Sometimes Hate is Enough

Chapter 10

Khushi

"I did exactly what I should have done before." Bua Ji said as she put on her glasses, pulled a paper close to her face, and tried to read it while wrinkling her nose and narrowing her eyes.

I huffed out a sigh and twisted my mouth at her uninterested answer before asking, "But why now? I thought you didn't want to do anything with them."

She continued to read the paper while avoiding me as I waited until I had enough.

"Bua ji!" I pulled the paper out of her hands. "I'm talking to you, but you are just reading this."

Bua Ji pressed her lips into a thin line as she tried to snatch it back as I took a step back while hiding it behind me.

"Give it back, Sanka Devi." She glared at me.

"Tell me why, at least."

She sighed before saying, "Because I was the one who bought that leech into this house and got you engaged and didn't hear a single word you all said. I...feel guilty." She paused. "...Got your answer?" I nodded. "Then give it back."

I frowned slightly before looking down at the paper, and my eyebrows shot up. I looked up at her before looking down at the paper once again, then back at her with a raised brow.

"Why do you have the recipe for Kachori?" I asked. "Don't you already know how to make it?"

"I do know how to make it." She snatched the recipe from my hand and placed it on the counter before reading the ingredients. "I got it for Payaliya. She really likes Lucknow's Kachori. She'll be happy after seeing it."

I nodded thoughtfully before leaning forward and saying, "Then why don't we just go and have it?"

"Arre, she likes Lucknow's Kachori. Not Delhi's. That's why I called your neighbors in Lucknow and took the recipe." Bua Ji explained over her shoulders while opening a cabinet and pulling a container out.

I shook my head at her as she started to talk about the neighbors and walked next to her before grabbing the container from her hands and saying, "Bua Ji... I was talking about going to Lucknow."

She turned around to face me and took off her glasses while her eyebrows almost touched her hairline.

"Lucknow?... To eat Kachori?" She asked.

I slowly nodded as I took in her reaction. Why is she so shocked when it's coming from me?

She blinked twice before placing her right hand on top of her head and saying, "Why do you always have to get crazy this early in the morning? Can't you just decide some other time of the day for your nonsense? You..."

I placed the container on the counter with a thud before interrupting her.

"Arre Bua Ji, it's not me. It's Jiji. She wanted to go to Lucknow."

"Sanka Devi, Payaliya isn't mad like you. She won't..." Bua Ji shook her head as she tried to make me understand.

"Jiji is feeling restless here after all the things that happened. She wants to go to Lucknow for a few days for a change." I looked over my shoulder to make sure we were alone. "But Amma won't go there. She didn't even listen when I tried to explain."