Sometimes Hate is Enough

Chapter 18

Khushi

"Why are they coming?.. What do they want now?" Amma asked, placing her tea cup down on the table with a puzzled look on her face, and she turned to look at Bua Ji.

"They want to talk about Akash and Payal. About their wedding." She replied. Her lips were pressed thin.

My grip on the tea cup tightened as I tried to keep my breathing as normal as possible and listened to them.

"Tell them, we don't want to talk." Amma said as she shook her head slightly. "We.."

"Listen, Garima, let them come. Let's.." Bua Ji started as she also turned to face Amma.

"No. I... I won't let them take my daughter. I won't." Amma interrupted and looked at Jiji with slightly wide eyes. "Do.. do you... want to marry him?"

I also looked at Jiji, but before she could say something, Bua Ji stopped her with a hand.

"Let's not panic right now, Garima. All they said was they wanted to come, okay?" Bua Ji insisted.

"But.."

"..I told them to come in two days. Till then, we'll have the house cleaned and arrange necessary things." Bua Ji said this and turned to face her again with a look in her eyes.

Amma nodded after a few seconds and looked at Jiji for another few seconds before saying, "I... I'm going to my room." And left.

I placed my tea cup on the tray and started gathering the others as I stood up while saying, "Why don't you go to your rooms and rest? We'll discuss everything we need at dinner."

Jiji tried to help me, but Bua Ji told her that she also should rest, and both of them left.

I carried the tray to the kitchen and placed it on the countertop near the sink with shaky hands. He's coming. He... he's coming.

I gripped the edge of the counter, closed my eyes as tears started to pool, and breathed deeply. He's coming... He...

"Bitiya?" I opened my eyes as I heard Hari Kaka's voice coming from behind me. I sniffed as I dabbed the corners of my eyes before turning with a smile.

"Ji?"

"We are done for today. So, I wanted to walk you through the progress we made." He replied with a tired smile before slightly lifting the tray full of empty tea cups and placing it on the nearest countertop.

I nodded my head and gestured for him to lead the way.

We walked up to the second floor and went to the big living room that was on the front part of the house. They had stripped down all four doors in the hallway that led inside the room, just like I had asked them to. It looks a lot wider now. If we open all the windows on the right wall, then it will be beautiful here. Hari Kaka started to tell me about the other things they did, and all my thoughts about Raizada's coming in two days were washed away.

 
*

I have been working nonstop for two days now. And I feel like my legs will give out if I don't sit down right now. But I can't. Because I'm feeling very nervous and scared about them coming here. About him coming here... Whatever we had in Delhi, it ended there. It was never mea... Hai, Devi Maiya, please help me keep my mind on track.

I huffed out a breath and gave a final look around the living room in the ground before walking past the dining room into the kitchen, where Amma and Bua Ji were cooking with Jiji cutting and chopping on the kitchen table while Manoj, our new worker, did the dishes.