Trusting heart - ArShi - show based

13- Family trip

Saturday morning, the whole Raizada family was bright and early and ready to go to the farm house, they were all chatting in the living room as the servants loaded their luggage in the car. A driver was sent to bring the Gupta elders to Shantivan. They were all happily discussing when Nani asked Anjali about her missing husband.

"Oh, he is not coming. He actually had some work to wrap up so that he will be able to travel less often and stay with me and the baby more. That's why he planned to do some extra work for a month or two"

Nobody was pleased with this work excuse for different reasons. The elders felt that he should at least spare the week ends for some family time, especially since the first months of pregnancy were the most delicate ones while the youngsters felt that he was preparing something fishy and they hoped that the PI would find it soon and have it in his report that was to come on Monday. But no one wanted to upset Anjali so they brushed the subject away, chatting about other things.

The Gupatas arrived not long after and everyone headed to the farm house. The Guptas went in a car with NK, Anjali and Nani with Arnav and Khushi and Mama and Mami with Akash and Payal. The farmhouse was about two hours drive from Shantivan so everyone was chatting in the different cars. Mami talked about her kitty parties and make up, with an uninterested Mama while Akash and Payal were busy stealing glances at each other. In the other car, Buaji was teasing NK and Garima and Shashi were just enjoying the drive, they were all relieved because of Shyam's absence.

In Arnav's car, the mood was a bit more tense. Nani was still upset about Shyam's behaviour after knowing his wife was pregnant. She wasn't going to buy his excuses for long and wondered if there was more to it. She rested her head against the window, deep in thoughts. For the first time in 3 years, she was wondering about her grandson in law's behavior. He is always so sweet to everyone, understanding, a good husband and all, but there were some weird things in his behavior. He was always on trips to see clients all over the country and she could recall some times when he stuttered, not certain about his destination. Nobody ever asked him anything as long as he was keeping Anjali happy, but she saw that the latter was feeling neglected. He made her wait for so long on Teej and came late to their wedding anniversary.

Something was definitely fishy and the old woman was blaming herself for not questioning this careless behavior earlier. The previous night also, they all brushed the fact that he came so late to the restaurant just because he brought a gift home. This couldn't last. She definitely will have a word with Arnav and Mama and the three of them would speak to Shyam to make him understand that he couldn't keep that behavior now that Anjali was pregnant. Even if everyone else was home to take care of her, she will need her husband and her baby's father!

While this self blaming session was going on in Nani's mind, similar thoughts were bugging Anjali. She was thinking about all the things that happened with her husband's behavior throughout the years, and her brothers' recent reaction to him. She was trying to make send of everything and just couldn't come with anything. So now, she was thinking how to ask her brothers and sisters in law what was happening around her. Her mother instincts sensed that there was something big coming her way and she was prepared to hear it. Shyam not wanting to come to the outing today was the last sign she needed to confirm that he was definitely keeping something from her and the family! Who on earth would believe that a criminal lawyer with no case ongoing would work on a weekend? She chided herself for being so inattentive all these years. Her brothers were right. He always left at every possible occasion, going to never-ending trips and working at weird hours. He was supposedly a criminal lawyer, successful enough to have clients all over the country, but he was always short of cash. Not to mention the house he was supposed to build for them for so long and that no one in the family ever saw.