Poles Apart

Chapter Thirty

~.~.~.~.~

A date to go to Bramapuram is set by the time I come back from office the next day.

"I'm on my period next week," I tell my mother and grandmother as they pull clothes out of my wardrobe, inspect them and decide they were unworthy of being carried to their town.

"You were on your period last week," my mother reminds me.

"Isn't that why you ate all of the ice-cream at home?" my grandmother taunts, not appreciating that I was making excuses to get out of this trip.

I sigh, falling back onto the bed. "Is Thathayya even cleared for travel?" I ask no one in particular.

"He is," my mother says.

I open my calendar, hoping to find another reason to quit going to Bramapuram. "It's Rakhi next week!" I discover with a startled exclamation. It's my first Rakhi after seven whole years with all of them. I can't not be here.

My mother walks out of my wardrobe and stands in front of me. She crosses her arms over her chest. "Everyone is going for the puja."

Fuck my life. I roll over onto my stomach, groaning into my pillow. I cover my head with another pillow, muffling my cries of frustration. I guess

"And you have no clothes!"

I know!

"We're going shopping." 

"No!" I yell.

"Let me ask Pranathi if she wants to come along."

But apparently, no one cares for what I think.

~.~.~.~.~

As soon as we reach the store with Pranathi Vadina, Sunita Pinni and Latha Atha, I'm shoved into the trial room without mercy.

Since Sunita Pinni and Latha Atha don't have girls of their own, they like torturing me as if I'm their own daughter.

I hear my mother's voice, "Try this one!" And the hundredth kurta for the day is thrown over the door through the little gap between the door and the threshold, followed by the pyjama.

I slap my forehead, cursing my fate. I must've done detestable things in my previous life.

I throw on the kurta and pyjama before opening the door and walking out to perform a fashion show for the ladies.

"Don't slouch," my mother reprimands.

I slouch further, sinking into myself. The salesgirl drapes a dupatta over one of my shoulders.

My mother slaps my arm lightly in disapproval. Sighing, I straighten up.

"What do you think about it?" Latha Atha asks for the sake of politeness.

I shrug. "It's comfortable enough."

"It looks good," she tells me.

Sunita Pinni holds up a thumb, showing approval. My mother, being the one that selected the dress I'm wearing, has no qualms about it. She only has a problem with the daughter she gave birth to.

"Stand straight," she tells me as I walk back into the trial room.

As I step into mine, Pranathi Vadina comes out of hers, dressed in clothes of similar fashion.

"Looks good," I tell her, genuinely liking the dress she's wearing.

"You look good too," she tells me, running her eyes up and down my form to inspect the dress.