Chapter 11

The hospital smell was making him nauseous as the doctor kept going in and out of the examination room, making him more nervous than he already was. This was the first time that his sister had fainted due to her allergies and frankly, he could not make heads or tails out of the situation.

Just a few minutes ago, he had rushed his sister to the closest hospital in her unconscious state and after getting her through A&E, had robotically told the doctor about her allergies and other medications she was on due to the post-pregnancy thyroid condition she had been diagnosed with.

He was now waiting outside the room with Akash, hoping someone could tell them for sure what was wrong with his sister; plus the smell of spirit and chlorine was making his head spin uncontrollably.

“Mr Raizada?” the doctor called out as Arnav nearly ran up to him with Akash tailing behind “Yes doctor, how is my sister? Is she ok?” he asked anxiously as the doctor smiled “She is perfectly fine, there was anyways nothing to worry about; her allergies are quite normal and according to her, she usually only breaks into a rash” he said as Arnav looked on confused

“But, she fainted doctor. I am sure the almonds she ate, must have caused her more than usual…” he started saying when the doctor laughed “Yes, she fainted, but I will leave it to her to tell you the reason for it” he said with a smile, as he gestured him to go inside and meet his sister who was now very much conscious and resting.

Arnav rushed inside while Akash stayed back, giving some privacy to the siblings. “Di? What happened? The doctor said that..” he said as Anjali got up and gave him a radiant smile; her face was covered with a thick slab of anti-allergy cream but her eyes sparkled in mirth

“Chote!...hold on, breath little brother…first tell me, did you inform your jijaji about this?” she asked him as he shook his head “No, I did not want to worry him right away…if it was anything more serious..” he said as Anjali smiled and asked him to come forward and sit next to her

She held his hand and looked into his worried eyes with her smiling ones “I’m pregnant” she said as Arnav stared at her for a few seconds before it sunk in. His face brightening up with a radiant smile “That was the reason I fainted….Oh God Chote! I can’t believe it…I mean, I am late this month but I..” she said as Arnav made a face and cut her of “too much info di!” he said as he hugged her and sighed in relief.

“I was so worried! For a minute there I thought something bad happened to you!” he said in a strained voice, as Anjali caressed his hair and smiled softly at her little brother “Nothing will happen to me chote…you worry too much” she said as Arnav smiled and held her hand

“So! I’ll be a mama second time around huh?…this time I want a niece…she will be cute, smart and bubbly just like you” he said as Anjali laughed “We will see…but speaking of cute, smart and bubbly, I hope I didn’t scare Khushi and the rest of the staff too much. The poor thing baked me such a wonderful cherry pie and I fainted on her…she must be worried now….I should have informed her about my allergies…” Anjali said as Arnav suddenly remembered how he had shouted at Khushi before taking his sister away

He looked at his sister and held her hands gently “You should have told her di…many desserts have nuts in them and you have to be careful in such things…Ms Gupta too should have asked you about it” he said adjusting the pillow behind Anjali’s back

“Anyways, leave it now…don’t think about all that…” he said trying to look away from his sister’s curious face “What did you do Chote? You are hiding your face from me” she asked him as he sighed and looked at her “I…kinda shouted at her in front of everyone…I mean, I was stressed and..” he said as Anjali gasped and hit him softly on his arm

“Are you mad? I was equally at fault! Like you just pointed out, in fact more! She did not know about my allergies, I should have informed her…” she said as she huffed at her brother “Poor thing…you better go and tell her sorry Arnav” she said with a straight face, as Arnav scowled at her “No way di…I don’t apologize…” he said as Anjali tried to get up but was held back by Arnav

“Fine! If you won’t apologize, then I will…” she said and started getting up again when Arnav sighed and ran a hand over his face “Ok! I’ll go speak to her...happy?” he said to her as she grinned and nodded “Very! Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to wash off this goop so that I can get my rash-free face back and then, we can go home…or rather, you can go back to the restaurant while I head to yours” she said raising her eyebrow as Arnav nodded

“Fine, Akash will drop you home…I’ll come back early and cook you some dinner later” he said as she smiled brightly “I feel like eating pasta! Can you make the one with mushrooms and chicken?” she asked happily as Arnav smiled “Anything you want di!” he said as she hugged him before he left; hailing a taxi, he made his way back to the restaurant.

***

“Khushi, stop worrying so much, he won’t fire you baba” Payal tried to pacify Khushi who kept wiping the tears that formed in her eyes continuously “I also got Akash’s text saying Anjali ji is fine now…” Payal said as Khushi filled her bag with all her stuff from her locker.

She tied her hair back and neatly folded the apron before giving it to a forlorn looking Madh, who took it from her silently. She then smoothened out her t-shirt and skinny jeans before putting on her sensible walking shoes and lugging her backpack on her shoulder

She gave a watery smile to the girls who were in the changing room with her as she packed up all her stuff “Payal, I’m not worried about sir firing me, I’m resigning myself because I can’t work here anymore…my recklessness nearly cost someone their lives and for a cook, that is a crime!” she said as she opened the door to walk outside and came face to face with the boys who also tried to persuade her

“Guys please! You all should get back to work now…its way past prepping time” she said as Arnav’s voice boomed at them from the door “Damn right it is…what is this sabha sammelan here? Get back to work people!” he said as everyone scattered back to the kitchen except Payal who stood next to Khushi

“What do you think you are doing? You need to be in there, scrubbing and washing…why are you standing here with all your things? And you Payal, go and mind the damn phone! It won’t stop ringing!” he said as Payal gave a triumphant look to a confused Khushi and went away whistling

“What?” Arnav asked her as Khushi shook her head “H….Hows Anjali ji?” she asked him as he took a deep breath to calm himself “She’s fine now…” he said as Khushi stepped forward towards him “I am really sorry for what happened…I did not know that she had nut allergies and I know it’s  a crime that I have committed so…I can’t work here anymore…I’d like to resign” she said as Arnav looked at her in amusement

“Yes, you did commit a crime today…and that is specifically because you are not a professional chef Ms Gupta, but you try to be without learning…without taking time and patience to understand the intricacies of being a chef” he said as Khushi looked on

“You want to rush into everything! Just good cooking does not qualify you to work in a kitchen such as mine! What if this was not my sister today? What if it was a customer? Do you know that my restaurant could have been sued? I would have had to close down all this!” he said gesturing around the restaurant

“Do you know that people die of food allergies? Any trust me, even though customers usually tell us about their allergies, many don’t! So you have to be careful while serving things that have nuts, shell fish and mushrooms…which are very common allergic foods” he said as Khushi nodded slowly and felt her eyes fill up

“That is the difference Ms Gupta…of formal training and home cooking…You may be a brilliant cook, but you have a long way to go to start cooking in any kitchen like Perido…because trust me, I’m being very lenient with you…other’s would not let you within 10 feet of their cooking area without a formal degree!” he said as she looked up, making his heart constrict at her teary face…damn!

“Go now and get back to work! No need to resign…just learn from your mistakes” he said as he walked past her leaving her staring at his back…he could not stay and watch her sad face…it did something to him “wait” she shouted as he stopped and groaned “What is it now?” he turned around as she walked towards him quickly

“Anjali ji? She must be in so much pain na? She fainted and all…” she said with a sad face, as Arnav rolled his eyes, what is it with this girl and his sister!! Its like they suddenly became BFF’s in a few hours “She did not faint because of you, it was something else…she only got a rash that she usually gets due to nuts…Now  please go and do your job!” he said as Khushi’s face relaxed

“Oh…that’s good to know…but why did she faint then? She seemed fine…although there was some darkness under her eyes, she must be working too much…maybe I should make her my tulsi and lemongrass tea…that will refresh her a lot…or maybe she can try…” Khushi kept blabbering when Arnav kept his finger on her lips, effectively stopping her from talking “She’s pregnant alright? Now stop over analyzing” he started saying as her lips lifted up in a big smile making his finger caress the soft dewy perfectness of them

He pulled his hand away as if scalded when she squealed and in her excitement hugged him, once again shocking him as her soft plaint body molded against him, albeit for a very short time as she realized what she had just done, and pulled away in an instant

“I’m sorry sir….but I am so happy for her! Oh my God! There’s a baby on the way!…how wonderful” Khushi said as it took Arnav a few seconds more to clear his mind and remove all the sinful thoughts that were roaming around in his head and before he could think anymore, he quickly made his way away from her and her hypnotic presence.

***

“Oh wow! That looks amazing NK!” Khushi said as NK smiled at her and picked up a spoon to make her taste the duck confit he had just made “Umm…this is amazing!” she said as NK shook his head “Its ASR’s recipe…in fact, almost all the recipes are his…but he’s a good boss and lets us try some of our stuff too” he said as Khushi shuddered, remembering the two incidents where she had cooked!

She watched in her usual fascination as vegetables were chopped, meats sizzled on the grill, spices let out their aromas…the crazy chaos in the kitchen was what she absolutely loved and always wondered if she would ever get to do all this…She looked on as Arnav flitted around the ready dishes, making sure everything was perfect before it went out

It amazed her always at the perfection he always sought in everything. She was now used to his screaming and shouting as he blasted everyone on the delays and overcooked, undercooked things on the plate. It had scared her at the start, like everything about him usually did, but then she got used it as everyone seemed to only work their best when he bought in this energy in the kitchen

As the last few orders rolled in, she saw him take a swig of his coffee, before looking up to see directly in her eyes. She quickly turned around and got back to her station that was now piling up with dishes…shit! She really had it now! She thought as she looked over her shoulders, knowing he was probably coming her way to scold her.

After yesterday’s incidents, she really did not want to give him a reason to complain. She had taken to heart what he had said and had promised herself, that she will be patient and learn from him and the rest of the staff…she might need a formal degree too sometime later.

She straightened her back and took a deep breath as she waited with the usual dread of ASR’s remarks...but nothing of the sort happened and when she turned around, he seemed to have vanished; She sighed and got back to her usual soaping and sudding as she gauged the enormous task in front of her…looks like she will be here for quite a long time today!

***

“Aren’t you done yet miss?” one of the cleaners who stayed back till the end to finish cleaning the kitchen, asked her as Khushi placed the last of the freshly washed plates in its place before turning to him “Just done…didn’t know it will get so late” she said as the man nodded “I’m going to lock up in a bit…you should finish up” he said as she nodded and gave one last sweep over the place. Everyone had left a while ago and she was the only staff left now

She quickly changed and stepped out after saying bye to the cleaner, as she walked out, she was startled to see a car waiting right outside the back exit of the restaurant. The car seemed familiar, but she got more bewildered as a man seemed to be picking up boxes of packed food kept piled near the exit door and kept it in his boot. She walked towards him and nearly shrunk back as the man turned out to be her boss.

“What the hell? Why are you still here Ms Gupta?” he asked her as she looked curiously at the boxes in his hand, which he quickly kept inside and closed the boot “I asked you a question!” he said as she stepped back while he walked towards her “I had a lot more dishes to do today…so…got late” she said as he looked at her in annoyance

“If you didn’t spend time day dreaming and chatting with everyone, you would have gotten work done more efficiently and quickly” he said as Khushi narrowed her eyes. She was about to retort when she schooled her expressions and took a deep breath, before wishing him a polite ‘Good Night’ and turning away to leave

“Where do you think you are going? Do you know what time it is?” he asked her as she shrugged “I know…but I don’t have any other way to go except take a bus to Mahalaxmi station…I have a direct train to my place from there” she said as Arnav looked around the deserted area

“Get in…I’ll drop you” he said as she looked on in shock “What? I’m going that way anyways…so I’ll drop you” he said as he held the passenger door open for her. She did not argue and sat inside his car quickly, before strapping on the seat belt as he reversed out of the back alley and on to the main road

“I thought you lived somewhere near here” she said and he nodded “I do…but I have some work at Haji Ali, and Mahalaxmi station is right next to it” he said as she nodded and leaned back quietly against the familiar plush interiors. She glanced a look at his profile and was once again marveled at his handsome features. It’s a crime to be so handsome, she thought as he turned to face her, making her blush instantly

“You said something?” he asked her as she shook her head “No, was just wondering how Anjali ji is” she said as he kept his eyes on the road “She’s fine now…and will be going back to Pune in a day or two” he said as Khushi nodded…they didn’t speak again till Arnav suddenly stopped right in front of the beautiful Dargah

“I’ll be a minute” he said as he got down and three men came to greet him. He hugged them and then proceeded to open the boot for them to remove the boxes he had stacked earlier…after bidding them a smiling good bye, he got in and started the car

“What was that? They ordered food at the Dargah?” she asked him incredulously which made him chuckle at the suddenness and absolute stupidity of her question “Pagal ho kya? No they did not order food…I usually bring over the left over food from the restaurant when we have private do’s and buffets…as it is, we make a lot of food and when there is excess, I bring it over here and they give it to the homeless” he said as Khushi’s eyes widened at this new information

She did not even realize when they got to the station. Before getting down, she turned towards him with a soft smile on her face “I really don’t understand you sir…” she said as Arnav looked straight ahead, but relaxed his body as he leaned back and closed his eyes “Then don’t…Good night Ms Gupta” he said as Khushi shook her head and got out…she kept on watching till his car was out of sight…. “But I really want to” she whispered to herself, before making her way into the station.