All Strings Attached

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Dhushyanth

I keep an eye on Sita as she speaks to the female handloom workers, her hands making animated gestures as she chats them up, inquiring about their work, and working conditions.

I notice how she has the attention of everyone around her; the women are gathered around her with an eagerness to share, and she ensures her attention is divided equally among anyone who wishes to speak to her, and she even goes on to occasionally rope in anyone who hasn't added to the conversation.

She carries herself with grace and respect, and just the right amount of pride that doesn't come off as arrogance.

Has she always been like that?

With everyone else, yes. I definitely always brought out the worst in her, and she never failed to let me know that.

Sita catches my eye, and raises her eyebrows smugly. Look at me be everyone's person and win you votes.

A chuckle breaks out of me as I pucker my lips to blow her a kiss to which she looks around, shaking her head and glaring at me.

"Sir," I hear Damodar sneak up on me, startling me, even if slightly. His watchful eyes flit between my wife and I, but he makes no comments.

"Yes?"

He hands me a bottle of water. "You need to prepare for your speech," he prompts, "and it would be nice to have madam by your side for it."

I agree without much hesitance, and Sita joins me on the stage for my speech. When we're leaving, I notice how the women come to bid her byes, speaking to her as though they're sending their niece, cousin, or friend off on a long trip. They gift Sita a hand-spun saree, and she receives it with enthusiasm.

"Next time, I'll bring Amma and Athayya," she promises the ladies, "I'm sure they'll love it too."

Bidding her final byes, she gets into the car, and grins at me. "Was I good?"

I chuckle at her enthusiasm. "You seemed to really enjoy what you were doing," I answer, taking the saree from her hands. I observe that It is a forest green cotton saree.

"It's a beautiful saree, isn't it?" She indulges, leaning over to inspect the fabric. "They insisted, said I was a newly wed so green is the perfect choice."

I smile. "You look beautiful in everything, but I love when you wear green."

Sita's cheeks turn pink as she averts her gaze, clearing her throat. She fakes a cough as she scoots closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder. "I'm glad," she whispers.

Her actions cause my heart to flip, propelling me to kiss her on the top of her head. "Thank you for coming today."

She pinches my cheek without even looking up. "You don't have to thank me. I should've offered."

"You don't like campaigning, though."

"I honestly don't mind this," she says, "it was really nice to be talking to all of those women."

I interlink my hand with Sita's and kiss her palm. Silence takes over the car as my wife snuggles up against me and quickly falls asleep on the drive back home. I go through some important updates from work, making notes for my team back in the office.

I should probably tell Dhruv to catch up with the office and carry out a few updates.

But how much will he handle by himself? He will need some support.

I sigh to myself, wondering how I'm going to manage all of this together.

~.~.~.~.~