The Enchantress

Chapter thirty five

After the Saakharpuda (engagement), the next few months were very busy for Mahamaya. The doctor who had not taken a single leave in all these years was suddenly filing for lots of leave. She got congratulated by her fellow colleagues, Supervisors, interns, her little patients and their parents, staff and everyone else for her marriage. She was well loved by everyone because of her good nature and her leaves were approved without any hesitation. 

However, she herself was worried about her young patients. Kids were not that easy to open up to and a change in doctor who they had a bond with would surely lead to tantrums and dissatisfaction but her patients assured her again and again that they would be good children while she would be gone.

It was a Saturday early morning and that's why Mahesh was at home that day. He was busy reading the local newspapers when he heard his phone's message tone go off. He held his phone and looked at what the message was. As soon as he read the message, he had a bright smile on his face.

Viraj: Pappa, I need permission to message and call Mahamaya.

Mahesh would reply back: Why do you need permission? She is your fiancé. You don't need her permission. Do you want me to whatsapp you her number?

The reply he got almost made him fall on the floor and laugh as Viraj sent the next message.

Viraj: Thank God. I had said the same thing but she wanted me to ask permission from you.

That sounded so much like Mahamaya. He had laughed for five minutes straight at that. After he recovered from his laughing fits, he had a thought and he decided to ask it as he typed out: How did you have her number beforehand?

The reply made him shake his head in disappointment.

Viraj: I have my ways.

Mahesh was feeling agitated. It was not the first time he had stalked Mahamaya and even though he did it to keep her safe, Mahesh still didn't like it. He replied: My daughter is much more valuable than your ways, Viraj. I hope you remember that.

After a few seconds, the reply came.

Viraj: You are right, Pappa, my bad. I should have asked for her phone number from you than using my well, sources. I will try not to repeat my mistake again.

Mahesh smiled, satisfied but decided not to reply. He wanted to appear like a tough guy so he left him at read. For the first time in the universe, a fiancé was getting hosted by his fiancé's dad. Mahesh tiptoed to his daughter's room to see what she was doing and found that she was doing yoga. 

He suddenly remembered that just a few more days and she wouldn't be in the house anymore. As soon as he had this thought, he wanted to just burst out crying on the spot. Walking inside her room, he tried not to create much sound, pulling the door from behind him so that if any sound was caused outside the room, it would be muffled till it would reach them. His daughter liked to concentrate completely on her workout.

Standing besides his daughter, Mahesh suddenly wanted to do everything she did, with her, just to stay with her. So, he also started doing yoga, following her. Mahamaya's workout routine would be mostly mute so as not to tamper with the breathing and heartrate but it was evident from her face that she was surprised that he had joined her.

Finally after they were done, Mahamaya asked him curiously, "What made yoga interesting to you all of a sudden, Pappa?"

He didn't want to accept it but she was his daughter. So, thinking that there was no use hiding anything from her, he said while trying to act as nonchalantly as possible, "You did. I thought, you would be gone after a few days so why not accompany you for yoga? I wanted to see my baby girl working out"

Mahamaya, although covered in sweat, after seeing his cute facial expressions and hearing his words, wanted to tightly hug him. Instead, she smiled and asked him playfully, "Wah wah! I am just getting married and you are already planning on what things would look like after I leave this house? You know what? Now, I won't go. I will stay here only. Let's cancel the wedding."

Mahesh held her cheeks in his palms, looked in her eyes with tears in his own and hugged her super tight and said in a hoarse voice, "Shh, don't say that. Go and marry him. Viraj seems to be a nice guy and if God paired you with him, there must definitely be a reason behind it. Doors of this house will always be open for you, my child."

Indrayani was hearing all this from outside. She had come to tell Mahesh to reheat her tea and serve it but when she found him in her daughter's room and heard those words, she was overcome with emotions too but not to interrupt their emotional moment, she said nothing and slithered away to her own room. 

She herself was used to getting emotional about her daughter's marriage. Days seemed to be flying off and before she knew it, the wedding was just two weeks away. She would cry at times but she knew that Mahesh had to control himself from crying in front of her or she would have cried more. He was barely holding it together and she knew that he needed this time alone with their daughter. 

Indrayani couldn't help but think back to those younger days, when Mahamaya used to play around with kids. Her favourtie games used to be kho-kho, chippi and kabaddi (indigenous games). Wanting to revisit those days again, she opened a drawer which was below her cupboard and pulled out many thick photo albums. 

Sitting on the ground itself, the mother who Mahamaya always saw as prim and proper, didn't care about those things at all today as she stretched her legs and sat completely comfotably, before gazing at the different photos kept there, remembering the memories of the daughter who was going to go to another house after her wedding in just a matter of days...