The Enchantress

23. Danger

"Hello, yes we called for that. Yes, yes, send a copy of her birth chart please. We would like to compare it with Aarav's. Yes yes, we will send his too. It's good to get second opinion from another Pandit Ji (priest). Yes, we prefer to go with whatever dates Pandit Ji (priest) will...," Aarav heard his mother talking and he knew it would take her at least a few hours for the call to be done. Aarav just hoped whichever family member of Mahamaya she called had the patience to bear with it.

Sighing, he turned back to his laptop and continued doing his work, as efficiently as he could with his mother chattering in the background. It made him smile. He loved his mother too much to the point that things that were supposed to be annoying were not annoying.

"Her father sent her birth chart, Madhavi. You don't have to talk to her mother anymore, unless you plan to make her run for the hills to escape from talking to you," Aarav's father, Om muttered, looking at his wife.

Madhavi blushed in embarrassment as she said on the phone, "I'm sorry. I didn't realise we were talking since so long. I didn't know the time was slipping off so quickly," Madhavi said apologetically.

Mahamaya's mother, Indrayani said from the other side, "Oh, don't worry much about it, sister. Talking for hours is birth right of women anyways."

That made Madhavi laugh and she was about to get lost in the talks again till she saw her husband's face and said on the phone in a firm voice, "Yes, I'll send his chart and you can consult a pandit ji too and we will talk again. Yes, yes, bye bye."

The call was finally ended as Om muttered, "What Madhavi? You know we are supposed to get things ready for the marriage. We have to get the dates first so that we can estimate how much time is left for the marriage and you choose this time to have your long talks?"

Before Madhavi could open her mouth to apologise, Aarav said from behind, "Dad, let it be. It gave me some more time to work."

Om scolded gently, "Work? What will you do on your wedding day? Open up a laptop in the middle of the mantras (chants) and revolve around the fire with those wireless earphones or whatever in your ears or what? Marriage happens only once and ugh, you both mother and son can't understand how important this is."

Aarav quickly corrected his father cheekily, "You mean airpods, Dad?"

That made Om go off as he said, "What would you two take to go and get ready?"

Om found two faces looking at him sheepishly as they scurried off to get ready to visit their local temple Pandit Ji (priest), even though Madhavi was silently giggling at the scenes Om had created in her mind about her son's wedding. It was too hilarious not to laugh.

Om looked at her curiously, wondering what she found funny, till he remembered his words and smiled. Yeah, the words which he said perfectly described what his son would do.

Om then went on to fill water bottles from the earthen pot, while his son and wife got ready. He was already ready though, wearing a shiny grey kurta and white cotton pants with a white cap on his head so he was doing other works, collecting things which his family might need.