Ishqana Dil

Part 43

A/N: Call me crazy... XP

A marquee had been installed in the morning on the road between the Mathur Haveli and Chaubey Nivaas for the wedding. It had intrigued her that nobody seemed to bother that it was closing the door. Neeti told her it was a common thing. They were working fast on decorating the inside of it now. She whisked past the workers until she found the person she was looking for.

"Bhaiyya," she tapped Manohar on the shoulder lightly. "Ab Uma kaisi hai?"

"She's fine. My wife dropped her home earlier and her Badi Amma will be taking care of her."

"And Mantu?"

He lowered his voice. "He doesn't know. Uma told him she had left the house to scare him... I understood that they had a fight yesterday and she told him it was her revenge. That made him angry but at least he doesn't know the truth yet... Tum kaisi ho? You didn't catch a cold, I hope?"

She shook her head with a smile. "My grandmother made a kadhaa for me, I'm good. Thank you so Bhaiyya."

"Thank you for what you did for Uma... Amaya-"

"I should go now," she said quickly. "Bohot zyaada kaam hai."

***

The sun was setting already. She could hardly believe it. A few more hours now, and her sister would be married...

"Wow, Amu! You are looking beautiful! Orange looks really good on you."

She pouted at Jazz. "Tum bhi utni buri nahin lag rahi ho, Jassu."

"Thank you. But I'm serious. You already look like a bride in this lehenga. Tum kaho toh main Mantu se baat karoun? Issi mandap mein tum dono ki shaadi kara dete hain?"

"Jazz!"

"Just joking, Amu! Lekin tumhein ek baar toh sacchi mein soch lena chaahiye. Mantu is a very nice guy."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the loud beating of her heart. How could she tell her younger sister that she wanted exactly that? As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Rama's Nani came to her. "Ey ladki! Keep this well," she thrust a brass pot in her hands. "I will need this before the wedding starts." The sisters exchanged a look.

"I swear they are so weird," Jazz whispered. "I keep wondering what they will do to Rachi Di after the marriage... It scares me... Amu, can't we stop this sham?"

She bit her lip. "Jazz, I'm pretty sure it's too late now."

***

She was checking on the guests, like her mother had instructed her when it happened. Rama's grandmother jumped back and fell on the ground, screaming and shaking. Everybody froze while her daughters and Rama's Buaji rushed to her aid.

Her blood ran cold. One second everything had been going on so smoothly and now, she was being accused of electrocuting the old hag. "You wanted to kill me, wretched girl! I know it!" Apparently, when she had come to take her lota, Nani had gotten an electric shock due to a wire that had fallen against it.

But Amaya had not done anything on purpose. She had simply placed the lota there until it was needed. She didn't know where the wire had come from. And she tried to explain it over and over again but no one was listening. Rama's family was threatening to break off the marriage if she did not go down on her knees to beg for forgiveness. Why should she even do that when she had done nothing wrong? But then she thought about her sister and mother... Swallowing her pride, she started lowering herself before them but-