatever happened in the park and she listened to me without any interruption.

She kept silent for a moment after hearing me then spoke up, "What are you going to do?"

I spoke up, "I am not understanding what to do. What do you think, I should do?"

"Khushi, think about yourself first. Do you think, your family will allow you to go there? You know what I mean.

"I know Preety. But you know, Esha is so." she didn't let me complete and spoke up sadly, "Khushi, I am hating myself for saying this but the thing is you are neither Esha nor in her situation. She has more than enough people to care for her but what about you? Think carefully before taking any decision."

Then I heard someone calling Preety. So I spoke up, "Okay. You go. We will talk later. Allah Hafiz."

Cutting off the line, I went to balcony. I could feel cool breeze blowing. I kept thinking about whatever Preety said.

From whatever I saw at the park, I could easily tell Esha has more than enough people to care for her but the helpless look and the efforts Esha's parents were putting to convince me to say yes to make their daughter smile was bothering me.

To divert my mind, I took a story book and lied on the bed while reading it. Remaining like this, I fell asleep, I didn't know when.

When I woke up, it was 9 at night. Getting freshen up, I hurried downstairs and found kaki setting the table for dinner.

In the dinning table, I tried to say about Esha.

"Abbu, I wanted to tu" but didn't get to complete as he spoke up, "Do whatever you feel like."

I didn't utter anything after that and completed my dinner silently. Like everyday, Abbu and vai gossiping.

But nothing was getting through my mind as it went on chiding, "See, I told you. You will never be able to get to say your words to them let alone taking his permission. So do whatever you feel like."

After completing my meal, I get back to my room and thought of calling them and say no. I didn't want them to hang in false hope.

I just wanted that my call to get answered by anyone of Esha's parents but to my luck, Esha answered the call and asked, "Who al(are) you?"

When I said, "I am Khushi."

She seemed to start jumping and excitedly said, "Aunty!"

Hearing her cheerful tone, I lost my words and she spoke up again, "You are coming to teach me, right?"

Though I called to say no but hearing her, I didn't get myself to make her cry again and spoke up, "Yes. I will."

☣

Little did I know, I was getting myself to stumble on something where my life which already was not a good one would get worse beyond my imagination.

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~Silent_Learner