Along the Lines of Love | ✓

Chapter 11 : Wedding On The Cards

Surprise! Off schedule update. Hope you enjoy reading it. 

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Sharanya had never seen her small family so excited. It was nothing like the usually dull Wednesday afternoons. Even the weather was pleasant with a pleasing breeze opposed to the usually sunny sky. Everyone was home, including Arun and Gargi. Arun was having a conversation with her father, his brother giving them audience. Gargi and Akshaya were tiding up the kitchen and living hall. Gargi had quite literally impelled her to get out of the kitchen and sit for a while and eat something.

Akshaya was having a hard time obeying Gargi's orders. Gargi had stressed on keeping the house extra clean to impress Nikhil's mother. Sharanya glanced at the wall clock, they'd be here in less than thirty minutes.

She was nervous about the entire thing. She had spoken to Nikhil again on Sunday as they had decided. He had proposed to set up a meeting for their families. Wednesday, he had suggested and she had accepted given it was a public holiday. She had politely and subtly invited them over. He had at once accepted. So here, they were waiting for the Kumars to arrive.

Sharanya didn't really know what to expect of Nikhil's mother. Oddly, his mother reminded her of her high school principal. The imagery was daunting.

She had prepared some sandwiches, fried some aloo bondas. There was also murukku and sev that her father had brought from a popular and slightly overpriced bakery in her locality. She had even prepared tea and coffee and kept them ready. The food had to just be heated and served.

"Come on," Gargi said emerging from the kitchen looking at her.

Sharanya nodded wordlessly off the chair and walked toward her room to get ready. Gargi had convinced her to wear a saree. Sharanya loved wearing sarees but her figure made her very uncomfortable in one. She had to agree to Gargi's suggestion that Nikhil's mother would appreciate that. She had got one of her mother's saree dry cleaned and with Gargi's help she had picked a ready made blouse from the boutique Gargi frequented for her festival dresses.

Akshaya was on their trail. Gargi , being the smarter woman she always was, sent her to replace the door hanging with the newer one and make rangoli.

Once inside the room, Gargi locked the door and ordered her to quickly wear the underskirt and blouse while she straightened up the saree.

In twenty minutes, Sharanya was dressed in her mother's saree. It was a light silk saree of a gradient colour. At the lowest was a little of dull dark pink that faded into yellow that ultimately merged into pink again on the top portion of the saree which made a very beautiful pallu. It had an elegant jacquard weaving.

Off late Sharanya was remembering her mother a lot. She wondered how it would be if she was still with her. How her eyes would light up to see her in this saree. As a kid, Sharanya would take her mother's prettiest dupattas and drape it around herself like a saree and ask her mother how she looked. Her mother though a little peeved would always have sweet words for her. Little Sharanya would ask her when she'd be able to wear a proper saree and her mother would smile and say when she would grow up and marry.

"Sharu?" Gargi said softly as she noticed the sheen in her friend's eyes.

Sharanya looked up blinking a few times through the mirror she met Gargi's gaze who was setting her hair in a half up, half down style.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?" Gargi asked, slowly making the side braids and them pinning it at the centre of her hair.