Once Upon A Mr. Goody Two Shoes

Chapter 38

Traditional intricate designs were being drawn on hands, palms and fingers of everyone. The smell of henna was in the air, as were the customary soft Bollywood tunes in the background. My hands were decorated with the perfumed henna, the greenish-brown color pleasing me till no end. The ladies had the mehendi function in the hotel's terrace, while the men had theirs in the lawn at the back of the hotel. It was customary for the bride and groom to not see each other a day before their wedding. I stood in a corner, letting my henna dry and watching Taira smile politely at everyone complimenting her beautiful mehandi and wishing the darkest shade of it on her hands. After all, the darker the shade of henna, the more the husband loves his wife. Or so the saying goes.

I tried to convince myself it was a marriage of convenience for both of them, that Taira need not look all excited and rosy-cheeked, but I couldn't shake this nagging feeling that something was amiss. And after last night's events, my doubts had strengthened, and I was afraid I would voice them sooner or later, making Taira hate me, and making me hate myself for ruining her special day.

I sighed as I stared at my hands, the dark green hue making me nostalgic. I had thought a million times about wearing henna on my marriage day, but never did I think that Taira's marriage will take place before mine. Shaking my head, I continued to stare at Taira with renewed efforts. The amount of times I was shaking my head these days made me wonder why it hadn't snapped into two already. The terrace was lined with round wooden carved seating with cream colored covers to sit on, four to five ladies on each, being attended to by the mehendi designers. The sun wasn't too bright (a surprise, really), a light breeze making it rather windy, but not too much to cause annoyance. The ceremony was picturesque in every sense. And I knew tomorrow's wedding would be no less either.

The engagement ceremony had been a private affair of the families' in their home, just the day after the lunch at the Sharma's.

"So, where do you want to write Abhi's name?" One of Taira's younger cousin asked her suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows for good measure.

"Um...I don't know, I didn't think about it. How about on the side of the finger?" Taira said while inspecting her fingers, a confused frown on her forehead.

"Or maybe somewhere..." her cousin leaned in to prevent the aunties from hearing it "...more intimate." All of Taira's cousins let out a loud cackle. I giggled at the back of my palm, unable to help myself while Taira's face turned from shock to embarrassment to annoyance in a second which encouraged them further. I didn't leave my place though, a silent spectator to the merry-go-round, trying to fight off the guilt of not being truly happy for my best friend. The cousins realized that the whole name won't fit on the finger so it was written on the wrist. In the midst of all the giggles and teasing, Taira's aunt came rushing in, her face uncommonly flushed. She shooed off some of the girls surrounding Taira and whispered something in her ears. Half expecting her to blush into a deeper red, I was shocked to see her face which was red from all the teasing morphed into that of disbelief.

"Just come," her mami whispered loudly, motioning her to come behind her. Taira's eyes searched for mine in the crowd, and when hers met mine, she silently motioned me with her head, telling me to follow her inside. We got in the lift and I motioned to her, asking what the matter was, but she shrugged her shoulders to convey that she wasn't aware either. Taira's aunt looked too grave to ask her anything, so the two of us remained silent, contemplating individually. I had a sick feeling in my gut which I wasn't ready to acknowledge.

Abhi was waiting outside when the elevator opened.

"Hey, don't look! You aren't supposed to see her until the wedding," I blurted without thinking but soon the atmosphere of the place caught up with me and I realized that something was wrong. Very, very wrong. No one bothered to answer me.