High School Romance Revisited

Chapter 44 - The Wedding

"Still thinking about Vasundhara aunty and Biren uncle's conversation?" Rai asked. We were standing in front of the marriage altar. It was almost time for the next step of the marriage rituals and the priest would any moment ask us to get Chitra. Koushik looked exhausted while our friends kept on teasing him. In all that happy chaos my mind was still clogged with all the mess that I really wanted to get rid of.

"Who is this person she trusts the most? Why would she believe that person and not her own husband?" I whispered.

"You know Deepa, a mother is a very peculiar character," Rai joked.

I huffed, "Of course, no doubt on that!"

"So when it comes to her child she becomes hysterical. But I am sure we will get to the bottom of this!" Rai said rubbing my arm.

"When?"

"Deepa, Rai, please ask them to send Chitra," Paritosh uncle smiled calling us from the altar.

"Soon," Rai patted my back and we went to get Chitra for the next rituals.

Chitra was already surrounded by several guests who wanted to get their picture clicked with the bride as soon as possible before she gets busy with the marriage rituals.

Rai and I had to push through the crowd to get her. "Come on darling, it's time!" I winked.

"The time you have been waiting for since middle school!" Elora laughed as we helped her climb down the steps.

"Where's the wooden stool?" Rai shouted. It was a very essential ritual to carry the bride on that wooden stool or pinri and Rai had especially got it designed for Chitra to look like a palanquin, of course without the roof.

Chitra's male cousins quickly came rushing as they all knew once Rai started shouting it would create havoc. "Keep this ready, she will first have a bridal entry from the stairs and then you all carry her to the altar from there. Understood?" the boys nodded on Rai's instructions.

We held Chitra guiding her to take slow steps as she covered her face with the betel leaves. Once our bridal procession, only comprising of women, marched towards the altar, a soft music played in the background.

Chitra was looking stunning. No matter how modern we become, this traditional attire simply starts sending us into a trance of a perfect wedding day.

We spotted Koushik standing in front of the altar where the ritual of subhadrishti would start as soon as Chitra reaches. All his tiredness simply vanished as he saw Chitra coming towards him. 

Karan, Debdyut, Mahen, Subir and Rohan were surrounding him and I am sure they were whispering all kinds of nonsense in his ears. But he seemed unbothered. He kept staring at Chitra in the urgency of when she would remove the betel leaves and he would see her in a full bridal glow.

Chitra's cousins helped her sit on the stool and then carried her towards Koushik. "Your wait is over Koushik. You can breath now!" Rai laughed. Koushik gave a half-smile as he blushed hard.

"Who is looking the darker shade of red? Chitra or Koushik?" Karan teased.

"Come on Chitra, now remove the betel leaves. Do not make him wait any more!" I added.

"Awe, look at him he is already getting restless," Sanjana said patting Koushik.

Slowly Chitra removed her betel leaves, while we thought she would be blushing, this idiot friend of mine looked at Koushik and wiggled her eyebrows asking, "Already speechless mister?"