His Knife Her Chest

Chapter 22 |The questionnaire begins|

Payal decided to head inside and inquire the reason behind their shocked states. They stood rooted at their places as they saw her walking inside.

"Kya hua aap sab ko?" She asked, walking towards the living room. (What happened to all of you?)

It was then that she saw on their vast television, her sister giving a speech for receiving the 'Entrepreneur Of The Year' award.

Her heart swelled with joy. Before crying the tears of happiness, she decided to finally tell them what they inquired to know.

"What is the meaning of all this? Do you have anything to explain?" Asked Arnav, desperate and aggravated.

"Haan Payal, eeka kaa matlab hai? Khushi aur ou bhi Laila Badr Hadid kay naam se? Dubai aa kay apna naam aur bhes sab badal liyeth Khushi kaa?" Asked Manorama, impatiently and with a derisive tone. (Yeah Payal, what does all this mean? Khushi changed not only her name but everything else as well?)

She could hear voices, questions, assumptions engulfing her. Frustrated, she told them to settle on the couches and listen, once and for all.

"I'll answer everyone's questions, just... just don't stress me."

And so she began.

"Khushi had actually been Laila Badr Hadid this whole while. She is Laila from the day she was born, here in Dubai." She could hear the loud gasps and see their eyes widening around her, their biggest question out of the other hundred was 'how'.

"Yes, she was born and raised here till she was eleven. It was after her parents passed away, babuji had taken her to India with himself as she had no family left here. Babuji had been really great friends with Khushi's father, Badr Hadid, who was a wealthy architect. He and babuji met when babuji had to come to Dubai for his work. I don't know much about that but it was then after when they passed, he took Khushi with him to India. Khushi only spoke Arabic and a bit English, she understood a few words of Hindi as a couple family members from her mother's side were married to Indians and spoke fluent Hindi. She was, after coming to India, put in the Hindi medium school and was strictly taught all the morals of our culture, which she greatly adapted in no time. She would cry every time saying stuff, half of which we couldn't understand, it was then that babuji would go and hug her tight and reassure, lovingly console her in the language she understood. She would say that her parents would one day return, she'd cry at nights waiting for them but they never returned. But our Khushi was was indeed the Khushi she proved. No matter how sad she would be, she'd try her best to warm up with us, especially me." Payal giggled at the end, her eyes misty.

Anjali, who was sitting next to her, patted her back, comforting her, also silently trying to convey to proceed.

"Par Payal bitya, Khushi bitya ka naam Khushi kab rakha gaya, ou toh Laila hai na?" Nani asked. (But Payal, when was Khushi named Khushi then? She is Laila right?)

"Ji dadi, woh Laila hi thi hai aur rahegi. We had to name her Khushi because... well, buaji didn't quite approve or appreciate the name much, the society where we lived in too started making really lewd remarks about her. It was then decided by babuji that we'll call her as Khushi. He never took her real identity away from her as he wanted the real her to always remain that way. He made new documents for her with the Khushi Kumari Gupta name, the ones that were crucial for her to have as a citizen, her real ones remained untouched, unchanged. He always told her that one day she had to own up to who she really was, Laila Badr Hadid, but the time never came until a few years ago I guess."

"But why did people say all those things about her name and why did she have to learn everything about the Indian culture so suddenly." Asked her mother-in-law curiously.