Foundation of Marriage

Part 3 - Cocktail Party

Once settled, Buaji turned to Arnav, asking,

Buaji: "Arnav bitwa, why are you here instead of being at the party? After all, you threw it for Akash and Payal."

Arnav puts on a very innocent, tired expression.

Arnav: "Buaji, socha toh maine bhi kuch aisa hi tha ki party mei jaake enjoy kar paaunga, lekin kya karun, itna kaam hai office mei."

("Buaji, I thought the same, that I would be able to go to the party and enjoy it, but what can I do, there's so much work at the office.")

He then started complaining about the overwhelming workload at the office and how he can't disturb Akash because of the wedding.

Arnav: "Aur shaadi ke chakkar mein, Di, Naani, aur Manorama maami ne bhi mujhe itna involve kar liya hai, ki saans lene ki bhi fursat nahi mil rahi," he adds, sounding genuinely exhausted. He furthered his cause by adding that he didn't even have a proper meal today.

("And with all the wedding preparations, Di, Nani, and Manorama Maami have involved me so much that I don't even have a moment to breathe.")

Buaji, feeling sorry for him, patted his shoulders and consoled him,

Buaji: "Haye re Nandkishore, kitna kaam karte ho tum bitwa, apna dhyaan bhi toh rakhna chahiye."

("Haye re Nandkishore, how much work do you do, dear, you should also take care of yourself.")

Garima, noticing Arnav's apparent plight, quickly served him the snacks and coffee that Khushi had brought in, worried that he might actually be hungry. Arnav takes a sip and then casually asks Khushi,

Arnav: "Tum party mein kyun nahi gayi?"

("Why didn't you go to the party?")

Khushi, trying to avoid his gaze, replied, "Woh... pair mein thoda dard hai."

("Actually.. I have pain in my foot")

Buaji, ignoring Khushi's fake excuses was still focused on Arnav and continued,

Buaji: "Arnav bitwa, aise itna kaam karte rahoge toh tumhaari sehat pe asar padega. Tum aur logon ko kyun nahi rakhtay kaam ke liye?"

("Arnav bitwa, if you keep working like this, it will affect your health. Why don't you hire more people to help with the work?")

Arnav, with a sigh, says, "Buaji, main toh yahi karna chahta hoon, lekin aaj kal logon par bharosa karna kitna mushkil hai aap toh jaanti hi hain. Aur main office mein kisi ko bhi kaam nahi de sakta, mujhe koi aisa chahiye jo efficient ho aur jispe vishwaas kiya ja sake. Akash se baat ki thi is baare mein. Usne kaha tha ki hum family ke hi kisi member ko employ kar lein, lekin woh bhi nahi ho paaya."

("Buaji, that's exactly what I want to do, but you know how difficult it is to trust people these days. And I can't delegate work to just anyone in the office. I need someone who is efficient and trustworthy. I even spoke to Akash about this. He suggested we employ a family member, but that didn't work out either.")

Garima, intrigued, asks, "Nahi ho paaya matlab?"

("What do you mean? It didn't work out?")

Arnav (feigning innocence): "Akash ne kaha tha ki hum Khushi se poochhein. Khushi ko maine dekha hai, woh kaafi efficient hai. Maine usse request bhi ki thi ki vo office join karle, lekin Khushi ne mana kar diya! Ab main firse dhoondh raha hoon, lekin pata nahi kab tak koi mil paayega. Main toh bas yeh chahta hoon ki koi reliable insaan mil jaaye."