Shefali wore a soft pink tant saree with a complementary design all over.
She braided her hair into a pony and wore a chain from her mother's box of jewelry Satyendra had brought from the old house.
Her neck looked very empty in the absence of her regular locket but she couldn't help it. She refused to wear any other chain than the one she was accustomed to wearing earlier.
It was a senseless argument.
It was simply that Shefali did not want to replace something she admired with all her heart.
She applied a bit of Surma in her eyes and wore the golden bangles her mother owned earlier.
Shefali knew her aunt was great at pointing out imperfections and she wanted to give her no chance this time.
She did not want to hear anything against her stay here. She did not want to let her point out how miserable they were without their parents now that even Dadu had passed away.
She feared to hear something else deep down.
She feared that everyone would start believing that her Dadu had to simply pay off the debt of taking her into his shelter when no one else did when everyone was too busy mourning for her parents and pointing her as the reason for the massacre.
"Didimoni,"
The door knocked.
Shefali opened the door with a smile.
Hari Kaka smiled back.
"The guests are waiting downstairs"
He informed and left.
She looked at the mirror and tried to smile.
She smiled.
"I hope I look happy"
She whispered to herself in the mirror.
Her anklets were evidently announcing her presence with each step she took.
"Shefali! It has been so long"
The guests almost cried out together as soon as she entered the room.
Her aunt collapsed her into her hug, tightly holding her in.
Shefali struggled to breathe properly but maintained a happy face.
"Look how beautiful she looks!"
She said holding her face to the side to show her husband and that is when Shefali's eyes fell on the timid girl sitting on the floor.
"Indeed"
Her uncle agreed.
Shefali somehow escaped her grip and walked over to the expectantly looking Rekha.
"Rekha?"
Shefali said with a happy grin.
She was truly happy now.
Rekha got up and hugged her immediately.
They were obstructed by her uncle's forceful cough.
"Rekha, why don't you stay here for a few days with Shefali? This way, she would feel at home too... After all, in this house of men, even she needs a companion. I heard of Gauri's condition, Sattya"
Shefali's aunt explained and Shefali was on the ninth cloud by then.
"That would be great"
Satyendra rejoiced after seeing his sister so happy after so long.
YOU ARE READING
𝟏𝟓𝟐𝟗: 𝐀 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐣𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚| Indian Historical Fiction
Ficción histórica𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 Ⅰ 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐀𝐉𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐈-𝐁𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 Shefali Roy had lost her parents in a pandemic when she was just one year old. That was the first time she was orphaned. The next time she was orphaned was when she was seventeen. The army of...
