by Atul Todi
CHAPTER 4: START OF A LOVE STORY
It was past midnight. There was pin-drop silence all around besides two grown men laughing out loud. Walking out of the house towards the main entrance of the vineyard, Abhay saw a silhouette of a little girl sitting in front of the big metallic gate of the vineyard. As he got closer, she got up and looked back at him.
Looking at him with her big black eyes, Khushi stood under the lamppost near the main gate. She had followed him all the way to the vineyard. Abhay could not believe it. Having left the wedding secretly, he thought he had given her a miss.
"Hello Bugsy!" Khushi said with all sincerity when Abhay was in close proximity.
Jolly had come with his wife to meet Abhay before they left for their honeymoon. Abhay and Anna had been drinking all night with their guests. They had come outside the house to leave Jolly and Zeinab, who were flying off to South Africa. The drunken smile on his face vanished as he saw Khushi standing right in front of him like a little nightmare.
"Excuse me! Who are you?"
Abhay pretended to not know her because Anna too was there. In his head, he was screaming out loud: How the hell did she find me? Did the airline guys give her my address? Or did she follow Jolly to the vineyard?
Standing in front of the main entrance of the barricaded vineyard, with a small pink suitcase, Khushi looked like she had been waiting there for a while. Abhay felt no pity for the little girl; he was furious. He did not want to deal with her annoying request.
Anna heard her call Abhay something, but didn’t quite catch it. She stood there in silence, wondering what was going on. With no one saying anything, Jolly, who was standing there with Anna, spoke up, "You don't know her Abhay? But you just…"
Immediately cutting him off, Abhay said, "Yes, we don't know her Jolly. Maybe she is looking for Mr. Selvi in the next plantation. He is really bad with giving his correct address."
Abhay glared at him, wondering if Khushi might have followed Jolly to the vineyard. But holding his hands up, Jolly looked at Abhay in self-defense. Signaling that he had nothing to do with it, he promised that he had no clue how she got there.
"Abhay Mr. Selvi's coffee plantation is more than 10 kilometers from her. Who would leave a little girl here in the middle of the night?" Anna looked worried.
"That is quite strange, I wonder how she landed here; I think I will go drop her off wherever she needs to go." Abhay continued to pretend that he did not know her.
Khushi looked tired and sleepy with her droopy eyes. She had a piece of paper in her hand, which looked like a letter. With tears in her eyes, she extended it towards Anna and said, "My mom died in an accident. Before she left she gave me this note that had this address."
"This is just like a Bollywood movie, which movie was that?" Jolly mumbled carelessly.
Looking at Zeinab, he could not stop laughing. But seeing Anna upset, Zeinab asked him to control himself. It was a serious moment, not a scene from a movie. The poor little girl looked disheveled.
Snatching the note from her, Abhay could not believe his eyes. Khushi was really evil. She was clearly trying to blackmail him with that note. Looking spitefully back at her, he was screaming at her in his head. Yet, staying calm, he pretended to not know her.
Giving Khushi a mean look, he read the note:
Bugsy,
If you don't agree to tell me your story, I will tell your girlfriend your precious secret. And, I know she has no clue about who you really are☺
Your Fan,
-Khushi
Khushi had done her investigation; she knew all about him and who he lived with. Abhey was shocked by the conniving nature of the little devil.
Before Abhay could say anything, Khushi had big drops of tears rolling down her eyes. She had a God’s gift to cry at her whim; she needed no reason. She was good!
Anna went towards her, wiped her tears and said, "Who is she Abhay? We need to take her inside; she looks cold."
"Oh, I can't believe this Anna. She is an old friend’s daughter. Her parents died in an accident, and they had me listed as her guardian. So, I guess someone gave her my address."
"What, your old friend? Now who is this old friend, how do I not know about all these friends of yours?"
Anna had known him for less than six months, but she assumed that she had the right to know everything about Abhay and his life.
Playing along, he said, "Even I don't. I mean he was an old friend from school; we just never kept in touch."
Looking towards Jolly, he said, "Jolly you remember Raghav from school. She is his daughter."
Taking a moment to think about it, Jolly replied back: "Raghav had a daughter, and he died? What are you saying? I just talked to him at my…"
Making Jolly, who was too inebriated to understand what was going on there, shut-up before he made things more complex, Abhay tried to get the situation under control.
Taking Khushi to the side, he said, "What are you trying to do? This blackmailing won't work with me. I am going to call your parents right now and have them take you away. Give me your mom's phone number."
"If you don’t want to help me, that's ok. At least you can tell me your story. It took me months to find you and I have come all the way from the US looking for you. Your story might help me."
"You are really crazy Khushi; I don't understand how my story will help. You need to go back home. I think we are done with your following me around."
Khushi was not done yet. With her crocodile tears rolling down her cheeks, she looked at Anna, who was on the verge of crying herself.
"Look at her Abhay; we need to take her inside. This is so sad that her parents met with an accident. You have to help her out. Her parents obviously trusted you."
Abhay wanted to have nothing to do with Khushi. He said nothing and pretended to not have heard Anna.
Anna requested again.
Finally Abhay responded, "How can we help her out? Where are we going to take her?"
"You live on a hundred fifty-acre vineyard, I am sure you have enough space for her. We can't leave her outside in the cold. We will figure something out tomorrow."
"Anna but…"
"I am not listening to you. She is coming with us until we find some of her relatives."
Glaring at Khushi, Abhay had to give in to Anna's request. He had no other option. Khushi was going inside with them.
Jolly and his wife took their leave and said bye to Khushi. He was leaving for his honeymoon but promised to come visit Abhay and Anna when he was back.
Holding Khushi's hand, Anna took her inside. Abhay carried her suitcase and followed.
-------x-------
Later that night, Anna got the guest room ready for Khushi. After serving her dinner and hot milk, she put her to bed.
While Anna was quite sophisticated and snooty at times, she had a kind heart.
Once Anna was asleep, Abhay sneaked into the guestroom and woke Khushi up. He was furious about what had happened that night.
"What are you trying to do here you little devil? And how the hell did you get here? Did you track my phone number? Who gave you my address? Tell me right now. This game of yours needs to end tonight." Abhay was clearly not pleased to have her in his house.
Usually calm, something about the little girl had put him completely out of place.
He was hoping that having slipped out from Jolly's wedding, he had gotten rid of Khushi. But Khushi had followed him to the vineyard and now it was more difficult to escape her and her irritating request to know his story. He could not afford to let her go out to the media and tell them about his identity and location; he had worked hard to keep it a secret. Anna too knew nothing about his little secret, and he did not want her to find out.
Seeing Abhay sad, she said, "I am really sorry for making you upset. I just thought you could help me out. But, I guess the Bugsy I was looking for is clearly not here. Maybe, just like his love stories, he too is fictional. So don't worry, I will b
e gone tomorrow morning. Anna would not find out anything. Just tell her that I came to the wrong address and my relatives came to get me."
Surprised that she had agreed to leave, his anger subsided. With a sigh of relief, he said, "Well thanks! I will have the driver give you a ride to the airport; he would also get you a ticket to wherever you need to go. Is there anything else you need?"
"Can I just hug you once? Please."
Feeling terrible for breaking the little girl's heart, he gave her a hug. She was in tears, but Abhay's problem was solved. He could continue living the way he had been for the last twelve years.
That hug was magical, like a balm for his aching soul. Holding her in his arms, he felt a sense of peace. It was a strange feeling, like an ocean of emotions drowning his senses.
Lost in the strange state of mind, he put her to bed and wished her goodnight. She kissed him on his cheeks and said goodbye.
That night, sitting in the balcony, he could not sleep. He felt terrible for disappointing the little girl; all she wanted was to know his story for whatever stupid reason.
He wondered how much longer could he suffocate himself by burying the old memories deep inside his heart. How much longer could he stay away from family and friends who cared for him? Maybe it was time for him to shed the skeleton of his past and set himself free.
------x------
Early in the morning, Khushi was ready with her suitcase; she was going to leave and go back home. She did not want to disturb anyone, so she tiptoed her way towards the main door.
"And where do you think you are going? I don't know who sent you or why you want to know my story, but go leave your bag inside the room and call your mom. Tell her you are with Bugsy and you are going to be staying with him for a few days, if she doesn't mind."
Shocked by his sudden change of heart, she said, "What? Are you sure? I have already troubled you enough. You don't need to do this. I was being stupid, trying to find out your story. Maybe I was just fascinated with your story, but now I am done."
"Well, I am not sure if I want to tell you about my tragic life, but I can surely share with you my love story. Maybe you can write about it and tell the world that even Bugsy had a real love story and that my novels are not completely fictional. So would you like to stay?"
Running towards him, Khushi gave him a big hug and said "Thank you so much. I can't wait to hear all about it. I am sure it's even better than the stories you write."
"Yes, but on one condition: no more of your crocodile tears. It's a deal; I will tell you my story and you can write about it. But, my real identity remains a secret between us. I still want to remain the infamous Bugsy, the anonymous tragic romance writer no one knows about. And one last thing, once we are done with this, you will tell me really how you found me, no more of your bullshit stories. Ok? Is it a deal?"
"It's a deal; I will tell you how I found you and no one would come to know who you are." Khushi was happy. Holding Abhay tightly in her arms, she was excited.
It was a strange bonding she shared with him.
"So, I am just curious, does Anna know about Bugsy?" she asked.
He laughed and said, "No, she doesn't. Maybe I will tell her someday, if she stays here long enough."
Unable to hide her excitement, Khushi asked: "Are you guys dating? Is she your girlfriend?"
"Do you always ask so many irritating questions? You are annoying, you know that; so no more questions for now, alright?"
"Yes, yes! So when do we start?"
Shaking his head, Abhay told her that she could accompany him during his vineyard inspections. It was grapes picking season, and while working, he would tell her about his past and also show her how to grow the best grapes in the world.
Khushi was happy; she promised that Anna would not come to know about their little secret. She had planned to take notes about the story and do a write-up on Bugsy, without disclosing any personal information about Abhay and his whereabouts.
"For now, go back to your room and make yourself comfortable. If you are hungry, there is food in the kitchen. Feel at home, but not for too long."
Smiling at Abhay, Khushi gave him a kiss on his cheek and went back to the room.
Surprised at what he had just done, Abhay felt good about it. Seeing Khushi smile made him happy, happier than what he had been for a long-long time.
--------x-------
So finally it started: the process of letting go of his past and sharing it with someone. His past was like a volcano inside him, waiting to explode. It was like a burden that Abhay had been carrying on his shoulder for a long-time.
It was time for him to let go and come to terms with his present. He was just glad that he was going to tell his story to a little girl, instead of a grueling critic or a reporter. It felt a lot easier, and he hoped that she would not judge him or the things he had done.
That afternoon, as Abhay got ready to go out to the plantation, he called Khushi to come along. Dressed for a little adventure in her shorts and sneakers, she came prepared with her notebook and pen.
"Why do you have that notebook with you?" Abhay asked.
"So I can write down your story obviously. How else would I remember all the details? I don't want to miss out on anything."
Laughing it off, he said, "Oh yes! You would make a good reporter someday you know that. You are inquisitive and even more importantly, you are very stubborn. Never change yourself for anyone."
Walking outside the house, he had his horse ready for the daily vineyard inspection. Khushi was taken aback looking at the big white horse; she was scared that she would fall off and get kicked by the strong muscular animal.
"Don't you have some other ride? Maybe a bicycle or something; I can't ride a horse." She had never been horse riding before and was clearly not ready for it.
"Well, do you still want to know my story or not? You don't have an option; if you can fly down from America, this should be a piece of cake. So, no excuses; let me help you get up."
Reluctantly, she held her hand out, and Abhay helped her get up on the horse. And as the horse trotted his way towards the green grape wines, Khushi held onto him tightly. She trusted him, but not the horse.
He rode with her through the rolling vineyard. Telling her about the grapes, the soil, the weather and everything else she was least interested in hearing, he kept her waiting anxiously. Plucking a bunch of dark purple grapes, he handed it to her to taste the fresh, tangy fruit. It was unlike the sweet grapes her mother bought from the grocery store.
Being a good sport, she did not push him and waited patiently. Like a good listener, she anticipated his opening up to her. Helping him inspect the grapes that were not ripe enough to be harvested, she asked him questions about how he knew when the grapes were ready and why not just eat the grapes as they were. She did not understand why were the delicious grapes used for making wine when they were perfect to just eat.
He didn't know how to explain to her why wine was good and the wonderful intoxicating effect it was able to create. So he simply told her that when wine was made from the grapes, the farmers got more money for their crop. Being an expensive form of grape juice, adults were willing to pay more for it.
She just smiled and pretended to not know what wine was. Being a freshman in high school, even though she was not of legal age, she had secretly tried a few different alcohols with her friends.
As the evening set in, Khushi's curiosity grew. She was anticipating hearing the story she had been waiting to hear for months. Impatient with Abhay making her wait, she asked, "When do you plan to tell me the story? Or do you want me to come live here with you forever? I don't mind growing grapes with you here."
Khushi, even though she was sweet and charming for the most part, she could be way too sarcastic for her age. Her big round eyes, when wide-open, meant serious business and were uncompromising. Besides crying whenever she wanted, she also had another gift: she could change the tone of her voice to express hers
elf exactly the way she wanted. Like a true lady, she could say something and mean something completely different.
Standing with her arms folded and neck titled, watching Abhay inspect some dying grapevines, she looked like a very pampered kid.
Smiling at her inquisitive state of mind, he said, "I don't think so. You are not moving in here; you better be gone soon."
"So tell me your story then. I don't want to bug you for too long. Otherwise, my mom would come looking for me, and she is more annoying than I am. You don’t want to deal with her."
"No way, I don't think I can handle both of you together. I guess I better start telling you my story. But before we do that, would you like to help me plant these grapevine cuttings?"