Nandana had just taken a bath, wrapped a towel around her body, and came out of the bathroom.
She felt uneasy because her mother had arranged a marriage proposal for her today and the family was coming to see her.
Nandana went to her room where she found her mother arranging all the clothes that she had to wear for the occasion. There, she found a powder pink, cutwork embroidered blouse with sharara and dupatta, which looked amazing.
She unwrapped her towel and grabbed the bra laying on the bed. She found that it wasn't her size. She checked all the things that her mother arranged for her today.
"Maa?" She shouted from her bedroom. She rewrapped the towel around her body. "Maa?"
"Have you gone mad or what?" Her mother asked, clearly frustrated. "Why are you shouting?"
"Maa, what the hell is this? All the things you picked for me are not my size. Look, this bra is 36A but my size is 40B, and this dress size is medium, Maa! My size is XXL! How am I supposed to fit in these?"
"Why can't you wear them? If you come out showing off your fluffy, pig-sized body then no one will marry you. This is the fiftieth marriage proposal I've arranged for you in the past year, I'm fed up with your marriage issue. I just want you to marry someone so that I can marry off your little sister. She is getting NRI matches because of you, and I can't get her to marry at this point. So don't create any scene and just wear these things," her mother said with hatred in her voice. With that, she left.
Nandana collapsed on her bed and started crying.
"Papa, why did you leave me? Do you see how Maa is talking to me? Is this my fault that I'm fat?" She was talking to her father's photo, which was placed on the table next to her bed.
It's from her paternal genes that the firstborn child would be a little chubbier. Despite following a strict diet and exercise, her mom still body-shamed her.
----------------
After an hour, there was a knock on Nandana's door.
"Di, are you ready? The Bridegroom family has come. Maa is calling you, come quick," Sejal said before leaving.
When Nandana entered, adjusting her baby pink saree with silver colour border, her mother's eyes were filled with rage and the Bridegroom family were giving her a cheap look.
"Lakshmiji, your oldest daughter looks like an elephant. We want a daughter-in-law, not an animal with a huge body," the Bridegroom's parents said. "We are leaving."
Nandana's eyes started to flow with tears and she ran to her room.
Her mother followed her to her room and started condemning her, "I don't know when I'll get rid of this elephant from my life. No one is ready to marry you! If this continues like this, then how can I marry off your sister?"
She started crying and hitting her forehead.
"Maa, stop it, don't talk like that. I don't want to marry because no one is ready to see the real beauty. They just want beautiful bodies. I'm not going to get married any sooner. So stop cursing Di! " Sejal shouted at her mom. Nandana was throwing objects that were in her room out of anger and crying.
Suddenly, her phone started to ring. She ignored it and cried while holding her legs. But her phone was constantly ringing. Out of frustration, she picked up the phone.
"Hello, ma'am."
"Hello," she answered in a rude tone.
"Sorry to disturb you, but is this Nandana Ramachandra?" The girl from the other side stumbled over her words, thrown off by Nandana's rudeness.
"Yes, this is Nandana speaking. Who are you?" She composed herself.
"Ma'am, we are calling from Bhatt Group Industries. We approached you because two weeks back you applied for a financial manager position. We called you back to say that you have to come to Bombay for your interview, our company will be waiting for your presence. Thank you," the girl from the other side cut the call.
'This is my opportunity to get out of this shithole. Though I'm doing my job here for my credentials, I'm unhappy here. I think I should go to Bombay and pursue my career in a better way,' she thought to herself, wiping her tears away.
With that, she booked a ticket for an evening flight to Bombay. After she got the ticket, she packed all of her things, including her father's photo.
She skipped lunch and came out of her room at three o'clock in the afternoon with her luggage packed. Her mom and sister were shocked to see her like that.
"Maa, I'm leaving, so you can live happily and can get your second daughter to marry an NRI," she said without any expression on her face as she looked at her mother. "I'll never come back. Please stay safe, goodbye."
Her mother didn't say anything. She wasn't expecting Nandana to take such a big step.
"Take care, Sejal, but don't even call me about your marriage because I don't want my unluckiness to spread to you and your future," she said sarcastically, looking at her mother.
"Di, don't do this. Please!" Sejal started crying, grabbing onto Nandana and hugging her.
"No, Sejal, I have to go. Take care of Maa, Bye." Nandana pulled her sister away from her and walked away.
The cab she called for was waiting for her, she got in and headed for the airport.
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