Maze of Lies- Lost Around Secrets

Chapter 5

~Amrita~

"Amrita what is your thought on marriage?", My aunt asked.

I was cutting the vegetables for dinner. My aunts asked for my help in the kitchen which they don't usually do and hearing that question, I understood why— to have the conversation of my marriage.

There are girls who feel shy and nervous about this question. There are ones who feel annoyed at the thought of marriage alone as it means letting go of whatever little freedom they got. Then there are girls like me who neither like nor dislike marriage. For them marriage is like a chore and compulsion that must be fulfilled at a certain point of time which will surely come. And I knew that time was slowly approaching me.

"I haven't thought about it badi mami." I replied to my aunt Meena's question as casually as could with a forced smile which might have appeared awkward to them.

"You are at a perfect age for marriage. We are also getting some good marriage prospects from our distant relatives and we don't know what to reply to them without knowing your opinion." My aunt Lekha said while rolling chapatis with the rolling pin.

I sighed, closing my eyes. I knew they were taking care of me in any way they could. Having lost both our parents at an early age, everyone tried to provide comfort and care in any way my parents would have, had they been alive.

I am thankful for it— truly, I am. But still, I feel the difference. The difference between a family and a relative. The difference between love and responsibility. And my brother and I are the latter.

"Chhoti mami! Right now, I want to wait until Dev is well settled in his career. He is studying very tediously for the State examination. I don't want to distract him with my marriage and further concern."

Aunt Meena was the wife of my elder maternal uncle, Mahesh whom I call 'bade mama'. And aunt Lekha was my other maternal uncle, Krishnadhar's wife who was younger than my elder uncle and my mother and whom I called 'chhote mama'.

I called both of my aunts as 'badi-mami' and 'chhoti-mami' respectively since it is inappropriate to take the elders' name.

Aunt Meena had a round plum face with a pair of almond-shaped light brown eyes.  Aunt Lekha had similar facial features since they both were sisters. Both of their long, black hair were knotted in a bun to work freely.

Although we had some servants working daily trivial errands, the cooking should be done by the daughter in-laws. They’d told me that once when I had questioned it.

"Dev will be concerned over you regardless you marry or not." My aunt Lekha continued, "Wouldn't it will be good for him to have one less thing to worry?"

I chuckled softly. They could not have been more wrong about my brother. I completed my task and looked at my aunt Lekha.

I tried to make them understand my point, "On the contrary, he will be anxious whether I am treated well by my husband and in-laws or not. Believe me mami, he is so free right now because he can see me anytime and is assured that I am well and safe with our family."

The 1 year he was away from home, he was not 'that' anxious because he knew I was in our home and with our family. That does not mean he was not worried. He constantly wrote me letters during his trip through a courier pigeon. I was extremely worried about him. The amount of letters we exchanged in a week is really huge. Even the courier pigeon would have cursed in its mind for working it to the bone.

My aunt Meena said with a soft expression, "Dear, do you not believe us? We will never marry you off to a bad man. We will properly investigate the man and his family before even thinking about your marriage with him."