A week later, Pallavi was looking at the accounts in the saree shop (yet again Baba hadn't come in, it was just Nikhil with her today), when she noticed that the date was June 8th. It had been almost three months since she had married Raghav. If she
Ashwini Aunty walked in, a long time customer, "Pallavi beta, I need a new sari, can you help me choose something?"
"Zaroor, what's the occasion?" Pallavi asked.
"Parso Vat Savitri Puja hai. You didn't know? I noticed that you're wearing sindoor and a South Indian mangalsutra, but even if your husband is Telugu, you have to keep up with your customs, beta. Doesn't matter if you're North or South Indian, yeh vrat aur puja bahut acchi baat hoti hai. Look at me, I've been married 25 years, yes my husband is a grumpy Telugu man, but main toh Marathi hun, main apne riti rivaaz kabhi compromise nahin karti. This is why my khadoos husband has lived for so long." Ashwini laughed.
Pallavi nodded, "Main toh bhool hi gayi" She helped Ashwini Aunty find a saree, but before she could leave, she asked, "Aunty, kya aap mujhe bata sakti hai, is puja mujhe kya kya karni hai?"
Aarti Aunty responded, "Why don't you just ask Sharda Ji, she's been doing the puja for years with us at the Marathi Women's Association, in fact, we're having a function the day after tomorrow for the puja, tum Sharda ji ke saath aao?"
Pallavi looked embarrassed, "Oh, I can't...meri Aai mujh se—teek hai, Aunty main zaroor aaungi."
When Ashwini left, Pallavi started chewing on her fingernails. She wanted to do the puja, she should do it. But should she go where she might run into Aai and Baba? Then she remembered Raghav telling her that she was his family now. She held her head up high and stopped biting her nails, so what if Aai and Baba would be there? She wasn't afraid of them, and one day or another they would have to forgive her. If they didn't, she too could be stubborn as hell. Besides, Vat Savitri was incredibly important. Then she worried about how much Raghav would make fun of her for this, she blushed thinking of him smirking while she spent all day fasting and then when she did his Aarti.
Nikhil, who had been quietly listening to all of this from the back of the store decided to talk to his mother. This was a perfect opportunity to get Aai to understand Pallavi and forgive her.
Pallavi took out her phone and started looking up the items she'd need for the puja, as well as the website for the Marathi Women's Association, so she could tell Amma, Keerthi, and Raghav where they'd be spending their afternoon and evening the day after tomorrow. Her mood was oddly giddy, this would be the first festival she would get to celebrate as a real wife, now she wasn't a widow anymore. She wouldn't have to stray far away from the festivities to avoid Kaku from saying something rude about her being a widow in front of Aai or Baba. Pallavi remembered fondly the last time she saw Aai do this pooja, in fact, before she got married to Mandaar, she saw her sister-in-law also celebrated Vat Savitri in Kohlapur.
"Nikhil, I've finished finalizing the accounts, I have to go to the market for some things and then I'm going to head home, so I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Ok Didi, bye, aap please apna kayal rakiye." Nikhil walked to her and hugged her, "I've been missing you so much at home these days, especially you waking me up in the morning with your old Hindi songs as you pray to Bappa."
Pallavi smiled, "I miss home too...but I guess it never really was my home, right?" She decided to leave before she started crying.
"No, don't say that," Nikhil stopped her, "I'll talk to Aai and Baba again, I'll—"
"No you won't. Koi zaroorat nahin. Nikhil, just because I love them still, just because I still know that all of you are my family, that doesn't mean I can force them to accept my love, right? And...at some point I have to accept that their love for me was conditional," Pallavi smiled and lifted Nikhil's chin when he looked down in embarrassment, "But that's fine, Nikhil. Koi baat nahin. At least for some time in my life I had you all, and if I don't get you all back, then that's God's will. And see, Bappa ko bataa tha mujhe aur log ka zaroorat padega, so he brought me to Amma, Keerthi, and—and Raghav." Pallavi smiled, hugged Nikhil again, and left.
Nikhil stood alone in the shop, confused. Why was Pallavi acting like she was happy in that house? He knew how much she hated Raghav. He knew why she had been forced to marry him. He had thought she was just doing this puja to meet with Aai and Baba again. Perhaps, Raghav had tricked her into thinking he would care for her, just because he had fought Baba for her? He had to tell Aai, he couldn't let Raghav ruin his sister's life.
When he got home he pulled Aai into her room, away from Kaku and Baba, "Aai I have to tell you something."
"Kya hai Nikhil?" Sharda asked him.
"Pallavi bahut dukhi hai, Aai."
Sharda's smile turned to a frown, "Nikhil, I don't want to talk about her. I know you think whatever she did was right, but it wasn't—"
"Aai listen, she's going to come to the Vat Savitri Puja you all are doing the day after tomorrow. But I don't think she's happy Aai. Not just because you and Baba are heartless and abandoned her, I think she's forcing herself to be happy with that Raghav, but she can't be. Please, I'm begging you, please forgive her. We have to find a way to get her back in this house, with us. Please. Mujhe meri didi vapas chahiye." Nikhil pleaded. His eyes filled with tears.
Sharda was silent but she knew that there might be some truth in Nikhil's words. Raghav may have put up an act in front of Vijay Ji and Jaya Ji that he cared about Pallavi, but any man who would force a woman into a marriage, that's not someone who could care about anyone.
Vijay walked in, he had been listening to the whole conversation, "Nikhil, stop crying. Sharda, agar tu us ladki ya us Raghav se baat karne ka such rahi hai, tum aisa kuch bhi mat karegi. I took a decision, and now we have to accept the fact that Pallavi is no longer a member of this family. She never was."
"Baba, sach mein, Aap patthar dil ho." Nikhil glared at his father and left the room.
Sharda didn't look at Vijay, and left the room as well.
When Vijay started to leave, Milind stopped him, "Nikhil is right, Dada. Today I found out that my big brother isn't just stubborn, but also a liar. You spent years lying. You never loved Pallavi in the first place, did you? So I guess it won't matter to you that a girl, who you said you loved as a 'daughter,' wait no, you said you loved her like a 'son,' is stuck in a forced marriage. And tomorrow, god forbid, if something happens to her—"
"Chhup. Aisa kuch nahin hoga. How can you even say such a thing?" Vijay was incensed, and then he looked confusedly at Milind's smile.
"Toh sacco bahar aa hi gaya, you still care about Pallavi, so much that you can't even hear about her not being in this world." Milind smiled and turned, but before he left Vijay alone with his thoughts he said, "Dada, please, leave your ego behind when you come to the Vat Savitri puja, your daughter will be there, and she needs you."
Pallavi entered the house with her arms full of shopping bags from her afternoon shopping. She almost fell over when Keerthi saw her and helped her.
"Pallavi, yeh saw kya hai? Are you inviting some people over for something?" Keerthi asked, taking some of the bags from her.
"No no, there's a pooja the day after tomorrow, it—" Pallavi was suddenly nervous, as Raghav and Amma had walked into the main hall as well, "parso woh..." Pallavi blushed and looked away from Raghav's quizzical brow.
"Woh kya?" Amma asked, "Pallavi beta, kaunsa pooja hai?"
Pallavi determinedly avoided Raghav's gaze, but he realized by her face that it must be what he was thinking. Just this morning at least five different men came to his main store, and he overheard all of them panicking over buying something for their wives for Vat Savitri Puja. Truly, the number of men skyrocketed every year whenever these festivals came up, it made it so easy for him to discern how many of his clients were North Indian or South Indian depending on the holiday, which made it easier to change up his designs beforehand. He grinned at Pallavi, "Haan, Saree ka Dukaan, Amma kuch puch rahi hai? Bataa do na?"
Pallavi glared at him, "Parso Vat Savitri ka puja hai, and I've brought these things for it. I'll be keeping a fast starting tomorrow night, so I'll make sure to make your food separate Amma and Keerthi, and we'll be going to a function held by the Marathi Women's Association here. All of us." She gave Raghav a warning look, to indicate to him that he couldn't get out of it even if he tried.
"Yeh toh bahut accha hai! Aur tum kyun khana banaogi, main aur Keerthi hai na." Amma was ecstatic, "Tum aur Raghav ka pehle, woh kya bolthe hain North main? Tyohar."
Raghav grinned and walked towards Pallavi, taking the remaining bags from her hands, "Toh tum, mere liye, mere lambe lambe umar ke liye, pooja karegi? Really?"
"Nahin, main na, padosee ka pati ke liye kar rahi hun, teek hai?" Pallavi said, and took the bags back.
Amma shook her head, "Tum kaiko isko pareshaan kar rahe ho? Accha Pallavi, we can do all the preparations together, you just tell me what help you need. But, do you really need to keep a fast. You should take care of your health. Yeh gaddhe ko fast karne ka zaroorat kya hai?" Amma walked and slapped Raghav on the back of the head.
"Amma! Why are you hitting me? Galat decision Pallavi le rahi hai, main nahin." Raghav said rubbing the back of his head, "Aur, yeh Saree ka Dukaan ko khana bahut pasand hai. Yeh toh upwas rak bhi sakti hai?"
Pallavi pointed a finger at Raghav, "Tum—I knew you would make fun of me. I can keep a fast, and like it or not you are going to have to live a long long life with me, Mr. Raghav Rao, samazla?"
Raghav laughed, "Itna pyaar, sirf mere liye?" He hugged Pallavi but she pushed him off.
"Amma, tere beta ko na, sirf bachpana aata hai. Aur kuch nahief." Pallavi complained, "How the hell did you deal with him for this long?"
Keerthi laughed, "Pucho mat, Pallavi Di, Raghav toh aisa hi hai, badlega nahin."
"Arre, tum sab aurathon, mere kilaf kabse ho gaya?" Raghav complained.
"Jab main ghar main aayi" Pallavi smiled.
Raghav crossed his arms, "Teek hai, Saree ka Dukaan. We'll make a bet. If you keep your fast, I'll—I'll do anything you ask, aur agar main jeetha tho, you'll have to do anything I ask. Manzoor?" He put out his hand.
Pallavi shook his hand, "Manzoor hai. Tum dekhna."
She left with her things and headed to the mandir to start preparing.
Raghav laughed, "Yeh Saree ka Dukaan bhi na, pura ka pura pagal hai."
"Raghav, I will never understand you, nor will I understand Pallavi." Keerthi said, shaking her head.
Raghav smiled, "Arre yaar, I was just kidding, but now that Pallavi left, I just remembered, I'm going to need yours and Amma's help in picking out a gift for her."
Amma smiled, but Keerthi teased him, "Gift kyun, tum abhi se haar maan rahe ho?"
"Keerthi, main toh kasbe pyaar se har chuka hun, lekin agar Saree ka Dukaan ek puja kar sakthi hai, sirf mere liye, toh ek aur doh gifts toh bantha hai, na?"
Raghav remembered Pallavi's design notebook, when he last saw her working with it, she was telling Amma that all the designs that were finalized were marked with green, but there must still be designs she hadn't been able to make yet.
"Amma, mera ek idea hai, main baad main aata. Teek hai?" Raghav ran upstairs, dialing Farhad's number as he went to his room to look for Pallavi's sketchbook.