Indian Wedding Tales

S A K S H I : part II

Noises from the kitchen ended up disrupting my sleep at six in the morning. Groaning, I rolled to the other side of the bed and panicked when I realized I would fall if I turned anymore. Quickly scrambling away from the edge, I got up and trailed my fingers along my neck to find it sticky with sweat.

I sighed before looking up at the ceiling. The fan rotated painfully slow almost as if it were doing us a favor in it's time of end. Even with the regulator on full speed, the fan refused to do its job. My old tshirt stuck to my skin and my scalp felt itchy from the grease. All night we couldn't sleep since it was too hot. Sleep crept onto us in early dawn at four and here I was getting up again at six.

I kicked the thin blanket I often used to wrap my legs with and gotthe bed and marched straight to the kitchen.

"When we slept late yesterday I assumed we would get up late as well," I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I narrowed my eyes at Neel. My husband really liked loud music it seemed because he continued to bang the vessels and move them around. The miniscule countertop was full of vessels. Neel kept knocking some over and they landed on the floor with a thud.

The kitchen floor was strewn with packets of spices and make shift bags to store rice and lentils. We really didn't have much of groceries yet. There wasn't space to even put one leg so that I could reach Neel. I bent down to gather the packets together and keep them in a pile but somehow one bag I didn't notice was open spilled orange grains all over the floor. Mixing with other things and getting between other items.

"Shit," I hissed when I realized the big mess it caused in this tiny kitchen. I got up from my crouching position only to feel like a brick had been rammed in my head. The scream that came out of my throat and the sound of my head hitting the rickety cabinet above me made Neel spin on his heels.

A sharp pain grew in my scalp and I returned to the floor slipping on plastic packets and scattered grains with my hand on my head. I bit my tongue as the pain intensified and I felt Neel squat in front of me, pulling my hands away and rubbing his own hand on my scalp.

"It hurts a lot," I murmured while closing my eyes.

"I guessed that from the sound of the impact. It was like two planets colliding" He smiled while continuing to soothe the pain. I swatted his hand lightly before grimacing.

"Is there blood?" I asked.

He rose up a bit and inspected my scalp before shaking his head. "Lucky you"

I narrowed my eyes at him as I felt the dull thudding of blood inside my head. "Really?"

I gave him a blank look and he chuckled.

"Come out, I'll put some oil in your head"

"So you can see me in oily hair? No thank you" I shook my head but Neel simply laughed. When he stopped he looked at my eyes that were filled with a glint of sadness in them.

"I'm sorry about this"

"What?" I asked as if not understanding his words.

He sighed before guiding me out of the kitchen.

"You deserve so much more. Definitely not this old, tattered and lacking in space apartment"

"Neel.." I turned to him but he shushed me by forcing me to sit on the single chair and kneeling before me.

"I'll make everything perfect for you because ...," He said running his fingers through his hair, "you're perfect. I can't even tell you how lucky I consider myself when I realize you chose me. You married me."

"I want to give you the best of everything and I promise I'll do right to you. I'll get the most beautiful and perfect little house for us."

I wanted to remind him that I wasn't perfect and that I didn't like anything that looked too perfect. I need chaos and unruliness in my life more. But when he placed a kiss in the inside of my palm I let the thoughts fly out the window and smiled at him.

"No, Trisha. You put this entry in this column," I corrected my seventeen year old neighbor and watched as cluelessness clouded her face. She let her eyes wander about the page before looking up at me with lost eyes.

I laughed and patted her hand. "Read the question again"

She nodded and pulled the textbook closer and went back to reading.

The scent of incense increased and Mrs. Chawla walked into the room with two glasses on a tray. She placed them on the desk and turned to me.

"You like milkshakes right?"

"Depends actually" I sunk back in my chair a bit.

"Oh don't worry. It's mango milkshake. Everyone's favourite"

I looked at her and tried my best to pull my lips up but she probably caught onto it.

"Don't tell me you don't like mangoes," Mrs. Chawla titled her head and viewed me with wide eyes.

"Not really," I confessed and heard a gasp from Trisha's side.

"Bhabhi! Who doesn't like mangoes?!" I chuckled while trying to relax back into the chair.

"Well Sakshi definitely has different taste," Mrs. Chawla mused. "But I hope you'll complete that" She pointed to the glass and I nodded.

"Bhabhi, what did you like in Neel Bhai?" Trisha suddenly asked while cupping her glass of the milkshake.

"Why do you want to know?" I narrowed my eyes at her and I felt panic when she shook her head slightly and gulped.

"Just...asking" She said before grabbing the pen again. "You look so... so... beautiful..and no doubt Neel Bhai is handsome as well but you like ... every middle class guy's fantasy"

I laughed lightly at her. " You're not the first one to ask me that you know. Multiple people have come to with the same doubt."

I cradles my milkshake in my hands and began," When I finally said yes to arranged marriage, people were surprised because they were expecting me to have a boyfriend and have a lo-"

"So did you? Did you have a boyfriend?"

"No. I didn't. I was too busy with job after college to focus on that."

"But you must've received quite a lot of attention form boys..."

I nodded at her. " Yeah, if I have to be honest, I did but I never entertained them"

"Anyway, before I met Neel, I almost went through fifteen boys. I know I have a figure that the society finds appealing and attractive, my friends even suggested me to try modeling, you know, but anyway every time I met a potential candidate, their eyes would rake over my body and I could see their minds working through their eyes. It was upsetting because no one really talked to me because they had already made their decision. They would go home and fire a big Yes without bothering to know me.

When I met Neel, he walked into the café with this crisp blue shirt tucked inside his black pant and sleeves cuffed at the wrists. He wore these nerdy glasses and patiently sipped hot coffee. When I approached him, his eyes never left mine. They didn't for a moment make me feel like a piece of meat ready to be devoured. Our intended one hour chat turned into a three hour date. He listened to what everything I had to say and the respect and affection that shone in his eyes made me feel so safe. "

"I felt relief with him I hadn't felt before. You could say he was the gentleman all girls dream of. Our interests were mismatched in many areas but hey that just means more of things to try for the both of us right.

And with Neel, it feels like I can even sail through the Pacific even though I have sea sickness."

When I looked up at Trisha, she sat silently watching me.

"Wow, you really do love him" She sighed. I ended up blushing.