Wake up, girl!

by Niharika Jindal

  I straightened my face.

  ‘You’re so close to your family. Your siblings, your cousins, your mom as much as she annoys you…you have it all, Naina. And you’re so lucky. You make me want the same things,’ Shiven said quietly.

  He looked so vulnerable and alone that I wanted to hug him.

  He was just a little lost boy, wasn’t he?

  I started to reach out to him, but he held up a hand again.

  ‘You’ve made me realize the importance of family, Naina. I didn’t realize what I was missing out on until I met you. All those girls that I met in the past – they were so meaningless, Naina. I want you to know that. You’re real. You’re so real and genuine. You make me want to be a better person. And…tonight I seemed to be screwing up my only chance at happiness.’ Shiven said with his head bent low.

  ‘I can only say that I’m sorry. Naina, I think I’m falling in love with you. Please, please, give me another chance,’ Shiven said.

  He finally looked up at me.

  I reached forward and tenderly cupped his face in my hand.

  ‘Can I talk now?’ I said.

  He nodded.

  ‘I’m falling in love with you, too,’ I whispered just before I touched my lips to his.

  Chapter 31

  Six months later

  ‘Nainaaaa! I didn’t expect you to keep your apartment so neat and clean!’ Mom exclaimed. ‘Such a contrast to your bedroom at home! I wouldn’t have found a place to sit in that room amidst all the mess!’

  ‘Mom, can you not say such things in front of my friends?’ I hissed indignantly.

  ‘You should be proud, beta! You’ve come a long way!’ Mom said, walking over to the living room.

  I rolled my eyes. Mom was unstoppable once she was on a roll.

  I was in my tiny kitchen arranging guacamole and chips on a platter. I peered into the living room, lit dimly by candles. The place looked lovely. Since Mom was in London, I had decided to host a small dinner party.

  Mom was now voice with Michael and John on the couch. They were telling her something that was making her raise her eyebrows.

  I snickered. I hoped they were sharing one of their memorable incidents at a gay bar. That would definitely scandalize Mom to the moon and beyond.

  Shiven was at the other end making drinks for everyone.

  I smiled. My lips automatically curved into a smile whenever I saw him. He made me so happy.

  The last six months had been amazing.

  I was so in love with him that sometimes it took my breath away.

  Mom had flown down to spend some time with me and, I was pretty sure, to snoop around my life in London.

  Well, she was definitely going to get some news. I was planning to tell her about Shiven during her trip here.

  I had instructed Michael and John not to mention my relationship with Shiven to my mom. I wanted to tell her myself.

  I had explained to Shiven that my parents’ way of thinking was, well, different. Especially regarding boys and marriage, etcetera. Oddly enough, he had understood and hadn’t asked much. He’d only said, ‘Whatever you think is right, Naina. I’m here for you, if you need me.’

  Basically, it meant that Shiven and I had to pretend to not be even remotely intimate for the next couple of hours.

  Fuck, that was going to be hard.

  I had trouble keeping my hands to myself whenever he was around.

  My gaze kept returning to him, and I had to force myself to look the other way.

  Keep your thoughts out of your panties, Naina!

  Jeez! Relax, inner conscience! I do have some self-control!

  Yeah, right.

  Okay, moving on.

  ‘...The bartender at that bar was so annoying, Mrs Bansal… but that’s where I first met John, so something good did come out of it,’ Michael said to Mom. He then lovingly looked at John.

  ‘Okay, that’s great! I think I will go get my glass of wine,’ Mom said quickly and got up from the couch.

  I stifled my laugh from where I was standing in the kitchen. Mom was definitely not used to seeing any form of intimacy between couples, let alone a gay couple.

  ‘Oh, you didn’t have to get up, Aunty. I was bringing your white wine over to the couch,’ Shiven was telling Mom.

  My ears perked up. I wanted to see how their conversation went. I decided to stay in the kitchen and watch from a distance. I popped a chip into my mouth.

  This could be a while.

  ‘It’s okay, beta! I just couldn’t understand what those boys were saying, to be honest. And I had been thinking of getting up for a while,’ Mom said.

  Shiven laughed, ‘Those two are hilarious.’

  Mom smiled, ‘Why are you so busy with all this, Shiven beta? Please go and enjoy yourself! Naina and I will manage every thing!’

  ‘Oh, it’s no trouble at all, Aunty. Naina is my…friend… and shouldn’t have to bear the responsibility of hosting alone. Besides, we couldn’t possibly let you help out! What are we kids there for? Please, just sit back and relax.’

  Mom’s eyes widened. She looked like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘That’s so nice to hear, Shiven beta. In India, you won’t normally find a youngster like yourself offering to help out. Parties there are managed either by the in-house staff, or by the mothers themselves.’

  Shiven shook his head. ‘I don’t believe in that concept, Aunty. India is such a progressive nation, but the one thing that it sorely lacks in is gender equality. Why should women do all the grunt work of the house? Why do men think it’s insulting to help out? I believe that India really needs to rework its cult of male dominance. It’s irritating.’

  Mom was speechless. ‘Wow. Your thinking is amazing, Shiven beta. You’re right. The concept of equality is yet to spread in India. But, with a generation like yours, I’m sure the change will come sooner, rather than later.’

  Shiven smiled, ‘Yes, Aunty, I hope so too.’

  Mom continued, ‘I can already see your influence has spread on my daughter! Your friendship has done her good. She seems much more respectful and calm now than she was before. And this apartment? It’s so clean! You should have seen her old room!’

  ‘Oh, she has her days, Aunty. Michael, John and I have dropped in unannounced at this apartment, and it definitely resembles a pigsty at times!’

  I rolled my eyes from my hideout in the kitchen. Of course, that had to end with Mom bringing up some of my old habits. But, I decided to let it go! That conversation had gone really well.

  Mom laughed, ‘Come, beta. Let’s go sit.’

  ‘You go ahead, Aunty. I’ll go check on the food situation. Naina seems to have gone into one of her trances.’

  Shiven appeared in the kitchen. ‘Planning on finishing everything by yourself, Naina?’

  I giggled, ‘You were great outside. You guys didn’t have to bond over bitching about me, though.’

  ‘That’s my favourite pastime.’ Shiven gave me a quick kiss on the lips. ‘Come on, let’s go outside before Aunty decides to come here and check on both of us.’ ‘Your friends are really nice, Naina. Michael and John are hilarious. At first, I found them a bit odd but they grow on you,’ Mom said.

  Everyone had left, and Mom and I were clearing up the living room.

  I laughed, ‘They are good fun, Mom.’

  Mom continued, ‘I especially liked Shiven. He was really nice to talk to. We need boys like him back home. Most of the men I know would die before doing any sort of housework! Your father and brother included!’

  I nodded.

  ‘He seems so smart! He was telling me about his job at Goldman Sachs. Must be very well-paying, too, I’m sure,’ Mom said.

  ‘Mom, please don’t be so intrusive,’ I sighed.

  ‘I’m just saying! Anyway, I really liked him. Just sharing my thoughts with you.’

  Hmm. Now seems a good enough time to tell her. Should I?

  Yes, go for it, Naina.

  ‘I
’m dating him, Mom. Since the past six months. I’m really serious about him.’

  There. I’d said it.

  There was silence. Mom’s face went from being pleasant to shocked. She finally said, ‘What do you mean you’re dating him?’

  ‘It means that we’re in a relationship, Mom. I’m in love with him,’ I said simply.

  ‘Naina, you can’t be serious!’

  ‘Why, Mom? What’s wrong with him? You just said you liked him.’

  ‘Yes, but that’s when I thought he was a friend! Not your boyfriend!’ Mom retorted.

  ‘Why? Does that make him any different? He is the same guy, isn’t he? You just said you liked him. It shouldn’t matter.’

  ‘It does, Naina! I don’t like it!’ Mom stomped her foot in anger.

  I stared at Mom for a second.

  ‘Mom, come here. Come sit.’ I motioned for her to sit on the couch.

  I felt like I was the grown up here.

  She grudgingly sat down. I knelt in front of her. ‘Mom, I love you. I love you so much. I know I’ve never expressed myself much to you, or told you I love you. Well, I do. And I’m sorry for not having being more forthcoming with you. But, Mom, you have got to let me make my own decisions. Please, Mom.’

  Surprisingly, I was extremely calm.

  On hearing my calm tone, Mom seemed to have somewhat calmed down herself. She began, ‘Naina, he doesn’t have a family. It’s…just…’

  ‘Mom, it doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t have a family. If we do get married someday, and I hope to God we do, we will be his family. You’ll be his parents. Mom, Shiven is an amazing guy. I’m so very happy with him.’

  Mom’s face had once again gone into its shocked look on hearing the word married.

  ‘Naina! You mean to say, you want to live in London all your life? Oh, my God, you can’t be serious!’

  ‘Mom. Relax. Take a deep breath. What’s wrong with living in London? I love this city. Shiven has lived here almost all his life.’ I suddenly laughed. ‘Mom, can you believe it? I’ve found the person who I actually want to get married to! I never thought I would be so enthusiastic about the idea of marriage!’

  Mom shook her head. ‘Naina, you’re making a mistake.’

  ‘Mom, even if I am making a mistake, it is my mistake. I shall have only myself to blame for it, na?! And I’ll be okay about it! It took me a long time to figure out what I actually wanted in life. All those earlier reasons of being from a different caste, being well off or not, etcetera? They don’t matter to me, Mom. I’m bringing this up again, but, know this, had I married Rohan, both of you would have had to live with that guilt all your life! On top of that, you would have had to deal with my hatred as well. You have to let me make my own mistakes, Mom,’ I said.

  ‘But, how can I just sit back and not do anything, Naina! What if you end up hurting yourself?’

  ‘Mom, if I do end up hurting myself, I only have myself to blame. It’ll be my decision.’

  ‘And what about your kundlis? What if they don’t match?’ Mom cried out.

  ‘Mom, you matched my kundli with Rohan. You saw how that played out. What guarantee is there that I will like the person my kundli matches with? Just think about it rationally, Mom. You said it yourself. Shiven is such a nice guy. He makes me a better person, Mom. And, above all, he makes me really happy. I’ve never been so happy. I love him so much. He’s it, for me.’

  My face must have radiated my happiness because Mom sighed. All the fight seemed to go out of her body.

  ‘Well, I guess if you’re so sure,’ she said. ‘I can only advise you, beta. As parents, we can’t seem to let go of our children. I can’t believe you’ve grown up so much, Naina. And, you’re right. Shiven is a nice boy. But you can’t expect me to be okay with things from the start itself. I will take some time. Besides, you still have to share this news with your father. I wonder how he’ll take it.’

  I leaned forward and hugged Mom. ‘One step at a time, Mom. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make.’

  I left Mom looking stricken with the conversation that had just taken place.

  I called Shiven and he picked up immediately.

  ‘Hi.’

  ‘I told Mom!’ I said excitedly.

  ‘Oh, wow. How shitty was it?’

  ‘Honestly, not a lot. But, you know what? It’s good to lose your shit once in a while, Shiven. Because, ultimately, all that shit keeps building up, and then, one fine day, it’ll definitely explode. Which means, that there will be shit all over the place. That’s what we call a classic shit-storm. And, as we both know, it’s best to avoid a shit-storm. I think this is a meme that I read somewhere, but I couldn’t help narrating it.’

  Shiven was silent for a second. And then burst out laughing.

  I was obviously indignant, but couldn’t help but join in.

  I have to admit…that was pretty funny, Naina.

  You bet your ass it was, inner voice!

  Epilogue

  ‘Raju, where are the samosas!’ Mom screamed at one of the house staff. ‘My son-in-law has come home, and you people can’t do anything right!’

  ‘Shiven babu, have some paneer!’ Mami said excitedly. ‘It’s delicious!’

  ‘No, no, Mami, I’ve had enough. I couldn’t possibly eat anymore,’ Shiven groaned.

  ‘Oh, come on! You’ve hardly eaten anything, beta!’ Mom said.

  ‘Mom, seriously…’

  Mom’s reply was to shove a piece of samosa in to Shiven’s mouth.

  There was a feast laid out on the entire table, and the king of the table sat happily in the centre being fed by his new family.

  Neesa and I glared angrily at our mothers as we watched the show. ‘They have never, ever, fed us with such gusto in our entire lives,’ Neesa said.

  I agreed. Our mothers really were going overboard in pampering their damaad.

  Shiven and I had decided to visit Indore to celebrate our one-year anniversary, and my entire family had flown in from across India to celebrate our homecoming.

  Shiven suddenly caught my gaze and gazed happily back at me. An unspoken tender look passed between us.

  ‘Wow, the way you and Jiju look at each other… whew,’ Avishi said.

  ‘Hmm? What did you say?’ I asked distractedly. Shiven looked adorable and I couldn’t seem to look away.

  Avishi laughed, ‘Nothing, You guys are cute.’

  ‘RAJU! WHERE ARE THE GULAAB JAMUNS?!’

  Mom and Mami rushed off to the kitchen to see what was taking so long.

  I walked over to the table and asked Shiven, ‘Enjoying ourselves, aren’t we?’

  ‘Immensely. Even though my clothes won’t fit me by the time we leave,’ Shiven said with a huge smile and put his hand on top of mine. ‘Naina, thank you.’

  This was Shiven’s first-ever experience of a huge family gathering. He was basking in all the love and affection he’d missed out on over the years.

  Mom and Dad had come around and welcomed Shiven into the family with open arms. They were all going over the top to make sure he was having a good time. A bit too over the top, in my opinion.

  ‘You’re welcome.’ I kissed my husband tenderly on the forehead.

  ‘Have you spoken to Michael? When is he reaching?’ Shiven asked.

  Since we were in India for a few days, Michael had decided to make a trip out of it as well. Ever since he and John had broken up, he needed every distraction possible. Michael was travelling to Mumbai and Delhi before coming here.

  ‘I don’t know. Last I heard he was in Delhi. Let me call and ask him.’

  Mom re-emerged and shoved me away. ‘Naina! Stop disturbing Shiven babu, and let him eat!’

  ‘Okay, okay. Relax. He’s all yours,’ I said.

  I never knew that my mother was capable of feeding someone to such an extremity.

  I called Michael and he picked up in a couple of rings.

  ‘Hey! Where are yo
u? Oh. Okay…Delhi must be quite hot, huh?...Oh, that’s nice…Where did you go last night?... Oh, really? Couldn’t have been that bad...What was the guy’s name?’

  I heard Michael’s reply and burst out laughing hysterically.

  ‘Naina, what is it?’ Shiven asked with his mouth full.

  I couldn’t stop, but managed to say, ‘Michael went to a bar in Delhi last night…hooked up with some guy…it was a disaster…guy’s name was Rohan Agarwal!’

  About the Author

  Niharika Jindal is a 26-year-old writer from Ahmedabad. After spending four years studying psychology in Claremont McKenna College, California, she returned to India clueless about what to do next. She began her career with a few stints in HR, during which time she met her husband on an arranged coffee date, and believe it or not, it was love at first sight.

  After many drives and dinner dates, Niharika is happily married. However, a small glitch in her fairy-tale came in the form of a chronic back condition (soon after a dreamy wedding), and she has been battling the ailment ever since.

  Constantly pestered by family and friends to do something in order to take her mind off the pain, Niharika’s saving grace came in the form of reading, her favorite childhood pastime. She decided to give writing a shot. Penning Wake up, girl! has been the most pleasurable experience and made her realize her true passion in life.

  In her free time, Niharika can be found reading, listening to sappy romantic songs, fighting with her mother (and now mother-in-law!), having cold coffee, shopping online, catching up on gossip with old friends, doing physiotherapy and binge watching TV shows with her husband.