Soumya Krishnan was a typical Tamilian who had been brought up in the north and spoke good Hindi with perhaps a smattering of her ancestral language. She knew enough of Tamil to enjoy movies and converse with her cousins as needed. Her father was a retired civil servant who had spent most of his working life in the Hindi belt. He was known for his integrity and acumen, a go-getter on the right side of law and morality. And that was why even if they lacked the wealth that many at even lower levels had amassed illegally, she was chosen to marry Darsh. That she was in love with the model Nick Grewal had made that 'arranged marriage' her dream marriage.
Shubhi called to check ahead of time if Soumya would be in the boutique when she went to pick the pieces selected by her mom and sister. Hearing the affirmative she felt a bit of relief, happy to see her friend after a day that had turned her world upside down. She could not share with her family that she ran into Daivik Rawal after six years today! Her mother would throw a fit and Shuchi would be very angry. There was no point in disturbing the festive mood. The boutique was in an older part of the town. A sprawling mansion that had been converted into a shopper's haven for any Indian wedding. Anything and everything needed from lehengas to sarees to lachas to beautiful blouses with strategic cuts were all available under one long multi-pronged roof. Embroidery and embellishment options from the length and breadth of this culturally diverse country were available. The connected sections layout provided the privacy of viewing rooms that many of the elite buyers craved.
Shubhi knew that Soumya would be in the second last room on the right-hand section, in the middle of all the finished and semi-finished material, guiding all the artisans regarding the designs. The bigger room in front served as the office for the boutique. She had visited that room whenever she spent time with her uncle on the accounts. She was not in the mood for any official work today and reached the back room and met her friend. Soumya immediately took her to her design room where all the selection was packed. This was a smaller room filled with finished and semi-finished pieces allowing only space for the designer's large desk and two chairs.
Shubhi: Phew! This is a lot of stuff Somi! It seems Mom and Shuchi have shopped for our entire joint family!
Soumya: (smiling mischievously) I think they are taking that blessing of you being next in line for marriage seriously!
Shubhi: Ohh don't ask, my mom is practically preparing for my marriage!
Soumya: (smiling at her friend) It has given her happiness and hope. Shuchi will be married by the end of the month. And you, perhaps in the next six months... All we need is the right groom to turn up.
Shubhi: (deciding to finally share about the shock of the day) The wrong groom has turned up.
Soumya: What? Wrong groom? Which one?
Shubhi: Mr. Daivik Rawal is back in India. I met him today. (Shubhi sighed as she finally let out the secret).
Soumya: (shocked) You met him! What did he say? What happened?
Shubhi: I met him, and he asked who the father of Dyuti is!
Soumya: (hand on mouth) He asked who the father of Dyuti is! I do not think you would ever want to see him again.
Shubhi: Yes, I slapped him!
Soumya: (still in shock) What!
Shubhi: Yes, initially I thought I would talk to him for Dyuti's sake, she deserves a father's love as well. But now, given his accusations, I have told him to stay away from me and my daughter.
Soumya: Can he not see that Dyuti is his daughter, she and Veni look like the cousin sisters that they are!
Shubhi: He has not met Dyuti in person yet. I did not know but this VinRa foundation that helped with Dyuti's surgery is named after their deceased sister Vinita Rawal. She had a hole in the heart in the same location as Dyuti. Medical advancements of the past decade have meant that my daughter has survived while Vinita Rawal died at a young age.
Soumya: Still, the two brothers are like chalk and cheese. Viren bhaiya is so helpful and humble. I have never seen any airs when Veni plays with all the kids. Dheemant is a bit reserved, but he is polite. Not sure where they sourced Daivik from.
Shubhi: Sometimes I also wonder the same. Maybe he is adopted. The six months I spent with him in that house we were never under the same roof for even a full week. Either I or he was bundled off somewhere. And even that time we were there in the house was typical of in-laws- me trying to win his trust and his family treating me like dirt. Mom always said that in such marriages it takes time for things to work out, so I waited and waited...
Soumya: That wait.... we all have got nothing for it...But you said he was different when you were alone with him... you were stuck with him due to the floods and cyclone.
Shubhi: Yes, it was such a surprise...he was.... how should I say it...quite caring and considerate when we were alone. He talked nicely... I thought my marriage was...finally there...but I never expected that the papers I had signed initially were to end the marriage.
Soumya: You were tricked into signing them. I for one, knew it was too good to be true.
Shubhi: You always had a soft corner for Darsh. For us, it was an arranged marriage.
Soumya: Not much of a difference, Darsh never even looked at me. So, I was a placeholder- a ticket to the business inheritance.
Shubhi: Agrhh it must have been painful, all the excitement to be married to your college crush and then to see it all crumble....
Soumya: (wistfully) Yes, I was happy, over the moon... I was in love with Nick Grewal, the famous model. Imagine my conservative father arranged marriage with Darsh Grewal...who was the same person... I was so happy Shubhi...
Shubhi: Somi... don't think too much!
Soumya: There isn't much to ponder; he made it clear right after the marriage. His aunts were the ones steering the conversation, and he simply sat there nodding. I didn't hold much significance to him, but he was always honest about where our marriage stood. His focus was consumed by setting up his business, leaving little room for us to connect on a deeper level.
Shubhi: You are a wonderful person, Somi! It is his loss to let you go!
Soumya: (resignedly) I guess it was fated that our marriage won't survive.
Shubhi: For Nitya, thankfully Dheemant came to his senses in time and that marriage was saved.
Soumya: You told me that his mom tricked you. You did not know what you were signing. Maybe there would be a legal remedy.
Shubhi: Legal remedy for what? A marriage that doesn't exist. Even for Dyuti's sake, would she like me to live with a man who does not even respect me? Who lied to me, who scammed me, insulted me...It will be bad in the long term.
Soumya: Hey, stop thinking of all that! I have prepared this pink lehenga for you, especially for the reception. Get ready to charm your special someone soon!
Shubhi: Yes, he should be ready to be knocked off his feet soon, whoever he is!
Shubhi returned home and though it was almost night, most of her family were milling about in the house. Being the eldest, her father had inherited the big house and his three brothers and their families lived next door. It was known as 'Khanna Kutir' (Khanna compound) locally and the long strip of garden encircling the four houses served as the unofficial boundary from the world. Her grandfather had migrated from Pakistan and built his business from scratch. One of the inner rooms still housed the memories of that horrific journey. He had brought up his seven kids- four sons and three daughters to excel in studies and business.
The car stopped on the cemented porch and she and Charan divided the packets with the dresses and took them inside. They walked into the outer drawing room or baithak, and some of her cousins and their kids surrounded her. They all wanted the latest news on Dyuti, the elder ones wanted to check on the dresses and comment on the shopping. For Shubhi this was nothing short of therapy. This connected family and the house was unusual in this important area in the city. When her grandfather had built it, this was still the outskirts and now the city was growing around it. But in this house what grew was a loving caring family net that was rare.
Everyone was excited about the dresses, her aunt commented that Dyuti would be back on her feet by the time of Shuchi's marriage. They were happy that everything was falling into place. The family looked forward to happy times ahead and that is where Shubhi stopped her train of thought.
Author's Note: Thanks @GoluDevenda @innayasweety @bruno03slslsls for the votes. It encourages me to post a chapter each week. Now we know the characters and some of the background. Do comment to share your thoughts!! Looking forward!!