Seeing that my eyes were somewhat open, he came to me and said urgently, ‘Didi, I overheard Mom, Dad, Nana, and Nani talking. Someone is coming to meet you!’
‘So? Let them come? Why did you wake me up for this?’
‘You don’t get it! A boy is coming to see you. Along with his family. Today.’
It took me a moment to comprehend what he was saying.
I felt the Jager rising up my throat. I went to the bathroom and threw up all over the sink.
Chapter 13
‘There’s no way I’m doing this.’
I was sitting in one of the suites at the Leela, with multiple family members in front of me. They all looked so serious that I was almost amused by the situation. It was as if I was supposed to single-handedly tackle the Italian mafia family.
‘What do you mean you’re not going to do this?’ Mama repeated. Didn’t he hear me the first time?
‘This is a matter of your future, Naina. Don’t have such a frivolous attitude towards it,’ Nani patiently explained.
Had these people gone crazy?
‘Listen, and I say this with the utmost respect,’ I began, ‘it hasn’t even been a month since I got back from Boston. What’s the hurry?’
‘The hurry is that there are two perfectly good families waiting to meet you. Who knows when you’ll be ready? If ever that situation even arises. We are your parents, so, we have the responsibility of your life,’ Mom announced.
All I heard was ‘two families’.
‘Two families? You told me there’s only one family coming tonight!’
‘There are going to be a lot more than one or two families, Naina. This is just the beginning. Don’t think that you’ll get married to the first family you meet. Even if you begin the process right now, there’s no guaranteeing when you’ll find the perfect match,’ Mami said in a soothing voice.
‘Mami, that’s beside the point. Once I meet someone, all Mom and Dad will talk about is these prospective boys,’ I sighed in frustration.
‘What’s wrong in that, Naina?’ Dad asked. It was his turn to attack my argument. ‘You should be happy that you have such a caring family, looking out for your best interests. There are so many girls and boys out there whose parents fix their marriages without even consulting them. We’re just asking you to meet the boys!’
You’re not asking me, Dad. You’re ordering me.
‘Now, now, don’t be so blunt, Rajeevji,’ Nana said to Dad. ‘She is coming to her senses.’
‘The way she is behaving, we are lucky to have two families willing to meet her! You leave us with no shame, Naina!’ Mom shouted.
‘What are you saying, Mom?’ I felt tired and hungover. I’d heard that the best way to cure a hangover is to have a beer the next day. I was in half a mind to call up room service and order a Kingfisher Ultra.
There was a knock on the door, and Mami went to open the door. It was Neesa and Dhruv.
Dhruv looked as cool as a cucumber while Neesa’s face closely resembled mine. I figured she was terribly hungover as well.
As soon as Dhruv and Neesa settled themselves into nearby chairs, Mom started shouting again, ‘Just look at your face this morning! Anyone can tell that you were drunk out of your brain last night!’
‘Yes, well, I’m sure all the adults at this wedding were drunk out of their brains as well! And before you forget, I am an adult too!’ I fired back.
‘I’ve obviously spoilt you silly all your life! Is that why you’re brimming with attitude now? Talking to your mother like that!’ Mom shouted.
Huh? How did that even make sense?
Dhruv chimed in, ‘You’re right, Sapna Maasi. Naina was the drunkest of the lot at the party last night.’
I am going to kill this Dhruv.
‘Dhruv, stop being such a tattletale! Do you want me to announce your indiscretions to everyone here? Contrary to what you might think, we know exactly what you’ve been up to,’ I bluffed.
Nicely done, Naina!
Thank you, inner voice. Glad to see you make an appearance.
I couldn’t care less what Dhruv had been up to. Nor did I have any idea. It was just disheartening to see everyone piled up against me.
‘Stop that, Naina! He’s not saying anything wrong! Who will want a daughter-in-law who can beat boys at drinking, and drink till dawn? Is this what we’ve taught you? Is this how you’re going to behave after you’re married as well? Girls from good families like ours don’t indulge in such scandalous behaviour! If Yohaan’s future wife came home drunk, what would you say?’ Dad’s anger had risen.
‘Getting her married is the answer, Jijaji!’ Mama said to Dad. ‘Once she’s married, her husband and in-laws will make sure that she behaves. She’ll forget about late-night parties!’
Neesa looked at her father in shock. I think she was starting to realize what the future held in store for her.
‘Sapna Bua, why can’t Naina didi meet someone in a year or so? What’s the harm in waiting another year?’ Yay! Neesa was on my side.
Finally, an ally in the room.
‘Beta, good families don’t come along that often! In a year’s time, who knows if these boys will still be single? Do you know how long parents have to search for a prospective match for their kids these days? Besides, Naina’s horoscope – I mean, kundli – matches with both these boys’, so that hurdle has been cleared as well. A friend of mine has been looking for a suitable boy for her daughter for over five years now! Do you know how long five years is? Do you?!!!’ Mom was now directing her anger towards Neesa.
Yes, Mom, she does know how long five years is. Stop scaring her.
‘Is there something wrong with the girl?’ Neesa and I smirked at each other.
‘Yes, she was as stubborn as you’re being right now! When her parents wanted her to meet boys, she refused. And guess what? Now she’s desperate to get married but there are no eligible young men left. They’ve all been snapped up. I’M YOUR MOTHER, NAINA! I know what’s best for you! Once you become a parent yourself, you’ll realize my value,’ Mom said, barely being able to control her anger.
Everyone nodded in agreement with my mother. Then they all turned to look at me, as though to say, ‘you got that’.
‘Naina, what we’re all trying here is to make you understand that there is nothing wrong with starting the process of meeting boys. These things don’t play out as fast as you think they do. Plus, what makes you think that no boy will reject you?’ Mami said to me with a wink.
Mami was being quite sweet and making more sense than the rest of them. I didn’t know she had it in her.
Nani rushed to defend my honour. ‘Chup raho, Vandana! No boy will ever be able to say no to my Naina! She’s so pretty! Any boy would be lucky to have her.’
Thanks, Nani.
‘Hmm, maybe she needs to lose two or three kilos, but that can be taken care of easily,’ Nani commented as she looked at me again.
I’d spoken too soon.
Mama handed me two files. ‘Here. These are the bio datas of the boys. The one in the top file is coming to meet you tonight.’
I opened the top file:
BIO-DATA
Name: Akshay Arya
Date of birth: 20 March 1990
Height: 5 ft 10 inch
Complexion: Fair
City of residence: New Delhi
Education: Schooling from Modern School, Vasant Vihar; BSc in Finance & Economics from Bryant University, USA
Father: Vinod Arya
Mother: Dimple Arya
Brother: Aryaman Arya
Business: Manufacturing of denims, processed fabrics, and home textiles under the name of Parimal Textiles Ltd.
Akshay’s smiling face popped out at me from his file.
I opened the second file.
BIO-DATA
Name: Rohan Agarwal
Date of birth: 27 October 1989
Height: 6 ft
Complexion: Wheatish
C
ity of residence: New Delhi
Education: Schooling from British School; Bachelors in Business Management from Regent University, UK.
Father: Sanjay Agarwal
Mother: Suchita Agarwal
Sister: Shreya Agarwal
Business: Construction / Real estate
Rohan stared back at me from his file.
Was I supposed to infer these boys’ personalities from pieces of paper?
Suddenly, I sat up. Had they made a similar biodata of me?
There was no way in hell I wanted to see that. Better not to ask about it.
‘Guys, I get what you’re saying, but I’m still not convinced,’ I finally said. ‘I don’t think I’m ready for marriage yet.’
This caused an uproar in the room.
Mom started to cry.
‘Till she doesn’t meet these boys, I’m not going to eat anything! I’ll starve myself, I mean it!’ Mom shrieked.
‘Naina, how can you do this to your mother? Look how distraught she is! Have you no shame? Stop being so selfish! Yeh din dekhne ke liye paida kiya tha tumhe?’ said Dad.
All hell broke loose. People started shouting and screaming at each other.
Welcome to the emotional melodrama that is an Indian family.
Chapter 14
Icould run away. The thought entered my mind briefly.
My own rendition of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
And where would you go? This situation isn’t so bad, Naina! It’s not like you’re getting married tonight.
Maybe if I just meet these boys, my relatives will get off my back. Or else, Mom will continue the dramatics.
I was standing by the Leela pool, with the sun beating down on me.
I could totally imagine Mom screaming: Andar aa jao nahi toh kaali ho jaogi!
Why are Indian parents so obsessed with fair skin?
I dialled Sunaina’s number. She answered on the third ring.
‘Hello, Naina! How goes the wedding?’ Sunaina sounded her usual excited self.
‘Sunaina, they’re making me meet boys already!’ I exploded. ‘I don’t know what to do!’
‘What? Are you serious? This is crazy!’ Sunaina seemed appalled.
I was relieved that someone else was expressing my exact thoughts and sentiments. ‘I’m serious! I want to run away.’
‘Don’t worry! You can just meet them and say no! You don’t have to marry the first boy you meet, Naina. Maybe things won’t be so bad.’ Sunaina tried to calm me down. I think I scared her by my ‘running away’ comment.
‘I know. But I’m really panicking. This is all happening too soon. Can you please come to Delhi? This situation will be better if you’re around,’ I pleaded.
‘Hmm. That’s not entirely a bad idea. Besides, the gossip session post your meeting with these boys will be worth the trouble of travelling. I’ll try flying out either tonight or tomorrow.’
YES! She was coming.
‘So, who’s the first boy you’re meeting?’
‘I don’t know. Some Akshay something,’ I replied. ‘See you soon.’
I went to my room and passed out for the next couple of hours.
It was 6 pm by the time Avishi and Yohaan woke me up. We had two hours to get ready and make ourselves presentable for the meeting with Akshay and his family.
If the boy and I had to like each other, why did the families have to meet? I voiced my opinion loudly to my siblings.
‘No idea. Naina didi, what are you going to talk about?’ Avishi asked me.
‘I haven’t thought about it. I don’t really want to ask him anything, remember? I just want to get this done with,’ I replied.
‘Maybe, you can discuss movies. That would be a fun conversation. If he watches movies, that is,’ Yohaan said.
I sighed. My head was hurting.
There was a knock on the door. Yohaan opened it and in piled hordes of women carrying heavy Indian clothes.
‘Who’s doing her make-up? Vandana, you live in Mumbai. You’ll know how to do decent make-up, right?’ Mom shouted to Mami.
‘Yes, didi, don’t worry about that. We need to select her outfit first.’
Mom held up an orange anarkali with light embroidery on it. ‘What about this? It’ll make your complexion look radiant!’
‘No, it’ll make her look like a pumpkin!’ Nani commented.
‘How about this one?’ Mom held up a red sharara. ‘She’ll look soooo pretty.’
‘Oh, how about this midnight-blue anarkali?’ Neesa asked. All the women ooh’d and aah’d over it.
‘I hate it! No way!’ I screamed.
….
We were seated in a circle in my grandparents’ suite on the top floor.
I was indeed dressed in the midnight-blue anarkali, with my hair blow-dried and my face made up.
I looked up discreetly and took in everyone’s expressions. My parents and Akshay’s parents looked incredibly uncomfortable. It was obvious that neither of them knew how these things worked.
Thank God for Nana and Nani is all I could think. They kept on chattering about the current hot topic: Will Narendra Modi sweep this year’s Lok Sabha elections or not? This way there was some conversation. However, an awkward silence followed soon enough and no one knew where to look.
Akshay, however, wouldn’t stop staring at me.
Look somewhere else, you creep!
Naina, behave yourself! He’s appreciating your beauty!
No, that’s not appreciating beauty, inner voice, that’s just downright creepy.
Akshay’s brother, Aryaman, was quite the hoot. His shirt had a wildflower print all over it, and, while Akshay and I were shy to the point of no speech at all, he found topics to discuss with Avishi and Yohaan.
Food was a huge topic of conversation, I observed. Damn. I wish I wasn’t the object of scrutiny here, otherwise, I could have given several views on the topic myself.
I sneaked a look at Akshay again. He was lean, and had an innocent face. I couldn’t think of any other word to describe his face. It was just…nice looking. Not too good, not too bad. It was nice. He was dressed in a formal white shirt, dark pants, and the signature Louis Vuitton ‘LV’ belt.
Wait. Something was happening. Someone was talking.
‘Should we let the kids spend some time with each other, alone? The rest of us can continue chitchatting here, and give them a chance to get to know each other. They’re as silent as mice, I say!’ Nana announced jovially.
Naina. Relax. It’s just conversation. He won’t kill you. Get up, smile, and walk out in a poised manner.
Poised, my ass. I hadn’t been more sweet, shy and simple in my entire life than I had been in the last thirty minutes.
Where should we go?
As Akshay and I left the room, I decided that the Leela coffee shop would be the best place. It was in a secluded part of the hotel, so I knew that it wouldn’t be occupied by the wedding guests. I didn’t want to be seen by anyone.
‘So. Where do you want to go?’ Akshay asked me smilingly.
‘The coffee shop downstairs? If you’re fine with it.’
‘Yes, of course. You’re the host, so you decide.’
The ride down to the lobby was awkward, to say the least. Neither of us said a single word. I itched to fix my outfit somehow. Or check my phone and scour social media: I was rapidly getting obsessed with Snapchat.
Akshay and I sat down on one of the tables in the coffee shop.
‘What would you like to have?’ he asked me.
‘An iced tea. Thanks,’ I answered.
‘So, this is awkward,’ he said, after he’d ordered two iced teas.
Yes, it is!
I merely smiled.
‘Naina, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you want to get married so young? I mean, didn’t you just get back from college?’
I did not have an answer to that. Do I lie?
Yes, you definitely lie!
‘I don’t know, to be hon
est. My parents and I had always discussed the idea of marriage after college. So…’
‘Fair enough. I had at least two years after college before my parents started talking about marriage. I just want you to know that if you are being pressurized in any way to meet me, just say the word. I’ll tell my parents I’m the one who’s not interested so you don’t get into trouble,’ Akshay said.
Wow. This guy was a genuinely nice person.
‘Thanks for that. But, no, I’m okay,’ I smiled at him.
At least, I had a way out if I needed it! I felt myself relax.
‘So, you studied at Bryant University?’ I asked.
‘Yes, I did. God, I miss college. Just the feel of America, actually. The saying that your college days are the best is so true.’
‘I completely agree. I’ve just returned and I miss it terribly.’
‘What were your favourite restaurants in Boston?’
This conversation regarding Boston was making me think of Ayaan. I needed to change the topic.
‘Scoozi, Mistral, Figs, Bricco are a few. But, I want to know about Delhi. What are your favourite restaurants here?’
His face lit up. Akshay must be quite the foodie as well. ‘Oh, Delhi has some amazing places. Indian Accent, Olive, La Piazza and Megu are some of my favourites. Megu is right here at the Leela, in fact.’
‘Oh, I didn’t know that. I’ve heard Indian Accent is really good,’ I said.
‘It is. If you get time after the wedding, you should definitely go there. What’s your favourite cuisine?’
‘I can’t choose one. But, it would have to be a tie between Indian and Italian,’ I answered. ‘How about yourself?’
‘Japanese and Indian. I’m partial to sushi.’
His phone pinged. It was a reminder of some sort.
‘Sorry. I’ve set a reminder for when the new episode of Game of Thrones is out. Will download it tonight,’ Akshay said excitedly.
‘I love Game of Thrones! Best show ever!’ I declared.
‘I know, right? “Winter is coming”.’ Akshay did an impersonation of the show.
The next fifteen minutes were spent on our mutual appreciation of Game of Thrones, and other shows that we both liked and disliked.
Wake up, girl! Page 7
