"Not too long"☺️
Amma left them alone, shut the door eye signalling Akka to bolt it so Uma wont bug them, Akka smiled meaningfully nodding
She got up to bolt it, II gave her a "Whats going on... OH COME ON" look
Akka went and lay down got up turned the fan to 3, "So hot cant imagine being pregnant in April & May"
U shud have planned it in such a way that u deliver in April" II said smug
"Tell that to R&B when he makes YOU pregnant" Akka giggled
"Oh well Ive told him I dont want any for now" II muttered, going through how Akka had packed her trinkets and make up stuff
There was loud laughter and chatter outside, II opened the Godrej safe and pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to Akka "9.7 lakhs ka, give it to Appa"
"SHUT UP ISHITA" Akka was furious
"I CAN, he will tear me to shred, I hope u are OK watching that" II goaded her
"They have the money, I know he has been an ass since he agreed to ur wedding, but please dont humiliate him"
II sat down on the bed and began to cry "I am not... I am not ka... I wanted to buy Amma a car Amma wouldnt let me buy one now, they wont let me spend on anything, I care for them, I worry about them
Appa cant keep going on at this rate for ever, u know he has two years, he has an extension, but after that?. Theyve spent 4 times more on this wedding than they ever imagined to" II cried
Akka scooted towards her and hugged her tight "Shhh shhh shhh" dont cry, I understand" shhh" she took the wad of cash and put it in the Godrej "I will give it to Amma, in fact the 6 of us should go buy the car soon"
II smiled
"Va padu vandu, we dont know when we will return from Sam's tonite, tomorrow we have to go to the Wedding Hall by 11, then they have the kalira chooda chunri ceremony, evening baraat and then Muhurtam on Sunday cant believe, we laughed and joked about the Dude for 2 months and in two days he will just grab u and run" Akka giggled
She smoothed her sister's hair, II closed her eyes "I am supposed to give you the talk"
II smiled "OK start" she cuddled her Akka, felt her belly
"Ummm OK once u get to the bedroom"
II smacked her...
"Ayyo yen di adikare?" Akka howled
"DONT"
"What?"
"I dont need a lesson... ermmm"
"Hey kanna... RELAX... it will be OK" Akka whispered
II blushed furiously
"I KNOW he looks and acts impatient, I know he wont give you a "week" to settle down and stuff,
Bala and I had a 9 month courtship, and he gave me 4.5 days before we "did it" I DOUBT he will give you that time, u know" Akka giggled hysterically
II groaned helplessly"He seems so desperate like hes starving, he looks and acts cranky around you" Akka continued
"I dont know, yes I know I know i am lying... he tells me that" II cried
"Take it easy kanna, you will be fine... he is probably just teasing u, u never know he might give you a week to figure out the ways of the house, and be rested and such" Akka said somberly
"I hope I get a day atleast" II said
"Are u on the pill?"
"No... he said I shouldnt be" II blushed
"SEE HOW CARING... HOW CARING... HE DOESNT WANT U TO WORRY" akka giggled
"Must be some motive behind that, hes a devil" II grumbled
" He is obsessed with u u know that dont u? Ermm... if he is a lil rough or needy... u" Akka went quiet
"I know" II said beathlessly
"Ive been seeing u bruised for a while" Akka giggled
"Umm...how many times"
Akka laughed all knowingly "I can give u a number but dont hold me, nightly the first year or until u get pregnant then it nose dives"
II stared in shock''
SEEE!! ONE MORE REASON NOT TO HAVE BABIES II
NO MORE "GOOD STUFF"
CANT BELIEVE THE DUDE WANTS ME TO BE PREGNANT AND LIVE IN ABSTINENCE FOR 9 MONTHS
"You guys dont do it when u are pregnant?" II asked
"Ummm... yes and no" Akka giggled
"I get it" II said swallowing guiltily
"What do u mean?" Akka prodded
"I know.."
"OMG! He taught you?" Akka giggled
"Shut up..."
"Ermm U for him too?" Akka was NOSYYY
"I am tired" II squirmed turning away
"Hey Ishita, I am just teasing kanna, U WILL BE JUST FINE, JUST RELAX... AND ENJOY..." Akka hugged her
And as Madurai paatti would say "Husband is the king, u cant protest if he wants something a lot or wants something differently" Akka giggled
"Chhhe eee shut up" II smiled
Akk and sister dozed off
Around 4:30 Amma woke them up banging the door, both Mama's families were there, some second cousins from Ahmedabad and Pune and Mumbai... Older Mama Narayanan, he had two girls the younger one was engaged and headed to the States
Her name was Anusha, she was aggressive and chatty like II, was a Engineer and and an MBA Mama competed with Amma a lot over Anusha
II sipped her chai... Manny had come by to see her on Thursday, Appa's Bday... she was not as friendsly or talkative as Sam, but since Sam and Lasya were there too II didnt care much
The dude didnt text or email or call since Wed... she wondered how his bachelor party went last night... she wanted to rile him by wire transferring the money for the cars
She went to her Bank's website... and started a transfer, she didnt know his Bank Account number so she quit mid way
"ISHITAAA Please get ready, wear that palazzo chikan in lavendar, Akka pulled it out of the Godrej, she was "not taking two dozen with her"
She nodded slowly, tired and lethargic she had gotten the best massage, her hands smelled like rose essence and chandan...
"Porum di GET UP Sam has called thrice" Akka warned
Her best friends were coming over directly to Shanti Niketan
She had handed 20 cards and had mailed 100, and emailed the other 250 FB ones
Her team was coming on all three days Fri Sat & Sun...
She shut herself in the bathroom, experiencing a panic attack, unable to talk or express, the home her fave three buckets the press wala, Selvi, she was going to miss them all
AYYYO... I STOOD HERE DANCING UNDER THE SHOWER NOT TOO LONG AGO USING MY TOOTHBRUSH AS A MIKE... NOW I WILL BE GONE?
Raman Bhalla's wife?
Her insides lurched and spun... she leaned on the bathroom door...
reminded of the time he visited that saturday after they fought... how he lay across her bed and took a nap
Her divan, her paattu note books and shruti box
She opened the door frantically and yelled Akka akka Akkaaa
Akka came in sprinting almost "ENNA DII?"
"My shruti box I can leave it here" II panicked
"Ayyo u are not going to be singing on March 9th, u can come back later Amma told Mrs Iyengar no class for two months" Akka said calmly
"I dont want to go ka, I just want to stay here... I am afraid" II cried
Uma came in EXACTLY AT THAT MOMENT "what happened?" she asked
"Shhh Ishita Aishu Anu are all here Uma is watching too please kanna dont cry, dont be silly, ofcourse u want to be married"
"No no, I dont... he is evil" II cursed
Akka giggled "Yes THAT part I agree, he just texted me some pictures of Bala from the bachelor party last night"
II stopped "enna sonnaan?" (what did he say?) II was ready to fight
"SEEE, U DONT WANT TO LET GO, U WANT TO FIGHT, HOW WILL U IF U DONT MARRY HIM?" Akka asked laughing
"I will miss this house, my window my divan my buckets, my press waala my Selvi, my Godrej, my fan regulator that doesnt work in summer" II cried
"She is not going to the States no, why is she crying?" Uma asked smugly
Uma actually was headed there, as her hubby, Chithapa's son Krishnan was being sent by IBM to Wisconsin for a year, in April
"I agree u tell her Uma" Akka nodded giving Uma the pleasure of gloating
Uma HAD NO IDEA HOW wealthy the dude was... or any Bhalla was...
"Punjabis are different, thats why I could never marry any one else, when I worked for Ranbaxy..." Uma began some cooked up love story with a coworker
II only wanted to sob on Akka's shoulders
"Hey I am going to text him and say u are crying so we are calling off the wedding" Akka teased her
"Do it" II dared
AKKA TEXTED THE DUDE
"Thats OK I can stop by tonight and pick her up then" HE TEXTED BACK
Akka laughed hysterically "He says HE WILL PICK U UP ANYWAY. SEMA KOZHUPPU DI AVANUKKU" (He is SO BOLD)
II blushed... "TRY IT RAKSHASAN... TRY PICKING ME UP TONIGHT"
ARGHHH
Uma:Punjabi boys are very bold, I have heard
II wanted to say "I dont care" but didnt
They arrived at Shanti Niketan at 5: 15 ish... Sam had invited all the Iyers EVERY ONE OF THEM
The glamorous hand crafted tent covered the front lawns the drive way and the balconies of the upper floors, WHITE PINK AND BLUE, with sash like bows every every where,
The entry was by invitation only... Delhi Police and private security both guarded the street only II's car was allowed to get up to the gate...
"Good God!" this is SO EMBARRASSING" II hissed
"Enjoy it, I mean UNBELEIVABLE di, there are atleast 25 photographers" Akka gave her a running commentary
Bala and Shravu were already there at since 3
SAM came to the car to greet her, DID AN ARTI.. and teeka
"OMG!LOOK AT HER face scrubbed clean of make up and she looks so GORGEOUS. R&B will just fold her up and put her in his mouth" she giggled squeezing her
II wore a sparkling solitaire diamond nose ring, Amma forced her to wear her 8 stone Iyer style diamond earrings and gold jhumkas... she left her hands bare for the mehandi
Delhi high society men and women gawked as she walked inside
The Dude stood in the second floor sipping beer... there was a gap between two trees where the pristine white tent did not cover the view... he watched her walk in pink and glowing
He wondered which room the mehandi was, texted Sam
"where is the henna?"
"1st floor West lounge" "are u going to put it on her?" wink emoticon
"Good idea" the dude said
Sam giggled shaking her head...
He tucked his phone into his pocket
There were half a dozen girls working in the room, Sam allotted 4 new ones to her... "I wanted to hold Lasya Sam" II whispered softly
"U can hold her all u want starting March 8th, sab gussa hain the Sangeet starts at 7 and u are barely here... this will take a good 3 hours,
I am going to have 4 girls work on you.
"Ummm where is everybody?" II asked
"Kaun everybody? Oh WOH EVERYBODY? Hes in the second floor balcony chugging beer, and trying to wake up they didnt return from Bachelors Party until 7 this morning" Sam laughed
"Do u have embarrassing pictures or videos for me?" Ii demanded
"Bechaara he is CHO CHWEET, he just hung out... unlike the tattoo kissing sister in law I seem to have acquired" Sam giggled
"CHO CHWEET?" II asked incredulously
"OMG! Kitna gussa... he sends u over the edge doesnt he?" Sam laughed hysterically
Manny came by and hugged "Hey I have TONS of incriminating stuff from 6 months ago, I can send u all you want"
Sam smacked her "Manny no"
Sam didnt want II to see or hear about R&B's wild ways from pre-Nov 2014
"Tum to ghar aa rahi ho, I will send u the link to the network drive where its all stored" Manny giggled
II nodded
Akka sat by her her best friends arrived one after the other (about them in the next)
She ate and drank while the girls worked... she was taken to a separate room by the Westy lounge... spotless white divans and oblong cushions lined the wall... she leaned and relaxed OR TRIED TO
Sitar music alternated with LOUD Punjabi rap in the central sound system, and ofcourse bhangra and tappe... and every other music
6 ish... most of her legs was done "I have a request" she told the girls"
They let her go for a potty break... they started working on her hands "Where do want the name etched one girl asked
She smiled and said "I dont"
they looked shocked... they whispered amongst themselves giggling... II dozed and listened to Sooryan FM on her phone... 7 ish the girl working the left hand left for a second to take a call
The one working the right upper arm left to take a 5 min break to stretch her back
She leaned shutting her eyes
She heard the door... "Aur kitna time lagega please mujhe neeche jaake dance karna hai"
"Not too long" the DUDE SAID BOLTING THE DOOR
She shrieked standing up slipping on her kurta and falling back...
comment:
p_commentcount