Just you and me, Bondita

Retracing her First Steps

It was around 10 am the next day and Anirudh arrived at the court gates with his jeep. To his dismay, he couldn't find Bondita anywhere.

"Where is she?" Anirudh asked to himself as he searched for her.

That was when Bondita creeped up behind him and tapped his shoulder. Anirudh jumped in shock and turned around to face her. He was stunned as he couldn't recognise her. Her hair was full of jasmine flowers, she adorned a checked silk half-saree with matching gold jimiki and necklace, and she wore vibuti (the white sacred ash) just above her bindi. Overall, she looked like a traditional Tamil girl.

Anirudh was looking at Bondita from head to toe, impressed by her efforts but she was frowning at him.

"Why you late come??" Bondita asked with a very heavy, Tamil accent.

Anirudh blinked slowly as he heard this, "What?"

"You late come! Now 10:05!" she continued with a stern face.

"Bondita, I don't understand what you are saying!" Anirudh replied, now panicking.

"Bondita? Who Bondita? My Vaijayanthi from Kanyakumari!"

Anirudh looked very worried- what has possessed his Bondita! She saw his concerned face and started to chuckle hard now. Seeing this, Anirudh got relieved and started to laugh with her.

"Hahahaha!!! Sakha babu! Look at your face! You look so scared!" Bondita giggled.

"Yeah Bondita, I was shook! I didn't expect you to behave like this!"

"Hmmm! See, were you able to identify me?!" she asked as she was swinging her dupatta around playfully.

Anirudh's heart fluttered when he saw her behaving like this but he focused on answering her question.

"You are right Bondita, I couldn't."

"Hehe! Anyways come let's go! We're going to be late!" Bondita exclaimed before jumping on to the passenger seat of the jeep.

"But Bondita, the party doesn't start until later." he replied as he started the vehicle.

"Sakha babu, I want to go and help with the decorations though! I can't be late for that!" Bondita said as she was flattening out her pleats.

Anirudh smiled at her as he reminisced how much his sakhi loved decorating for events as a child. Some things would never change!

"You haven't told Sampoorna didi that I am coming right?"

"Yeah, don't worry! I just said that a makeup lady is coming over. Guess what, even Shashwati wants a makeover!"

"What, really? So I can get my niece glammed up as well! Omg, I can't believe I am an aunty now!" Bondita replied with excitement as Anirudh just smiled at her eagerness.

But then a thought came across Bondita's head and shook her.

"Wait!!!!!! If Shashwati is my niece, doesn't that make you my NEPHEW!!!!" Bondita exclaimed.

As soon as she said this, Anirudh had to put a sudden break to halt the car.

"WHAT are you saying, Bondita?!?" he asked in disbelief.

"No because it's true!!! If my sister is your mother, doesn't that make me your aunty!!!!" Bondita screeched.

"Bondita! Stop! You are making me feel uncomfortable!" Anirudh said as he cringed.

"Imagine how I feel! My nephews are all older than me!!!" Bondita stated dramatically as she held on to her head.

"Listen I am not your nephew and you are not my aunty! Ok?!? We are sakha and sakhi, that's it! If you open your mouth to talk about this again, I will drop you home!" Anirudh warned before starting the car again.