Periods, Pyaar And Patriarchy

Epilogue

Three years later

"Are you ready for it? Oh, my god. Are you ready for it?" A nervous Shruti paces around in the expensive flooring of her residence in Belgium. She's currently connected on a video call with her sister- who can only make out the slightly blurry mahogany floor.

"Yes, Shruti!" Shweta says, "I'm ready for it. You seem like you're more nervous than I am!"

"What else do you expect?" Her sister chides. "You drop a message at one o'clock in the morning telling me that you're expecting your results. Of course, I'm very anxious." She begins clucking her tongue like an over-anxious mother hen.

"There are just two minutes left now," Shweta says, looking at the clock. Her own stomach seems to be filled with butterflies as they've begun fluttering at the slightest movement.

"This... does maa know that you'll be finding out the result today?" Shruti asks, hurrying back to the screen at the thought of their mother.

"Of course, she does." Shweta scoffs, "You think she'll forget about something like this?"
"I mean, of course not." Shruti says, "This is kind of a huge deal."

"It really isn't," Shweta says, uneasily. Feeling the excited butterflies turn into something like a rock. "There's still a lot left to fight ahead for in the future."

"That there always will be," Shruti says. "But that shouldn't bring you down. It hasn't brought you down, so far. Chin up, princess."

"Or the crown slips." Shweta completes.

"Just a minute left!" Shruti squeals. "God, I'm so fucking excited. And I haven't been this excited since Kylie Jenner announced her pregnancy!"

"Oh, shut up." Shweta says, "Maa says you shouldn't get too excited about all these things. It ruins everything."

"That's it." Shruti says, "One more 'maa says this' and I'm booking a flight back to India. You're turning into maa's spokesperson lately."

"You should." Shweta says, "We want you back home. We miss those pretty green eyes."

"I miss you guys too." Shruti sighs, "Who knows, I might actually be able to find a way back home, this year."

"I hope you do," Shweta says.

"Okay!" Shruti exclaims after a while. "Time's up! Tell me what result is it showing? God, Shweta I'm dying of anxiety here! Please will you tell me?"

"Fuck." Shweta says, looking at the results. She blows a low whistle, "Fuck, Shruti." She says, looking at her sister with a wide-eyed gaze.

"Shweta!" Shruti says, panicking. "What is it?"

"I've- I've qualified in Mains," Shweta says.

"Oh, my freaky God!" Shruti all but screams. "Oh, my god!"

"I know," Shweta says. "I mean I still don't know what's going to happen ahead. But I've qualified in it." Shweta looks back at the computer screen at the UPSC Mains result. Almost two and a half years of really working her butt off for it and now there's a solid chance that she would be walking through the doors in a sari to sit in front of a panel that grilled her for answers.

"Congratulations, Shweta," Shruti says, a little less hysterical now. "You've really come through. Shining, might I add."

"Thanks," Shweta says, knowing that this was still half the battle and most of it was still left to be fought. But to have survived mid-way only strengthened her resolve further.

"You'd better call maa," Shruti says and just on cue, her mother's name pops up on the screen with an incoming call.

"I'll talk to you later," Shweta says, hurriedly as she presses the button to answer her mother's call.