There was confusion in the eyes of the seven year old Surangi as they dipped mango leaves into the sandal-turmeric paste to anoint her. She did not know what marriage meant, she was just told that she would move into a new home in a village far away...
"She is not ready, Dinu. Besides I don't want her getting pregnant, she is going away for nearly a year! Rohini and you waited until you were married, did you not?" Madhav tried to reason.
"Obviously we waited until we were married! But Vahini and you have been married for over eight years now! Anyway, why cry over spilt milk! You just have to be a bachelor boy for another year!" Dinu halted the car by the hospital gate and Madhav thanked him before walking away.
Fortunately for Surangi, Manohar had already left for work. Vidya smiled at her unease.
"How was the party last evening?" Vidya asked, as soon as Surangi had changed out of the Parsi gara.
Surangi gave Vidya a detailed explanation, describing the event as vividly as she could recall, without getting into the real reason why they had decided to spend the night at the hotel.
"Madhav mentioned you were going furniture shopping. The house is ready, you must be eager to do Griha pravesh now!" Vidya did not mention that she had prompted her brother to set up his new home. It was unsettling for a man and wife to live apart from each other in the same city.
"Could you come along? I know nothing about buying furniture!" Surangi was apprehensive, she could not tell one kind of wood from the other.
"Don't worry, Madhav knows enough! The two of you ought to do the buying together to feather your new nest! You can always consult me if you need any advice! Anyway I am making tender jackfruit curry, and I need your help!" The women got busy in the kitchen.
They had lunch after Gaju returned from school and then Surangi went to take a nap. She slept so soundly that she only got up when Vidya shook her awake.
"You don't want to be late, lest Madhav is upset. You know how much he values his time!" Vidya reminded her. Surangi washed and dressed hastily, hiring a taxi to get to the destination.
She got there just in time to see Madhav getting off the tram. She waved to draw his attention.
"I have made a list. We need living room and dining furniture, besides there are three bedrooms, one for us and two spare. We need at least the basic appointments such as seating dining, beds and cupboards. If we buy the lot from one dealer we may get a better bargain!" He led her into the narrow lane filled with a maze of shops with European style furniture. These were poster beds, glass fronted cabinets, sideboards and rattan chairs.
"This is a Bentick armchair, that one is an Edwardian swivel chair. That one is a Paulette rocking chair, we should get one of those for you!" Madhav's knowledge of colonial furniture was impressive.
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He had an eye for detail, picking out a Bally coat and hat rack and an antique chest of drawers and a swivel mirror.
"This dining table is made of Burma teak and has pure marble inlay work! Each chair is hand carved to perfection!" The dealer droned on with his sales pitch.
