Rab Rakha

Chapter 17

The bride and groom stood on the mandap and faced each other, they exchanged jaymala and hugged each other in this moment full of joy. Sheena and Gurjot had dated each other for almost five years since college. Together they made it work, worked on each other's differences, insecurities and managed to balance their work life as well. As if this much wasn't enough, the cultural factors were another obstacle when Sheena's Agrawal family didn't like the idea of a Punjabi son in law. This issue took up another year that delayed their wedding. Shehnaaz smiled and cried inside because her friend wouldn't be staying with her in the same place anymore. She wasn't going to be in the same city or state either, she would move out soon with her husband all the way to Bangalore.

"Aunty, aapke room ki chabi mil sakti hai? Thoda sa extra saman rakhwana hai." Shehnaaz asked Rita Ma.

"Ha beta lele." Rita Ma replied, turning to her son.

"Montu, bacha isko room ki chabi de." She told him.

Shehnaaz looked at him as he pulled out the key from his pockets and gave her, the two tried not to look at each other during the interaction.

"Uh, wo-" She hesitated but then she had to ask him anyway. She had asked almost a lot of people but didn't find what she was looking for.

"Box hai aapke pass? Medium size?" She asked the mother son duo.

"Mere pass toh nahi hai. Kya rakhna hai?" Rita Ma asked back.

"Chori ka saman." Shehnaaz winked at her. She was going to steal Gurjot's shoes later.

"Acha. Montu, tu abhi shaam ko konse boxes rakh raha tha store me? De de isko." Rita Ma told him.

"Hmm." He nodded, making his way back towards the store house. She followed him in, asking herself why didn't she asked Deepti to do it for her.

"Wo, Guru ke cousins bhi nazar rakhe huye hain uske jootey pe. Unko trick karne ke liye box chahiye." She justified and heard him hum in return. She worriedly looked at his back, wondering if he was mad at her.

"Yeh." He picked up am empty gift box and gave it to her.

"Ha, isme ho jayega. Thanks." She replied, carrying the box outside.

He followed her to see what she was up to. She removed her sandals and put them in the box and began to walk out barefoot, he just kept his eyes on her. He noticed how keenly she gave the box to Deepti and went to a group of ladies and started chatting with them. Slowly, she moved closer to the mandap and casually circled around it. He didn't understand what just happened because Deepti stood at the same place with the box she hid behind her back.

Soon Anju and Rajiv were asked to keep their hand under their daughter's hand to give it to Gurjot as per the priest's instructions for gathbandhan. Sheena held Gurjot's hand and intervened their fingers as they walked round the holy fire, promising an eternity to each other as per the wedding vows and the priest soon announced them husband and wife.

"Sabhi bado ka ashirwad le lijiye." The bride and groom nodded and stepped down the mandap to do as told.

"Mere jootey?" Gurjot was confused for a second before he realized his wife's sisters must have stolen them.

"Shaadi Mubarak Jiju!" Deepti and a few cousins showed up.

"Ah understood, lao bhai mere jootey." He chuckled, asking them for his shoes. He did notice Shehnaaz standing behind them, he knew who was the mastermind behind all this.

"Mil jayenge, sirf shagun ke 51,000 de dijiye." Another cousin spoke.

"51?!! Beta, itne ke toh jootey bhi nahi hai!" He replied, surprised out of his wits.