Hope

The Wedding Shenanigans: Part 2

To everyone's horror, the downpour wouldn't stop, it delayed the ceremony by nearly two hours. And the rain was then followed by the insects such as mosquitoes, grasshoppers, etc. Rahul's stepmother was so ready to insult Ananya's arrangements for the wedding but the plans got foiled due to this natural disaster.

When they entered the house, the carpets were rolled, tent was dripping with water and the food was all scooped up in a corner. No one could have foreseen that the outdoor wedding plans will be messed up by the rain and everyone was being an adult about the situation. But that couldn't stop the stepmother. 

"Where is the bride's father?", she asked sternly,

"Right here, yes, what can I do for you?", he came out of the crown which was busy welcoming the groom's side.

"What kind of an arrangement is this? Couldn't you at least consult the weather section from the newspaper before planning an outdoor wedding?", the stepmother questioned.

"We are really sorry but this was unforeseen, plus we couldn't have arranged for a better venue because of our financial crunch.", Ananya's father responded.

"Oh? So you are telling me that we took so much money from you that you couldn't even afford food for your guests or a decent venue for a wedding?", she spat.

"Again, I am sorry but like I said, we did arrange the food, you just never went to the venue, and as for the rain, I am sorry but maybe our town's newspaper was behind the service, because we didn't see any problem and yes, our finances could have been used a little wisely if we didn't put them somewhere else", he explained.

"So you are now accusing us of taking dowry? Do you think we need your money in order to get our son married? All we said was for your daughter to bring her own furniture so that SHE could live comfortably as she might not find OUR things apt for her comfort. All the things are going to be used by YOUR own daughter, and you are telling me that it is our fault that you lack the backbone and couldn't even arrange for a decent wedding for your one and only daughter?", she yelled.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I will make sure that I do everything in my power to comply by your needs and comfort. Kindly calm down and let me know what you need, and it'll be arranged. Even if I have to sell my own house", he pleaded.

"Oh please, making us the villain again, we don't want your money, just get the wedding started so we can be on our way. Huh", she turned back as she spewed poison.

It was finally time for the bride to enter. As she reached the stage, she looked all around herself and could only see mess and chaos. She saw that there were no decorations left in the lawn and only a few bulbs were put back to provide the minimum required light. As it was already around 9 p.m., everyone was starving at this point so they hurried their initial ceremony and instructed the guests to proceed towards food which was now being set up at the back of the lawn.

Ananya wanted to cry, but as all the relatives were coming for photographs with the couple, she had to hold her ground. After about an hour of countless photographs, the couple was also guided towards the dining table. At the table, along with them sat both their parents and Rahul's sisters and family. As the food was being served, there were discussions about leaving as soon as  the sun comes up so that they could reach the city till noon. Ananya was numb to all the discussions, barely replied when she was being spoken to, and her sister-in-laws mistook her silence for her shyness, once again.

She noticed that Rahul was so engrossed in a conversation with his cousin brother, that he hardly noticed Ananya and the fact that she wasn't eating anything. Forget about complimenting her look, he even failed to notice that she wasn't happy at all. 

Little did she knew that although Rahul was aware of everything but he couldn't really help it even if he wanted to. He was still living at his parent's mercy, and they wouldn't take a second to kick him out of the house if they wanted. Now that he had a responsibility of his wife, he couldn't even think about going against his parent's will because his salary wouldn't allow him to do so. 

The banter and abuses kept going on throughout the entire wedding. Ananya thought to herself that now almost everyone they knew, understands how cruel this family and specially the mother in law is, it wouldn't hurt her image if they were to cancel the wedding right? But she brushed off the thought as soon as it entered her mind because she knew that her parents have put their faith in her, and this was her own fight now, she was incharge of bringing a change, and she will fight for her own honour. 

The ceremony miraculously finished and it was now time for Ananya to say goodbye to her parents. Even the thought of looking at their faces for the last time made her well up and as she was being walked out of the house, suddenly her sister in laws took charge and just dragged her out of the house and made her sit in the bus. Her parents and cousins never got the chance to see her for the last time and in her sister in law's defence, they didn't wanted Ananya to cry so they thought it'll be best if they just took her fast enough. Bullshit in my opinion, but anyway. 

So that's how mommy dearest and daddy met and got married and now Ananya, my mom, was in for an even bigger surprise because she will finally come to know that her mother-in-law is actually Rahul's stepmother, and everything else, as soon as they'll reach their destination.