Kiara Malhotra is sunshine personified. Ever smiling, bubbly and tenderly beautiful, she's more than a pretty face. She's a talented baker from Delhi, India. She owns her own bakery which serves some of the most delicious desserts in the city. As sh...
"You were expected to be back by 4, Kiara. Why're you 15 minutes late?" Was the first thing my lovely mother said as soon as I stepped in my house.
"Chill, Ma. I'm only 15 minutes late. You know how jam packed the streets of Delhi can get around this time." I said as I removed my sandals and placed them in the shoe-cupboard. (Mom)
"The guests will be here by 5. I need to make sure all the arrangements are done." Mom said ever so anxiously. She was carrying the pile of plates in her hands and walking towards the dinning room.
"Here, let me help you." Jai, my younger brother, offered to lay out the plates on the table.
"Mom, I'll help you first and then get ready." I said and entered the kitchen where our house-help, Sunita Di was already working. (Sis)
"Hi, Di." I greeted with a smile and she returned one. She's been with our family for almost 17 years now. She's 3 years elder to me and so I call her 'Di'. She calls me the same since I'm the daughter of her employer and she thinks it's rude to address me with my name.
Our family is the upper middle class rich one. My father is a stock broker and mom is an entrepreneur. Both I and my brother work. I own a bakery downtown and my brother has a part-time job at the bank.
All the hustle in our is because we're expecting guests. Not just any guests, they're coming to seek my hand in marriage for their son. This is like, the seventh boy I'm going to see. I'm sick of seeing these suitors. The reason I've rejected the previous ones is because they're either not my type of very narrow minded. They'll tell things like, 'A girl shan't work after marriage', 'A girl shouldn't visit her parents post marriage, very often', and things like that.
I'm done with my college a few months ago and am ready to settle down but I've started to think I demand too much from a single man. All the previous suitors either found me very 'free' or very 'outgoing'. They think I'm ill mannered or too independent. They all want a wife who'll depend on them and beg for every little thing she wants. They want their wife to be lesser to them. They want to prove their superiority by taking their wife's freedom. These all things irk me to no end and I simply can't marry a man that low.
I can't be with a man who wants to change me. A man who expects me to compromise but isn't willing to do that himself, is not going to be my husband. A man who wants efforts from my side, in the relationship, but won't do any such thing on his part is not my ideal type.
"Kiara, you go, get ready, we'll take care of the rest." Mom said and I glanced at the clock. It was 4:40 now. It'll hardly take me 15 minutes to get ready.
"In a minute." I said and quickly finished dicing the fruits for the fruit custard. I washed my hands and quickly went upstairs to change.
I decided on wearing a plain yellow kurti, plain white palazzos pants and a printed white duppata. This seemed a bit formal and put together. I wore some oxidised-silver jewellery which consisted of a pair of jhumka and a ring. I wore my hair down with a middle-part, straightened look.
I heard the doorbell ring and walked downstairs. I saw mom and dad greet a lady who looked to be around the same age as mom and another girl who was much younger, probably elder to me though.
I was about to walk towards them when my brother gestured me to come towards the kitchen.
"What?" I asked him.
"There's something mom didn't tell you." He said and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"The woman, boy's mom, is Indian but her daughter, the girl next to her, and the woman's son are American." He said as tenderly as a person walking on eggshells.
"What? No! Both the women look Indian." I said in disbelief.
"The woman, Shiela Reynolds, is an old friend of our folks. She got married to an American man and so she settled abroad. When she ran into mom last week, she said how she wanted an Indian daughter-in-law and mom offered your hand." Jai said and I was furious by the end.
I wasn't against settling abroad but I have a bakery here, my whole family is here and I have been staying in this country for all my life. Leaving everything and going to America with 'him', as his wife, is not going to be easy. I'm not making assumptions about him or his family, based on the piece of information I just received, it's just that, if the proposal is such unusual, I should've known beforehand.
"How couldn't she tell me? I'm going to talk to her now." I said and walked out of the kitchen. Upon reaching the living room, I saw a man sitting on the couch, with his back turned towards me.
"Here she is, Kiara." Dad introduced me and I quickly planted a fake but warm smile on my face. When the man turned around, I'm sure my jaw hit the floor.
He's so Gorgeous.
~ Kiara's Outfit ~
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I hope you don't mind answering some light-hearted questions of mine at the end of each chapter. 🙂
