Deciphering His Love

77 |The One With The Sweet

"Let's make more little girls, then!" Madhav adds teasingly.

Shree gasps and playfully punches his chest.

Madhav caresses her face and kisses her forehead.

"So have you decided on the sari your going to wear for the ceremony?" Madhav asks, walking inside with an arm wrapped around Shree. Shree shakes her head. "You know what, you'd look splendid in the sari my mother wore for her Seemantham. It's a beautiful light pink sari with a gold border and embellished with little cute elephants and swans."

* * * * *

Devi walked briskly into Shree's room.

She opened the doors and found Shree seated on the chair facing the dressing table, surrounded by laughing and giggling ladies.

"See! I told you that you are pretty!" Ahaana exclaimed proudly as she moved from the dressing table mirror and allowed Shree to see her reflection on it. She blushed looking at the reflection she saw.

Shree was wearing the pink sari that belonged to Madhav's late mother. It was a light pink sari with a big gold border bearing bright motifs of elephants, lotuses and swans. A simple gold necklace was tied around her neck, with a simple pair of jhumkas on her ears. The necklace was light and comfortable on her neck.

"And why are you blushing at your own reflection, sweet heart?" Anu smiled as she tied Shree's long braided hair with a ruby encrusted band.

"She is blushing because she knows that the reflection is prettier than the one who casts the reflection." Devi said as she walked in and placed a kiss on Shree's head.

"Or perhaps she is imaging how her Mr. Poker-Faced-Madhav will react when he sees her." Joked Ahaana. "Isn't that the name you used to call him long time ago?"

"Just - just pray that Madhav doesn't propose to you and marry you once again." Anu joked.

"Yes! Yes!" Devi nodded. "He will do that for sure, so Akka, just stay away from him!"

"Looks like you ladies are giving her a lot of trouble!" someone said from behind them.

It was Madhav. He was wearing a blue button-down shirt with a pearl white veshti. He rolled up his shirt sleeves as he walked in.

"Ah! Baava, come in! Have a look at your lovely and beloved bride!" Devi smiled. She shook her head furiously and said "I mean wife."

Madhav came to her and stood behind her and kept his hands on her shoulders. "But she does not look like my wife. I know this because the Shree I know does not blush so much!"

He turned to Devi and playfully added.

"What have you done to my chellam?"

"But this is Shree - your dearest chellam!" Devi laughed out. "All we did was a bit of decorating on her!"

"We did not eat her up Madhav!" Ahaana adds.

"Is she ready?" asked Lakshmi, who had walked into the room.

"All set and ready to go!" Devi sang as she applied some kajal on Shree's dove like eyes.

Ahaana and Anu helped Shree stand up.

The nadumuttom had been converted to a resplendent Seemantham stage. There were around four rows of black folding chairs on one end of the nadumuttom and on the other end was the cushioned divan against a backdrop of bright floral decorations.

"Madhu baby, careful! You'll fall!" Yashoda says as Madhu rans past her, clenching a cushion to her chest.

"Sorry Bhamma!" Madhu yells excitedly as she goes to the nadumuttom where Shree's Seemantham ceremony was happening. She was wearing a yellow blouse and a red skirt, with her signature pigtails that were entwined with jasmines.