***Arya's POV.***
Life at Mehra's house is simple and slow. It has been two weeks since I got married and one week I'm in this house. Every day, I see a routine. A routine which moves like the day before. It is normal but also a little abnormal. It is unnecessary that everything should be different every day but it shouldn't be like the way it always is as well.
I wake up every morning before Vedant and look at his sweet face and our joined hands. Then, after getting ready, I go down and help make breakfast. After having breakfast with half the family, which does not include Mayra or sometimes Dadu, then I work on lunch and send tiffin to Vedant's office.
Then I spend the afternoon with Mom and Nani and after they have gone for a small nap, I spend my time with Mayra. Vedant comes home and we talk for a while then I send Mayra's dinner to her room and have dinner with others. Then we go to sleep.
I feel like we are paused in one place. Neither my relationship with Vedant is progressing nor I am putting any effort to make the family accept Mayra fully. It all feels stressful sometimes as I don't know where to start with and how would others react if I will start anything.
Balancing relations is not easy, I knew that. But I never thought I would be this clueless. Only one person in this house could help me. Only one person who understands and knows everything and who would give me the right guidance.
"Dadu, I want to talk with you." I say on Sunday afternoon when he comes back from his morning walk.
Mom and Dadi have gone to the temple and Mayra said she is going to her dance academy where she would be teaching Kathak. And Vedant has gone to the office for a small meeting and will be back before lunch. So it is the perfect time to talk with Dadu.
"Sure, dear. Come, we will have our talk in the gardens while we still can enjoy the sun. Vimi, bring tea and coffee for us there." Dadu says and we walk to the garden, "Say, dear what is it? Is it about Vedant going to the office today? Let him come home, I'll scold him. He should take you out for dinner dates. And not leave you alone to wander around in the house."
"That is not what this is, Dadu. I want to talk about Mayra." I say and all the fun leaves Dadu's eyes and he gets serious.
"What about it?" He asks.
"Nani told me the little she knew about you all. About what happened a long time ago. I don't know the whole story but I know that Mayra is... I mean there is no better way to say it but I heard that Vedant and Mayra share different mothers." I say.
"What about it?" Dadu asks again with a cold look in his eyes.
"I wanted to ask, is there no way that Dadi and Mom could accept Mayra?" I ask without getting nervous.
Dadu looks at me for two seconds then sighs in relief as if he was dreading something then says, "I am sorry, Aru. My protective instincts for Mayra get the better of me every time. I have been trying to dissuade the worst judgements against her my whole life and that has made me question everyone if they even look at her. I am sorry for behaving coldly with you."
"That's okay, Dadu." I say.
"No, it is not. I promised your Nanu that I would treat you like my daughter and nothing else. But Mayra is a very touchy subject for me. And about your question, I don't know. I have tried for almost twenty two years to convince them to accept her. Mayra was just three when I found out about her and also that she was sent to an orphanage when she had a family. My blood boils every time I remember the first time I saw her. Torn clothes, bruised body, empty eyes and obedient person. She would have jumped in a lake if someone had asked. She was treated worse." Dadu says and stops when Vimi comes with a tray.
After she leaves I ask, "Did Mom's heart didn't melt at her state?"
"I don't know. I left her alone. I didn't wanted to push Purvi for something when she just got divorced." Dadu says.
"What about Dadi? What problem does she have with Mayra?" I ask.
"I love Meera a lot but the only thing I don't like is the way she behaves with Mayra. Do you know your Dadi is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer? But when she knew that Mayra was the result of her son's affair with an exotic foreign dancer, she hated her and left dancing. It is a stupid reason. Every now and then I see her looking at her ghungroo and then her face twists as if she remembers something and locks those memories away. When Mayra used to dance, she avoided her at all cost as if looking at her would remind her of something." Dadu says lost in thought.
I take his wrinkled hand in mine and squeeze it then say, "We have to do something, Dadu. We have to make them realise what they are doing is wrong. Mayra is part of this family and they have to accept her before it gets too late. Every person has patience but some day that patience would wear off and in its place bitterness would come. And I don't want a girl like Mayra to turn into something like that."
"You are right. Mayra may not show it but she gets hurt. No one wants to live alone in a house full of people. No one wants to eat alone. No one wants to hide their success from their family. If Mayra was into business I bet she would have surpassed even Vedant. She is that hardworking and focused." Dadu says.
"So, what should we do?" I ask.
"We have to convince Vedant to accept her fully." Dadu says.
"Vedant?" I ask.
"Yes. Vedant often talks how he doesn't like how Mayra is being treated but he never takes initiative himself. He doesn't know that if he would take a step everything could start to get better. But he fears for his Mom and he has valid reasons for it. Vedant has suffered too at a very young age just like Mayra had. You would understand it better. To see your mother breaking down in front of you at that age leaves some scars and fears in you." Dadu says and squeezes my hand and I nod.
"You are right." I say.
"But Vedant is stubborn. The only person who could show him how to accept Mayra is you. And for that you have to know his side of the story." Dadu says.
"So I should ask him?" I ask.
"No. Vedant would never want you to know his weakness. He would never want to be vulnerable in front of you unless he trusts you more than anything. So for now the only thing you need to do is build your relationship with him. I don't want your relationship with him to suffer. You have to take your time to know each other and trust each other and that is okay. Till then we can give enough love to Mayra so she can wait and hope for more." Dadu says and I nod.
I think about Dadu's advice as I make dal for lunch. What he said really made me think a lot. I have to build my relationship with Vedant and also with others. If I have my husband in my corner maybe this battle would get easier even if only a bit. But it would make a huge difference. Because somewhere I also think that Vedant and Mom are holding each other back from accepting Mayra because of each other.
I have to think of a way to build my relationship with Vedant but how. We have been cordial to each other today and it has become quite... quiet. Maybe the reason would be my shyness around him which had made him a little conscious of me.
"What are you looking at?" Someone whispers near my ear and I turn around to see Vedant.
"Vedant! You are home." I say.
"Yes." He says with a smile.
"What are you doing in the kitchen?" I ask, confused.
"Nothing. Just came to see you." He says and looks a bit nervous.
"Okay." I say and wait for him to say more.
"Would you like to go out with me after lunch?" He asks.
"Sure." I say.
"Really?" He asks and I look at him.
"Yes." I say.
"Okay. Then I will go wash up. Is lunch ready?" He asks.
"Yes. It is ready." I say and he nods then leaves.
Maybe he wants to move forward with me and doesn't know how to do it just like me. I like Vedant and I want him to know that. And I also want to know if he likes me too. We have to do something to move forward in this relationship.
We have lunch together then I get ready in a green churidar dress. He first takes me to his company to introduce me to others and shows his cabin too. He asked for some suggestions about what should be renovated or changed. We talk for hours and it feels good. Then he takes me to Veer Da Dhaba for dinner.
"You remember?" I ask.
"Yes. I promised I would take you here one day. And also I want to have kaali dal which Parth has been talking about." He says.
"Sure. But I want to try paneer curry and samosas." I say and walk with him but my heel gets stuck and I almost fall.
But Vedant's arm comes around my waist and he says, "Are you okay?"
"Yes. It's just that my heel got stuck." I say.
"That's okay. I will hold you while we walk towards Dhaba. Is that okay with you?" He asks and I look up and our eyes meet.
"That would be nice." I say and he nods with a smile.
"Good. Let's go." He says but his words seem to mean more than that.
I will tell Vedant. I will tell him that I like him and I want to put efforts to move forward rather than be stuck in one place. Because moving forward is not only necessary for us but others too.