Mine and mine only. Another Arnav Singh Raizadas & Kushi Kumari Gupta fanfiction

7. The marriage : I lost them that day

Early 1980"s.

One Sunday.

It was a cloudy day. It was supposed to be sunny. The courtyard was fillied with flower garlands, however, it was getting messy with the western wind, as if its showing its disagreement to the marriage.

Guests started arriving.

Even though its a marriage fixed within days its still is a commune between two big business families in Luknow.

Raizadas and Varmas.

Devayani Raizada and Sumitra Devi, are childhood friends. Infact they bonded each other us young brides. Sumithra is 15 and Devayani was 13. They were different from one another. Sumithra was more dominant and aristocratic, but Devayani was more human, calm and collected.

Sumi gave birth to 2 boys and Devayani three. Two girls and a boy. They knew they will be friends for life.

But Devayani never thought Sumi's son will marry her daughter. If it were under different circumstances she must be happy. But now.

Devayani looked at the mirror. She could see her daughter. Ratna. The bride.

She is wearing a Red lehanga covered in gold chicken work. For the past 4 days 28 men and women together made this dress.

The dress alone weighs 6 k.g. Duppatta is decorated with navaratna stones, its a gift from last Viceroy of India, before he left to England. He was a friend of Ratnas bappu.

Next to her is a dressing table full of jewellery. New and old. But the bride, she is refusing to wear anything.
The make up artist came from Mumbai, she is working in movies, and a personal make up artist of actresses Madhubala. But here she got the bride with constant tears hence she called the brides mom for help.

' Will you please wait outside. Let me speak to her. All of you'.

Devayani requested.

The makeup artist, her helper, couple of relative's in that room all moved to another room. Devayani closed the doors behind them.

Now she could feel her daughter on her feet holding it tight and crying her heart out.

'Amma, amma please amma, I dont want this marriage ma. Please ask bappu to stop this nonsense. I don't want to marry anyone else. Please let me stay here. If not I will kill myself ma.'

Devayani's eyes are fillied to. But she immediately wipe them and put a brave face. She sat down near her daughter and wiped her face.

'Bettiya, we cant stop this marriage. We cant stop anything. You know your dad. He will... He will... '

The broken words couldn't come out.

She forcefully shifted her thoughts and put a more positive tone to her words.

'See you are not going to a strange place or strange house. You knew Sumi from the day you were born. And Amith is a very good boy. See he is doing his businesses administration course in England and already he got several businesses around Delhi, UP and Bihar. After your marriage you could even go to England. This is on your own good my to girl.'

Mother tried her best to wrap her child in her arms.

But the girl resisted and suddenly she opened the door and venture out. But she couldn't move far. Someone was waiting for her. Her bother. Manohar.

*****
Devayani waited outside as the sibling's were talking inside.

Half an hour passed.

Manohar came out. He said.