Unsuitable Proposal

Chapter 2: Suitable Bride

"What's happening?" I asked my mother.

"Why did you show yourself like that? You should've gone directly to your room. You look like a street beggar. Your chachi and Reena would take care of you before bringing you out. What will Bhatts say about how we keep our daughters? That bugger Kshitij couldn't keep his mouth shut either..." She went on, ignoring my question and pulling me to my room.

Not a minute later my aunt- or chachi- and her daughter aka my younger cousin, Reena, sauntered in too.

"What's happening? Who are those people?" This time I directed my question at Reena as my chachi and maa busied themselves thrashing my cupboard to find me a salwar kameez.

"What else?" Reena scoffed. "They are here to see you." She pushed me down by my shoulders to seat me in front of a dresser, and began applying make up on my face.

"Why are they here to see me?" I asked, even though I knew the dreadful answer.

"Nothing, they just wanted to know how are you doing. Are you eating fine? How's things been at your work? It's a hobby of Bhatts to concern themselves with the lives of random girls," sassed my cousin, brushing blush on my cheeks. "They are absolutely not here to find a wife for their only son."

"Wife?" My stomach dropped.

I looked in the mirror and found Reena casting me a sympathetic look as she worked on my hair. In spite of her unneeded sarcasm, I knew she felt bad for me. She knew I wasn't ready to get married. I hopelessly wished that my father would understand that too and won't bring up the subject at least for a year or two.

But expecting Keshav Acharya to do anything other than what he wanted to was foolishness. A foolishness I naively committed.

"Get changed Mithi. We don't have time," Maa said, shoving a bright yellow chudidaar salwar kameez on my lap. "And Choti, wipe her lipstick a little. She should look humble and homely," she told Reena, who frowned but did as she was ordered.

I stole a glance at myself in the mirror before standing up to get changed. I would've appreciated how I looked, if I didn't feel like a goat who was about to be slaughtered.

For the office, I only relied on lipstick and kajal to make myself look presentable. Fashion and make up was more my cousin's forte, whose dreams of becoming a fashion designer were strangled because they were too out of the box for our family that only allowed science and math to their kids.

I guess I got lucky in this department as I was always interested in mathematics and coding, which was acceptable. Though it seemed it wasn't enough to let me be and not marry me off so soon.

Marriage...Why is this all happening so sudden?!

As soon as I got changed and stepped out of the room, my mother smiled giving me a quick look-over, before dragging me to the kitchen. Chachi and Reena left to get back to the guests in living room.

"Maa, why didn't you tell me about all this?" I accused Maa as she handed me a tray full of traditional sweets.

"What's there to tell? You're of age. You don't expect us to keep you with us all your life." She adjusted my dupatta, totally nonchalant about my distress.

"But it's too soon. I'm not ready. Can you tell Papa to call it off?" I pleaded. There was only one person who actually had the power to sway Keshav Acharya if she really wanted to: woman standing in front of me, Janki Devi Acharya.

She was the one who convinced Papa to let me work when I had finished with my college degree. It had been a tear-fest, but my father ultimately gave in.