Part 8

Next morning Maa popped up the question to Nisha as to whether she liked Suneel. Nisha said that she wasn’t sure and for the last seven eight months of her working in her company she had always thought of him as very arrogant and rude.

She realized that Maa was surprised and was not ready to believe her and Neeru was openly protesting against this view.

However, Maa said, “It’s a critical and very important decision of your life.  So we will not rush you into anything. You take all the time you require to decide or even before you say a clear no. But promise me that you will make a well considered decision.”

Tinkoo said that Suneel had promised to take him and Neeru to the Railway Museum so he will be visiting their house even today.  Maa suggested that Nisha should give herself a chance to know the guy better.

Tinkoo was first to get ready and urged both Neeru and Nisha to hurry up.  He surprised everyone by eating his breakfast very quickly today.  Generally Sunday mornings are lazy. Nobody in the house would be in a hurry to take a bath but Neeru was the next to get ready and helped Nisha in selecting her dress.  Nisha chose a light green coloured short kurti in cotton with small floral pattern in pink and white on it to go with her light blue jeans. Neeru picked up large hoop earrings from their assortment. The big silver rounds had little flowers in light pink and green enamelled on them Nisha had always liked them but had never wore them. She reached out to pick up the golden coloured studs that she mostly wore but Neeru snatched them away.

“These will go much better with the dress Dee”, Neeru added, “Try them just this once... here....  let me help you .....” Neeru made Nisha put them on.

“Oh! Look how gorgeous! Now look at yourself!” Neeru pushed her in front of the mirror. Although Nisha voiced her protests aloud but she could not help secretly admitting to herself how lovely she looked.  The big round rings studded with flowers accentuated her long and delicate neck. The colour of the shirt and the hoops softened the brown of her eyes against the black eyeliner that gave her large eyes a deeper look. The waistline of the shirt made her look even thinner.

“Now this will provide the finishing touch”, Neeru handed her a pale pink lipstick with matte texture from their collection. The light blue goggles and the white flat sandals helped complete the look.

All of them got ready for the outing.

 Soon Suneel arrived to pick up the trio. He wore a light blue cotton shirt which fit smartly on his broad shoulders and white trousers with brown leather sandals which gave him a slight casual look and made him appear taller than his six feet.

He informed Maa that they would be lunching out but he would like to have dinner at home with them. His Sunday evenings were generally free.

They liked the railway museum and enjoyed the toy train rides especially Tinkoo. He was very excited. Nisha found that Suneel had an acute sense of humour and could relate very engaging and hilarious jokes.  She soon forgot everything about the marriage alliance and started to enjoy herself.  It seemed that she was laughing a lot after a long time.  She liked the carefree way in which all of them could behave in Suneel’s company. He made others feel comfortable with him. She was pleasingly surprised to discover this aspect of Suneel’s personality.

 Soon all of them started feeling hungry so a fast food restaurant was selected as their next destination. They ordered Burgers and Pizza along with cold coffee.  Then they went to see a Bollywood movie at a nearby theater and had a lot of fun eating popcorn with coke during the interval.  Even when  the sun receded on the horizon nobody wanted to go home in the evening but Suneel and Nisha insisted that they head towards their house.

Baba was waiting at home and complained that it had taken them too long to come back. Suneel desired a cup of tea so Nisha offered to make it herself.  She found Baba and Suneel engaged in a political discussion on the current events as Baba laid out the chess men on the board.

Nisha liked the atmosphere in the house. It had become very lively as the loud sounds of excited laughter from Baba, Neeru and Maa reached her even through closed doors as she changed into comfortable clothes.

Mondays were always very hectic at the office and this week was expected to be even more so, as new projects came her way one after another.  Time flew very fast and Nisha hardly got time to eat a quick lunch. She found that Damini and Neerja were even busier. But things were under control by the late afternoon and her friends joined her for a coffee on her desk.  They excitedly told her about the new movie they had watched and recommended that she must watch it too.  She did not feel like sharing with anyone the tales of her weekend and concentrated only on listening to them. She decided that there is no point in telling her friends so soon about her family’s efforts towards a marriage alliance and that too with a guy at the office.

It is strange that we can hide a number of things from even our close friends if we pay attention to just listening to them and talk only about what interests them the most.

Before leaving the office she got an SMS from Suneel that he had to hurry for some urgent work and would like to see her the next day.  She felt a sigh of relief. She realized that she would have to face a difficult situation sooner or later and wondered how she would tell her mother and now Suneel too that she was not ready for marriage.

 

Next day was again very hectic at office. True to his word Suneel appeared at her desk right at 6 pm while she was picking up her purse.

“Coffee?” he asked.

“I think I should go home”, Nisha suggested trying to avoid him; “I will get late”.

“Don’t worry about getting late I have already sought permission from your Baba”, Suneel added quickly sensing her reluctance.

Smiling at her he motioned her towards his motorbike.

The Cafe’ Coffee Day was unusually less busy  that evening.  Famous as CCD, it has become very popular especially among the youngsters. It may be attributed to the rich aroma of roasted coffee that greets one even before entering the shop and the ambiance of the place. Another factor is people can spend a lot of time there chatting or waiting for someone or simply relaxing. She noticed two people were working on their laptops while sipping coffee. Suneel found a corner table for them as he carried their coffee.

Suneel started the conversation telling her about the new work that he was doing, and Nisha forgot all her reluctance and was drawn into the dialogue.  She found herself giving suggestions regarding search engine optimisation and marketing tactics that could be used to boost the clients’ businesses.  She argued that the importance of social media sites in this kind of work could not be ignored especially to gauge trends in customer preferences. They did not realize how quickly one hour had passed. In fact she found herself in an engaging academic discussion and enjoyed herself after a very long time.  Suneel remarked that he appreciated her knowledge and might apply in his business the practical tips she had given.

Soon it was time to leave. Suneel said that he was looking forward to this meeting as it would give them a chance to know more about each other. Nisha found that Suneel was very warm and it was easier to talk to him than anybody else without being judged.  She decided to air her fears and tell him very clearly before he gets any ideas about her liking him.

“Suneel, before we leave I would like to tell you something”, she looked at him, her eyes pleading.

 He was all attention as soon as she said it.

 “Yes Nisha?” He was now looking at her intently.  Suddenly Nisha was at a loss of words and could not decide how to go about it.

Seeing her hesitate he urged her, “Come on Nisha you wanted to tell me something. What is it?”

“I’m afraid.. I don’t know how to say it.. But I think.. I have committed a blunder....” She hesitated. “Let’s leave,... I think it is getting late... I think...maybe...I will tell you some other time..” her reluctance was returning.

Suneel took her hand in his and its warmth reassured her.  “There is no need to be afraid of anything; whatever you say will remain with me.”

He encouraged her to speak, “Did something happen at home?” Noticing that she  shook her head he continued gently, “was it at office?”

She nodded silently.  “Was it relating to work?” When she shook her head again he asked quickly, “then somebody at the office?”

“Who is it?” He insisted.

“Meenakshi”, she whispered noticing the look of astonishment that crept in his eyes she added, “I think I am responsible for what happened to her”.

“What? How?...”

“I know she tried to jump out of the office window, which you prevented.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

 With difficulty she told him how she had gone once to have coffee with Deven and then to see a movie with him and the likelihood that it might have been interpreted as the beginning of a love affair by Meenakshi.

“So, you think you are the one who is responsible for their break up and her resignation later on?”

She saw that amused look returning to his eyes. He said, “You have just overworked yourself into this thinking and it is not true”.

He excused himself to take a call outside the cafe’ as it had become a little noisy.

“Come”, He urged her to leave the cafe’.

They did not talk anymore as she climbed back behind him on the motorbike. She was not able to guess his exact reaction to what she had told him but the feeling of guilt in her heart was still very pronounced.

They were now on the highway but instead of going straight on the main road Suneel turned left.  She thought “This is not the way home, where is he taking me? Does he know another route? He might be taking a detour to avoid congestion on the road”. But she felt too tired to ask anything.

Part 7

Fridays are special days at the office. People are looking forward to the forthcoming weekend. People have plans for outings or spending time with their families.  A number of people especially at the lower strata of employment plan to go out of station to their hometowns or villages. 

Damini and Neerja enthusiastically approached Nisha with plans for Staurday to watch the latest Bollywood movie and lunch at a new Chinese restaurant which had opened recently.  Nisha politely declined the offer. Both the friends kept badgering her for a long time as to what was wrong and why she was in a blue mood.  But Nisha kept avoiding any questioning and considered it better to stay at home with plans only to sulk at home during the weekend.

She tried to drown herself in the files. She took refuge under answering the queries of various clients in the new project and typed out all the marketing strategy herself.  The day dragged on and she was relieved when it was time to leave office.  She tried to avoid seeing anyone and quietly left the office.

Saturday morning Neeru woke her up.

 “Maa has been calling us for some time.”

Nisha did not feel like coming out of the bed and felt some heaviness in her head.

After she had freshened up, Maa informed her that Baba had received Sonu’s picture on WhatsApp last evening and everybody had looked at it.  She thought that the guy looked simple. Neeru exclaimed that he is very handsome. Tinkoo also liked him very much. Maa said that she would be able to look at it in the afternoon when Baba returned.

Maa asked her to run an important errand today.  There are two very poor families living outside the colony, every Saturday Baba would deliver them some groceries.  But this Saturday he was called at office due to some urgent work, so Nisha would have to carry out this responsibility.

After breakfast Nisha reluctantly got out of the house.  All the members of those families cheered up as soon as they saw her.  There was good news from one of the families.  The elder son had got a job in a restaurant nearby and would now be able to look after his family.

When Nisha returned after two hours she saw a black Mercedes parked near her house, wondering as to whom it would be belonging to she entered the house. She heard excited laughter of Tinkoo and Neeru.  They were playing carom with someone whose back was towards her.  They were so engrossed in the game that nobody noticed her.

She found Maa in the kitchen.  “Who’s there Maa? Do I know him?”

Maa smiled at her, “Not till now my love”.  “Go freshen up a little and wear something pretty then I’ll introduce you”, she added.

“Maa is it …..?”

“Yes my love it is dear Sonu and he seems to be quite nice. He came just after you left and he is going to join us for lunch. By the time I am ready with lunch Baba will also return,” Maa informed her excitedly.

“I am OK like this. Why do I have to get ready when we are staying inside the house only? I think I am looking quite respectable and I have come from the outside.”

Maa took another look at her “Yeah, the dress is OK. Your hair is neatly done but there is something missing.”

“Oh, it is the cheerfulness that you usually have, that is missing!”

“Are you alright?” asked Maa.

Maa ignored Nisha’s nodding and placed the back of her hand on Nisha’s forehead to feel the temperature and  to see whether she was running any fever.

“There is no fever. What’s wrong sweetie? I am noticing you are not yourself since the last evening? Is everything all right at the workplace?”

“I think I am just a little tired”, Nisha tried to push aside her concern.

“Okay go wash your face and comb your hair. I will prepare some fresh lemonade for all of us that will make you feel relaxed”, Maa got back to her work.

“Yes, Maa”, resignedly Nisha thought that the best way was to face the current situation and take it as it comes.

As soon as he saw her, Tinkoo urged her to join the game. His opponent turned towards her and Nisha was stunned.  What on earth is he doing here?  Why is he here?  Did he already know about the likely alliance that was being pursued? 

Nisha felt a little embarrassed and heard her mother saying, “Sonu this is Nisha and Nisha this is Sonu.  His actual name is Sunil Tewari but he is nicknamed as Sonu so we are also calling him Sonu.”

Suneel got up from his place welcoming her and told Maa that they already knew each other.  They worked in the same office.  He said that he knew Nisha well.  Tinkoo was not very happy with the interruption and both he and Neeru beckoned her to join the game.  Suneel confirmed that it would be wonderful if she also joined them.  All of them were engrossed in the game and did not notice father entering the house after half an hour.

Maa soon announced that the lunch was ready and the game had to be stopped.  Neeru and Tinkoo carried the board and other things away very quickly and joined the others at the dinner table.  Nisha helped mother carry the dishes to the dining area.

Father enquired from Suneel whether he faced any difficulty in locating their house. Suneel said that the directions from him were so clear that he could easily come straight to the house.  He apologized for not visiting their house three days ago along with his parents.

Father said, “It’s all right with us.  Your father was mentioning that you were held up in some work that day?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for that.  A colleague had needed my immediate help and spending time with her was unavoidable.” He added, “I could not make it the next two days also because I am working on one of my personal projects.”

“What kind of work?” father enquired.

“Sir, for the last two years I have been working on a private consultancy for some clients in USA and Germany. I provide them both technical and HR solutions. In fact I have now trained a team of four people working in my organization.  I registered my own company two years ago and the work has now expanded and I am getting clients from UK and other European countries too.”

“But you are already employed in the company where Nisha is working.  I have heard that you have done very well there.  Isn’t it taxing to work at two places?”

“Sir, it was hard initially for about six months I was doing everything myself, but since then I have recruited selectively and trained my people well, I do not have much problem now though it still demands hard work. Actually sir, within three months of joining this company I had decided that I must have my own business. I have already completed more than three years here.”

He declared proudly “Sir, within this time my turnout has risen to  five times and after paying my taxes, other expenses and the salaries of my employees I am able to earn thrice the salary I am getting now from the company.”  He added. “The difference in timings in India compared to USA and Europe makes it possible to run this kind of business.”

“My plan is to run my own business full time say after another ten months or so”, he mused aloud.

Nisha could guess that Baba was impressed by this guy.  Tinkoo and Neeru had struck a friendship with him in no time. After lunch he offered to take them to the nearby ice cream vendor and Neeru and Tinkoo readily agreed. By the time Nisha and Maa had tidied up the things he brought ice cream for the rest of the family members too.

         After he had left all the family members except Nisha kept talking about Suneel.  It seemed everybody enjoyed his company and liked him. Tinkoo was already a fan and was looking forward to another ride in the Mercedes Benz. Maa thought him to be polite, considerate and gentle.  Neeru declared that he was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen in her life and he could easily be a Bollywood hero. Baba considered him to be ambitious and progressive.

Part 6

Father told the family that Mr. Tiwari’s son would be able to come only on the week end because he attends to some special work every evening after office.  He will WhatsApp his son’s picture in a day or so.

Nisha felt indifferent about this but made it a point to see Deven the next day. She realized that Deven probably was not in office today.

The morning was busy as usual and Nisha was eager to know what her team head thought about her work on the new project. There was a series of meetings with clients and other project heads which did not give her time to meet Neerja and Damini.  After lunch she took a sigh of relief when her Team Head told her that the whole team found her work excellent, of course there were suggestions for small improvements in the budget layout. Sulkshna asked her if she would join her for tea in Deven’s room.  She was actually looking forward to seeing Deven so, she readily agreed.

During the tea she was informed that she would be looking after another project which was only half completed. To her query she was informed that Meenakshi had resigned the day before so her work would be distributed among other teams till someone new joins in Meenakshi’s place. It dawned upon her that her workload would increase tremendously.  Her protests were drowned in the arguments put forth by Deven and Sulakshna.  Deven also hinted that she might be heading a new team very soon. 

After the meeting was over Nisha stayed back in Deven’s room.  After sharing a few views about the new project, she tried to converse with Deven on a personal level.  She felt that he was being evasive and was not interested in listening to what she wanted to tell him.  She wanted to tell him that her parents were thinking about her marriage but it seemed Deven was already preoccupied and wanted her to leave.  Confused and irritated she left his room and Suneel entered.  She ignored his greeting and rushed back to her desk.

As soon as she was out Neerja and Damini drew her towards the coffee plant.  “Do you know I have been loaded with more work?” Neerja exclaimed.

“Me too!” added Damini. “I wonder how I am going to handle it. It will be too much to cope with.”

“Even I have been given more work and I think it is because of Meenakshi’s resignation.” Nisha informed them.

 Damini exclaimed “Oh I know that but why would Meenakshi leave so suddenly? It must be something relating to that incident the day before.”

Nisha said, “Could it be that she got a better job than this and decided to leave here?”

“No chance. She was inducted here on Deven’s recommendation two years ago.” Damini informed in a low tone. She whispered “people used to tell that they were seeing each other even before coming here and were on the brink of an engagement.”

Neerja added “You know, Padmini, Deven’s PA told me that there were calls coming for Deven from his village in UP for the last six months. A week ago after such a call there was a big fight between Meenakshi and Deven.”

Nisha enquired “they did not seem to be seeing each other lately, was the affair still going on?”

Neerja said, “oh dear you are altogether a different species! You are so much engrossed in your work you rarely notice anything. Most of the office knows that there affair was running rigorously till six months ago.”

Damini pointed out “it’s true that it was not so obvious for the last six months but it does not seem that they ever had a break up.”

Nisha left their company with a heavy heart and fell in her seat.  She remembered when she had entered Deven’s room last week she had witnessed shouting and a tearful Meenakshi leaving his room.  Could the fight be because of her?  Was she responsible for a breakup? Was Deven’s interest in her led Meenakshi to attempt jumping down from the seventh floor?

She could no longer concentrate on her work. What that poor girl must be going through.  Unknowingly has she done something very wrong?  How could she be sure that Deven was dropping hints of his interest in her?  What a fool she had been to have agreed to go to see a movie with him. Could this be the trigger for Meenakshi’s emotional turmoil? How could she be so very stupid?

“Its already six, time to go home baby”, Neerja’s sharp comment pulled her out of her negative self talk.  “More work does not mean that we have to work late in the office.  We will do all the work during the office hours only” She added with a hint of resolve in her voice.

Damini joined her “Yes, just shut down your system and let’s leave together today.”

Nisha exited the office in their company but was alone in her thoughts.

Maa, Neeru and even Tinkoo kept inquiring about the reason for her sadness.  Nisha felt that she could not summon the courage to voice her fear and guilt.

Part 5

Next day all the members of the family got busy in carrying on with their routines and works. Nisha was flooded with urgent work in the office.

During the coffee break she found Neerja engaged in a discussion with Damini who motioned her to join them. Damini was telling something that happened last evening. Damini had sat late up to 6:30 pm last evening. Almost everyone had left the office. The gossip was that a big fight and shouting happened in Deven’s room. Loud noises and arguments roared the corridor and when Damini was about to leave her desk she saw Meenakshi rushing out of Deven’s room in a frenzy and climb up the window in the main hall. Suneel who was going towards the elevator pulled her down and yelled at her. He took her with him down the elevator. By the time Damini could finish closing her computer and went down by the elevator they had already left. Meenakshi had not come to office the next day. The three friends wondered what could be the matter with Meenakshi. Was she attempting a suicide?  

Nisha considered herself to be not a gossip monger type and returned to her desk because she knew if that this news would spread like fire in the jungle and soon the whole office would be talking about it in hushed tones. Poor Meenakshi she might become the ‘talk of the town’ mused Nisha. Soon the Team head called Nisha in her office and detailed her for another new project. She was soon immersed in her work. The lunch was very quick. She had to sit a little late to complete flagging important issues in her recent project file. By the time she could finish it she realized it was already seven and that meant she would have to hurry up to avoid being too late. All her colleagues had already left.

She was surprised to find that the elevator in this part of the building was not working that day. She went to the opposite wing on her floor, but there too it seemed to be the same problem. Nisha decided to take the staircase to descend down seven floors of the building. Nisha was quick in climbing down up to the fourth floor. But the door to the staircase on the fourth floor was shut tightly. She noticed that the door was bolted. She wondered where the security guard was. She applied a lot of thrust but could not open it. It seemed that nobody had opened it for a long time. A lot of dust had collected in the thin gaps. She pulled the door towards her and tried to move the bolts slowly but it would not budge from its place.  This part of the building was usually deserted. Especially that evening she could not see any body. Again she applied all her might to open the bolt but nothing happened. She tried again very hard this time but still nothing and Nisha starting feeling a sense of frustration building inside her. This time she put all her strength to open it but it wouldn’t move. She did not know what to do, but as she struggled again once more with the bolt, she stopped as one large hand from behind her almost covering the whole bolt opened it in one smooth quick go and it slipped as if by magic.

Nisha turned around to find out who her saviour was and found Suneel towering above her, his eyes looking at her intently. She was drawn by the usual amused look they held. Nisha was transfixed in the gaze. It seemed to her that a sweet message was being relayed which was almost touching her heart. Spellbound by the magic of the moment neither of them realized that they had engaged each other in a gaze for quite some time. The loud movement of the door behind her broke the spell. She suddenly felt very light headed and a sudden euphoria surrounded her. She quickly attributed it to the feeling of freedom from her short lived frustration. He gestured her to move first out of the door as he opened it ajar. But she moved a step forward to pick up her bag which she had kept on the window sill to make her both hands free. In the process her soft shoulder brushed against his chest which felt rather hard to her. Both of them came down silently. Nisha was a little worried because it was now dark outside.  She started to move towards the bus stop, but Suneel stopped her on her way and offered to drop her near her house.

“I see that you are working very hard, and it’s a bit late. I’ll drop you home”. Nisha started to say no but realized that Suneel had not asked her permission and was actually telling her what to do. The firmness of his jaw and command in his voice did not allow her to reject or say anything else and she quietly walked behind him towards the parking for two wheelers.

Suneel dropped her near her house on the service lane that led to her house and said it would save him time and effort from making a detour on the longer road.  Before leaving he suggested, “It’s good to finish your work on the same day but you must take care that you do not get too late. In this office usually most of the people leave by six”.

Nisha felt the old irritation returning and before she could retort Suneel had already left. “How dare he direct me?”  “What does he know?” It is only because of his objections and criticism that she was trying to prove herself and was working so hard. Now who will explain as to what he was doing in the office at this hour?” Nisha felt sure, “He thinks too highly about himself he is a great snub”. With these thoughts Nisha and the scent of his aftershave lingering with her she entered the house.

When the lovely aroma of freshly cooked food struck her she realized how hungry she was and the sight of mother pouring out soup for her father diluted her irritation. Soon she started exploring kitchen table by lifting the lid of each and every pot peeping in to discover what was prepared for dinner and very soon the warmth of the house dispersed her irritation totally.

Hello friends

 I am back again on the blog spot. This time I have taken a very very a long time to come back.  Many of you have been asking me on the phone as to why am I not publishing anything.  This time there are no excuses I was simply out of tune. Of course, whatever may happen there should not be any laziness on my part.  I assure you that new posts on this blog will be now a regular feature.  The story Heart has its reasons is now resumed, hope you enjoy it very much. Please leave your comments to which I look forward to most eagerly.

THE HEART HAS ITS REASONS

Story till now

Nisha is a brilliant, well educated and hard working girl who has been working in a corporate office for about 8 months.  She is very enthusiastic about her work.  In two –three meetings she has started liking a guy much senior to her in position and experience.  She has recently found out that her parents are trying to strike a matrimonial alliance for her. Nisha is in a dilemma as to whether to reveal her liking or go on with the flow of events in her life.

 Would the situation change or will she be required to make a compromise or is it that she is being misled....? Learn more in this interesting narration of the story.

Part 4

Nisha looked at her reflection in the mirror with unseeing eyes. Mingled sounds of indistinct conversations that floated from the drawing room fell on her unhearing ears. In fact a stranger stared at her from behind the mirror. Her solitude was cruelly broken by an invasion from Neeru who pulled at her hand and urged her to come out of her room.

Nisha thought it better to keep silent till the evening was over because mother was very busy and everyone was very excited.  She was not sure what their reaction will be if she revealed her feelings to them.  She silently withdrew herself and felt that she would not be able to participate whole heartedly in the evening’s events.

Neeru gently pushed her from behind overcoming her resistance and took her to the drawing room. She could see that the table had been laid out and tea was being served by her mother who was being helped by Tinkoo.

“This is my elder daughter Nisha”, father introduced her to the guests,“and this is MahendraTewari a great friend of mine and his wife Shalini”. Nisha’s cheeks turned crimson as all eyes fell on her. Her father proudly talked about her academic achievements. Mother felt that she looked very delicate and vulnerable in the pink chiffon saree that enhanced her slim physique as her cheeks reflected back the colour.

Mrs Tewari shifted a little on the sofa and made room for Nisha and offered her to come and sit near her. A hesitant Nisha looked reproachfully towards mother who was sitting beside Mrs. Tewari and moved slowly to sit when mother nodded at her.

She noticed Tinkoo was highly absorbed in an anecdote which Mr. Tewari was narrating and was probing him with his endless questions. Soon she was drawn into a conversation with mother and Mrs Tewari about fast life in metros and the cool laid back lifestyle in the hills. Warmth engulfed her as she felt very much at home in Mrs. Tewari’s company and she realized that Mrs Tewari was so similar to her mother in her way of talking and manner.  She forgot about everything else and started enjoying the evening.  Soon dinner was served and the guests insisted that all of them would dine together. There was no doubt that both maa and baba were very excited by the reunion with their old friends and their enthusiasm drew her and Neeru into every discussion. Nobody realized that 4 hours had passed since the guests had arrived.

Mr. Tewari was the first to air his concern about time. He asked Mrs Tewari to make a call to her son to inquire as to how long it would take him to reach this place. Mrs Tewari called but the phone was not picked up. After half an hour she called again this time she got a message that due to some unavoidable work her son would not be able to join them that night.  It seemed that he was caught up in some urgent work which would take him three to four hours more at the workplace.

Soon Mrs. Tewari declared that they were getting late and they must leave as she needed to pack for their journey to Jaipur next day and Mr. Tewari needed to take some medicines at a prescribed hour. Both of them felt sorry that their son could not make it that night. They however promised to send his pictures to them. Mrs Tewari also assured maa that her son would be coming to see them very soon and they would soon finalise things as soon as Nisha meets ‘Sonu’ her son.

The whole family walked down up to the end of the alley to see them off.Before leaving, Mrs Tewari took out a miniature statue of ‘ganpathy’ from her purse and placed it affectionately in Nisha’s hand pressing her palm with warm hands.

Nisha liked the gesture very much and placed the statue on the study tablein her room. It was made of glass with intricate golden work on it. It was actually very beautiful. It reflected light and shone like a diamond.

The turn of events made Nisha feel relieved that she was spared a very uncomfortable and embarrassing moment. After changing into comfortable attire, she prepared coffee for everybody and the small family again gathered in the drawing room.

Tinkoo declared that he liked uncle Tewari very much. Neeru complained that she was disappointed as she was not able to see and meet the “would be” groom, even maa aired her concern about this fact.  But baba assured all of them that they would be able to see the guy soon.

 Nisha had some reservations and was a little critical, “What kind of a guy would not show up at a time when his parents are trying to strike out a matrimonial alliance for him? I wonder whether he wants marriage or not.”

 Neeru supported her by saying, “yeah, this should be an important occasion for him. I am truly disappointed”.

Father gently told them, “We should all be patient. We do not know what circumstances might have prevented him from joining us. But my gut feeling is that he will be seeing us very soon and there is going to be a positive alliance”.

He made no attempts at restraining his obvious satisfaction with the events that took place that evening.

Mother smiled and silently nodded her agreement and Nisha could not help noticing that hopeful glint in her eyes.

Part III

Nisha followed the melodious sound through the veranda that separated the kitchen from her parent’s room and soon could smell something delicious being cooked in the kitchen. In fact the whole verandahad a fulsome aroma.

After entering the kitchen she discovered Maa busy in frying samosas,one of Nisha’s favourite food items. She could also see Jalebis freshly cooked heaped on a big plate. Maa loved to cook for the family and enjoyed cooking exotic dishes. Forgetting everything she tried to pick up one piece of jalebibut maa gently caught her hand and stopped her from doing so.  “Wash your hands first!” she admonished Nisha.  Nisha meekly followed the command and then she picked up a handful to her heart’s content. 

 She munchedon the crisp and thin, fried a beautiful golden brown, freshly cookedjalebisthat were lightly fragrant with Kewra. In order to stop the delicately fragrant, sweet smelling sugar syrup from dripping down her palm and to arrest its flow up to her delicate wrist she licked it while relishing every drop of it.

Nisha exclaimed “Oh, maa!! You are terrific! You are a master at cooking! Nobody can beat you!  These Jalebis are amazing!” Maa just smiled at her and felt very happy that her daughter was satisfied. Then, after consuming a spicy samosa and topping it with another piece of jalebi she focused again on the questions that had been going through her mind. 

 She enquired “what is the occasion maa, is there anything special today? Is anybody coming? Has chacha suddenly decided to come from the US?”

With a sparkle in her eyes maa nodded and smiled at her, “First, why don’t you freshen up a little,” she suggested.

“No, first tell me what’s happening, is chacha coming?” Nisha asked excitedly.

“No dear, chacha is not coming today, in fact we received a call from him this afternoon, and he said that he would be busy for at least two months and would be able to visit India only during the children’s winter vacations,” Maa informed Nisha. “Why not go and tidy up yourself a little, dear?” Mother urged Nisha.

“Then tell me..., Oh, please tell me what’s happening”, insisted Nisha.

“Okay,”said maa.

Thenmaa called out for Neeru. Neeru came running to the kitchen and Nisha was surprised to find her in the house at this time of the evening. Generally her younger sister was out playing tennis with her friends during early part of every evening, and she could not help noticing a strange sparkle in her eyes too.

“Please fry the remaining samosas Neeru, I need to discuss things with didi,” maa asked Neeru.

“Yes mom” Neeru took over the task from maa.

Nisha was surprised again on the readiness with which Neeru accepted this responsibility because generally Neeru was reluctant to work in the kitchen, she preferred to get materials from the marketthan to cook or clean, as her shareof responsibilities among the household chores and would rather stay away from the kitchen, trying to read a book or play something. Being the younger sister in the family she was pampered by everyone else and somehow she managed to do what she liked the most rather than being involved in any household chores.

Maa took Nisha into her roomwhich she shared with her younger sister and when they were seated comfortably on her bed, she said “your father has been receiving marriage proposals for you, for a long time but we did not talk about them with you earlier because we wanted to be sure that we liked the match in terms of education, looks,income, family background and reputation of the family.”

She continued “Today morning we received a call from a very nice family.We know that they are good people because they had been our neighbours in the seventieswhen your father was posted in the North-East.They are god fearing, conscientious people who are very kind.  They had  helped us get through our difficult times.  Your father had been receiving threatening calls from an insurgent group there and was trapped into a false case with the government. Mr. Tewari at that time was also working in the same Department where your fatherwas”, she paused, then added,“He was the only one who had stood by your father’s side in the time of crisis.”

She continued further,“His wife is a very religious and gentle lady. They are good people. The ways of their cooking, living and overall culture is also similar to what we have. They have a son and a daughter.  Their daughter is already married and settled in Jaipur.  She is a brilliant doctorand is running her own clinic.  Their son is working somewhere in Delhi or the Delhi NCR and has studied MBA. We will soon know the details about him.”

She explained to Nisha,“One of the acquaintances who visited them mentioned about you to them and the old connections were reset. They now live in a place called Summer Hill near Simla. These days they are on a visit to Delhi for about a month.  It seems that they are visiting their son who is employed here.  Their son seems to be a good match for you my love.”

“But maa, neither you nor Papa discussed this matter with me and suddenly you are telling me all this!” Nisha exclaimed.

“All of this happened so suddenly, my dear. It was only in the morning that we came to know that they are here and they would like to visit us. Tomorrow, they will be leaving for Jaipur to meet their daughter.”

“But maa should this not be discussed with me first? Suddenly, you are telling me all this. You and papa could have asked me whether I was ready for marriage or not.”Nisha protested.

“My dear your education is complete, you have a good job, and you are of the right age, then what is the problem? Everyone needs a family.”

Mother tried to explain further “Your father is already fifty four years old and in six years he would be retiring from service, and then we have Neerja’s and Tinkoo’s responsibility too. Neerja and Tinkoo will also be finding their own paths in life, tell me, really, are we doing anything wrong, by thinking about your marriage?”

“But not me mother, why is marriage necessary?” Nisha protested again.  “Can I not continue like this only?” She asked. “I can’t even think of leaving you,papa, Neeru and Tinkoo. I am not going anywhere and that is final.” Nisha was now tearful.

Mother took her in her arms and said “when we enter into marriage, it is not that we leave the people we love.  It is a new beginningin which we share our lives with more people.  This is the wayan order has been set in the society. In our society to start a new family girls have to leave their parent’s house.” Gently caressing her long strands, left open by her, mother added “You already know all this and we all need our life partners my love”.

Mother explained to her “You will not be separated from our hearts where ever you live. You will always be a part of our lives. But you know very well that all of us must move ahead in life. Nothing is stagnant.  Soon you will be wanting your own family.”

“My family is here and this the place I belong to. Why such a cruel order had to be set mother?” Nisha protested. “I do not like the thoughts of living away from you or papa.  This is so cruel to ask me to leave everything to which I am habitual and the people I love and go to a strange house among strangers.  They may not even like my coming to their place. Why should I be subjected to such discomfort mother?”

Gently and softly mother asked “Oh dear tell me if you had to go outside to a faraway place for work would you not go?”

Seeing her shaking her head in the negative maa added quickly “tell me if Neerja would have to go away to a far off place like the USA or Canada will you and I ever stop her because we cannot bear to live away from her?”

Maa paused and added tenderly “if we are physically distant from our family will our love for each other lessen?I understand there will be some pain initially but that is a part of life my dear, such pain only makes us grow. But the future will unfold to you much more than you can imagine now.”

With some pride she added “Do you know my dear with your virtues, your behaviour and your pleasant personality you will be able to win anybody’s heart very quickly. I am certain that where ever you go people will admire you. You are already popular at your work place I guess and I believe that you will be loved even in your new family. This family will give you all the love and care that you deserve”.

She paused and then lovingly added “you will be very happy when you will find love in your own family. This happens in every girl’s life I also made new relations after my marriage and received you and Neeru as the most wonderful gifts in my life. Moreover, making new relations does not mean breaking or leaving the old ones. This one is a family about which I anticipate that they will accept you with open arms.  I am also sure that Mr. And Mrs Tewari must have inculcated high values in their children. Any girl would be lucky to be related to them.”

In an attempt to abate her fears she added with firmness in her voice “Nobody is going to force you my child.  You will get full freedom to exert your choice.  If you do not like anything about the prospect then you just say so, but I expect that you would make a well thought out and considered decision with solid reasons to say a no.”

Nisha hugged her mother more tightly. She could feel the sadness that had descended on her otherwise cheerful mother.

Tinkoo entered the room with a bang. “Mameeji, mameeji  .. mamu has asked me to tell you to hurry up with all the arrangements.The guests would be arriving any time within half an hour.” Tinkoo, Nisha’s cousin whose parents were living in a small village in UP was being brought up  in their house since he was seven years old so that he could get good education in Delhi. Nisha’s parents looked after him. He was the most pampered and adored member in the family. He had already stopped missing his village or parents a long time ago and rarely remembered that he had his real parents in the village.He seldom remembered them only when somebody asked him. He loved his maternal uncle and aunt as his own parents and called them lovingly mamu and mamee.

“Tinkoo you change your clothes quickly and then help mamu with his work” mother sent Tinkoo to his room and then turned around to look at Nisha. “Just wash your face then I will help you dress in a saree that makes you look much prettier” mother smiled at Nisha trying to push back traces of water that seemed to wet her eyes.

While dressing up Nisha kept thinking about her meeting with Deven and could not decide whether she should share her feelings with mother.  She was reliving the event again and again and the whispering voice of Deven echoed in her mind now and again.

Should she tell mother about her feelings for Deven.  What would mother say?  What about father, how would he react?  He may not like the idea. 

What about Deven?

The events indicated that Deven liked her. But was the liking enough that it would materialise into something? 

Will she be able to face the people who were coming to meet them? What if they could read from her face that she may not be acceptingthem?What if they are able to guess what is going on in her mind? What will father say?Such questions kept nagging Nisha.

The perturbing thoughts were interrupted by Neerja who pinched Nisha on her arm. 

“What is this Dee?”asked Neeru. “I have been calling your name but you are not responding, you already seem to be in your sasural”, Neeru teased her.

“Shut up Neeru, it is just that this happened so suddenly and I was not ready for such a thing.  I am confused and I am not sure whether I want to marry at all.”Nisha was irritated.

“Oh Dee, whether you marry or not I am going to enjoy this evening, and please don’t be so irritable that it may spoil everybody’s fun, Neeru added jokingly.

Neeru sprang up from the couch as the door bell rang, and urged Nisha to hurry up with the final touches she was supposed to apply to her makeup.