Desert Rose

Chapter 8

IT was late afternoon when they arrived at the guest house. No one talked during the journey. Khushi, had tried to keep her eyes trained on the scenery, which was nothing but miles and miles of hot burning sand. At a first glance it looked like one of the most inhospitable landscapes on earth. Just like the man sitting next to her, thought Khushi. Payal was also her usual quiet self.

She had been the same when she had been introduced to Arnav. The meeting had been uncomfortable from both sides. Arnav had maintained a formality and Payal had been a little intimidated by his formidable demeanour.

The route seemed very familiar to the one she had taken to the Haveli for the most part until they had taken a deviation. The area looked so remote that Khushi wondered if this was a deliberate attempt to put them in a hidden, inaccessible place easily forgotten until their money ran out and they were forced to leave.

Hey Devi Maiyya, the money! Khushi hit her forehead with her palm. In her scramble to get ready fast, she had forgotten to get the refund from Bhairav Chauhan.

'What?' Arnav asked her.

'Nothing.' She shook her head. No way was she going to tell him about it. If he knew that every pie counted, then he would use it to his advantage.

The Jeep swung off the road, and began to wind its way down a narrow track. It then turned a corner, and there in front of them was the guest house. It was a two-storey white house with Georgian windows, a sloping roof coming all the way down to the first floor, complete with a white picket fence. Anjali stood in the garden filled with desert rose plants and various varieties of colourful cactus flowering plants. She welcomed the two girls with enthusiasm ----much to the consternation of Arnav. He picked up the bags from the Jeep and dumped them on the ground.

'I will be going back to the haveli Di. I will see you at dinner.' He reversed the Jeep and drove away at full speed, tyres kicking up some dust.

'Welcome Payal.....Khushiji!' exclaimed Anjali. 'This is Lakshmi.' she said turning toward the young woman who had just joined them. 'She is HariPrakash's wife and she will take care of you when you are here.'

Lakshmi was a pretty young woman with a round face and mischievous smile. She wore a navy blue mirror work lehenga choli with beautiful embroidery. 'Namaste didi,' she greeted both the girls. 'I will take your bags. Please leave them there.'

Khushi and Payal followed Anjali into the house. The house opened into a small foyer, with a dining area and a kitchen on the right. On the left was the living area. The decor in the house was a complete contrast to the haveli. The marble on the floor was beige speckled with brown and gold, matching the beige paint on the walls. The upholstery on the sofa was a combination of beige and green, with brownish-green embroidered design on the cushions. The silk curtains were bronze with patterns of green leaves weaved into it.The dark coloured furniture, though not traditional still had an elegant and classical look. The chandeliers and light fixtures were made of antique gold and were simpler and less intimidating than the ones in the haveli. The kitchen was modular with the cabinets made of solid wood in walnut brown.

'This house is a replica of the house Chotte had planned to buy in America after he had completed his MBA.' Anjali explained at Khushi and Payal's wide-eyed perusal of the house. 'He had this house built five years ago and had the entire furniture shipped from the States.'

Anjali showed them to a room which was in the one corner of the house. It was a bright room, painted in yellow with large windows on one side. The room had a queen bed in the middle with bright floral prints on the bedding.The furniture in the room was rose wood which was in stark contrast to the wall colour adding beauty to the room. The painting of a mountainous landscape adorned the wall behind the head board making the room look like a page from the Home Décor magazine.