Mixed Masala

Chapter 1

"And where do you think you are going? Where is the rest of your jewellery?!"

Meera stopped in her tracks as she took in the sight of her normally demure mother who was standing at the threshold to their home in such a way as to effectually bar her exit.

Lakshmi Devraj was a vision in gold, from her rust coloured heavy silk brocade sari, matching handbag and sandals to the many adornments that completed the "typical Indian wedding" get-up which included a pair of enormous gold earrings which her husband had purchased for her several years earlier in India, at least four gold and diamond studded necklaces, all varying in length and design but equally ornate in appearance, what seemed like (and indeed were) a dozen thick gold bangles on each arm, a large diamond stud on her pierced nose, a designer stone-studded bhindi on her forehead, and all topped off with a huge heap of jasmine flowers on her hair which at the moment was pulled up into an attractive "bun".

Meera's mother hardly ever wore make-up except for a little face powder and a hint of lipstick (always in a pale shade) and a little kohl for the eyes. Lakshmi Devraj had been a stunner in her younger days and Meera had to admit that her mother was still a very attractive woman despite her 59 years. She had flawless, radiant fair skin, an oval face with perfectly shaped eyebrows above large dark brown eyes, a nose that many of her Chinese friends envied and a full mouth that easily broke into a pleasant smile.

Yes, on most days, Lakshmi Devraj was a simple yet elegant lady, humble and generous to a fault ... but give her a wedding or any other "social" event to attend and Meera's angel of a mother very quickly turned into a nightmare to live with.

Meera stared in wonderment at her mother now. The older woman suddenly looked much larger than her 5'3" frame.

"I have got my jewellery on, ma. Look!" Meera said, holding out her arms, the light catching the gold bangles that graced her slender wrists. "And I'm wearing the necklace you and pa got me last year from India ... It goes very well with my sari, don't you think?"

Lakshmi shook her head and her eyes narrowed. "But where are the rest of your jewels? You have to wear at least another six bangles on each wrist ... and where are all those other beautiful necklaces your father and I got you over the years?"

Meera gasped, her face incredulous. "You want me to wear all of them?" She already had on an exquisite pair of gold earrings, a beautifully crafted gold choker around her neck and three immaculately crafted gold bangles on each wrist. Secretly, she was glad that she had left most of her parents' gifts to her in a safe deposit box at the bank which was of course closed on Sundays, but a sense of dismay swept over her at the thought of her mother forcing her to wear some of the trinkets from her own collection which were scattered haphazardly (or so it seemed to Meera) in various locations throughout the house. Lakshmi Devraj did not have much faith in banks and so had established these "secret" caches instead.

Meera Devraj was twenty-three years old, the second of three siblings. Her sister, Jayashree, was four years older and had got married barely a year before. She and her husband now lived in Kajang, an up and coming township near the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Jayashree had studied medicine at the medical college in Trivandrum, India and had completed her housemanship back in Malaysia by the time she was twenty-five. A year later, she was introduced to a "suitable boy" (i.e. a doctor from a good family) and shortly thereafter they were married. Jayashree and her husband, Ravi, now ran a family clinic in close to their home.

Meera's younger brother had turned twenty a couple of months ago and was the comedian of the household. The fact that his name was Devrajan Devraj may have had something to do with it. Raj, as everyone referred to him, was currently pursuing a degree in electrical engineering and was in his final year with a university in London.