Titaliya

Chapter 7

The farewell at the airport was unexpectedly emotional. Mamiji was wearing the first of the western clothing she had bought, a multicolored muumuu paired with pink sunglasses and a heavy dose of makeup.

She hugged Nani with abandon and cried. Nani, although not as flamboyant, was sad at the departure of her only daughter-in-law. Arnav was there too, a few feet off. Both Akash and Payal ignored him. Anjali noticed the difference. She had noticed the difference in their interactions with him in the days before their flight.

Akash no longer spoke to Arnav except for the work he wrapped up before he officially quit. Payal didn't even look at Arnav. She couldn't blame Payal either. It was two months and there was no clue of what had happened to Khushi.

None of the people in Laxmi Nagar even asked. Arnav hired a band of private detectives, yet no one had turned up anything. Khushi's parents and sister didn't even seem to care. Payal left the room whenever they asked about her.

The only thing Payal ever revealed was that Khushi was much better off without all of them, and that she was safe. Although she remained friendly with Nani and Mami, she started to keep a distance from Anjali.

***

The rest of the family left after Akash, Payal, and Mami checked in. Arnav stayed for a few minutes. So many people milled around. He had asked the private detectives to find her, but nothing had shown up before. He looked at the flights taking off when it occurred to him.

He called Aman.

"Aman, did we check the flight passenger lists?"

Aman was silent at the other end. In these two months there had always been an inkling that they'd missed something. He should've called the police, but he couldn't take the chance of it leaking to the media.

"Sir, I'll have it done immediately," Aman said.

Arnav drove home. It was empty. Shyam was off somewhere, his private detectives would later report back to him. It was probably more illegal dealings, more shady court affairs. His Di had started to stay in her room more and more. Even Nani wasn't the same as before. Ever since Khushi left, she blamed herself. She blamed Arnav.

He pushed his family away for years. He truly felt the loss now, when they stopped approaching him despite his cold demeanor and his harsh words.

***

His phone rang, and he startled at the noise. He didn't even remember parking the car or coming up to his room. Files lay on his tea table, abandoned since the last week. The company was suffering, but he was suffering more.

He hadn't even found a replacement for Akash. They were behind on deadlines. He had cancelled meetings and lost so many deals. Arnav knew he should care more. It was too easy to lose focus and slip into bankruptcy.

"This wasn't what I wanted," Arnav said to himself. He picked up the call at the last ring. Aman was the only one that called him nowadays, to update him. None of the employees were brave enough to call him after he fired a secretary on a particularly miserable day.

"Yeah, Aman. Tell me."

"Sir, we found records of a Khushi Gupta taking a flight to Lucknow the evening she disappeared. First class."

"And in Lucknow?" he asked.

"Nothing, sir. I had the private detectives check everywhere. Lucknow is where she disappeared. There's no record of her anywhere. I've checked all the schools, all the voting registrations. Legally, Khushi Kumari Gupta doesn't exist, sir. It's almost like she never did."

"What?!"

First the untraceable phone call, and now this. How could a person completely disappear? Especially, a girl like Khushi. She was the daughter of a halwai. Nothing made sense any more.

"But sir, there's a more urgent matter to discuss."

More urgent than Khushi's disappearance and Shyam? Was his Di in danger?

"What is it, Aman?"

"Sir, the investors are knocking at our doors. You've neglected the business too much. Akash sir tried to compensate before he left, but now... if we want to stay out of losses this year... we need that French contract."

"Aman, I can't leave Delhi now."

"Sir, we don't have a choice. We need to get that contract with Hermes. Otherwise, it does not look good."

Arnav sighed.

"Alright, Aman. Keep the investigation going, but only weekly updates from now on except for emergencies. I'm coming to the office now," he said. "We'll get started on the designs. We've only got two months till the deadline."

"Yes, sir."

Aman cut the call and gave a thumbs up to the staff. Finally they had a chance at saving their necks. AR Designs was in chaos.

Arnav walked into the office and looked over at his staff. They were busier at work than he'd ever seen before. Half-finished designs filled the bulletin boards. Aman was trying to streamline their work, but there was only so much he could do. They needed proper management.

The deadline couldn't have come at a better time. He needed a break from being Arnav. He needed to become ASR. The work would make him sane again, and perhaps time would solve at least some of his problems.

***

Two and a half months later

"Yeah, Aman," Arnav said. "I'm boarding the flight now. I'll call you after I land at Charles de Gaulle. We'll get that deal."

"Okay sir. I've already arranged for your hotel and car in Paris."

Writer's Note

This is a short chapter, I know. But it felt right to end it here. The next few chapters, Khushi and Arnav start interacting. It's going to light and breezy for the next few episodes.

I'm thinking of how and when to introduce Shyam.

Read, vote, comment, enjoy.