Seven Vows Part 2- Chapter 154Page 148 - Page 101

Chapter 147- The Marriage Invitation

" Ria are you mad, you very well know what price we will have to pay if anything of Suman's past is known" Sreedhar was in his room and was talking to his friend Ria who was insisting that she wants to invite Suman for her wedding

" Sreedhar I very well know. But what is the harm in me inviting her. Your family only knows your best buddies Gautham and Kailash. Only they have visited your home in Jaipur couple of times. Vindhya Bhabi and Sudhir Bhaiyya anyways knows about both of you. It is not a hidden fact in your home right Suman was studying in Delhi and was in hostel. So if a girl from her hostel invites Suman for the wedding what is the harm" told Ria

" What will you tell if my Maa asks from where you get the address"

" Well I will tell from Suman's home. What is the big deal. Sreedhar I want to meet both of you as I said I am going to US post marriage , not sure when I will be coming back. So please listen to me. Come with her 2-3 days prior to marriage so that no one will question. I am sure your Sudhir Bhaiyya and Vindhya Bhabi can find some way to send you both without arousing suspicion " Ria was adamant

" Fine I guess I do not have another option than relent to you. Send the invitation" told Sreedhar

" I am sending my bhaiyya and bhabi there ok " told Ria

It was Sunday and after breakfast the family was watching cricket on TV. Even the ladies peeked in now and then to check the scores or watch the boundary. Suddenly Nami told

" Papa one uncle and aunty has come " . Sudhir turned and saw a man and woman standing at the door. Sreedhar had told Sudhir about Ria's brother's visit. So he understood. But still feigning ignorance went to the door

The man told " Namasthe is this Suman Varma's house"

" Yes " told Sudhir

" I am Ritvik and this is my wife Megha. We have come to invite Suman and her family for her friend's wedding. We went to Mewar and from there we got this address"

" Please come in. Suman see your friend's family has come to meet you" called out Sudhir

Suman knew about Ria's bhaiyya and bhabi coming. She was not sure how Maheswari and Rajasekhar will take it. Sreedhar had told Ria was adamant

Now the whole family was assembled in hall and Vindhya bought refreshments. Ritvik looked at Rajasekhar and Maheswari

" Uncle and aunty, my sister Ria and Suman were together in college. Ria is going to US post marriage and she very much wanted to see Suman for her wedding. Suman was not in college post 2^nd year so we went to her house and from there we got your address. We have come to invite you all for Ria's wedding in Jodhpur on May 10^th." He gave the card in Rajasekhar's hand and Megha gave the small shagun in Maheswari's hand

Rajasekhar looked at Maheswari and Maheswari sighed " Beta I would have definitely send Suman if the situation is different. But hope you know her status. I wont cut words. In weddings her presence is considered inauspicious. Maybe for your family it is fine, but that might not be the case with groom's family. I do not want any unnecessary issue because of her presence for your sister's marriage. Please make Ria understand. If she want, she can come and meet Suman here "

" Aunty Ria told me you will tell this only. And she told me to tell you this. The wedding is happening in Jodhpur's Rai Haweli as Ria's grandma wants it. Our family will be there 10 days before the wedding. So will be many of Ria's friends. Suman can come and meet all of them some 5-6 days before the wedding. There will not be any groom's family then. Only our family and Ria's college friends will be there"

Maheswari looked at Suman. As usual she knew Suman wont tell anything. She knew the ground realities well. But then if she can go sometime before the wedding should it be an issue.

" Ok beta I will see how I can send Suman. But I promise you she will come and meet Ria before the wedding. By the way I am from Jodhpur, which is your family in Jodhpur " asked Maheswari

" Aunty my grandfather had left Jodhpur atleast 50 years back when my father was still a child. None of us know the roots properly. We only know Rai Haweli belonged to our grandfather's family before it became a 5 star hotel and a place for destination wedding"

" It has been more than 40 years since I left Jodhpur also, now going occasionally there and I left the place when I was 15. But maybe my family will know"

They indulged in some small talk and soom Ritvik and Megha bade goodbye to Varma family

Once they were gone Rajasekhar asked Maheswari " How are you going to send Suman for the wedding"

" Simple Rajasekhar. Jodhpur is my place. She has not visited my place right. So has Poornima. My Bhaiyya and Bhabi were telling they wish to see Poornima. It is holiday for kids. So Sreedhar do one thing, you take all the kids and Suman and go to your mamu's haweli. Stay there for a week. Show Suman and Poornima Jodhpur completely. Anyways in my maayka taboos related to widows don't exist. I will tell Latika Bhabi you all are coming "

Sreedhar couldn't believe his ears. One week completely with Suman. Suman felt her heart beating faster. Sudhir looked at Vindhya and she nodded her head indicating Maa has some ideas going in her head. Renu looked at Tilak rolling her eyes and Tilak indicated he understood Maa has some intentions

Originally posted by: shruthiravi

@jaya dont worry secret wont leak in Jodhpur, but Jodhpur will give some suggestion to MV😉

@Ria your brain is working too much. I will bring Chitra bua. Itni bhi jaldi kya hai😆😆

@Swati MVs eyes and brain works overtime when she decides on something 😆😆. But till now she has not been able to decode what is in front of her

Chapter 148- The Doubts

Maheswari paced in her room. Rajasekhar had slept . It was getting complicated. She very well remembered the name Ria Vindhya told when she had come back from Sreedhar's medal ceremony in Delhi. Ria was not Suman's friend, but Sreedhar's friend. She was Sreedhar's batchmate. In all probability she had known the news of Suman from Sreedhar himself. Then sent her family to invite Suman as she might have thought Sreedhar can come some other way but Suman cannot go without permission from me.

Or is that Ria was really Suman's hostel mate and Suman knew Sreedhar through Ria. That was a possibility she couldn't rule out. And maybe Ria is a good friend of Sreedhar Suman knows something about Sreedhar and Sreedhar knows something about Suman. But whatever it is they don't want the family to know. Sreedhar beta what is that you don't want your mother to know about you but it seems Suman knows clearly. Suman what in the world you have lost by your marriage to Murali. Why you both don't want to tell you knew each other in college. Is it because your education is stopped Suman. Give me some time Suman, I will find someway so that you can complete your graduation. Just trust me enough and open your heart. But I know you wont. You have been scarred as your parents themselves broke your trust and is it that Sreedhar fears if he lets us know what kind of a girl you were in college we might not like it. Maybe you were not this demure, quiet girl, but lively and active and to some extend headstrong too. Wish my son understands how much I like you Suman. I had always liked you from the day I saw your photo and had wanted you as my bahu. Only thing I didn't know then with whom you should be paired.

Tilak was thoughtful in bed. Renu sat beside him. " Tilak what happened. We should be happy naa if Maa wants Suman to start afresh with Sreedhar "

" Renu it is fine Maa wants it but for me the problem is are we doing the right thing to Suman. I mean couple of days back I saw the girl covering herself with her pallu when Sreedhar gazed at her. I was sure Sreedhar gazed. Is she understanding the gaze , feeling uncomfortable, but decides to be silent as we have been nice to her"

" Tilak Suman always covers herself with pallu when she goes outside with some male member of the family. Infact we woman always do it. It need not be she is aware or uncomfortable. By the way how can she say no to Sree. What does he lack. Girls stand in line for him" asked Renu

" Renu the problem is for Suman Sreedhar is her devar. If she had seen him through that lens and if we are asking her to change that lens and see him as her life partner it can be difficult for her. I don't want her to accept it as a return favour. So please check out on Suman, what she feels about Sree"

" Ok Tilak I will look into it, but then only little time now as work for Rashee is starting right. I am refreshing myself with accountancy and now the computer class will start "

" I know Renu, but I just asked you have this in mind" told Tilak and Renu nodded

" Sudhir will you stop overthinking. I feel Maa knows about Sree-Suman and doing this just to see how other family members react " told Vindhya

" Vindhya it doesn't add up. If Maa knows Sree-Suman atleast she would have talked to me or Tilak Bhaiyya. If she is testing whether her hunches are right, this is not the method. For me it looks Maa is trying to play the cupid for Sree-Suman and it looks very odd" told Sudhir

" What odd" asked Vindhya

" Why would a mother wants to marry her darling son, who is very much an eligible bachelor to his widow bhabi. What is the problem. There is something which Maa is hiding. Vindhya I want you to know that before Sree-Suman comes back from Jodhpur. Because once they come back you will be busy with " Rashee " and then no time. If Maa is hiding something we never know when it will boomerang and if not prepared everything will be lost "

Vindhya looked at her husband's tensed face and gently kept her hand on his chest " Sudhir if you really feel there is something Maa is hiding I will try to find it out, but then I don't have much time. You know May 1^st week is Priti's child's namkarann and I am going to Maayka and will be there for couple of weeks "

Priti was Vindhya's niece and Sudhir remember Vindhya had told him she needs to go to her Maayka. He had agreed to be there for Namkarann ceremony and she had told she will be there for sometime

" What about Nami then. She is all excited to go to Jodhpur" asked Sudhir

" Let her go to Jodhpur " told Vindhya

"Why Vindhya your parents will wish to see her right. I guess it is about a year you went to your Maayka" asked Sudhir

" Sudhir I will take her sometime when only my parents are there. Not in between these ceremonies when people are there" told Vindhya turning away from him

" Vindhya what are you hiding from me. There is some reason you don't want to take Nami to your Maayka. What is that"

Vindhya looked at her husband not sure whether to tell him or not. " Vindhya tell me. What is the issue"

" I don't want our daughter to come and ask her Papa is it because she was a girl, her Papa choose her mother and not her when a choice was given to him"

" Did somebody..." Sudhir sat heavily on the bed. Vindhya sat beside him

" No one had told her anything yet. But you know Asha Bhabi right. She and her gender specific rules. She doesn't like Nami's free minded chatter, neither my status here irrespective of having just a daughter. Last time she passed a comment in front of Nami that your mother is selfish and she is holding your Papa. Nami ate my head what does holding means. Then Murali's marriage was fixed and in the resulting melee the 8 year old forgot it. But if she hears something else this time, she might come and question. Sudhir 9 is not the age to know certain things. She doesn't know the gender disparity and when suddenly someone tells something it can break her. Some people have no idea what to talk in front of kids. Asha Bhabi is like that and now with Priti having a son her tongue will wage.I don't want her to be broken nor I want you to face such a harsh question from your child. Let such knowledge come to our child when she grows up, is able to communicate in a better manner and understand her Papa on why he did what he did. I was worried on taking Nami and thankfully the Jodhpur thing happened.For me the best option now is to keep her away from toxic environment " . Sudhir embraced Vindhya in a tight hug " I don't know Vindhya what I would have done without you"