KHUSHI
#KhushiEpisode1
#RhituparnaChakraborty
#Disclaimer: This is an original work of fiction. Any relation to any person or organism living or dead is purely coincidental. This story cannot be published, copied or reproduced elsewhere without the consent of the author Rhituparna Chakraborty. This is a work of imagination with no intention to hurt anyone.
With sleepy eyes Khushi shut her alarm clock down and sat up on her bed. She yawned. Groggy with sleep, she walked up to the mirror and took a rubber band. She then tied her waist length long, silky, jet black, wavy curls of hair into an untidy bun. Her cheeks were blush pink. Well, that was her default skin texture. Back in school, her friends used to call her pink rose. Well, yes, Khushi was known for her flawless skin and long, beautiful curls of hair. Well, skin care regime? No. She never followed any. Beauty was in her genes. She was a copy of her mom. Her mom Kavita was as beautiful as her. Peach and cream complexion with waist length long hair, heads turned whenever Kavita walked through when she was in her 20s and 30s. Hemant was a lucky man with a wife like Kavita, who was a loving wife, super caring mom and perfect home maker and Khushi was the apple of his eye.
Khushi walked up to the dining table, pulled a chair, yawned and said, ‘Mom, chai please.’ With the vent fan on in the kitchen Kavita barely heard Khushi. Hemant was reading a newspaper in the living room. Keeping the newspaper aside, Hemant walked to the dining room, brushed Khushi’s head and said, ‘Good morning Khushi.’ Khushi groggily hugged her daddy and said, ‘Papa, I need tea. Mommy can’t hear me.’ Hemant laughed and said, ‘I will get it.’ Just then Kavita came with tea and a plate of piping hot pancakes with chocolate syrup. Khushi beamed. Kavita was sweating profusely. The heat in the kitchen was unbearable, but Khushi had to go to college. And nothing was more important for Kavita and Hemant than Khushi’s happiness. After all she was ‘Khushi.’ Khushi took a bite of the pancake. It was heaven. Then she sipped some tea. The caffeine works wonders for her. Just when she was about to take the next bite of pancake, someone came, took away her fork and ate that delectable piece of pancake. Khushi yelled, ‘Mohit Chachu!’ Mohit laughed and said, ‘ I just had one bite. Chill!’. Kavita smiled and said, ‘ There Mohit, you are right on time for breakfast. I will get pancakes and tea for all of us.’ Khushi looked at Mohit, smiled wickedly and said, ‘By the way, I saw someone with you yesterday at Plaza mall.’ Mohit fumbled and said, ‘Wh…what are you talking about?’. Khushi giggled. Hemant looked at Mohit sternly and said, ‘Who were you with Mohit?’ Mohit groped for words to say when Khushi laughed loudly and said, ‘No one dad. I was pulling Mohit Chachu’s legs.’
At 21, Khushi was a student of chemistry in R.K college. She was pursuing her masters degree. Mohit was Hemant’s younger brother. He was 30. He worked in a BPO as a call centre executive.
Khushi got ready for college. Clad in a light pink cotton Kurti and denim trousers with matching pink bangles, pink ear drops and light pink lip colour, Khushi looked angelic. Khushi screamed, ‘MOHIT CHACHU! HURRY UP’. Mohit rushed downstairs from his bedroom upstairs and said, ‘You never let me get ready in peace. Do you?’ Khushi giggled and said, ‘You look handsome anyway. Look at those curly strands of hair, look at the wonderful 5 feet 10 inch height, look at those biceps.’ Mohit smiled and said, ‘No one can lose his/her temper on you little girl.’ Kavita then said from kitchen, ‘See you guys in the evening.’
Mohit dropped Khushi at her college and then he went to his workplace. Khushi reached her classroom and sat on the first bench beside her best friend Sneha. Sneha said, ‘Hrehaan was looking for you.’ Khushi blushed and said, ‘Was he?’. Hrehaan was pursuing masters in mathematics. Khushi had a crush on him. Hrehaan never knew that before. However, Khushi’s buddy Sohum told him. After that, Hrehaan started small talks with Khushi whenever he met her. Just then Trishaan came. Trishaan and Sohum were at cold war with each other. Trishaan hated Sohum because he wanted Sohum to help him in confessing his feelings to Khushi. Trishaan had fallen in love with Khushi, the first day he saw him. It has been a year now and till date he has not been able to do so. He had sought Sohum’s help, but Sohum never helped him. Trishaan came near Khushi and said ‘Hey Hi’. Khushi said, ‘ Hello Trishaan! Whats up!’. Trishaan hesitated and said, ‘The first class is cancelled…ummmm… shall we go for tea?’. Khushi said, ‘Sure! Let’s go.’ Khushi, Sohum, Trishaan and Sneha went to the cafeteria. While sipping tea, all of them were engrossed in talking, while Khushi kept on looking for Hrehaan. Usually he used to come for tea at this time. On the other hand Trishaan kept on stealing glances at Khushi.
The classes usually got over by 5 p.m. Khushi used to reach home by 6:00 p.m. She used to hire a cab. Kavita would always keep fresh snacks ready for tea time. It was 6:30 p.m. Khushi had not come home as yet. Hemant called Khushi. Her phone was switched off. Kavita was worried. This had never happened before. Hemant called Mohit and asked him to go to Khushi’s college and check if she was stuck somewhere. Mohit rushed to Khushi’s college. No, the college was empty. No one was there. Kavita and Hemant were worried to hell. They called up all of Khushi’s friends. No, Khushi was not with them. It was 11:00 p.m. Hemant finally said, ‘We have to go to the police station.’
Kavita, Hemant and Mohit rushed to the police station. The police officer in charge, Mr. Chetan Sharma, wrote the FIR and said, ‘Let me contact my boss.’ Chetan called his boss. His boss received the phone and said, ‘I am coming.’ In 15 minutes Chetan’s boss, ACP Mushtaque Khan was there at the police station……..
To be continued……….
