The best moments of life are when you are safe and happy at home with your loved ones. Home cozy home, home sweet home. But the Arora Mansion always vibrates in joy, of unusual nature, unpredictable but loving, happy and fun.
The clock strikes quarter to four. Mrs Sarika Arora sits by the window of her bedroom, flooded with the golden sunlight. Her hands are busy with crochet but her ears and eyes on the watchout for her children to arrive.
The warm spring winds sways the rose bushes of the garden, permeating the fragrance of thorned beauty in the entire abode. A playful sparrow lands on the windowsill and taps the glass with its beak but the mother's eyes made no move.
No they are not coming home after months or years, they left for work in the morning at their usual times and would be returning from work. Yet in those few hours the house would change its nature.
A loud clank of metals sounded from downstairs. She smiled to herself, her younger daughter in law was at home since noon and running around all over the house. She knew Bhanavi was up to something but what she could not think of.
An engine purred up the driveway. Lowering th pace of her knitting, Mrs Sarika Arora sat up straighter, her elder son or daughter in law must have come.
Then a cheery voice squealed from downstairs.
"Bhai- Bhabhi" (elder sister in law)
Mrs Sarika Arora smiled, both of them had come back home.
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"My dear Bhanavi" Shachi said, pulling her into a light hug.
"Bhavi!! You and Jeth ji are back before usual time?" Bhanavi replied, grinning at the controlled frown on her brother in law's face at the use of the word 'Jeth' (elder brother in law).
"We usually come back around this time" Shachi answered confused, affectionately settling her slightly messed up hair, "What have you been up to all day Bhanavi? Look at your hair...is that flour on them?"
"Bhanavi can you ask Kiaan to see me sometime today?" Vasav muttered, flipping through some office files true to his workaholic nature, absentmindedly walking to the kitchen, leaving the two ladies to themselves
Shachi narrowed her eyes while her younger sister in law looked on, struggling to keep the mischievous grin from forming on her lips, the bangles in her hand jingling due to the constant fidgeting.
"Bhanavi?" She asked a little more sternly, while keeping her hand bag aside on the sofa.
"Um..Bhavi you should freshen yourself up now" Bhanavi replied, starting to take a few steps back while seemingly adjusting her dupatta.
"But you still did not answer my question" Shachi answered back, her suspicion now starting to get triggered, "What exactly--"
She didn't get to complete her sentence as Bhanavi chose the very moment to run out of her sight made more convenient by a call from their mother in law for her. She sighed fondly, the tall girl with long wavy black hair seemingly aloof from others but in reality not knowing how to make friends, was not her sister, but for her she was more than that.
The memories from her university days flashed in her mind as she began walking to her mother in law's room to see to what the elderly lady required of her, the carefree old days she and Bhanavi had spent drawing a bright smile on her lips.
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"Vasav bhai!" said a loud excited voice, as the one called out raised his face completely off the black office file in his hand.
"Yes Bhanavi? What is it?" He said smiling softly at his younger sister in law, still flicking through the pages of the file, in his words the rectangles which secured a happy domestic life.
"Where are you walking off to without looking at the way?" she asked chirpily, taking his file and flipping through the pages rapidly trying to put on a grave expression.
"Bhanavi sometimes I can't believe you are an international lawyer!" Vasav muttered half amused and half exasperated, "I was going to grab a bite from the kitchen."
"Vasav bhai, can you get some cabbage and curd from the market?" Bhanavai asked urgently, her voice slightly on a higher edge.
"Didn't I get it yesterday?" Vasav replied, raising an eyebrow, taking the file back from her.
"It was stale..please get me some more, I need to cook dinner" Bhanavi answered, giving a pleading look.
A deadpan expression greeted her from elder brother in law before he stalked off to the refrigerator scourging through rows of jam jars each suiting the different tastes of family members, to bring out a fresh bowl of curd and then taking out two big fresh cabbages out of the jute bag from the pantry which no one bothered to take out.
"Oh oh..but the flour is over, can you get it?" Bhanavi asked again setting aside the curd and cabbages which Vasav handed her and bringing out some empty containers, "I want to make gobi ke parathhe."
Vasav was about to retort when his younger brother made his appearance bearing a confused expression, traces of paint still on his fingertips before he gave a happy astonished look.
"Bhaiya! You are back!" Kiaan said jumping sprinting towards his elder brother and hugging him carefully not to touch his expensive business suit with his still paint stained fingers.
"Kiaan" Vasav replied enthusiastically hugging his little brother back. Turning back to Bhanavi, whom he saw more as his little sister, he said, "There is flour in the house too I am sure."
"No there is not" Bhanavi replied shaking her head in emphasis, while exchanging a warm look with her husband who now having broken the hug with his brother and now standing close to his wife looking curiously at the large empty containers she had laid out.
Vasav opened his mouth again to articulate his mind, taking some steps to the upper cabinets of the kitchen, when this time again he had to abruptly shut it while readjusting his tie as the beautiful lady in her smart casuals now, her hair neatly tied up in a ponytail walking towards them with confident strides, a smile gracing her lips.
"What is happening here?" Shachi asked looking at the trio gathered in the kitchen, quickly finishing off with a text and keeping her phone inside her pocket.
YOU ARE READING
Belle of Kinship
General Fiction"THERE ARE FRIENDS. THERE IS FAMILY. THEN THERE ARE FRIENDS THAT BECOME FAMILY." Shachi and Bhanavi have always considered each other their family. Their happiness knew no bounds when they actually became family. Join Shachi and Bhanavi in their ex...
