Happy Wedding Anniversary MEET...🥳
Chapter 27 - Who's that Girl?
Prem and Preet were on their way back to India. Each had mixed feelings about their journey and the end results it would bring for them. Prem was excited one minute and nervous and insecure the next. Veera's teasing stance on the matter was not helping calm him much either.
Prem had spent the initial few hours of the flight making Preet do role play. He would act out different ways he would propose to Heer, and Preet, pretending to be Heer, would respond. Preet would pretend to protest, ask questions, but in the end he'd always say yes.
"Preet!" said Prem, "Don't just massage my ego, be serious!"
"PB, please", pleaded Preet, "We've already gone over this like a thousand times! Believe, me I've already had a chat with the writer of this story, and Heer is going to say yes".
The flight seemed to take forever. Preet looked over and saw Veera, seated in the row in front of him. She was busy watching the in-flight movie. Ra-One was playing, and she was watching intently, only letting a giggle escape from her mouth every now and then.
Prem who was seated next to Preet had finally fallen asleep. Probably dreaming about Heer, thought Preet, smiling softly to himself. Although Preet had happily agreed to accompany Prem back to India, he dreaded what the trip would be like for him personally. Heer was after all Meher's sister. Seeing her again meant another encounter with Meher was unavoidable. His heart longed to see her, but not with her eyes filled with hate for him.
Meanwhile...At the Juneja Mansion in Canada...
"Daljeet!" cried Gaytri, as a servant showed her guest into the formal living room. "I was so pleasantly surprised to hear from you. How wonderful to see you again after all these years".
After pleasantries were exchanged, Gaytri introduced her childhood friend, Daljeet Singh, to Kulraj.
"Mrs. Singh, it's a pleasure to finally meet you", said Kulraj warmly. "I can't begin to express how much we appreciated your hospitality in Ambala".
"Oh it was nothing", replied Daljeet. "That havaili is just sitting out there gathering dust. I mean who has the time these days to go down to a place as insignificant as Ambala. But Ashlesha insisted and so I was more than happy to oblige."
"So I hear that you're this big executive now", said Gaytri.
"Hai Rabba, can you believe it!" cried Daljeet. "You know Kulraj, when we were in school, I'd steal all the boys, and Gaytri would do all the homework. And now just look at me. Head of Loreal, India...Making important decisions...Jet setting here and there...houses in a dozen different cities...private jet...personal fortune and bling worth millions. I'm definitely worth it. Aur in sab ke beech main, apna figure bhi maintain ker ke rakha hai". (And all the while I've managed to maintain my figure too).
"Of course", said Kulraj, as she exchanged smiles with her mother. "How do you do it?"
"I stopped having babies", replied Daljeet matter of factly. "Pregnancy plays ping pong with your weight. That's why I told my late husband, God rest his soul, that I was only having one".
"Wow Mrs. Singh!" said Kulraj, trying to control her laugh. "I never thought of it that way".
"Aur sochna bhi mat (Now don't you listen to her)", laughed Gaytri, "you know what I always say. The more, the merrier".
"Wo toh dikh raha hai (That is evident)", sighed Daljeet as she eyed her full-figured friend.
Before Gaytri could reply Lalit and Herman walked into the room.
"Gaytri, what time did Prem say his flight was...", said Lalit, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company".
"Lalit, you remember my childhood friend from Ambala, Daljeet Singh. Ashlesha is her daughter", said Gaytri. "Daljeet, this is my husband Lalit, and our son Herman".
"Namaste Prahji (Brother in law)", said Daljit, "Please won't you join us?"
"Namaste Mrs. Singh", said Lalit.
"Oh please Prahji, call me Daljeet", said Daljeet.
"Uh...Herman, go ahead and fax those papers to our offices in Ludihana", said Lalit. "Prem and Preet may as well get some work done while they are there".
"Waise aap ke aur betay bi hain na? (You have other sons too, don't you?)" asked Daljeet as she watched Herman walk away.
"Yes", replied Lalit. "We have an older son Prem, he's away on some personal business, and our youngest son and daughter have accompanied him."
"Hmm...isn't this the same Prem who was to be engaged to Rishap Rampal's baby sister?" asked Daljeet, as she watched Lalit shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Instead he chose to pursue a less educated, and well to be frank...less everything... farm girl...who turned out to be a gold digger. It's a small world, Prahji", she continued sympathetically. "And we have an even smaller circle of acquaintances. Word gets around".
"I suppose it also helps that your daughter Ashlesha witnessed everything first hand", replied Gaytri tersely. She was getting the feeling that her friend was here for something more than small talk.
"We were all hoping things would work out between Prem and Sanjana", said Lalit remorsefully, "But what can you do about today's generation...they've all got the it's my way or the highway attitude".
"Oh stop it Lalit" cried Gaytri. "You know very well Prem is not like that. Waise bhi, Heer is a lovely girl, from what I understand. All this gold digger nonsense was just a misunderstanding. Our youngest son Preet had misunderstood something he had overheard...and well, he's very protective of his brother...anyway, that's all in the past now, they've actually gone to India to rectify the situation".
"You mean you're actually going to let Prem go through with the marriage?! To a poor farm girl?!" asked Daljeet incredulously.
"If it makes him happy...", said Gaytri, putting her hand on her husband's knee to calm him, "yes we are. And I need not remind you Daljeet, that we all came from humble beginnings".
"And are the rest of your sons taken?" asked Daljeet slyly.
"The rest of our sons?" asked Gaytri.
"Look Gaytri, Prahji...time is money, so I'll get straight to the point", said Daljit. "Meri beti Ashlesha bauhat hi samajdaar aur suljhi hui lardki hai (My daughter Ashlesha is a very understanding and practical girl). I'm sure you had several opportunities to meet her in India. She's smart, well-educated, fashionable, good-looking, sole heiress to the Singh fortune, aur woh aap ke betay Preet ko pasand karti hai (and she is very much interested in your son Preet).
She and Preet spent a lot of time together in India, as well as more recently in San Francisco at a mutual friend's wedding. My daughter is too shy to say it straight out, but I get the impression your son shares similar sentiments".
"But Preet has never said anything to us", said Gaytri. She began to wonder if her hunch about Preet being in love had been right after all. And was Ashlesha the girl?
"Shaadi!" cried Lalit with a laugh. "Ha! Woh bhi Preet ki! Preet khud ko nahin sambhal sakta, aik biwi ko kaise sambhale ga?" (Marriage! And that too Preet's! Ha! He can't take care of himself, how is he supposed to care for a wife?)
"Tsk Tsk", said Dailjeet. "You underestimate your own son's potential Prahji. I had the opportunity to meet Preet recently. In fact, he took me and Ashlesha out for a lovely lunch".
Preet didn't mention that either, thought Gaytri.
"Lardka thoda carefree aur laid back hai", continued Daljeet, "but otherwise, kaafi samajdaar hai. Aur waqt aur zimadarion ka ehsaas usko aur bhi samajdaar bana de ga. (Sure the boy is a bit carefree and laid back, but otherwise he's quiet intelligent. Time and responsibility will make him become mature). He'll learn to grow up once the responsibilities of a wife are laid on his shoulders. In any case, I think it's something you two ought to consider.
Come now Gaytri, Prahji...We are after all Indian. We have a different understanding of what is right and wrong than westerners. But our children are growing up here very much influenced by this society. I mean, it's really too bad that Prem is setting such a poor example of rebellion against his parent's wishes for his younger siblings to follow."
"Really Daljit", said Gaytri, "I don't think...". But she was cut off by her husband.
"You do have a point Daljeet", said Lalit.
"Of course I do", cried Daljeet. "Main to kehti hoon, Prem ki shaadi ke saat saat Herman aur Preet ki sagayi bhi kardo". (I say, that along with Prem, you should marry off Herman and Preet too).
"Herman?" asked Gaytri, wondering when Herman had fallen in love.
"Oops!" smiled Daljeet. "I wonder if I should say or not but Herman has taken a liking to Ashlesha's friend Maya. She's the daughter of the very famous celebrity lawyer Aditya Shergill of Mumbai. She joined her father's firm not too long ago, and has a very promising career in front of her. Really Prahji, I suggest you consider my proposal...after all aap ka koi aur beta kahin phir say koi gawar lardki uttha laya toh". (after all...you wouldn't want another one of your sons to fall for some poor farm girl).
"Nahin Nahin! (No No!)", cried Lalit in a panic. First Prem, he thought, and now Herman! What was going on?! And God knows what kind of a girl Preet would find if left to his own devices!
"If Preet really likes your daughter", continued Lalit, "It's definitely something we can consider further. But right now he's away..."
"Oh don't worry about it", cried Daljeet with a laugh, "Ashlesha and I aren't going anywhere".
A few days later...
Meher was in Ludhiana helping Mrs. Saxena, who had taken an assignment at a luxury hotel undergoing some renovations. Meher was excited. It would be her first paid assignment. But her excitement had given way to hesitation when she learned that the hotel was owned by the Junejas. In fact it was the very same hotel the Junejas had held their party in. But now they were thousands of miles away, and she had nothing to fear. So, she had agreed.
Meher turned her focus towards her work. She assisted Mrs Saxena in overseeing and documenting the hotel's current collection of art pieces, and in providing proper packaging for transporting the art pieces to storage until the renovations were completed. She was also to assist her in painting a mural once the new lobby was complete.
"Meher beta", said Mrs. Saxena, "You've been working non-stop since we got here. It's almost time for lunch, why don't you take a break?"
"But, Mrs. Saxena, there's so much left to do", protested Meher. "Waise bhi, I'm not really hungry".
"Don't tell me you're dieting again", laughed Mrs. Saxena. "You know in my day guys liked a girl with a little meat on her bones. But you're the size zero generation, I guess".
"Size zero toh door ki baat hai (Size is zero is a ways off)", laughed Meher, "I'm just trying to loose those last 5 pounds".
"Alright then", said Mrs. Saxena, "Go for a walk in the fresh air or check out the shops in the hotel...anything...just take a break. I don't want your mom complaining that I didn't take care of her daughter. Oh...and be back in an hour. We have a meeting with the hotel manager. He wants to see our progress and also wants to see the different thematic designs we have in mind for the mural".
Meher took Mrs. Saxena's advice and ate her lunch outside, followed by a stroll in the hotel's garden. She checked her watch. There was still time before the meeting with the manager. Maybe I'll do a little window shopping, she thought.
She passed by the floral shop admiring the different bouquets that the florist had prepared, some of them truly works of art. She looked at the shoes and hand bags in the display windows of the different boutiques, but didn't dare venture inside. She was certain they cost more than anything she could afford.
Meher looked at her watch again. Time seemed to be passing by so slowly today. She was about to check out the display in the next shop, when all of a sudden she stopped in her tracks. Could it be? She thought. But how is that possible. She blinked her eyes hard. No, I'm not imagining things, she thought. It was definitely Preet!
Meher quickly hid, pressing herself against the display window of the shop she had been standing in front of. What is he doing here? she thought, as she peeked around the corner to get another glimpse.
Oh God! What if he sees me? Should I go up to him? After everything I said to him...What will he say? What will I say? Meher looked at her watch. How am I supposed to get back in time without him seeing me? She fretted. Wait a minute! Why am I hiding like a criminal? And so what if he does see me. After all I'm just here to do my work. I better go and find Mrs. Saxena.
She was about to leave, when she saw a young lady walk up to Preet. She was pretty, slightly younger than Meher, slim figure, dressed in western clothes, big eyes, shoulder length hair and a chirpy smile. The girl handed her shopping bags to Preet, and he obediently took them and followed her to the jewelry shop. Meher watched as Preet picked out a watch for her. Her eyes widened as she saw the girl squeal with delight and plant a kiss on Preet's cheek. Preet reciprocated by giving the girl a hug.
Meher's mouth fell open. "Ugh!" she cried. "Who is that girl? And how could Preet make such a shameless public show of affection like that! And he thinks my family's behavior was improper!"
Wait a minute, thought Meher. Why am I getting all upset? So what if he wants to splurge on his new friend...Who happens to be a girl...Girl...friend, thought Meher, almost wimpering to herself. She was unsure whether the idea of Preet having a girlfriend was upsetting her more or was it that he had gotten over her so fast.
Meher watched Preet usher the young lady out of the shop. It wasn't long before they had disappeared altogether. With the coast clear, Meher hurried towards the managerial offices. She was running late, and her mind was still full of confusion about what she had just witnessed.
Meher finally found the office she was looking for. "Nihal Gupta", she said, reading the name plate on the door . Nihal was general manager of Juneja Group of Industries, Ludhiana Division, and he was overseeing the renovations to the hotel. A nice, quiet, patient man, Nihal had been very kind and friendly to Meher.
Meher reached out and grasped the door knob, only to have the door suddenly yank open. The sudden force of the pull made Meher fall forward. Sure enough she landed on top of whoever had opened the door. She kept her eyes shut, certainly this wasn't happening to her, she thought. Life couldn't be that cruel. But hearing his voice call out her name assured her that life could indeed be very cruel.
"Meher?!" cried Preet.
Meher opened her eyes and froze as she found her face just inches from Preet's. Both looked stunned.
"Um...Meher...hum utthain (shall we get up)?" Preet asked, finally breaking the silence. Meher shook her head and moved off him so he could get up. "Um...Are you okay?" asked Preet. "I'm sorry I had no idea you were outside. Here, let me help you up?" He offered her his hand only to slowly retract it upon seeing her hesitation.
Meher helped herself up and adjusted her dupatta. She wasn't sure where to look.
"I'm sorry", both Preet and Meher blurted simultaneously. Preet looked towards the left. Meher looked towards the right. It was an extremely awkward moment for them.
"How are you Meher?" Preet finally asked.
How do you think I am Preet? Thought Meher. She wanted to tell him that she missed him and his cute little smirk. That she had read his letter a thousand times over, and cried herself to sleep every night. She wanted to scream that it was unfair how life was laughing in her face, by having their paths cross yet again. She wanted to question him about who that girl was that she had seen him with earlier. And how dare he let her kiss him! How dare he move on with his life...when she felt so empty inside.
"Fine", squeaked Meher. "You?"
He wanted to tell her that he was heartbroken. That he still loved her and thought of her constantly. That he missed the conversations they had had over coffee, and their race to grab the last donut in the box. That he missed making her laugh, and the way her nose would scrunch up when she broke out in to a big grin. That he would do anything to make everything alright between them...If only she'd give him a chance.
"I'm okay", lied Preet. "And your family? Everything is good with them too, I hope".
"Yes", said Meher. "Look Preet, I'm so sorry. I had no idea you were going to be here, otherwise I would never have taken this assignment. I can't imagine what you must be thinking right now."
"Hey, it's okay don't worry about it", said Preet. "We all sort of came down here unexpectedly".
Meher was wondering who the 'We' were, when she became aware that she wasn't alone with Preet. Mrs Saxena, Nihal, secretarial staff and that girl, were all staring at her in silent surprise.
It was then that the girl spoke.
"So you're Meher? You're Heer's sister right? I've heard so much about you both from Prem Bhaiya, Kuldi and Preet, that I was really looking forward to meeting you. Um...Preet Bhaiya, aren't you going to introduce us?" asked the girl.
"Um...uh...yeah...", stammered Preet. "Meher this is my younger sister Veera, and Veera, this is Meher".
"Sister?" repeated Meher. A slight smile uncontrollably appeared on her lips. "Sister..."
"You know", said Veera, "when my family was last here, Preet Bhaiya would always email me about all the stuff everybody got to do. It made me pretty envious. I'd love to go down to Ambala sometime. It's known for its mangoes isn't it? Oh and the annual Mela must have been so much fun! Too bad I was stuck in prep school. Anyway, this time I made sure to come along".
"She's his sister..." whispered Meher, sighing in relief.
"I spent the whole morning shopping", continued Veera, "and Preet Bhaiya finally bought me my graduation present. Look he got me this watch, isn't it beautiful?"
"It is", smiled Meher. So he was buying a present for his little sister.
Veera looked questioningly from Preet to Meher. Both seemed to be avoiding looking directly at each other, yet would steal glances at each other when they were sure the other wasn't looking.
"You know Meher, Preet Bhaiya has told me so much about you I feel as if I know you already".
"All good I hope", said Meher smiling weakly and sneaking a glance at Preet.
"Oh yes", replied Veera. "He said you were a wonderful person and a very talented artist".
"Perhaps he's exaggerated my talents just a bit", smiled Meher. "I'm an amateur at best".
"Oh no! My brother never lies!" cried Veera.
Preet and Meher looked at each other before quickly averting their gaze again.
"Mrs. Saxena had just told us you were working with her, and we were all wondering where you were before you dropped in. Sorry! No pun intended", giggled Veera.
"Veera please!" said Preet looking mortified. "I'm sorry Meher...she didn't mean..."
"It's okay", said Meher.
"Hey...How about joining us for dinner tomorrow night", continued Veera enthusiastically. "Prem Bhaiya's gone to Delhi for a few days, so we're all alone".
Prem Ji is here too? What is going on? wondered Meher. "Well I don't know...", she began.
"Meher", said Preet quietly, "We'd be really happy if you'd join us, but you don't have to if you don't want to."
"Of course, she has to", protested Veera pumping her fist. "I insist upon it".
Meher looked at Veera and smiled. She was very talkative, and the cheerful yet determined expression on her face made it plain that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I'm staying in Ludhiana with my Chacha and Chachee", said Meher, "I'll have to ask them first".
"Better yet, why don't you ask them to join us?" said Veera. "You know what mom always says... the more the merrier'".
Veera looked from Preet to Meher again. "Come on Preet Bhaiya", she said. "Are you going to stand here and stare at Meher all day or are we going to grab a bite to eat?"
Embarrassed by his sister's observation, Preet quickly followed her to the door.
"It was nice seeing you again Meher", he said almost whispering, as he took one last long look at Meher and closed the door behind him, leaving her to digest all that had happened.
Hope you all liked it. 😛 Please leave your feedback, or atleast hit the like button.
Chapter 28 Preview : Vishaka has a surpirise for her family
Edited by ummesulaiman - 10 years ago
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