Didi, I have a feeling this story will make me cry😕
**EDITED**
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Look who finally made it around? *Waves at meri Di*😳 Shall my lazy bum self begin before it never happens after all?😆
Prologue:
I don't believe I'll find myself giving a line by line break down of my initial impressions. You and I both now how irritated I am already with having to do that everyday for my college classes. Nuisance. Hmmmph! Don't be surprised if it happens though😆.
From the first introduction of Aarti, we meet a young woman who is in an impatient rush to go somwhere. Apparently to meet some fellow named Pareshan-T ...errrm...Prashant. Although she's hurried, she still responds to the summons of the authority figure in her life. However, there is no denying that there is the hint of a rebel within her. There's the projection of an obedient, listening student, and in some parts, it does appear to be her persona, but this is only half of it. For there is still a side of her which responds to the vice- principle with irritation and slight disrespect within her mind. "Yeh lo tack-train" is not exactly the image of an angel, now is it? What's also very fascinating, is although Aarti is prone to irritation and does have a slight rebellious streak, it does not override her ability to reason. Her emotions are there, but they do not keep her from functioning as needed. In this case, she is in a rush, and upset by the interruption, however she still appears calm and collected, even diplomatically managing to alter the situation so that she has time to accomplish what is needed at her relative convenience.
In the midst of all of this, there is that little thought of Mrs. Thakkar that implies quite a bit about the life of Aarti.
"...if that boy did marry her, as the rumours suggested, then at least Arti would have a home again..."
Going via the implications, it is apparent that although Aarti comes across as a self-sufficient, reasonably happy girl, there is something missing in her life. At this particular stage, all that the reader manages to glean is that she is short of a home. Does the vice-principal refer to a physical home, an emotional home, the lack of a family, or a combination of the three? Since this is the prologue, all that is left is to be patient and see what answers lie ahead. Another tidbit to add to this is the reference to the role this Prashant person would eventually have in Aarti's life. Although he is apparently stealing Aarti's attention, the vice-principal doesn't see it as an entirely bad thing. So once again, it appears that this young lady is might good at compartmentalising the various aspects of her life. Hmm...well, I guess we shall see.
Now to the Prashant- Aarti interaction. Very engrossing bit there. It says quite alot about they're relationship actually. Both are headstrong individuals, that much is apparent from the manner in which they speak and approach each other. In addition, they are both prone to having a bit of a temper, which feeds off of their inherent stubbornness. In the case of Prashant, there is a bit of the reactionist in him it seems. Although he knows that Aarti had to meet with the vice-principal outside of her own volition, he still snaps at her. Aarti on her part, rather than maintaining her cool, also lets her irritation have its way. Ironically enough, it's this little bit of her that inadvertently changes the situation from something that could have become a full-blown argument, for Prashant responds to her teasingly. In fact, though he was the first one to be irritated, he was also the first to easily slip back into the position of the caring partner. He even goes so far as to hold off on whichever tongue - in-cheek remark he had in mind, tapering it down so as not to annoy her further. So though Aarti's initial implications about his rigidity on some things gave the impression of him possibly being a loutish idiot, it does suggest that young Prashant is capable of bending. The question is, is it up to chance like in this moment or do internal thought processes also play a part? All in all, funny that she set out to manao him and ended up being the manaoed😆
To the final bit. (Don't think I'll do Chapter 1 tonight btw, will get to it later).
The day of the alumni event. Aarti took the responsibilities on, and she and Suneeta apparently worked their butts off. So it is now completely obvious why Mrs. Thakkar trusted the young woman in the first place; she's diligent, she's quick and she knows how to get things done-- even when under immense pressure. To top it off, being a critical thinker, she managed to save some money-- even under the short time span. Not ignoring the strong presence Suneeta must have had in this, but since the request went to Aarti in the first place...well what I shall is mainly for Aarti : That's quite a resume for a young girl with a possibly unstable background.
Hmm, it's interesting to note though, that shortly after the implications about her abilities, there lies the possibility that Aarti may not possibly view herself in a good light. True, she does not own a sari, but there is almost something more to the discomfort regarding the sari. Her grumbling about her dislike for the sari could have been the classic "defend before attack" routine, for she appears surprised by how attractive she looks when Vidhi is finished pampering her and putting her right. For a moment it almost suggested that she was insecure about some aspects of herself. How much of that insecurity plays a part in her life-- is up for grabs.
So young P is a lout after all eh? He couldn't come along to see how his fiancee's efforts turned out? Cad! Hmmph! Jokes apart, it's surprising that him attending the function seemed to have led to an argument of sorts. I've dealt with those sorts of fellows myself a time or two...hmmph...anyhoot, as I was saying, it seems a simple no became an "irate speech"? Perhaps Aarti pushed him too hard with the request? Or maybe he was genuinely exhausted at the time and let off a bit of frustration as a reaction to her prodding? Or like I said jokingly, he's a cad. Who knows? Whatever the reason was, he missed out on an important depiction of his fiancee's abilities, and he missed her looking all "curvaceous and gorgeous" so phbbbt to you P- fellow.
Noted- The need to write a thank you note. People still do that? Even I am not like that, and I'm one of those super courteous individuals, so perhaps she feels indebted to unexpected bouts of kindness showered on her? Which would explain the almost immediate reaction to actively express her gratitude.
Noted- The moment of friendship before the mirror. That was sweet. Aarti has a tight a circle around her, and their warmth is obvious in their interactions. Nothing like the beauty of a healthy friendship, eh? 😉
LOL! Tall, dark and handsome. ROTFL! Static? Looks Aarti is romantic at heart😆. On a serious note, Static is not improbable, it's a function after all and there's a lot of carpeting, and upholstery and fancy clothing, but gosh, I did smile at that one. Static, gotta try that some time. Now the sun coming out moment, I can relate to. That's a short story for another time😉. Anyhoot, what really made this all so amusing, was that Prashant had chosen not to attend the function, therefore, had he lost his ladylove that night, I would have been rolling in splits. The important thing, is that although both Aarti, and this tall, dark and handsome stranger had some weird momentary connection. Whether or not that suggests some sort of future is up to the writer. Since this is a romantic story, that much is definitely a possibility. However both Aarti and this apparently rich, non-bachelor are both in love with completely different people. So whatever moment of electricity they had, could have been a chance moment in time. Of course, circumstances and feelings can change things, but they do appear to be royally smitten with their whomevers.
Noted- Both are into the college sweetheart thingamajig. Apparently alot happens in colleges. -March 7, 2013
RESERVED for Chapter 1
Indian Mythology
