Chronicles Of My Darling Husband

58. Vismit (Part 3)

"Are you trying to snare Jagdish with that seductive drape of saree?" Maithali cooed into Nishita's ear, her voice a teasing concoction of intrigue and mischief, just as Yashoda vanished like a ghost around the corner.

"Wha—what?!" Nishita stammered, her cheeks igniting with a blush redder than a sun-scorched chili pepper. Indeed, seduction was the name of the game today, but to have it so candidly pointed out by his grandmother? She felt like an amateur magician caught mid-trick. Clad in his favorite shade of pink, her waist artfully nipped by a golden cincture to add just a pinch of sultry flair—it was undeniably a calculated move. Yet, hearing it vocalized added an entirely new layer of embarrassment, she felt more like a rookie playing dress-up in the world of romantic espionage.

Maithali chuckled, a sound rich with knowing. "Oh, darling, you're a mirror image of Yashoda in her heyday. I just hope you steer clear of the pre-wedding baby bump surprise she navigated!"

Dafuq?

A juicy morsel of gossip exploded in the air. "What?" Nishita gasped, her curiosity spiraling. She hadn't plunged deep into the murky waters of Jagdish's family history, reserving those juicy narratives for dreary afternoons or the endless chattering sessions tucked in the corners of some distant cousin's wedding marquee. But this snippet? Oh, it was tantalizingly irresistible, like a forbidden fruit dangling right before her eyes.

"You look as baffled as a cuckoo clock's bird," Maithali laughed heartily.

Absolutely, Nishita was oblivious to the fact that Jagdish had conceived on the scene of pre-marital vows—especially given his skittishness about even fleeting hand-to-hand contact, she had pegged him as a product of stringent, traditional upbringing, his 'sanskars' presumably downloaded directly from his mother's virtuous hard drive. But oh, how the plot had thickened! Here she was, learning that the backstory was deliciously more scandalous than the pristine image she'd been sold. This was like flipping open a supposedly tame novel only to have it explode in a confetti burst of smutty secrets.

"I... What do you mean by that?" She leaned in, unable to let such a colorful tale slip by.

Maithali's eyebrows danced upward, a playful smirk playing on her lips. "Curious, eh?"

"Sorry, Dadi Ji, I shouldn't..." Nishita stumbled over her words, her cheeks coloring with the heat of her embarrassment. Intrigued by the family skeletons, yet mortified at her own eagerness to dig into the gossip, she wavered between wanting to know more and fearing she'd overstepped.

"Arey... There's absolutely no need for apologies," Maithali began, waving off Nishita's discomfort with a flick of her wrist. "Your future parents-in-law? Wild doesn't even begin to cover it. Yashoda, the cherished only daughter of the wealthy Trivedis, fell head over heels for Veer, a rugged military man from the middle-class Singh clan, us—the sworn rivals of her family..."

Nishita's eyes widened as she absorbed the tale, the plot concentrating before her like the romance of an Indian Romeo and Juliet, but with the added spice of family feuds and forbidden love. Her imagination raced, images of secret rendezvous and stolen glances, picturing the young lovers dodging familial arrows to be together.

Maithali continued with her tasteful description of her son's love story. "As Veer and Yashoda's whirlwind romance took center stage, their tales of forbidden meeting became the hottest gossip simmering through the streets of Mathura. Amidst this juicy backdrop, the Trivedis, clutching their pearls and their reputations, steered Yashoda toward a marriage befitting their high societal standards—a match that was more about mergers than true affection... But wait, here's where the surprise came in! Amidst a symphony of tears and a dramatic whirlwind of family trauma, Yashoda's silhouette began to change, revealing a baby bump that was undeniably rounding into its sixth month. The news exploded like a firecracker across the community, sending shockwaves far beyond the intimate corners where whispers usually resided. Suddenly, everyone knew about their secret."

What in the world? Mrs. Singh is really something!

Nishita gasped, her eyes wide as saucers.

"The families were in uproar. My husband, ruffled and righteously indignant, laid into Veer, who coolly declared- I plan to marry her. None of our families would have nodded yes to this union. This—our own crafted plot—was our solitary shot at a life together." Maithali mimicked Veer's deep baritone and chuckled.

"Veer and Yashoda, bless their hearts, were just too young to grasp the gravity of their situation. They thought they were living out some grand drama—oh, the folly of youth! By the time they realized the full extent, it was far too late for options like abortion. So, there they were, faced with a stark choice: tie the knot in haste or consider adoption for their unborn child."

Nishita was on the edge of her seat.

Maithali shook her head, a smile playing on her lips at the memory. "They were stubborn as hell, I tell you. They declared they'd rather leap into the abyss than be apart or give up their child. Such dramatic declarations! We all found ourselves at a crossroads, and ultimately, there was nothing to do but capitulate to their unwavering will."

Nishita's jaw hung open, a silent testament to the shock reverberating through her at the audacious resolve of her future parents-in-law.

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A/N

What a whirlwind romance Yashoda and Veer must have had, huh? It must have been quite the passionate saga to end up with such a calm (or perhaps, secretly wild) son like Jagdish!

"Lahu Muh Lag Gaya" for young versions of Veer and Yashoda.

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