When We Met

Pal ek pal mein hi tham sa gya....

"Go get ready, Siya. We need to leave for the dance rehearsals in an hour." Pulling the blankets off Siya's face, Miraya said, "I'll go and see if Anika's ready or not."

When Siya felt the covers slipping away from her, she groaned, pulled them back, and turned away from Miraya. "Dear Di! It's Sunday and I want to sleep. I don't feel like dancing, this early in the morning."

"Early! Princess, it is already 12:00 p.m.", Miraya said, yanking her sheet again, "Now get up before I splash water in your face." To wake Siya up, Romeo crawled into the bed and started licking her face.

"okay! I'm up, I'm up". Siya woke up from her pillow without even opening her eyes, saying, "ugh! Maahi di ke liye kya krna padega." She yawned and rubbed her eyes as she continued, "Sone hi ni dete mujhe. Hello Romeo, good morning!", she turned her attention to Romeo who was jumping excitedly. (what all do we have to do for Maahi? No one lets me sleep)

Just then, Kiran and Anika walked into her room. "Look at you", Anika exclaimed as she burst out laughing. She pointed at Siya, who was playing with Romeo and had tangled locks and sleepy eyes. She added, "You're a sight in the morning."

"Uth gayi maharani." Kiran muttered, "Mien abhi paani hi lekr aa rahi thi bas." (finally the queen is up! I was just about to get a bucket full of water)

"No need, ma!", Miraya said as she approached her mother's side, "She's up." Kiran shook her head looking at Siya and then led Miraya out of the room, who was holding her arm and yelling at Siya to get ready.

Miraya enquired "what happened Ma?" as Kiran took her out the room.

"Tu bta?",  turning to her daughter, Kiran said, "Do you want to tell me something?" (You tell me)

"I do have some news, though. But first, tell me what you're talking about" she asked looking perplexed.

"For the past few days, you have been missing meals." Suresh informed me. She asked with a straight expression, "Why?"

Suresh heard his name, he was standing near the steps and looked up. He immediately fled to safety when Miraya began to shoot daggers at him with only her eyes. When Kiran asked a question, she nodded her head but remained silent.

Kiran was aware of her motivation for acting in this way. "Look beta", she said while taking Miraya's hand in her own. "You are aware of how your Bua is. She always babbles. But I admire you for keeping your composure and refraining from yelling at her for her meaningless remark. You define beauty yourself, your bua doesn't, society doesn't."

"Ma, you know I'd never treat anyone badly. I won't let anybody question your upbringing. Bua already has much to say, I don't want her to bring up nine new things to criticize me. Even though I like who I am, these remarks nonetheless make me very angry. I make an effort to ignore them, yet they always manage to hurt me." Miraya said, hugging her mother, "I just want people to see past my physical traits and look at me, look at my heart."

"What have I always told you: Beauty lies in the heart. When people look past the way you look, that's when they can truly say they know you. Consider it this way: Your bua is blind, because she cannot see the beautiful girl that you are. She's seen you grow up yet she doesn't know you. Now that you're thinking about marriage, these things will happen more frequently but try not to let them bother you. Love goes far beyond the physical attributes. It's about deeply committing and connecting with another soul." Holding her daughter in her arms, Kiran said. "The day a guy falls for your heart and soul, that's when you should agree to get married."

Miraya broke off the hug and said, "Thank you, ma!"

"Chal pagli. Koi apni ma ko thank you bolta hai kya! Don't skip meals any longer. I don't want your health to be affected," Kiran remarked with a smile. (Silly girl. Who says thank you to their own mother?)