ARSHI FF: Gustakh Dil...

CHAPTER 21: Dostana (Friendship)

[NOTE: Bengali conversation is used, translation is given in (italics)]

Khushi too was silently sobbing on her husband's shoulder remembering that night, she pleaded them all so much to not go but they had promised to come back soon and she had waited but they never came back. Arnav only caressed her hair trying to take some of the pain away, so much his Mishti had to endure at least when his parents died, he had familiar faces around but she was cut-off from everything she ever knew, his heart pained for her loss. Others had also moved into tears hearing the tragic loss of Khushi's except for Buaji and Garima who looked stoic and like they really didn't want to be here.

As everything was being said Garima Gupta was reminiscing everything from her perspective about those days. She didn't really share a very close relationship with her sister who was 05 years younger than her and she recalls well how Kashish was their mother's darling though she had no problem with that being more of daddy's girl herself. Despite being sisters, they were poles apart where she was quiet, introvert, obedient and average student, Kashish was prankster, loud, childish and brilliant student and their mother had always dreams of Kashish either becomes a doctor or engineer. That wish became true also when Kashish got scholarship and went to Kolkata for studying architecture, then she came back and that day she told their father about the man she loved, hell had broken in their house.

Then the Raichoudhary family had come and taken her with them and she remembers how her father had raged about it saying that Kashish would only be used and the guy wouldn't marry her, how her mother gave her father silent treatment. But then 10 days later it was all over T.V. channels and newspapers coverage over The Raichoudhary wedding and she remembers her mother watching news all day for the wedding. After that over the years her mother was in contact with her sister, watched all news about her or her in-law's family and even her father silently followed the news to know about Kashish as he too had realized just how good of family and husband Kashish found for herself. He had gotten over his anger which was why he never stopped Amma but he remembered well enough about his behaviour and Aditya saying that Kashish can't keep any relation with her father was only reason he never contacted outright... didn't want to create unnecessary problems in his daughter's marriage.

In this time Garima had gotten married to Sashi Gupta and where Kashish was living a high profile glamorous life with brilliant career, handsome loving husband and rich caring in-laws, she wasn't having all that good in comparison. Sashi was a good husband and they lived comfortably but her in-laws were too conservative which made them make her lives more than little difficult plus knowing about Kashish's love marriage they sometimes said little too harsh words. Then her daughter was born and she had to hear all disappointments of her in-laws though her husband was happy but he was never the one to stand up for her in front of his parents. And after few years Kashish had her daughter, she had seen the news coverage and how her mother use to tell about the Raichoudhary family celebrating the arrival of Khushi, that had made her so jealous as at Payal's birth she had to listen so many criticisms.