Everything Has Changed

2 | Goa

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Early in the morning, I woke up when Radha didi, our house help opened the thick curtains and let the sunlight in. Udaipur is cold these days and during the nights the temperature sometimes drops harshly. Drinking a glass of wather to soothe my dry throat I pulled the blanket off me and went to the bathroom for an awakening cold shower.

I decided to wear a pink T-shirt and black jeans as it was Friday and I had minimum energy to dress up. Being a princess, comes with loads of responsibilities and tiresome norms to follow. One of them is to stay presentable, always. I love dressing up, but sometimes I am drained out of enthusiasm, just like today.

Morning sun glistened on the Lake Pichola with birds chirping on the trees in the back gardens. Putting on a silk shirt along with pants, I decided to keep my hair down today. After making sure I had my jewelry on, that is, my mother's gold ring and my watch, I walked downstairs.

In the family room attached to the dining area, My brother Avyaan switched on the highlights of the cricket match he missed last night. Kritika bhabhi was reading a book while having her morrning bowl of fruits.

Bhabhi was in her third trimester and I cannot await for my little niece or nephew to come in this world. I announced that I will pamper and spoil the baby since day 1 and even before it.

Dadu and Dadi sa came in the room with their regal aura spreading in the atmosphere, making the help be more particular and focused on their work. We all sat down at the dining table waiting for my younger siblings to come down for the breakfast. Anaya came down the stairs hopping, with Dhruv beside her.

They sat on their designated spot on the table. Anaya beside me and Dhruv next to Chote papa. "Tum dono apni aadate sudharo. Dhruv, tum USA jake bhi college ke lie aese hi late hoge to nikal denge waha se tumhe!" Thakur family's matriarch and our dadi sa yelled at my youngest brother.

"Avyaan, kya subah subah ye cricket laga dia. Chalo ise band karo." Avy bhai was told to turn the balbber box off. "Subah subah, bhajan, gazhal aur soft music sunna chahiye, din accha guzarta hai. Kal se ye sab nahi chalega."

The servers brought our breakfasts and served us individually. I statrted with some poha with onion and bhujiya on top. That is how my mother used to give me since I was a toddler. She loved it too, dadi sa once told me.

Though she's no more with us, what I am now is because of how my parents raised me and Anaya. I lost them when I was 12 and Ana was 9. It was difficult for all of us, more as we lost three family members papa, ma and fufaji. Avy bhai lost his dad, I and Anaya lost both our parents.

Dhruv was just six, this all affected him more than it did to any of us. He was attached to my mother so much. Since he was baby, ma took care of him as chachi was busy with her fashion label. Even being married into a royal family, she didn't want to let her ambition aside and worked hard to establish herself in the fashion and apparel industry.

The thought again trailed to the back of my mind when I focused on the current concern.

"Dadi Sa, My friend Aashika is getting married soon. And she invited me to Goa for her wedding." Dadi sa hates when we beat around the bush to ask for something.

"Sabki shadi ho jaegi bas tum reh jaogi Dev." Purnima Chachi teased me. All my family members agreed to her conquest and shared a fit of laughter.