"Sajana hain mujhe...sajana ke liye..." Ananya crooned at the top of her voice, trying to colour-coordinate her jewellery with her dress. A tough job, given the fact that she had never given her attire that much importance so far. Indeed, clothes were the bare essentials, and the preferred ones were those that could be located after the laundry with the maximum ease.
"Didi...are you in pain or something? Shall I get you some pudin-hara?" Armaan banged down his book that he had been unsuccessfully trying to read since the past hour or so, "If no, then please stop that yodelling!"
"Why? Am I that bad?" She had finally found a matching shade of lipstick.
"Not just bad, didi. You are random! No connection between one note and the next!"
Armaan braced himself for a verbal rebuke from his sister, but surprisingly she chose to ignore the taunt.
"Really?" She pouted and unpouted trying to normalize the spread of her lipstick, and then delved in her jewellery box in search of a matching dangler.
"Is this good? Does it go with my dress?" She poised the piece to her ear and asked her brother, who rolled his eyes.
"You are impossible! And don't tell me that..." Armaan's eyes finally took in his sister's attire, "You are going to wear a Punjabi dress to office? Ma...!"
Anita came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a kitchen apron and stood still.
Her daughter in Indian attire? What a surprise! Was something special today? She searched her memory database but couldn't get a single hit. Armaan nudged her.
"Ma...is something wrong with Didi today? Did she get hit on her head or something?"
"I don't know, Son" She replied, tentatively, "Maybe some function in her office, or some traditional day...quite possible, you know!"
"Whatever...but take care that you don't trip and fall somewhere, OK? And don't forget your specs..." Armaan went back to his book with this warning and Anita lapsed in deep thought.
Something was wrong with her daughter. For someone who never cared for what she wore, or her appearance, her daughter had spent a clear hour in grooming herself. And that Punjab dress...
Anita's lips curled in a smile as she remembered the persuasion that went with its purchase.
"Ma..not that please! Totally downmarket!"
"But beta, you need to have these outfits also in your wardrobe...what if you get an alliance from an orthodox family...?
"OK Ma. Go and pay for it. But let me tell you one thing. I am NOT going to wear it anytime!"
And today was unusual. Ananya had worn it on her own and then spent most of her morning in front of the mirror, trying out different combinations of bracelets, hair clips and ear danglers. And not to say anything about the makeup: she had tried about 6 different shades of lipsticks before settling for a cherry red one. And this was unusual for someone who thought that makeup was a waste of time.
Yes, something was wrong with her daughter. Or was it going right after a long time?
-----
Across the city, Kabir was trying to select an outfit for Ananya.
He had walked in a famous mall of the city, early in the morning and had been accosted by a pretty sales assistant in no time.
"Good morning! How may I help you, Mr Kabir Sharma?"
"Good Morning. I want to buy an outfit...Please help me out!"
"Sure Sir. What sort would you prefer to buy? Western or Indian?"
Kabir looked lost. This was an uncharted area, he had never dared to infringe in, even with Shreya. Darn it. He looked around and his gaze encountered a mannequin.
"Something like that..."
"But that is unstitched material, Sir..."
"Ohhh.." Kabir's face fell. The material was perfect. The salesgirl smiled indulgently.
"No problem, Sir. If you could get us the girl's dimensions, we can get it tailored for you..."
"Sure. I will get the dimensions for you. Which all do you need?
The salesgirl beckoned to her assistant who quickly explained the need.
"Fine, I will get these by today evening. In the meanwhile, can you please reserve the material for me?"
"Sure, Sir. But surely get the dimensions by today evening, otherwise we wont be able to hold on to the material beyond that!"
Kabir nodded his consent and stepped out.
The salesgirl was beaming from ear to ear as she signalled the helper to remove the material and keep it aside. This was the first customer and such a prominent one, it certainly heralded good business for the day.
Kabir in the meanwhile was lost in thought. He had agreed to a task in his enthusiasm, something he had no clue how to go about. For that matter no stringer of his could help him now.
How to get Ananya's dimensions without her knowledge?
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