Fitoor | ✓

15 | Pandra

15 | Pandra

It had been two days since Tara had shifted to her brother's house in Jodhpur. The wedding was drawing closer and closer and the wedding invitations had been sent out, Tara received a copy too. It was a white minimal card with red and gold borders and silver texts and flowers doodled across. It was the one she had designed herself. She'd smiled when she saw it, Varsha Bhabhi said it looked like a Christian Wedding invitation more than it did an Indian Hindu one. Siddhant agreed with his wife while their daughter begged to keep it so she could cut out the flowers and stick them in her scrap book.

People in the Rajput mansion too thought the card was very plain, Ramya fed Tara with all the updates of the house. Everyone was shaking with excitement, the extended family was enjoying the stay, there was music and dance every night. Apparently, Indira was spending her days antagonising everyone, she wanted the wedding to be perfect. No one was allowed to rest. Pankhuri would constantly snatch the phone from Ramya and blabber for hours, Tara didn't mind though. Pankhuri had a way with words and she knew everything about everyone. How the girl managed to keep an eye on everyone, Tara had no idea, but it was fun hear her gossip nonetheless. She would always hear Ramya laughing from behind and poking Pankhuri whenever someone passed by.

"Bhabhi, you have no idea what news I have for you today." Pankhuri said snatching Ramya's phone.

Tara laughed, "You say that every day."

"Oh but today's is really good."

"What happened?"

"Guess who I saw entering into your room last night?" Pankhuri murmured.

Tara's heart skipped a beat, was it Indira trying to look for something? "Who?"

"Your fiancé!"

Tara couldn't believe it. "Lekh?"

"That's right, he's your fiancé." Pankhuri affirmed and Ramya laughed whereas Tara frowned.

"What was he doing in my room?"

"I think he was missing you. First he just went into your room and just stood there like a mannequin, and then he sat on the door. I think he was trying to inhale your odour. Men, I tell you." Pankhuri said, Tara could practically feel her head shaking; Ramya's laughter grew louder.

"My brother is whipped." Ramya's distant voice rang in Tara's ears who wouldn't believe what Pankhuri said.

"Are you sure that was him?"

"Yes Bhabhi!" Pankhuri shrieked. "He just sat there for a while, took deep breaths and then left.

"I am not even going to ask any more questions. My head hurts from this news. I cannot digest it."

Pankhuri laughed, "better get used to it Bhabhi, you're going to marry the biggest weirdo known to mankind. But believe me, he's the best weirdo ever."

Tara smiled. I know.

* * *

Tara sat in her niece's room which had been temporarily assigned to her- and would be every time she visited her brother's house. Ananya, the niece was more than happy to comply, Tara wasn't so sure she'd have the same attitude once she started moving towards her adolescence.

Her mind shifted to her own baby, how was it going to be like handling her or him. While she never revealed it to anyone, she personally was inclined to bear a girl-child, how was she ever going to handle a boy. When she was little, she had a doll she'd take care of like her daughter. She would brush her hair, ready her in the morning and prepare her for bed next to her every night. She would look for potential grooms and murmur life lessons that a five-year-old had learned in her cotton ears. Maybe it was a longing of juvenility or anxiety of losing the son to Indira, but a silent wish for a daughter was there nonetheless.

Varsha knocked on the open door, "Why are you not getting ready?" She asked, sitting next to tara on the bed.

"In a minute." Today was the Sangeet ceremony. It was a women-only function, older women blessed the bride while everyone sang traditional wedding songs and danced on them. Perhaps, it could be called a traditional Asian bachelorette party sans all the dirty. Although, it wasn't like the older women didn't pass comments on the first night and such kinks. It always ended in giggles and awkwardness though.

"What are you thinking about?" Varsha asked.

"Just things." Tara didn't know what to tell her, while she adored her sister-in-law, she hadn't exactly gotten a chance to be close with her. An awkward silence fell in the room and Varsha got up abruptly.

"I need to prepare the food, I hope we don't fall short of it. If you need help get readying, just call my name." she said and left.

Tara bit her lips, so many things had changed in such a short time. Kartavya was gone, the man she had thought she'd spend her whole life with, the man she had loved with all her heart. His death had almost killed her inside; the hardest day of loving someone is the day you lose them and the days after that are even worse. But then she found out she was conceiving and then Lekh happened. New relationships were building and forgotten ones were coming back. Maybe, just maybe, a new day had finally arrived.