Two years later,

Khushi wasn't that 18-year-old girl who would challenge a man whose beliefs contrasted with hers. She wasn't a girl to challenge a man who would insult her, tarnish her image, and send her to death bed. The two years have been a learning lesson for her. Every day, every minute, there was something new to learn.

In the span of two years, Khushi just didn't work with her father to run the business, on a part-time basis, she also started resuming her incomplete studies. One more year and she'd successfully graduate to grab a decent job with good pay. Payal, her sister too had come to senses later, not to discard her graduate degree in the corner of her cupboard. Her sister, Payal had stood up and after a few trials, had successfully grabbed a job — that earns a decent pay.

Her father had cleared off the debts with the release he got from the insurance he'd been paying for years which has matured. Their halwai business was back again, one and a half years ago, the only difference was, it has three branches now, the first one being in Lucknow and the other two in Delhi, the second one in Delhi was opened just a few months ago. The first one was successfully running for a year. Her father and mother had shifted to Delhi and all of them were staying in the same house, planning to extend their house to one more floor since their businesses were giving more profits. Her father had given Gupta Haveli for renters. The boys who were working under her father had been taking care of Lucknow's shop, employing a few more people in need of jobs. With constant monitoring from her father, everything was going well. Her mother and Bua were looking after the second shop they had in Delhi.

Their whole family is on the run helping each other to make a livelihood easy for them.

Khushi was 20 and wanted another year to pass soon. She'd be able to help her family more. That was just one of the reasons anyway. The main reason would be, she'll be independent, standing on her legs, earning a piece of bread for herself. Not depending on anyone for her basic necessities. Thanks to the scholarship, she'd soon have the certificate to join any good core company. It was when she was in the 2nd year of her Bachelor of Technology, she had to stop due to their financial conditions and a very much happening wedding in a few months.

But thanks to her destiny, it made her fate unbelievably true. Her wish of completing her studies had been granted. She had shifted from a College in Lucknow to a College in Delhi. The change has been good. She had so much to learn. A skill to see things from a whole different perspective.

A perspective that made her regret a few things. But never about her calling Arnav Singh Raizada a Murderer.

For, she really thought he deliberately sent her to a collapsing guest house. Arnav Singh Raizada was a closed chapter in her life.

Except that she regretted a few things she said to him.

"Hey, Khush," Khushi was brought back to the world by her friends — Arjun Sharma, Drashti Mehta, and Samrat Agarwal.

"Hey," she grinned looking at them sitting beside her. She was sitting in a Canteen all alone, waiting for her friends when was lost in the last two years of her life.

"What's up? How was the lab? Itna late kyu hogaya?" Khushi hides her grin. She know why they were late.

"Babe, don't hide your grin, aah! Laugh, I know you're trying hard to control your laughter," Drashti scoffs, looking at an innocently looking best friend of hers.

"Achha-" before Khushi could say something, Arjun interrupts her, "Chal, chup ho ja, you completed your viva first and clear doesn't mean you get to laugh at us, okay?"

("Come on, shut up, you completed your viva first and clear doesn't mean you get to laugh at us, okay?")

"Yeah. You don't even know how he tortured us. Question after question, ruk hi nahi raha tha," Samrat sides with Arjun, frowning at no one. Imagining their lab professor asking questions that went over their head. Those were in the syllabus — is another thing altogether.

(He isn't stopping at all)

"Aur humne aik ka bhi teek se jawab nahi diya!" Drashti pouts.

(And we didn't even answer one properly!)

Khushi laughs out loud, "Anyway, did you see how many marks he gave?" She's so sure her friends wouldn't miss sneaking out the marks sir would have assigned for them.

"Yeah, for it's 7," Arjun snorts, losing three marks for the answers he didn't know. He was better in the viva, well better than Drashti and Samrat at least.

"6," Drashti whispered, showing her fingers and hiding her face later in her bag.

It was a great improvement. She stuttered a lot while answering but she did.

"5," Samrat was cool. He just needed some pass marks. He was out of the competition world.

"And for me? Did you see mine?" Khushi was curious.

"Yup, it's 9 for you, Strawberry!" Arjun grinned.

"Don't call me that," she pouts. It's been like this ever since she wore a sweater over her clothes coming into the class in the winter mornings. Her nose, cheek, and her ears were tinged red.

..there he invented the name for her!

Strawberry!

And the explanation he gave was — she looked like a strawberry!

Except for her, her three friends fall in the same batch during laboratory sessions — their roll numbers were last, and fall beside each other. While hers is in the middle with some other classmates in her batch. That's why she was here, in the canteen, her batch's viva and test were completed an hour before. Since then she was waiting for her buddies.

It's been two years since she joined here, although, in the first few months, she really found it difficult to catch the pace, maintain it, and follow it, the three angels in her life had helped her achieve that. She talks English, not really fluent but yes it's way better than what she was before. One can give eight points over 10 for her. Getting a sudden transfer to an English Medium was slightly difficult compared to the Hindi Medium she was used to.

What she realized was, even after being in a Hindi Medium, she was able to understand fluent English and try some as well — which she did in AR. Why can't she be fluent in it if she tries hard when she joined an English Medium? That shouldn't be difficult for her if she tried hard.

That's what she did.

..and support from Drashti, Arjun, and Samrat had given her more confidence.

And now she can proudly say she learned a lot.

It wasn't just language.

It's also the beliefs she used to blindly follow.

Wasn't it the reason why when she got to know ASR doesn't believe in god and writes his fate had made her unbelievable and she went after him giving a lecture?

She believed everyone shouldn't be living not believing in the deity — the god who writes everyone's destiny.

But her thoughts soon changed when she encountered Arjun and his beliefs in the deity.

It was after two months she joined and a week since she made friends with Drashti and Arjun, The next day was a special day and she wanted to visit a temple.

"Achha, hum soch rahe the, kal mandir jaae, Arjun and Drashti, aap aa rahe hai?" she asked grinning at them. The aap and hum never left her life.

(I was thinking to visit a temple soon, Arjun and Drashti, will you come?)

"Yes, sure. Why not?" Drashti instantly agrees.

Khushi grins and turns her face towards Arjun who wasn't excited, "Aur aap Arjun?"

(And you, Arjun?)

"No, Khushi. I don't believe in god. You guys carry on," Arjun doesn't know then he'd be her best friend calling her a strawberry.

"What? You don't believe in God?" Khushi screamed in shock, her face had an unbelievable expression. ASR's image had popped up in her mind.

Arjun is like that Laadgoverner?

Thankfully, she never used ji in her college after her friends' request. They're of the same age for god's sake, a few months older maybe!

"No, yaar!" Arjun denies sighing.

"But why? You know she writes everyone's destiny. Including yours and-" she was cut off by a smiling Arjun who looks at her and says, "Well, since I don't believe, I don't think she writes my destiny."

"But there's god, Arjun. You have to believe in god. Why don't you believe in it?" Khushi questions his belief.

Arjun stops walking and so does Khushi and Drashti sighs at her talk, "Khushi, the first time I talked to you, you were always chanting Devimayya. Did I ever ask you why do you believe in God? Did I ever tell you that you shouldn't believe in her?"

"No. You didn't," Khushi was confused at the question yet answers.

"There! When I didn't question your belief, why are you questioning mine?" Arjun raises the right question.

"Because that's the truth, there is god!" Khushi argues.

"You're not understanding, Khushi. It's not about god's existence. It's about beliefs and feelings which you're not open to considering," Arjun points out the unintentional fault in her.

He by now had understood she wasn't prying to the world, growing up in a community that is narrow-minded and orthodox. Although Khushi isn't orthodox, she is not open to considering the beliefs she wasn't exposed to all her life. That wasn't her fault. She was raised that way.

But she had to learn — to consider and respect someone's beliefs even if she doesn't believe in them.

Didn't he consider and respect her belief in God even though he doesn't believe in them? He never questioned her belief.

"Matlab?"

(What do you mean?)

"Khushi, look, let's make it simple. You believe in god and believe that's the truth. Just because you believe that's the truth doesn't mean you question and force your belief in someone else's mind, do you? Look, I don't believe in god and believe that's the truth. That doesn't mean I go around with the people who believe in god and question or force my belief in their minds. It's just about accepting and respecting one's individual feelings and beliefs. Because who knows in what circumstances they grew? What made them not believe or believe in certain things? Everyone isn't the same nor their beliefs." Arjun starts walking again slowly and Khushi who was in deep thought about what Arjun said stopped while Drashti was scratching her friend's hands trying to bring her back to the world.

"It's their choice and we should just respect it. I hope you understand what I am trying to say," Arjun stops in his tracks not getting a reply only to see a lost Khushi and goes back to Khushi and shakes her, "What happened? I'm sorry if my perspective hurt you but that's what I follow always."

"Actually, your points are right. I didn't ever think in that way." Khushi sighs sadly.

That was the first thing she learned, to be open about accepting someone's belief even if she doesn't believe it, accepting and respecting someone's belief should be wise!

She wouldn't like it if someone would question her belief in her Devimayya, it was such a disrespect she'd think. Just that way if she's questioning someone's beliefs, wouldn't they feel the same?

She doesn't have any right to lecture someone who doesn't believe in what she believed all her life.

..and there came her first regret. She regretted lecturing Arnav Singh Raizada on his belief.

It was wrong of her!

But that doesn't mean his behavior with her was fine!

And it isn't the last thing learned, there were so many things learned in the span of two years. She's no more judgemental about people who wear dresses that reach their knees.

For she used to find them weird and morally wrong!

Not anymore. She understands it's their choice and is accepting of it. That doesn't mean her beliefs changed and she started wearing the same. She's more open to accepting people who wear them with no judgment.

She started respecting others' choices, other's beliefs, other's opinions irrespective of the beliefs, choices, and opinions she had.

She doesn't go around people who are in live-in relations, some of them are also her seniors and friends, and tell them it's wrong and they shouldn't do it. She has just accepted it as their choice and respected it much.

That doesn't mean she finds herself in a live-in relationship. It's her choice not to believe in relationships outside of marriage and expect others to respect it just the way she respects others who believes in relationships outside of marriage and have them respect hers.

She had explored and learned a lot before coming to such a stage. Where she's more open and not judgemental in her thoughts.

Khushi is a changed woman now — for her own good! 

To be continued..,

Here's another one!

Let me know what you think!

I know it's just Khushi but in the next one, we'll see ASR and his life. 

If I found Arnav wrong in so many instances, I also found Khushi wrong in many instances. 

I did cover some of them in this update. 

Hehe..My obsession with Arjun's Strawberry would never go away! ;-)

Regards,

polymath_land

12/12/2022