Drabble Series: A Romantic Divorce (NEW-DRABBLE Pg 34) 25th February - Page 6

DRABBLE 3A: YOU SHALL NOT ATTEND SOCIETY EVENTS

She had dealt with it before, alone. All of her life, any sickness had been her own problem, and she was a pretty healthy person, normally. So for Anika, a 103 degree fever was not a very big deal. Some rest, liquids, paracetamol. Hardly a reason to not do work she was expected to do. So, wrapping an extra scarf around her throat, swallowing the pills she got from Soumya, Anika got to work.

The Oberois were hosting a party for some old business associates. Nothing too big, Tej Uncle had said to the ladies over breakfast today. Just a simple dinner. They were inviting the Vikram Ranas, perhaps they would be able to see Mallika again, too? Tia scowled. Muttering that if Mallika was coming, she had to go to the spa and parlor IMMEDIATELY, Tia slinked away to go and prepare her face, so she could face her ex-ex-rival.

The ladies at the table ignored her. Tia would be useless anyway. Instead they stared at Tej, totally dismayed. The phrase "nothing too big" meant something different to the Oberois than it did to ordinary people. A dinner, for their business associates? Tonight? This was an all-hands-on-deck type emergency. Pinky Aunty actually came to Anika after breakfast, as she sat with Dadi, helping the old lady with her online shopping. Pinky herself asked Anika to help her and Janvi.

The dinner party was tonight, if they divided their work out --- Janvi was supervising the food, Pinky was dealing with the invitations and all outside orders. If Anika agreed to handle decor, they would be able to pull it off. The request was made with a frown, the language used was not exactly welcoming. But Pinky had asked Anika to help them do something Oberoi bahus were doing--- as one of them. There even was a compliment hidden in the "Oh My Maata, party planning is what you do, to earn rozi-roti, so madat karna hoga, Devrani ji aur mei itna acche se, itni kaam time pe nahi kar paunga."

Anika was not about to disappoint her mother in law, and so she ignored her dizziness, rejected Soumya's begging that Didi rest, and got down to work. In planning Shivaay's wedding, she had gotten to know every nook and cranny of this mammoth Mansion. She knew down to the last teaspoon what the Oberois already owned, and what she would have to order. Every store room and attic had been ransacked, as she had tried to save the richest family of India some money.

That knowledge of what was already available in the massive Oberoi stores was put to excellent use now. The servants dashed from storeroom to garden, carrying gold candelabras, busily putting together perfectly usable gilt chairs and tables that had last been used during Priyanka's 16^th birthday. Gold ornaments from Diwaali were hung from garlands of ivy. The gardeners set up cream and gold tents outside, surrounding the dining area with palms and ferns, twirling golden fairy lights in-between trees. Anika now ordered the white bouquets, to fill the space with roses, lilies, hydrangeas, jasmine and cream poinsettas. It would be an amazing party.

Anika had some of the staff spray paint old glass vases with gold glitter, to be filled with the white flowers. She wanted masses of orchids on the side tables, which would come from the Oberoi greenhouse, where Shakti kept his prized rare orchids under glass. The table cloths and napkins were being sown by the Oberoi house seamstress, from an unused bolt of white damask cloth that Anika had bought for SSO's wedding. Maids washed the Mikasa 24K gold plated dinner set that the Maharashtra CM had given Janvi and Tej as a wedding present, 30 years ago. That dinner set would go perfectly with the solid gold antique dinner service, that Dadi brought from her safe, and that Anika carefully polished now.

Within an hour of being asked to help, Anika had decided on the garden party theme, set up her troops and was executing everything with military precision. Used to much huger events, knowing each staff member here as well as she did, Anika was finding an intimate dinner party pretty easy to manage. But that still meant she had to run around and supervise, and all this under the hot sun, and all at top speed. Anika's work was done, staff orders placed, just the finishing details left, when Pinky came out to see her a few hours after breakfast.

Her mother in law found Anika outside on the terrace, polishing the gold service herself. Pinky was shocked by what she had already done, and the elegant decor she'd planned for the evening, that would rival anything other families could pull off with even weeks of preparation. Pinky actually patted Anika's head as she sat overlooking her busy servants, and bustled away. Maybe it was a pity that Pinky did not touch her daughter in law's cheek, and instead affectionately stroked her hair when she praised Anika's work. All the running around and the work meant-- Anika was burning up, and was dangerously close to collapse.

Tia stopped by to sneer at her rival before leaving for the day, and even she found it odd when Anika didn't respond to Tia's venom with her usual tadibaazi. She reminded Anika not show up at tonight's dinner, that she, Tia, would be Mrs Oberoi tonight. Anika said nothing, staring at her hands, trying to focus on the gold spoon she was polishing that wavered alarmingly before her woozy eyes. Soumya showed up, to confirm that she had hired a jazz quartret just like she had been asked to. She ignored Tia and soon left, after shooting Tia very un-Soumya like glances of hatred. Soumya was so focused on her dislike, even she didn't notice Anika's pallor, or her Didi's shaking hands.

Tia said a few more things, got not response for those as well, and left. She was smugly happy that the cheap girl had no answer for her, for once. Tia would be home in time to escort Shivaay to the dinner, while the cheap girl would cry her eyes out in her guest room, after doing all this work. The cheap girl, barely coherent, now got up from her seat. She climbed down the terrace steps, her footsteps wavering as she made her way across the lawns and away from the servants working near the tent. What did she have to do? Oh, right ... Anika stumbled towards the greenhouse a good quarter mile away, muttering that she had to talk to Ram Lal, the head gardener about those orchids.

Thus, no one was there when Anika collapsed to the ground, in the copse of trees that was a charmingly "natural," forested area in the Oberoi gardens. There she lay, halfway between the Mansion and the glass greenhouses on the opposite side of the giant estate, as afternoon turned to early evening.
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Part Two to be continued, after a little while, my loves! Please comment and like, as always! I find inspiration to write via your comments, you know!