The ecstasy of the second chance

A Dream Come True

"She always said, her dreams come true. But I never thought that was this much true. Well, I am talking about the bride. See how much she is smiling today. It is because this is what she ever dreamt of." I found a voice behind me. It was none other than my beloved sister, Saara. She was talking to her friends. Even when everybody was against me, she was the one who always stood beside me. There was an enormous number of guests. Well, it's my wedding today, with the person I wanted to be together. I saw a lady in yellow from far, along with a man. I couldn't recognise her, but I had a feeling that I had known her for so long. As she came forward, I found who it was, Nandana. She came to me with a wide smile on her face. Well, I am not a sort of girl you think. I am not perfect, I am not girly, I don't wear salwar kameez, I am not the ideal type of girl you would wish to be by your side; I am just me. I make mistakes but I am ready to change them. I am also not a girl who would date and marry the same person. I am just a person who is opposite to people's expectation. But I do believe in true love, and soul mates.

People around me always looked me beneath. They would have never thought I could become what I wanted to. I have always lived for my friends. The more I give them love they reciprocated. But my relationships were not like that. Let me stop here. You will know more about me when my friends tell you. "Hoii Shanaya!!, Remember me?" She shouted from some foot apart. I couldn't resist myself anymore. I stood up and hugged her. The people around me were looking at me astounded. I was the bride, who never minded what others thought of and hugged my long-distance bestie. It has been eleven years since I had last seen her. We'll not really eleven years because I had visited her a few months ago to invite her to my wedding. Also, she was with me the last 6 days, yet when I saw her, I was unable to resist myself. I whispered in her ears, "Last night was fun, isn't it?". She was smiling and scowling at the same time. I couldn't hold my laughter.

I was taken back to old days. Where I had no fear to laugh, cry, fight, and more. That was the time when I was myself. I had changed a lot since then. I remember the day, the first day of my third school. Everybody would talk about their first day of the school. But I don't have any special memories to it. All the memories I had was here, my third school. I was holding my sister's hand through the gate. I didn't know neither the school nor the people. She took me to my class teacher and to my class. No, she took me to Nandana. I was very silent then that anybody could easily believe I was dumb, which I was not. My introduction to class was not as of others. I was sitting all alone in a bench at the corner of my class, not trying to speak a single word. A girl from nowhere, literally nowhere came to me with holding her hands out, "Hi, I am Rachna, from KV CLRI, and you?" she asked. I was starting to say my name, and again there she was repeating what she said earlier. I was laughing so much. Then I introduced myself to them. I really had a good time with these beautiful souls, who had never felt any grudge towards me for being strict. Or any hatred for not being like any of them. They just accepted me the way I was.

My fiancée, well may be my husband in an hour; held my hands and asked me to sit. Only then I realized what I was doing all this time. I was really into those golden days of my life. And then back to present, I asked Nandana to be by my side and sat down. The past week was really wonderful. The people I never expected to come had come. And the one I expected the most had not come. I felt really down about that thing. This one thought was continuously making me worried. The one person whom I had spent most of the time saying my wishes, dreams, fears, sadness, literally everything. I wanted that girl to be the first person in my wedding. But she had not come. I had lost hope that she would come. I was smiling to every person who was coming into the mandap. The priest asked me to put some of the grains into the flame that was ignited before us. And then the rituals began. My phone was continuously ringing. I didn't know where my phone was and who was calling. Listening to the repeated calling I thought it would be some emergency. I asked my sister to get me the phone. Only after some time she could find where it was. When I held the phone and viewed the screen, the name said, "Rabbit". I got really scared on seeing the number of calls she made. I attended the call, again, those people around me gave me a look which I could read, and it said, "What the heck are you doing? You cannot be talking on a phone on your wedding". Anyways I never really minded them. I asked if she was okay, and where she was now. Then she asked me, "Which was the mandap you were getting married in?". I didn't understand a thing. Where was she? Why was she asking which mandap I am getting married in? Why did she call me at this time? Doesn't she know I was to get married in some minutes? All of these questions popped in my mind. I asked her to wait a minute and handed over the phone to Nandana. Nandana said, "Where are you? Wait, what did you call for?". I could not sense her moves or replies. I heard Nandana telling her the address. And after a few minutes I saw a young lady entering the mandap, wearing all black, that too, jeans and tees. I couldn't recognise who it was. What the heck?! That's Aadhya. I was literally dumbstruck. I asked Nandana to do something for me. She collected some of the big suit cases Rabbit had brought with her. And went to the bride's room. After some time, she came out wearing a beautiful Golden gaghra which I had specially brought for her. I brought those specially for my girls to wear it on my mehandi. Well, she was not here on my mehandi. I was afraid if she would grab all the attention, that too on my wedding.