Misty Rain

3. Jansi Laxmi Bhai

Vinodh glanced at his watch, while Charani's eyes were on Jagathi. Dressed in a traditional half saree, Jagathi was sweetly chatting with five-year-old Tarun, her innocence shining through. Charani thought to herself, *"Who could ever say no to someone so beautiful? The man coming to see her today definitely won't. But what should we do this time to sabotage her marriage alliance?"

Vinodh broke the silence. "Mom said the guy coming to meet you is well-settled and owns a software company. I saw his picture too-he's pretty good-looking."

Jagathi turned to him and smiled. "Chachi is too innocent. To her, everyone is perfect. Just let it go, Bhai."

At that moment, little Tarun, standing on a nearby bike, wrapped his small arms around Jagathi's neck, kissed her cheek, and declared, "Lucky, I love you! When I grow up, you should marry me!"

Jagathi giggled, kissing him back. "I love you too, Tarun. Hurry up and grow fast, okay?"

Tarun blushed, feeling shy.

Vinodh chuckled. "Lucky, maybe you'll like the guy who's coming today. You might even fall in love with him and have a happy married life. Why not consider agreeing to this marriage?"

Jagathi clasped her hands together dramatically. "Oh, Sri Krishna, I'm not ready to be your Arjun! If you don't help me out, I'll have to rely on Tiger!" she said, referring to the street dog. "He'll chase them off-whoever comes to see me will leave with 14 injections around their stomach!"

Charani couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

Vinodh shot a playful glare at his wife, who quickly stifled her laugh, pressing her finger to her lips and putting on the most innocent expression she could muster.

Vinodh shook his head with a smirk. "You're turning into a real terrorist, day by day."

Jagathi flicked back a few flowers from her braided hair and grinned. "Thanks!" she said with a wink.

"Dad, Mom, look! A car is coming," Tarun shouted excitedly. Vinodh glanced at the approaching car and signaled with his hand for it to stop. The car pulled over, and the guy stepped out, casually removing his goggles.

"Yes? What do you want?" the man asked.

Vinodh recognized him instantly from the photo and tried to speak calmly, but before he could get far, the man's attention shifted to Jagathi. He ignored Vinodh and, with a wide smile, said, "Wow, are you Jagathi?"

Jagathi, irritated, folded her hands and turned away.

"You look even better than in your photo," he added, still staring at her.

Jagathi sighed and replied, "Look, you seem like a decent guy, but I'm not interested in marrying anyone right now. I can't be more straightforward than this, so I'm asking you to leave."

"Do you think I'm a fool?" the man retorted arrogantly.

Jagathi looked around for a moment, grabbed a stick, and without warning, began hitting him. Vinodh and Charani stood frozen in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing.

As Jagathi continued to beat him, she yelled, "Stupid idiot! Have you even seen your face in the mirror? You and your monkey face-how dare you think I would marry you? Today, you're going to leave this village walking on your own two feet! Didn't you understand when I said I don't want this marriage? You think you're handsome? You look like a thief who sneaks around at night and sells stolen goods in the black market! You're nothing but a pickpocket. I'll pull your eyes out and use them to play marbles, you rascal!"

The guy, stumbling and falling as he tried to get away, frantically yelled, "Sir, save me!"

Vinodh quickly grabbed Jagathi's arm, "Lucky, stop! Leave him alone!"

Jagathi, still fuming, struggled to break free. "Bhabi, let me go! Today, I'm going to kill him and happily head to central jail. But make sure I get all the comforts-TV and good food. Leave me!"

The guy, terrified, gasped, "God! Are you crazy? You're completely mad! You belong in a mental hospital!"

Jagathi, eyes blazing, shot back, "You're calling me mental? You, your father, your mother-your whole family is mental, you idiot!" She suddenly escaped Vinodh's grip and picked up a large stone.

The guy immediately joined his hands in fear. "Maha Kali, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" He scrambled into his car, reversed it at top speed, and sped away.

Jagathi dusted her hands off, clapped, and flipped her long braided hair over her shoulder. "I'm no less than Jhansi Lakshmi Bhai!" she declared proudly.

Little Tarun, clapping with excitement, jumped off the bike and hugged her legs tightly.

Vinodh and Charani burst into laughter. Charani, still giggling, said, "What is this, Lucky? You used to just explain things or give warnings. Now you've started beating people!"

Jagathi smiled, flicking back her hair. "Times have changed, Bhabi. Some people only learn the hard way!"

The dog, Tiger, who had been watching the whole scene unfold from behind the bushes, thought to himself, "Oh! My dog! She's more dangerous than I am! I'd better be careful around her... but then again, I am her favorite. She wouldn't treat me like that, right?"He wagged his tail nervously, reassured by his special bond with her, but still kept a cautious eye on Jagath.

Charani glanced at her phone and turned to Vinodh. "Vinodh, I just got a message from Udhay-the one who went to pick up your father and Badipaa. Your elder brother and his family are with them, and they'll be home in five minutes. We need to get back before they arrive!".

•••••

U

rmila looked at Jagathi and the others, frowning slightly. "Where have you all been? Jagathi, don’t you know the marriage alliance is coming to see you today?"

Little Tarun, eager to spill the beans, started, "Granny, Jhansi—" but before he could say more, Charani quickly covered his mouth with her hand.

Vinodh, thinking fast, chimed in, "Maa, we went to the temple for a quick prayer."

Urmila, satisfied, nodded. "Oh, alright." She headed to the kitchen and called out, "Do any of you want breakfast?"

Just then, a car pulled up outside the house, its engine rumbling to a stop at the front door.

Keep smiling
Chandanakshi