Keep the Faith-A Maan and Geet story-upd 5 02/12 - Page 2

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Chapter 4:

(Mumbai Airport)

"Meer, do you have the boarding passes?"

Meera flinched as she heard Geet's voice behind her.

"Yes"

She couldn't help but stammer as she muttered her weak yes.

The two friends were at the Chatrapati Shivaji Airport waiting to board the flight that would take them to Delhi and home.

Geet was ecstatic; her little Rajji was getting engaged and would soon be married. Initially Rajji's age had caused her to feel apprehensive on behalf of her little sister but on seeing how happy the girl was she couldn't help but forget all her apprehensions. This was an occasion to celebrate, not to worry about. And she would certainly make the most of this long awaited and much needed holiday. Geet couldn't help but smile at the thought of going back home after so long, back to the place she grew up. Adding to her excitement were the thoughts of the December cold, her mother's food, the shopping at Dilli Haat, Chandni Chowk's aaloo paranthas, enormous samosas, hot jalebis in the sweetest sugar syrup, kachoris, the kulchas..Gosh, she had missed it all too much.

Sure she had been taken aback by the sudden advancement of the engagement ceremony which had been due to take place in April but then again this was Massi's daughter they were talking about. Massi, the traditional woman that she was would never have allowed Rajji to move around with a boy who was not her husband or at least her fianc. So the sudden advancement had been assumed normal by Geet and she had even managed to put off Rano's absolute insistence at having Meera come as well, as a chance to relive the old days, the days before they had left home.

As Geet smiled to herself thinking of the kulfis; the rabdi; and paneer tikkas, Meera couldn't help but clench and unclench her hands in nervousness. What that hell was she doing? She felt like she was kidnapping someone, a small kid who was unaware of what would happen to her.

She had known right from the start that agreeing to Rano's demands would spell absolute disaster, especially if it included the 'M' word and Geet in the same sentence. And the so called advancement of the engagement had geared her friend up for a relaxing and enjoyable holiday – here she was thinking of the apparent good times to come unaware of all the plotting behind it.

How would Meera get herself out of it?

Could she claim ignorance of the family's plan, when Geet was paraded in front of this random 'perfect' guy and his family?

Or could she feign a fractured leg and disappear for say…a couple of months?

"Meer Come on! Come on! That's us" Geet, the innocent lamb up for slaughter, squealed in delight.

Oh. Ho.

"Meer come on, what are you thinking about? You really got to relax. Forget about Yash and the kids this one time. This is going to be one great holiday. Come on"

Oh no! We are so dead.

(Elsewhere at Mumbai airport)

Maan Singh Khurana was angry. No. He was livid.

He was tired; sleep deprived and had a hell lot of work to do. Nevertheless he was waiting for the private plane that would take him to Delhi, his family and home. After spending a good part of the morning trying to dissuade his irate Dadima of her elaborate plans, his mother had taken over and ordered him to get home as soon as he possibly could. And so he was going, leaving his work behind since he couldn't risk having the only two women in his life, bring on the emotional drama and the tears. He was no match for them despite being the Maan Singh Khurana. After all they were Savithri and Kaamya Khurana.

What he didn't get is why he had to be there? Did they expect something dramatic to happen if he were present? Not like they were going alone. Both his brothers were going as well. Couldn't they handle it? Did they honestly expect him to talk to the girl or her family?

Well if they did, they were sadly mistaken.

He had been working days and nights, sleeping for hardly an hour or two. Even as he waited for his flight, he was going through his notes on his phone. The final hearing was in 2 weeks and to win the case, he was required to be in his office. Not in Delhi, visiting some girl.

The girl, he had gathered from what an excited Dadima had managed to convey, was from Mumbai, an only child and a lovely human being.

Yeah right.

A lovely human being, in today's world was code for a gold digger eager to get her claws into men of rich and influential families. This girl would be no different and neither would her family. An overly ambitious and persistent mother, a father who served as a spineless, namesake head of the household who would watch his scheming wife, helplessly and finally a daughter who was desperate for a life of luxury and opulence.

The perfect family. Sigh.

Chapter 5:

They were so dead.

Her parents; Massi; Meera ;Tej veerji; Lucky; Preeto; Pammi; Rajji.

They all better say their prayers.

Geet had put off Meera's shifty glances and guilty expressions as the guilt for having left her three year old twins and husband at home. She had even put off Tej veerji's and her father's nervous exchange of glances, in the car on the way home, as a sign of nervousness for the upcoming engagement. Little had she known that they were all simply preparing for a sacrifice.

Her sacrifice.

Geet had come home with a list of things that she had wanted to do, places she had wanted to see, food she had been dying to eat only to find her entire family sitting in the living room looking edgy and tense. To her surprise, even Meera had joined in and was refusing to meet her eyes.

And then it had all tumbled out.

Her Massi whilst raving and ranting about a brilliant boy she had found, managed to thrown in a sentence on how the boy was meant for her. There was not going to be an engagement. Rather there wasn't going to be Rajji's engagement but the way her Massi put it, she would be the one getting engaged. She was going to be paraded in front of some guy her family had already started looking up to with reverence. And they hadn't even met him. Some Khurana bugger.

When had they been planning on telling her? After she had gotten married and been carried off for a honeymoon? What the hell was wrong with them? This was her first holiday in a year and a half, she had come home all geared up for her sister's engagement only to find that she was the lamb up for slaughter. Was this some sort of sacrifice her family was making to clear them of some past evil deeds or was it just some sort of sick joke?

She just sat there, on the big couch with her head in her hands blankly listening to everyone trying to come up with reasons of why she should marry. What finally caused her to look up and meet all their eyes was her mother tentatively asking her a question.

"Geet beta, you aren't a les--- na?"

"A what?"

"A girl who likes girls?

"Oh my god! No mother! I most certainly am not a lesbian. But now I am considering of choosing to be one. What do you say?"

"Chee Chee besharam! How can you talk to your mother like this?" Her massi screeched.

"Geet puttar, what's the harm in getting married?"

"Maa, I never said there was anything wrong in getting married but just not now. How could you have done this? To your only child? Maa, don't you get it? I'm not yet wife material. I enjoy working late, having gol gapes for dinner, watching TV, lazing around in my PJs on my days off, I still find a crying kid annoying, I'd rather read a book than fall asleep in someone's arms, I'd rather go shopping with my friends than taking a sulking man along, I'd rather go out to dinner alone than have a romantic gooey gooey and cheesy red roses and pink heart shaped balloons weekend getaway. If someone asked me what my idea of a honeymoon is, I would say going trekking. If asked whether I wanted a pink themed wedding or lilac, I would say black. If someone asked me to change the diaper of a kid, I would throw up or get nauseous at the very least. If my husband asked me to choose between work and him, I would choose work and then walk out of the marriage. Maa, don't you see? I'll not be able to love the guy, and if he's perfect and nice all the more reason for me to be miserable. Maa, how can I do this? I have spent years studying and working to get somewhere. I thought I had my life planned. Get somewhere, make a name for myself and then marry. Marriage is so much more enjoyable when older and when one's more mature. You, yourself got married at 27 and had a kid five years later and that too in 1981! And do not tell me, that that didn't work out alright. Don't I deserve to get through life the way I want to? I'm still a little girl deep down, not ready for commitment. I won't be able to handle either my family or work, and I'll be miserable and make everyone else miserable. I need time, I need to feel like I want to get married and have a family. I want to feel like I'm incomplete and then I promise you I'll marry. I will. I just want time'.please."

Geet sighed and looked around, she felt like this battle was pretty much in the bag. Her family was melting, she could see it. Hehehe.

She was wrong. Her family melted, yes. Not her Massi. Damn! She was after all her aunt.

"Well, well. Your mother was a weirdo and she found Jiju who turned out to be great. Let this boy go and how do you think you'll find someone this good'ever? Times are different. You no longer get good boys. Now the boy is in Mumbai with a mansion full of domestic help, you can work late, you won't have to cook and neither will you have any work at home. They'll keep you like a princess. You can watch TV, read books and stay in your PJs with your husband in your room. I've had three kids and I still find a crying child annoying. About the 'cheesy' getaways, tell him you don't like them. You don't plan either the wedding or the honeymoon, we do. You just turn up for all the functions in clothes that we choose. The boy is so perfect that he would never ask you to quit work. You just see once you start living with him and you'll fall for him so quickly that you'll want to give up work and have a bunch of his kids. And his family are big believers of women empowerment and all that. You won't get ANY better than them. You meet him. Agree to marry him. Marry him and that's that."

"Massi if you think he's so perfect, you marry him!"

"See Rano, look at her. Staying alone has ruined this child. I doubt even this boy would want to marry this girl of yours"

Good for me

"Didi, please'Look at her she's just a child"

"A twenty five year old is not a child. I was married off by then, so were Pammi and Preeto and so was Meera. Look at her, she even has two children. She's so happy. Don't you want all that for your Geet. I warn you Rano, you let this boy go and Geet will find no one better. Such a great family and a perfect boy"

Geet was starting to hate the word perfect.

"Geet you marry him or don't see me or my family ever again"

"But didi'"

"Stay out of it Mohinder, you know I'm right"

"Par, mummyji please'" Tej started

"puttar ji, don't you get involved"

"FINE! I'll meet this boy. I'll agree to marry him but if he doesn't like me, it will not be my fault."

"What are you saying? Like they won't like you. You are my niece. Of course they'll like you. O rab da lakh lakh shukhr hai!. Thank you Babaji"

Geet was fuming, she would meet the boy, but marrying him was out of the question.

Wait and watch Mr. Khurana, you've had it, you'll never know what hit you.

Wait. What's his name?

"Massiji, what's his name?"

"O ho, already thinking about him, are we? Ha-ha! His name is

Dev, Dev Singh Khurana

Sorry guys, I know you right now want to kill me. But I promise. This will be good. Really Good. ;)

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