Silver Linings

Damned

Anjali was sitting with her family in the hall, chuckling at something Manorama said, while Arnav was rolling his eyes at them. Ever since the reception, everyone had been openly teasing him and surprisingly he never got angry at any of them, Anjali could see that even behind a scowl there was always a smile in his eyes. He would just mutter "Whatever" or "Unbelievable" and the rare times that he is unable to control his face from flushing, he would make an excuse and move away from the place.

The past few days, having everyone at home together had been good in so many ways. They all got so much time to spend together, which served greatly for Payal to integrate with the family. She now shared a very sweet bond with Arnav, who considered her like a younger sister. She addressed him as "Jethji" when ever she wanted to tease him. She had even managed to find her way into Manorama's heart, though the older woman would never agree to it - Her taunts were no longer hurtful, but just playful. 

Anjali had come to think of her accident as a blessing in disguise, as the days went by, she had a lot of time to think about her marriage, analyse it from the beginning, and she had come to the conclusion that it wasn't for her. This time apart from him had shown her that she had the illusion of a happy marriage, only because she was still living under her brother's roof. Had she been living separate with Shyam, she was sure she would have ended the marriage a long time ago.

She couldn't say that she regretted marrying him, because this marriage had given her something she cherishes, the life that is growing inside her. She had mentally prepared herself to have a talk with Shyam when ever he decides to return home. The dream still made her queasy but after she had made up her mind to end the relationship, it didn't scare her like before.

Her phone rang, breaking through the giggling sounds in the hall, and she looked at it, the laughter lines on her face were soon replaced by thoughtful ones. Why is he calling me now? Should I just ignore it? She was contemplating what to do when she caught Arnav's eye, he immediately knew something bothered her, so he came and stood next to her. She gave him a small smile and answered the phone

Hello

Aap ki himmat kaisi hui hum pe chori ka ilzaam lagane ki? (How dare you file a case of thievery against me?) She pulled the phone away from her ear when she heard him shout. 

She took a deep breath to calm herself down, and then spoke. Jab humne aapko baar baar phone kar rahe the.. agar aapne humaari call answer karne ka kasht utathe, tho aap se hum puch sake the, ke kya humari card aap ke paas hai. Lekin aapne aisa nahi kiya. (When I had phoned you repeatedly, if you had taken the trouble to answer my call, I could have checked if you had my card with you, but you hadn't done that) 

Everyone had stopped talking and looked at her, they had never heard Anjali speak in this tone before and it made them feel a little uneasy, She just blinked her eyes at them letting them know she was fine, but when she heard him address her as Raani Saahiba She remembered his voice from the dream, and felt sick. She wordlessly handed over the phone to Arnav and walked away from the hall. 

Arnav looked at his sister in bewilderment, and then put the phone to his ear Hello

Oh Saale saab... aap (You) He heard Shyam let out a small chuckle

Yeah, What happened Sh.. Jeejaji.. Arnav asked in a no nonsense tone and Shyam narrated how there has been a misunderstanding and the police have arrested him

Lekin Di ke cards aapke paas kaise agaye the Jeejaji? (But how did Di's cards end up in your possession?) He could literally hear Shyam trying to come up with an excuse

And in a very lawyer like manner, instead of answering the question, Shyam changed the direction of the conversation Woh chodiye na Saale Saab.. abhi hume yahan se nikal ne ke liye help kijiye.. Yeh log maan nahi rahe hai ke Raani Saahiba humaari biwi hai.. Arnav coughed a little to mask the laugh that escaped his lips aap iss inspector se baat kijiye, aur unhe kahiye ke hum kaun hai (Leave that Saale Saab... Now help me get out of here.. These people are not ready to believe that Raani Saahiba is my wife.. You speak to the Inspector and tell them who I am)