Chapter 17

16. Ms. Verghese

‘Are you sure I can wear this?’ Kirti asked, looking at the Kerala sari that Shruti had produced before her. Shruti liked to collect saris, especially silk from her hometown. 

‘I wouldn’t be showing it if I weren’t sure, babe.’

‘But this looks so precious,’ Kirti passed a hand over the dry cleaned drape.

‘You are the most precious one to me,’ Shruti flirted. 

‘Why couldn’t you be a guy?’ Kirti whined.

‘Why couldn’t you be a guy?’ Shruti reverted.

Siben who had been playing outside in the hallway, hearing the screeching of the closet when it was opened, he had rushed in and was now pulling out his new dresses and putting it on display for Kirti.

‘Bitto,’ his mother warned. But he was asking his aunty to choose one that he could wear to show her.

The aunty instead pulled his cheeks much to his consternation and spoiled his carefully combed hair. 

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The Gupta House was decked as a bejeweled bride. Kirti, as she disembarked from her scooter, and removed her helmet, she dedicated a few minutes to enjoy the pleasing aesthetics. Inside the house, it was even more beautiful with opulent show pieces, plant ornaments, lightings and flower walls.

Kirti realised she had arrived earlier. The servants scurried around and she could sight some people but guessed they were all family. And, then to her relief, Tejas materialized from somewhere.

‘Kirtiiii. Thank God, you came. You took your own sweet time.’ He hugged her.

‘I am so nervous,’ he said.

‘Why, though?’ She looked at him. ‘You are getting engaged to the love of your life.’

‘I don’t know. It’s just that I...I am not sure. This engagement will make it so real.’

‘Wouldn’t that be beautiful?’ She encouraged him. ‘You both will be truly each others’ 

He sighed. ‘It’s just that things have been going wrong since yesterday. First, I lost a case yesterday. It was a big blow. I’m talking about millions here. Then, Sana hurt her leg in the morning.’

‘Oh no. Is she okay?’

‘Stretched a muscle. Otherwise okay. But she said, she doesn’t think we’d be performing tonight.’ Kirti made a sympathetic face. ‘Oh, wait, it doesn’t end there. I am coming from my grandfather’s room and he in very straight words said, he wasn’t in for a destination wedding!’

‘Calm down, Tejas. She can’t perform, you can do it, as a gift to her.’

‘No, she says, if she doesn’t perform, I don’t too.’ He was dejected. He had practiced so much only in vain.

‘It’s okay. There’s still a Sangeet ceremony. She’ll get well by then, I am sure. As for the losses, do not let any shadow of yesterday ruin this beautiful moment of your life. What you have lost can be earned tomorrow. I remember you’ve led many such meetings and have won them, too. I believe in  your capabilities. Destination wedding, worry about it later. Now, just concentrate on this moment. Okay?’ Caught in her eyes, and a soothing voice, he nodded. If not for her, he would have lost it. Long ago. He looked at her, like really looked at her. He must have seen the face so many times and yet it felt he was looking at her for the first time.

‘You look different, today.’

‘Do I?’ She asked, her hands consciously pressing the pleats of her sari. She had told Shruti that low cut blouse, sari wrapped tightly to appease her figure, it was all just too much and very unlike her style but Shruti had reasoned, ‘Wear the armor right, and show them you don’t give a f*ck.’ Earlier Kirti had confessed to her how all of them had guessed she liked Tejas.

He nodded but before he could in voice liken her to those tempting beauties in simple but elegant sarees, standing against the lush background of Kerala forests - advertisements one spotted while flipping magazines or scrolling social pins - he was called away by an elder.

She spotted Prasanna who waved at  her. 

‘Kirti! Wow, you look so...sexy!’ Kirti accepted the compliment uncomfortably. Would they think she was trying to hook another guy by dressing all sexy?

‘You came alone Ms.Verghese? Didn’t bring the boy?’ Prasanna teased.

Kirti simpered. ‘Won’t let me live that down, will you?’

‘Never ever’

‘I came too early, didn’t I? No other friends from our group have arrived.’ She couldn’t even spot Nishit.

‘Chill. They will all be arriving soon. Till then come spend time with me. I am bored.’ 

Kirti followed Prasanna to the room where they sat discussing Prasanna's future plans. She was planning to go to the States for further studies.

‘I have always wanted to go abroad, Kirti and I will be applying for Masters and if I get selected it would be so great. There’s not much to explore in sound engineering here. I am hoping I could some way be a part of art films. In movies like these, not only script or actors matter, light and sound is as much of a protagonist as the characters. Have you watched In The Mood For Love?’

Kirti shook her head.

‘Okayyy it’s not mainstream. Umm, Inception, then? Did you notice how sound is an entity in itself in the movie?’

‘I haven’t watched Inception. Sorry’

‘Well, it will have to be mended.You will have to watch it. In The Mood For Love, especially. It’s a classic movie. They could never make another such movie.’

‘I will for sure’

‘Actually, do you have time this weekend? You can come home, and then we can watch it together.’

‘I will try’

‘Please Kirti, do come. It will be so much fun. Promise me that you’ll come’

Kirti was beginning to wriggle in her seat, when by some divine intervention, Prasanna’s phone came to life.

‘Okay, okay, I will come in a minute.’ Turning to Kirti she said, ‘I will back in a jiffy. Wait here for me.’

Kirti tapped her fingers on her thighs, looking around the room. Blank walls, neutral shades, minimalistic style. Getting up from the seat, she walked to the mirror on the wall. 

Her hair that she had put half up and half down, was now messy tangles! She should have taken a cab instead of riding her scooter. Pulling out a comb from her purse she ran it through her long silky tresses.

She then looked at herself in the mirror and found the pleats that draped across her chest, too thin and revealing. Pulling out the pin, she decided to re-drape it, more decently this time.

XxxxxxX

A tired and grouchy, Nishit walked to his room; one hand pulling out his shirt from his trousers, unbuttoning it, the other hand pushing open the door.

The bent face concentrated in making pleats, the long hair splashed over her shoulders, the low cut white blouse that contained her breasts, the wide expanse of the midriff, her head swivelling up, kohled eyes mirroring his own astonishment and then a sheath of golden silk flung over her chest he witnessed all at once, just in a matter of a few seconds.

‘Sorry,’ he uttered, retreating his steps.

‘It’s my room...I... did not know.’ And he pulled close the door. He was leaving but then saw a group of cousins. Knocking the door, he said, ‘Bolt it’ and did not stay to listen to her, ‘It will only take a few minutes.’

XxxxxX

Kirti clapped and cheered loudly, her face beamed not belying the storm in her heart. 

‘Congratulations!!!’ She greeted the two of them when they came to her.

‘Thanks Kirti for coming,’ Sana told her before moving to other guests.

To Tejas, Kirti said, ‘See, you look so happy now. You were worrying unnecessarily.’

He was going to say something before he was called away by his fiance.

Kirti idled around, carefully avoiding her school mates.Them and Nishit. She didn’t want to see him after what happened earlier in the room.Half an hour more and she’d leave. Soon a development on the stage pulled her attention. 

A mic stand and stool carried in and soon she saw Nishit walk in with a guitar in his hand. Another man popped up on the stage with amp and cable wires. When things were set, she saw the tall man who was now impeccably dressed in grey two piece very unlike his earlier shoddy unbuttoned self.

The lights dimmed as if lending all of their brightness to the couple of the night. They stood under the limelight as Nishit in his deep baritone congratulated them before proceeding to pull the strings of his guitar and then of his audience’ heart. He played and sang. He could sing, Kirti knew but he seldom did. He was comfortable in playing in the background, he'd said.

He sang all English songs, as expected of him. Hindi was Tejas and her thing.There was only one time she had heard him sing a Hindi song.

As he dedicated it to the couple, she saw Sana put her hands on her mouth as she felt so touched and surprised. Twining her arm around Tejas, she put her head on his shoulder and then touched her eyes to wipe away tears.

‘What an actor!’

Kirti turned to find Prasanna.

‘Actor?’

‘Right! She is acting all surprised when it is her who called him in the morning and demanded he perform for her. Imagine at such short notice. On top of it, he has been pulling all-nighters the entire week.’

‘He could have denied,’ Kirti offered.

‘He couldn’t. He was between a hard place and a rock. If he denied, she would gloat he has feelings for her.’

‘Feelings?’

‘Yeah, it was Nishit who was supposed to marry her.’

XxxxxxX

He sang with heart, the words he uttered translated into feelings. You must feel to be able to sing like that.

Her eyes sought Mithila who stood watching her boyfriend perform.

Whatever it was, how tragic to be asked to perform on the engagement of a person whom you were supposed to marry. The person whom you may be loved. She stared at Sana. The very beautiful and intelligent Sana. The very arrogant Sana. But which owner of a huge inheritance and such privileged life will not be proud? In an organza green lehenga, she sizzled. Under the loving gaze of her fiance, she glowed.

Did he love her?

Kirti must have been staring because he looked up from his instrument and stared right back into her eyes. She looked away.

The balm of his voice, she let it soothe the burning of her heart.

XxxxxxX

‘You sang bravely,’ she reached out to him, acting against her earlier pledge.

‘Thanks. Performing in a room full of people is surely daunting.’ He was taken aback by her compliment.

‘And very beautifully too,’ she finished her previous statement

‘I am nothing like you and Tejas,’ he said scratching the back of his neck.

‘Too many others,’ she tsked, ‘If you start comparing there are just so many people. Why compare a cuckoo and song thrush?’

‘Which is a better singer between the two? And which am I?’

She smiled. ‘You lose the sense of argument’

‘Pardon me. I am not the lawyer brother.’

‘Good night,’ She said, ready to leave.

‘Leaving?’

‘Yes’ There was only this much beating her heart could take.

‘Lift?’ 

‘No, today I came all equipped.’

She had taken three steps towards the exit when he called her from behind, ‘Ms.Verghese’

She turned her head ready for the teasing about her boy or something on those lines.

‘Your husband, your ex husband, I mean’ She looked at him puzzled.

‘He’ll, one day, realise what he lost.’ She stared.

‘Later, then’

[NOCOPY]

[MEMBERSONLY]