Part 4
"What is this I am hearing, you've gone and found yourself a bride behind my back?"
Ashutosh broke out of the daydream he had been immersed in, a dream where he was lifting the ghunghat off Nidhi's head as he sang 'Kabhie Kabhie Mere Dil Mein' to her.
"Armaan bhaiyya, when did you come back?"
Armaan got hold off him in a bear hug as he almost lifted him off his feet. Ashutosh could feel his eyes moisten up with emotion as he hugged him back tight.
"When did you grow old enough to get married, chotu? I can still remember you tagging after me and asking me all kinds of silly questions!"
"Come on now, bhaiyya! That was a long time ago. I am 24 now in case you've forgotten!"
Armaan mock punched him in response.
"Okay, so I am more than a dozen years older than you but quite senile yet, my boy! I remember quite well, chotu. How could I forget since I was the one who force fed you your first drink the night you turned eighteen and gifted you a copy of the 'Playboy' magazine as a treat!"
Ashutosh could not help blushing at the memory of that 'treat'. One look and he had been so scandalized that he had promptly dumped it into the pile of garbage that the maali was burning in the garden the next day.
"Accha chalo, tell me now, who is this girl who has made my chotu give up his sanyas?"
"Arre kya, bhaiyya. I am no sanyasi!"
"Oh really, and that is why you threw the Playboy magazine into the fire!"
Ashutosh was startled. Armaan had known? He hadn't said anything to him in all these years.
"You knew? But how?"
"I knew because I caught the Maali leafing through the half burnt pages. Just the sight of the cover had gotten him to brave the fire and rescue the magazine!"
Oh, so that was why the Maali had been walking around with a bandaged hand. A six year old memory popped into Ashutosh's head.
"Forget all of that, chotu. Now come on and fess up to Armaan Bhaiyya. Who is this girl and what is her name?"
"Nidhi!"
"Haye haye, look at that big blush on your cheeks! Chotu, tell me, if even saying her name makes you blush, how will you...you know?"
Armaan gave him a huge wink that only made him blush further.
"Bhaiyya, stop teasing me now. Anyway, her name is Nidhi and she studies history in a college in Lucknow and she is very pretty and very sweet!"
Armaan felt his heart swell with joy at the sight of the happiness glistening in Ashu's eyes. He could not help hugging the younger man yet again.
"I am so happy for you, chotu. I can see from your eyes that you are madly in love with this girl. And I am so happy everything is working out. Not everyone is so lucky!"
There was an inadvertent tremor in Armaan's voice as he spoke the last few words. It was a decade plus old wound but Ashutosh could see that it still hurt. He preferred not to say nothing but rather squeeze his hand in empathy.
"So, when is the wedding to be?"
"Kahaan bhaiyya, official talks are yet to resume. We had to rush back from Lucknow because some business issues cropped up. I've asked Mumma to speak to Papa and convince him to go visit Nidhi's family this weekend!"
Just as Armaan opened his mouth to respond, they heard the sound of a loud crash and raised voices coming from the living room.
"I cannot believe you would go behind my back and plan something like this! My own parents have not cared to take my opinion on such an important matter. I am leaving, going right now and never coming back again."
Armaan and Ashutosh exchanged pained looks as they hurried in the direction of the living room.
The sight they were met with was unsettling to say the least. A ceramic vase lay shattered to pieces on the marble floor. Mrs Mathur was quietly instructing a servant to pick up the pieces while Mr Mathur was trying to draw Vidhya away from there.
"Beta, why are you getting so worked up. You know Papa won't do anything without your consent!"
"I know, Papa. But how could Mumma promise them that we would approach them again for the alliance. Don't you remember how rude that Bua ji was? My brother is a prize catch, I can find him a hundred girls in the blink of an eyelid!"
"You probably can, Vidhya, but you seem to forget that this girl is what Ashu wants!"
Vidhya turned to glare at Armaan.
"Just shut up and get out, Armaan. This concerns our family, so just stay out!"
Armaan ignored her completely as he addressed Mr Mathur.
"Uncle, Ashu calls me bhaiyya and that makes me responsible for his well-being, both physical and emotional. I have just seen the sparkle in his eyes as he spoke of Nidhi. I will not and cannot allow that sparkle to die, just because some people are incapable of appreciating the value of love!"
He did not even turn once in Vidhya's direction but Ashutosh, who was looking at her all the while, did not escape the shadow that crossed her eyes.
"Armaan beta, you do not need to justify your right to speak. Please don't take Vidhya's words seriously. She is just hurt. As far as Aunty and I are concerned, we always treat you as our first born. As we should since we are in fact your godparents! Your father was my first and best friend"
Mrs Mathur smiled warmly at Armaan as if to reiterate her husband's words.
"Uncle, thanks for saying that although you did not have to. I mean, I spent most of my growing up years here rather than with my parents. You put me through college after all and I am most grateful for all your support. But Chotu is the brother I never had. I mean I have literally seen him from the day he was born and I cannot bear the thought of his happiness being snatched away!"
"Papa, since your godson is here, I think I should just go. After all, he cares more about my own family and my own family than even I do!"
"Vidhya, stop it now! Nobody is saying that. Ashu knows how much you love him. Don't you, Ashu?"
His father looked at him pleadingly and he was left with no choice but to nod.
Completely ignoring Armaan who stood beside him,. Vidhya walked up to Ashutosh and took hold of his arm.
"I am your sister, Ashu. We share blood. Barah saal badi hoon tum se, I am almost like a mother to you. Would I ever want anything bad for you? Forget that girl. How can you possibly be in love with someone you've met hardly twice? It is just a silly infatuation. They are nowhere near us in status and completely lack culture. You saw how rudely that bua ji spoke to you. Why would you want to marry into a family that does not respect you? I'll find a much better girl for you. Come with me to America in fact and forget all this nonsense."
Ashu could not help the tug at his heart that the sight of her tear stained eyes caused. He loved his sister and would never want to hurt her. He looked helplessly at Armaan, as if asking him to lend him strength. Armaan silently offered the same with a tiny nod.
Ashu slowly but determinedly removed the hand that clasped his arm.
"Didi, I love and respect you immensely. I know you are 12 years older but I am not a child anymore. Please do not disrespect my emotions by dismissing them as infatuation!"
The pleading look in Vidhya's eyes now turned to anger.
"What emotions, useless emotions that will get you nowhere in life. Marriage is not just about emotions, Ashu. It is about the coming together of two families, combining their strengths in a way that will help them both go further in life. What can Nidhi's family offer you? Will they help you further your business? Your status? Nothing at all! On the contrary, by marrying beneath our status, you will only make us lose face in the society we move in. That girl will be an embarrassment, I tell you, an embarrassment. She won't know how to behave at our high society parties, how to entertain our friends, she won't know a thing!"
Her words made Ashutosh even more determined.
"Didi, do you have such a low opinion of your brother? You think I cannot succeed in life on my own strengths, that I need to marry into a socially powerful family for that? Is that what you think? And if our friends cannot respect our feelings and be happy for us, are they really friends? And don't forget, we may have been born to this life but our Mumma wasn't. Our own Papa married beneath himself, as you call it"
He looked askance at Armaan as if to seek his approval. The glint in Armaan's eyes told him he had it.
Vidhya, on the other hand, was incensed.
"Ashu, you are determined not to see sense! I refuse to accept this. And if this wedding has to happen, let me tell you that it has to happen in my absence. I will not be a part of it!"
Mr Mathur hurriedly intervened.
"Vidhya, don't be silly. Of course we will do nothing without you!"
Turning to his wife, he said in a hard voice.
"Can we put an end to talk of this alliance for a while. I want my daughter to be happy for the time she stays with us!"
Before his mother could respond, Ashutosh intervened.
"Yes of course, Papa. Let us not talk of it anymore. In fact not ever!"
He paused to draw a breath before he continued.
"Let us not talk ever about my marriage. I won't, and I repeat, i won't get married ever!"
Armaan could not help but throw a look that was a mixture of half pity and half dislike at Vidhya before he followed Ashutosh out of the room.
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Nidhi picked up the receiver of the phone for the millionth time in the last two weeks. There was a dial tone, alright. That meant the phone was working. Why hadn't it rung even once then? Intimating a call from his family, a call to indicate that they wanted to go ahead with the alliance? All she had to go by was that meeting at Anjie's house and then, when Anjie had told her that Ashutosh's family had to return to Delhi in a hurry but that Ashutosh had promised her that his parents would be calling Nidhi's family soon. It was that promise alone that had kept her going since then, but with every passing day, her hopes were wearing thin. Had he forgotten her after all?
Shyama could not bear to see the look of hurt and disappointment in Nidhi's eyes as she walked back forlornly to her room. The child had eagerly looked at her face everyday on returning from college, as if to ask if the much anticipated call had been received. She had had no good news to offer and the child had seemed to withdraw even further into her shell. What was she to do? She had had such high hopes after the meeting at Anjie's house but nothing had come about since. How was she to find out? Should she maybe pay Anjie's mother a visit, ask her if she had heard from Mrs Mathur? What if they insulted her and threw her out? What if her husband got to know that she was doing all these things behind his back?
"Shyama, what have you made for dinner tonight? Make something sweet, na? I think shehnais will be playing at our home soon!"
Shyama came out of her reverie. Her husband Yog was done with his evening pooja, a ritual that he faithfully followed on returning home from work. Her words surprised him no end.
"The Mathurs called you at work?"
Her husband gave her a strange look.
"What Mathurs?"
She realized that she had made a faux pas in her desire to secure her daughter's happiness.
"No i mean...I was just...uff chodo na...what did you mean when you speak of shehnais?"
Yog shook his head before continuing.
"Please ask Nidhi to be ready on Sunday evening. A boy's family is coming to see her!"
There was the sound of something crashing to the floor from Nidhi's room. Shyama was very worried now but could not do a thing about it.
Yog called out to Nidhi.
"Nidhi, what happened, beta? What was that noise?"
Shyama heard her daughter reply in a somewhat feeble tone.
"Nothing Papa...just..just the stool...I was trying to reach the top shelf...!"
"Be careful, beta. Ask Rohan for help na...where is that boy just when you need him?"
"Arre, he has gone out to play cricket. Forget that now, what were you saying about some family?"
"Haan, my office colleague's sister's nanad's beta. He is a Class I officer with the Railways. Good job, good people. More importantly, they are the same as us. No status difference!"
The last was said with a trace of bitterness as he recalled Vidhya's behaviour the other day, the way she turned her nose up at everything and refused to eat anything they offered.
Shyama was in a quandary. How did she deal with the situation? Did she tell him about the meeting at Anjie's house? What if he shouted at her for keeping it from his all these days? And they had not been in touch since that day? What if they had changed their mind? And he was clearly upset about what had happened that day? How would he react if she told him that she had joined Mrs Mathur in giving the young couple her blessings?
"Nidhi, please come here!"
Oblivious to the thoughts racing through his wife's mind, Yog called out to his daughter.
As Nidhi emerged from her room, her tear stained cheeks and reddened eyes were a dead giveaway to Shyama. The child had clearly overheard their conversation and had been crying.
Yug got out his purse and pulled out a few notes.
"Nidhi, go shopping with your mother and buy yourself a new saree. I don't know if I will have the opportunity to spend on you much longer!"
Nidhi looked at Shyama pleadingly and all she could do was return that with a helpless look of her own.
The doorbell rang just then.
"Who is it at this time of the evening?"
Yug opened the door and almost stepped back in shock.
It was Vidhya!
Edited by sharadrocks - 10 years ago
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