"How long will you not talk to your mother for?" Atharva asked. Valli huffed, folding another kurti. It was a simple Tuesday. Her father was at work, her mother was gone to sit with her terrible friends in the colony. Valli was sitting in her room, folding up her clothes.
"I don't know." She muttered.
"You should talk to her. She was angry, she probably didn't even mean what she said, Valli. And even if she did, you don't have anything to feel bad about. You've done nothing bad with me, and even if you did, I'm your fiance, you can do anything you want with me." He said.
"Chinnayya! Let it go!" She whined loudly.
"Fine. I won't say anything. What are you doing?" Atharva sighed.
"Folding my clothes. You?"
"Taking off my clothes."
"What?"
"Yeah. I just came back to my room from tuition, so I'm changing." He said.
"Oh." She was beet red, blushing terribly.
"W... What are you going to do now?" She tried to not sound very flustered.
"I'm going to hop onto a call for a meeting." He said.
"Can I come and watch?" She giggled.
"Watch what? The meeting?" He frowned.
"Mhm. Watch you talk in the meeting. I like when you talk like that." She grinned.
"Valli!" He groaned.
She laughed, she had realised over the past few weeks of talking to him incessantly that he got riled up over a few things. And it was adorable to watch, so she did it more. Valli finished cleaning up her entire room. She had not been going to college since she was on a break this week. Her father had submitted a letter in advance, informing them of the entire ordeal. But she still had assignments on the Monday after her engagement. But she needed a computer and internet for that, and usually if anyone in the village needed a computer, they would just go to the cafe. Internet was accessible, but laptops were pricey and not very accessible there. And using her phone was not possible because of the vastness of the project.
"Atharva mama... I need a favour." Valli said.
"Hmm? What is it?" He asked.
"I have a few assignments to finish. I wanted to finish them today since everyone will be here tomorrow. I'd have to go to the internet cafe to use the computer there... But I really don't want to spend all day there." She pouted.
"Come here, kanna. I have a personal laptop. You can work on it." He said.
"But... My amma... And Ayyagaru... Would they mind?" She mumbled.
"I'll talk to them. Pack your bag, bring all your books. Don't forget anything." He said and just hung up before she could even respond.
He made his way out of his room and went into the main hall of the house. His father, Valli's father and a few others were there, discussing a few matters. There was a new bridge being constructed in the village, and they were really occupied with that.
"Atharva, come sit!" Ayyagaru grinned when he saw his son.
"Nana, I would sit but I have a meeting to attend in some time. But listen, I needed your permission for something... Even yours mamayya." He said to both the fathers.
"Valli needs to finish her assignments. They're making up for her attendance this week. I thought it wouldn't be safe for her to sit in the internet cafe all day to finish them. Can I bring her here? Anyway Rama and I will be working all day as well. She can sit with us and finish up." He looked at them both, lying a little bit so that he could make it seem like his idea.
"Atharva... It's alright nana. I think she can manage..." Her father said hesitantly.
"Bharath, why should she manage when she can come here. I don't want Kumud to sit in an internet cafe all day." Ayyagaru said with finality in his tone.
"Mamayya, please say yes." Atharva asked.
"How can I say no? It's for her good afterall." Her father chuckled, nodding.
"I'll go pick her up." Atharva said and rushed out.
"Chinnayya seems so caring." One of the men said.
"He is. He always has been." Ayyagaru nodded and moved on to what was being discussed.
Atharva got onto his bike, slightly excited to go and pick up his Valli. And she would be sitting behind him on the bike for the first time. Valli was packing up her books into her bag when she heard the front door open. Her mother was home and she had to inform her. She had not spoken to her in a few days now nor did her mother try to speak to her. But she had to tell her.
"Amma..." Valli mumbled, walking out. Her mother seemed surprised that Valli had initiated a conversation with her.
"I... Uhm.... I'm going to Ayyagaru's house. I have to finish my assignments and Chinnayya said I can use his laptop and internet. Nana is also there. I'll come back with him." She told her.
"Go." She shrugged indifferently and turned back to do whatever she had been. It infuriated Valli.
"Amma! I'm getting engaged in 3 days. Do you even realise that? How could you be so cold and mean to me? It's going to be one of the biggest days of my life but just because someone said something to you from your terrible group of friends, you'll be so indifferent to me? I look up to you, I love you so much. I was excited and happy that I was going to wear your wedding saree for my engagement. But it seems like you literally just don't care. What have I done that made you so upset? Chinnayya shows you so much of respect that he talks about you being a part of his life when he misses his own mother. Do you realise how big that is supposed to be? Do you realise what an important place he gives you? Do you think that he doesn't know what you've said to us both? He knows everything, and is still trying to pacify you so that you don't think wrong about us. He doesn't need to do that. Once we get married and move to the city, he will have nothing to do with you and nana, but he's still trying to keep our relationship intact for my sake. And here you are... Three days before my engagement also you are not talking to me. It's fine. I also don't care anymore. If you don't want me, I won't force myself on you." Valli cried.
"Valli!" It wasn't her mother. It was Atharva who called out her name. Her mother seemed startled when she looked to the door to find him standing there.
"Chinnayya, come in. Please." Her mother said, inviting him into the house.
"No. Let's go." Valli muttered, wiping away her tears.
"Valli, wait for a minute ma." He said, caressing the back of her head. Her mother was flustered, knowing that he had seen them fight that way.
"Atthaya... I smell dosa." He smiled, taking off his shoes and going into the house. He dragged Valli back inside.
"Yeah... I made dosa and chicken curry." His mother-in-law nodded.
"Oh I have not had that in a while. Years actually. Can you make me some dosas?" He asked, making his way directly towards the dining table. A smile broke out on Valli's mother's face and she nodded. She was a mother after all, feeding food excessively is like an inbuilt personality trait of any mother. He sat down on a chair as she turned on the pan.
"Did you eat?" He looked at Valli. She shook her head, visibly mad at him.
"Come sit." Atharva grabbed her hand. She glared at him, shaking her head.
"Sit and eat with me, kanna. Come." He asked again, so sweetly, she was just about ready to melt. She sat herself down on the seat next to his.
"Don't you have a meeting now?" She asked.
"I can ask Rama to push it. It's just a meeting with the team leads and managers. Not a big deal, it's internal." He brushed her off.
"Nice to see how much you value your employees' time." She almost rolled her eyes at him. But didn't. She was still scared of him, but being angry and bratty just gave her a push of confidence to act bratty with him. He seemed pleasantly surprised and amused at that.
"Right. That is wrong of me. But I will apologize and let them go for an all paid lunch after the meeting later today." He told her.
"Whatever." She mumbled, laying her head down on the table and pouting. Her mother came back with a plate of chicken curry and a crispy but fluffy dosa. She eyed her daughter who had her head fallen on the table, looking annoyed and upset.
"Make sure she eats, will you?" She asked Atharva. He chuckled, nodding.
"Ey. Get up." He said. She let out a groan, shaking her head.
"Valli, get up ma."
"No." She mumbled stubbornly.
"Leyyi amma, let me feed you." He spoke so lovingly, she had no choice but to get up. He pushed a morsel into her mouth, pushing her hair back neatly.
"You stay here only. I'll go and stay on the road." Valli muttered.
"Don't talk with your mouth full." He scolded, taking a bite for himself. She huffed and continued chewing. They ate more than 7 dosas together. Her mother got her own plate and sat down with them. She was anticipating a conversation between them now.
"Atthaya... Are you okay? With this marriage and with us?" Atharva asked.
"What? Why would you ask me that, Chinayya? You were our choice for Valli. Of course I am." Her mother gasped.
"I'm glad to hear that, attaya. I know you and Valli are having fights. She isn't telling me exactly what is happening or what you've said to her. But I can guess what it's about. Kruthi is 28 years old atthaya. I know that Kruthi and her boyfriend are in a very serious relationship in Hyderabad. I also know that you disapprove and even I personally do not like that either. Commitment is important to me." Atharva said. Valli's eyes widened and her mother seemed incredibly taken aback that he was talking about this so openly.
"But what happened to Kruthi is her business. I want you to trust me. If not me, then trust Valli. She is your daughter. The values, the morals and the ethics she has, she gets from you and mamayya. And that is significantly important to nana and I. That was one of the first things nana told me about Valli." He told her, her mother sighed loudly, looking down. She already knew that she was guilty for saying all those things, but at the moment, she even felt a little comforted because of what Atharva was saying.
"Valli and I will get engaged in a few days. After that, I will probably meet Valli often, we have to register our marriage together, we want to shop for the wedding together with you, we will probably have to meet each other, even alone sometimes. And I hope that you can trust us both. If you can't and you're uncomfortable with us meeting, then please just tell us and we'll put a stop to it. But atthaya, I want to get to know Valli more. We're very comfortable with each other, but this much of comfort is not enough to have that relationship of a husband and wife. After we get married, we will have to live alone in another city, there will be no one else to depend on. For me, the most important thing is that Valli gets used to me without overthinking anything. And that'll only happen if we spend time with each other now, and at the end of the day, she will have you and mamayya to return back home to and fall back upon because it will definitely be overwhelming." Atharva said.
He was talking so much, her poor Atharva mama had never spoken this much in his life.
"Will you please trust us? And Valli is hurt, I hope you can let go of what anyone says outside of this family and this home and only focus on your daughter. Remember that you were the one who made her the wonderful person that she is. Don't let anyone have that power over you to make you question your own upbringing." He closed, taking his mother-in-law's hand in his and giving it a squeeze.
"I'm sorry, kanna." Her mother sighed, she felt defeated. Not because she had to say sorry, no. But because she felt like she was left with a crack in the relationship between herself and her daughter.
"It's fine, amma." Valli said.
"You both should go. You have a meeting. I will go to the temple in some time anyway." Her mother smiled. He gave her a smile, got up and walked off into the kitchen to put away his plate.
Valli's mother looked at Valli. Her daughter was grown up now, she realised. And her eyes stung with tears. How did she allow herself to hurt her little girl like that.
"Bangaru..." She said, her voice cracked. Valli's head shot up when she heard her voice.
Bloody hell, watching your mother cry, it wasn't a good feeling.
"Amma! Che! Stop crying. What happened has happened. You're my amma, you have the right to question me. It's fine. It's over now. Don't even think about it. Forgiven and forgotten! Che che! Don't cry like this!" Valli's own voice cracked as she hugged her mother tightly.
"How much you've grown up, chinna thalli. You've overlooked your mother's foolishness also. I was so blinded with fear and everything told to me that I forgot that I was talking my little Kumudavalli. I'm sorry, kannalu." She cried. Valli hugged her tighter and kissed her cheeks.
"And I'm so happy Valli. I always hoped when you and Vedangini were younger, seeing how your nana loved you both, I always prayed and hoped that you both with find husbands who will love you and treat you the way nana does. You got blessed and lucky with Atharva. You'll be fine." Her mother said happily.
"I will be." Valli smiled to herself.
"But amma... Promise me one thing..." She went on. Her mother nodded, waiting for her to go on.
"Your group of friends in the colony... They're not very nice people. You guys spend all day sitting and gossiping. But please remember that I'm your daughter. Once the preparations for the wedding begin, we will all be busy, we will have to meet. And I really don't want things to get this bad again. And that would mean that you don't get influenced by those ladies, nor will you share what's happening in our lives with them. We don't need that negativity amma. Be wise. Promise me you won't let this happen again." Valli said. Her mother nodded instantly, she would never put her daughter's life or marriage in jeopardy because of the stupid gossip going around.
"And Kruthi is also someone's child. She's probably going through a hard time. Your group of friends are adults, they should know better than to drag a young girl through the mud." She sighed. Her mother gave her a look and Valli shut up, taking away her mother's plate. She walked into the kitchen to find Atharva trying to figure out her old stone age stove.
"What are you turning on the stove?" She giggled, putting the plate in the sink.
"I haven't seen these in a while. I wanted to just turn it on and see." He said. He resembled a young and curious boy at that moment. Valli giggled, pinching his cheek.
"Were you trying to give amma and I privacy, my adorable Atharva mama? But were trying to listen to our conversation at the same time?" She teased.
"Aye no." He huffed.
"You know? After Charita akka got married, she came back to the village to stay for a few days no? I used to ask her how married life was and if living with a man was crazy and different for me." Valli said, turning on the stove and putting the pot of coffee on the fire to heat it up. Charita was one of Valli's friends, an older girl who she grew up with.
"Hmm?" Atharva listened, but frowned, trying to understand where this was going.
"So she told me, apart from him being a man physically, it felt like she was living with her girl bestie. Because men are apparently more interested and like gossip more than women. We are pulled through the dirt for no reason." Valli snickered. Her bum stung with how he had managed to spank her, it wasn't very loud, but she hissed with the sting.
"Will you keep doing this to me?" She pouted.
"We'll have privacy in our home, so it'll obviously be a lot more." He grinned. She had never seen him smile that wide, and her serious Atharva mama looked so adorable, she felt her own lips stretch out into a smile.
"So you'll be a wife beater?" She pouted even more, only to have his fingers pinch her pouted lips again.
"Cute." He remarked, pinching her cheek.
"How could you beat such a cute wife?" She asked.
"With a wooden scale." He said.
"Chinnayya!" She whined and blushed.
"You keep asking for it, sweetheart." He chuckled. She huffed, pouring the coffee into cups.
When they went back out into the dining room, the air had become lighter. Her mother was filling Atharva in on how many siblings she and Valli's father had and how they would all start coming into the town from the next day so that he isn't startled by the amount of people in her house from the next day. Atharva reciprocated, telling them about some of his family.
"But they're all extended family, atthaya. Nana and I somehow found peace in the solidarity. We were alone all our lives it feels like, but we were always enough for each other. Till Valli came along, I didn't realise how lonely life can actually get. But nana has dedicated his life to this village, and that has become his purpose now." He simply said. Valli felt her throat tighten, how did he confess such a huge thing so simply? What was sweeter was how Valli's amma cupped her son-in-law's cheek and smiled.
"You can consider us family, whenever you feel comfortable enough to do it." She smiled. His expression has softened, and he gave her a willful smile and nodded, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze.
"You both should really leave no, you said you have a meeting!" Her mother rushed them both.
Valli collected her bag and followed Atharva out.
"You came on your bike?" She gasped.
"Have you not gotten onto a bike before?" He asked.
"On only Nana's. You're not my nana." She said, staring at the huge bike with uncertainty.
"I can be your daddy though." He muttered to himself, he just had to say it. She left him an open window to say it. How could he not have taken the opportunity? And she heard it.
"Huh?" She looked at him. He studied her face for a few seconds too long. She did tease him a bit, he wanted to know if she was just feigning innocence, or if she really didn't know what he was saying.
But she really didn't know. The confusion was quite real. He licked his lips, tilting his head the slightest bit to examine his beautiful and innocent Valli's features. How beautiful, how did the creator make her so beautiful? Was it possible for someone to look this beautiful?
"Daddy?" She squeaked in confusion.
"Oh kanna!" He whispered. She was so innocent, her confidence, her talkativeness, her teasing - it was all just a ruse. Valli wasn't that advanced in these, and he understood that now. His lips perked up into a smile. He had this terrible desire to taint his Valli's innocence, but keep it intact at the same time.
"Help me get on." She huffed.
"You can hold me and climb up as usual, Valli. I won't burn you." He chuckled, sitting on the bike. She gave him her college bag and he the straps over his shoulders, but let the bag hang over his chest.
"How..." She mumbled. She didn't want to hold him like that.
"Valli kanna, you've hugged me before. This is no different. Get on." He ordered. She let out a while and placed her left hand on his shoulder. There was undue pressure from the aunties staring on to get on fast and clean. She didn't want to embarrass herself, this was embarrassing enough. She placed her left foot on the footrest and climbed up. She was so tiny and light that the bike or Atharva didn't even tilt a milimeter as she put her weight on him.
"See? That was easy." He smiled.
"Sit properly. Hold me." He ordered. She shook her head, placing her hands on her thighs. He smirked, raving the bike and letting go of the brakes at once. She gasped, wrapping her arms around his torso and moving forward. She thought she was going to just fall backwards.
"Atharva mama!" She gasped in fright.
"Sorry bomma. Had to make you hold me." He laughed, riding off. She blushed, he could feel the entire front of her body press tightly against his back. Her cheek was squished against the middle of his back as she rested her face there.
"You want to go straight home?" He asked, his voice was muffled through the wind.
"No." She mumbled, hugging him tighter.
"Hmm?" He asked again when he didn't hear her voice.
"No. I want to stay like this for a bit more." She blushed beet red.
"What the queen says, goes." He grinned, driving faster towards the roads laid near the farm lands, there wouldn't be very many people there. Her heart raced with how fast he was going, and she hugged him tighter, pushing her body upwards to put her chin on his shoulder. She grinned, feeling the wind blanket her body. This was much different from all the other times that she had ridden a bike. It was because if him. How she held him. How she rested her face against him.
"You like this?" He asked. She nodded, pressing a kiss near his ear. He felt goosebumps rise on his skin. He drove around for a bit more before they returned back to his home. Her hair was a mess and she looked like she was high on adrenaline.
"Let's go inside." He smiled, carrying her bag in one hand and holding her hands in the other. She waved adorably at Ayyagaru, her father and all the other uncles who sat there and let him pull her away into his study. Ram sat ready for the meeting on the couch. He was wearing a blue formal shirt.... And a pair of shorts. Valli snickered and giggled as soon as she saw him.. He threw her a glare and went back to work. Atharva handed her his personal laptop and went to sit at his table. She sat in front of him in one of the two chairs. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he began attending the call/meeting.
His eyes kept flickering to Valli every few minutes and her face was scrunched up in concentration as she worked on her assignment. He liked this. The fact that he got to look at this wonderful creation whenever he wanted to. Everytime she looked up, her eyes met his and she would flash him this knee buckling smile that made his head spin.
Valli could constantly feel his eyes on her. And as much as she wanted to go through the entire - smile and talk through the eyes romance ordeal with Atharva, she needed to finish 3 assignments.
"You looked like a fucking creep through out the call." Valli heard Ram's voice. She looked up quickly to look at them, they were done with their meeting and Ram seemed angry.
"Shut up." Atharva muttered, his face was red. Literally. Beet red in colour.
"You're going to live with her for the rest of your life. You have all your life to ogle at her. But no. You had to just look like a fucking perverted creep in front off all your subordinates." Ram shook his head at Atharva.
"Me? You are ogling at me?" Valli's innocent little face was filled with worry, hearing the brother like best friends fight.
"Yes you." Ram muttered, sitting down next to her. She giggled, feeling good about herself almost.
"She can't work in our company. You'll drown us." Ram said to Atharva overdramatically.
"I'll quit then." Atharva said just as dramatically.
"You can quit from your own company, you fucking retard!" Ram exclaimed.
"I very well can, Rama." Atharva exclaimed back.
"Can you both hush? I need to finish my assignment." Valli mumbled, looking at them both with annoyance.
"Ram anna, why aren't you married yet?" Valli quipped after a while of silence.
"Me?"
"I wouldn't call my fiancé Ramanna, would I?" She rolled her eyes.
"Right. I haven't gotten married because... Well... My relationships didn't work out. I didn't find the right person to marry." He shrugged.
"Why didn't they work out?" Valli asked curiously.
"I don't know? I wasn't good enough for them?" He shrugged.
"How could that be? You're quite nice, if we ignore your craziness." She frowned.
"Find me a girl. I'll marry her." He grinned.
"You will?" Valli giggled.
"If she's nice enough." He nodded.
"And you'll convince your parents?" She went on.
"I don't need to." He smirked. A whiff of air left Atharva's mouth, he grabbed onto Valli's hand quickly.
"Why?" She frowned, not getting Atharva's clue.
"Valli, let it..." He began.
"Orphan, vadhina." Ram cut him off. Valli's eyes widened.
"Valli! I was..." Atharva began angrily.
"Aye! Don't talk to my vadhina in that tone. It's fine. She's family." Ram said, brushing Atharva off.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't know!" Valli mumbled, her eyes welling up.
"Ayyo vadhina!" Ram laughed, grabbing both of her hands in his.
"You fucker. You made her cry!" He growled at Atharva who was already out of his seat, pulling Valli into a hug.
"I'm so sorry. I am so so sorry." She sniffled.
"It's fine Vadina. I have Atharva. He's my family, I have Srirama uncle. He's my family too. I always joke around with Atharva that I am his actual son because I actually got his name. And now I have you too." Ram said to her. Her bottom lip was jutted out and she nodded, gulping.
"You do. You always will. I'll be your older sister and do everything when you get married." She nodded.
"I'm older than you. I'm even older than Atharva." Ram squinted his eyes at her.
"So what? You still have to call me vadhina!" She teased.
And that's how the day passed. Valli understood that Ram was going to be a very present part of their lives, he was Atharva's best friend, almost like a brother, his neighbour and also was a co-founder of Atharva's company. And she was glad, the more in a family, the merrier. The three of them were stuck in the study, she managed to finish up the assignments whilst taking part in the chaos that the presence of Ram and Valli's fights and banter brought. Atharva was just simply happy.
Atharva and Valli hardly slept that night. It was sort of a thing with them, when they spent the day in each other's presence, they spoke for longer on the phone at night. She was up till 3am, trying to get him to tell her about his college life. The thing was, Atharva was incredibly sober, he didn't have much to share. His life wasn't that happening, honestly.
He fell asleep, against his will with her voice still chattering in his ears, it was the best way to fall asleep. Her voice was sweet, it wasn't loud or high pitched, but rather melodious. He wondered if she could sing well. He had never heard her sing. And Valli was someone who was well pampered and spoilt slightly by her father, she was also extremely naughty and liked getting what she wanted. But somehow, she was also very understanding, shy, adorable and innocent. And all these qualities somehow reflected in her voice. Was that possible? And since when had he started analysing one's voice? So many thoughts came to him when he thought about Valli, she was always on his mind and she was always making him curious.
Valli was fast asleep, it was 10:45am. And being awake all night made sure that she slept nice and well till take in the morning. She was asleep on her stomach, her warm blanket covered her till the top of her head and the side of her face was shoved into her pillow. Warm and steady breaths left her mouth. Her parents had been allowed her to sleep in lately the past few days, considering that she was going to be engaged and she would need all the rest she could get.
Sleeping Valli felt a warm tickling feeling at her feet, and then a few seconds later, a huge weight fell on her, making a strong 'oomph' leave her mouth. Her eyes shot open and a shriek left her mouth.
Valli was blessed with an abundance of cousins. And every single one of the were in her room, and at least 3 of her brothers were fallen on her.
"Amma! Ammmmmma!" Valli cried out.
"Shut up. If you make another sound, this ice cold water will be on your face." Chikki anna grinned, he was her favourite.
"Amma! Nana!" She yelled.
She was rolled up in her blanket and she was laughing and yelling all through out.
She had a huge herd of cousins, 8 sisters and 9 brothers.
Her mother had two sisters and one brother, all older and only one sister surviving. Her father was followed by one sister and four younger brothers. So one could imagine how insanely huge her family actually was.
"Chinnu is getting married!" She heard hooting, she giggled, wrapping her arms around her brother's neck so that she didn't fall down. She opened her eyes properly to look at her other brothers, they were from her mother's side. Chikki, who was Santosh, Deepak, Karthik, and Kaushik. Her eyes widened with excitement when she saw her sisters - again, they were all her maternal cousins who apparently arrived first. Avani, Vijetha and Sukanya. They were all older to her, and it was clear that she was their dear little baby sister with how the brothers had her hoisted over their heads and paraded around the house, hooting for her.
"Our chinnari Chinna thalli is getting married!" Deepak laughed as Santhosh transferred Valli into his arms. He pressed a kiss into her hair and hugged her tight.
"Put her down, that poor child!" Her Peddamma (badimaa) scolded. Deepak obliged, putting her down in the floor. She let the blanket that she was wrapped in like a Frankie roll on the floor and grinned, looking around.
"Pedamma!" She exclaimed, smiling the widest of all and rushed into her arms for a hug.
"Kumud! Can't believe you've grown up so much that you're getting married!" She said, her voice thick with emotions.
"I also can't." She giggled, hugging her tighter. She hugged all of her pedammas and mama, all showered her with love before she moved into her cousins. Along with them were her spouses and she could see little toddlers running around as well. Her eyes fell on Sukanya, her favourite sister.
"Kummi!" She cooed, pulling her little sister into her arms. Valli hid her face in her chest and let her sister hug her. They had an age gap of 12 years, and Sukanya was everything Valli aspired to be.
"Akka, how are you? You've become thinner! Are you not eating well?" Valli frowned, looking at her sister.
"I am, Kummi. I've been dieting." She chuckled.
"Why? You don't need to diet." Valli said.
"I don't need to, but I wanted to. I'm going to the gym." She whispered, so that no one else heard. Sukanya was the daughter of Valli's mother's oldest sister who had died along with her husband in a car crash. Sukanya had two siblings - Avani and Karthik. Karthik was hardly 6 when it had happened, and Avani even younger. The three of them stayed with Valli's grandparents all their lives after that.
Sukanya had taken up the mantle then, she began working at a young age, trying to get her siblings through school and college, and then went on to get them married as well. She was 33 years old now, and in wanting to set her siblings' life right, Sukanya never focused on her own life, becoming the only sister apart from Valli who was unmarried.
Valli was whisked away into her room again by her sisters. She was still holding onto Sukanya's hand, not wanting to let her go any time soon.
"Vijakka, how are you? How's everything?" Valli asked, excited.
"Nothing exciting ra. Life is caught up in between school and home." Vijetha sighed, she was a school teacher, had two children and a loving husband. They lived in a district close to Hyderabad where she taught in a government school.
"When is Chiru bava coming?" She asked.
"He'll come on Friday morning. He didn't want to waste his leaves because he would need to take leaves when you get married." Vijetha said making Valli smiled wide.
"Avani akka! You look adorable." Valli giggled, looking at her huge baby bump. Avani rolled her eyes, scoffing at her. She was definitely in a mood.
"Avu!" Sukanya scolded her.
"This baby is kicking the crap out me." Avani laid back on the bed. Avani had gotten married only two years ago, and she was pregnant with her first child.
"Serves you right for the how you used to hit me." Sukanya mumbled, leaning against the headboard.
"Leave all this! Tell us about your fiancé. We only got one not very clear picture of him and stupid details like he's the Sarpanch's son! Who cares about that! Tell us the interesting parts!" Avani gasped with excitement. Valli turned red in the face. What the hell was she supposed to tell them? She had imagined this happening last night, and she prepared Atharva's introduction as well - and it was exactly this. His name, and that he was Ayyagaru's son.
"What do you want to know?" Valli asked, blushing slightly.
"Pellichupulu Taravatha (after the first meeting) did you get to meet him properly? Did you talk to him? Or spend some time with him?" Vijetha asked, wiggling her eyebrows at her. Now, her face turned red. Meet him properly? Talk to him? Spend time with him? Yes, yes, all day long and heck yes. But how was she supposed to tell them that.
"No... Not really. I'll see him on the engagement day, that's it." She lied, looking down.
"Bullshit." Sukanya cackled.
"What?" Valli whined.
"I know you better than anyone. Look at the smile on your face." She laughed loudly.
"Shut up." She mumbled.
"Mmmmhm! Our little Kummi is all grown up now!" They teased. She chose to not say anything at all.
"Ku pinni!" A tiny little voice squeaked, Vijetha's little boy, he was hardly 2 years old and he waddled inside, holding a plate. Her heart melted at the sight.
"Rey Gaurav ga!" Valli cooed, picking him up in her arms and kissing his cheeks. A hosrd of her nieces and nephews followed in. Valli quickly brushed her teeth, grabbed that plate and went out to sit with everyone to eat. She squeezed herself in between her brothers, only to be troubled by then even more. It was always fun troubling the youngest in the home.
The home was boisterous and loud, kids running around, playing around and all the women were just sitting in her parents' room, looking at the sarees and jewellery. It was a joyful little home.
"Aye liliput. Are you seriously okay with all this?" Karthik asked.
"With all what?" She asked back, licking the chutney off of her fingers.
"This marriage. You're too young to get married. You didn't even grow to your full height yet. And look at the baby fat in your cheeks. How could you get married?" Kaushik asked, squeezing her face.
"You talk too much! Did you ever consider plastering your mouth?" She glared at him.
"Aw look at her! She looks like a growling puppy!" Deepak cooed.
"That's enough. Chinnu, tell us." Santosh said, a little more seriously. He was the oldest brother. He and Sukanya were somewhat similar in characteristics. They were kind, silent, calm, composed and overly responsible. Valli flashed her favourite brother a small smile and nodded.
"Ayyagaru asked for my hand for Chinnaya, anna. But I was given the freedom to choose if wanted to do it or not. And we both were given time to talk to each other and we said yes together." Valli assured him.
"On the same day, Chinnu. Why didn't you take a few days to think about it?" He asked her.
"I didn't need to." She shrugged, looking down.
"Isn't he too old?" Deepak asked.
"Don't call him old!" She said, offended. A smile slipped onto all of their faces.
"Ahan! Already defensive about your fiancé?" Avani teased.
"Shut up!" She squeaked, falling back onto the floor with a cushion over her face. She hadn't texted Atharva since morning because of these people. She didn't even know where her phone was. And she missed him. It was 1:45, and it has been hours since they spoke to each other. She pouted behind the cushion, missing her Chinnayya.
"How's the view behind the cushion?" Kaushik snickered.
"As bright as your future." She muttered. All her sassiness came out with her cousins only.
An hour later, another uproar filled the house. Her father's side was here. And the cousins this side were all nearly Valli's age, or younger. All except for her father's sister's daughter - she was the oldest. Keerthi. And Valli and Keerthi absolutely did not get along. She was as sour and bitter as her aunt was. But the other brothers; Sidharth, Pritam, Arjun, Aryan and Rohan - they were wonderful. Apart from Keerthi, she had Kavya, Kamini, Kiran and Kriti. It was an ongoing battle at him with Vedangini, because she wasn't named with a 'K', but her father always told her that it was because she was the most special. But the reason was that the 'K' trend started with Kumudavalli after she was born, all of her father's siblings wanted to name their girls with that letter.
Valli was nearly tired of hugging all of the relatives. It was hilarious honestly. Her cousins on both sides got along really well since they were young. Valli's family was the only family that lived in the village, so going to her house was a vacation for all the cousins every summer vacation. She loved it very much. It made up for the year long longing she had for her siblings who wasn't with her. She really did Vedangini a lot some days, they were really close.
They ate a really late lunch at around 3:30 pm once everyone was freshened up from their travel. There was too much noise in the house, there were too many children running around and there were too many cousins who were teasing and troubling Valli.
And on the other side, the groom was staring at his phone wondering if he had done something to upset his fiancé. She usually texted him and called him and ate his head off by this time. He knew that her extended family was arriving today, but still. He felt uneasy and restless. He did message her once, but the message wasn't even seen. He looked at the basic geometric background he had as his phone background and sighed pitifully.
"Are you waiting for my daughter-in-law to call?" His father chuckled in a teasing voice. He slapped his phone down in his lap quickly, as if he was caught red handed doing something he was not supposed to.
"What? Why would I wait for her to call?" He scoffed frantically.
"Because you talk to her almost all day long. You think I don't notice?" He snorted, sitting on the couch in front of him. The helper sat down near his legs and began massaging them. He sighed in relief, leaning back.
"I do not." Atharva exclaimed.
"Of course you do." He chuckled.
"Nana!" He almost whined like a child.
"There's nothing wrong with it. You're going to marry her. It's only normal that you want to talk to her." His father had a content smile on his face.
"Whatever." Atharva muttered, looking at his phone again. He heard his father laugh softly to himself.
"I was like this with your amma. We didn't even have phones. So we would write letters to each other." His father said, remembering the fond memories.
"Really?" Atharva frowned. He didn't remember them being so affectionate and loving towards each other.
"Your amma might have seemed very strict and cold, Atharva. But even when she went to work... She was a teacher, they hardly had a 30 minutes break for lunch. She would call me in those thirty minutes and find out if I ate. You don't always need to be very affectionate and openly be loving to show your love. She was the only person I ever cried in front of, and she would just hold me and let me cry. She was such a strong woman, she made me strong. Not once did she make me feel any less of a man for having emotions." His father said, his voice became thick. And for a second, Atharva felt like leaving everything he had in the city and coming back and living with his nana.
"You were like her, you still her. You don't speak much, you don't really show your emotions. Especially when she died, it became even more that you closed off. But you had emotions. You cared for me. You're the reason I had the will to live on. You were so much like her. She used to hardly ever reply to the letters I wrote her, but she had them all saved. In fact, I still have them in her belongings. But she was absolutely ready to do anything for me. That kind of love doesn't just come from nowhere." He smiled big, he still felt that love from his late wife.
"And you're like her. Kumud was always very dear to me, she was daughter. She didn't only respect me because I was this village's Ayyagaru. But she loved me as a father always. Which isn't very usual, people give respect to my position, not me as a person. She and Vedangini were always here, and having a daughter is a different kind of love, Atharva. They were so close to your mother also. Your mother would always say that she would've had another son if she could to see that both the sisters were a part of our family. Every year on Vedangini's death anniversary, her amma says that your amma is up there taking care of her daughter." His father told him. His acceptance of Valli gave him a peace he didn't know was possible to exist.
"I'm happy to see that you got some of my qualities also." He teased his son again. Atharva huffed, laying across the couch and looking at his phone again.
"She has a big family. I'm sure she's busy. You anyway have to go to the tailor to get the clothes. Go see her after that." His father said, patting the servants shoulder to ask him to stop.
"Thank you Madhu." He smiled at the servant.
"Ayyagaru... It's fine. Let me press your legs." Madhu said, continuing.
"Wake Rama up and give him some coffee. He was feeling a little sick this morning." He told Madhu to do instead. He nodded, getting up and walked off quickly.
"Kumud has many unmarried cousins. Should we see if Rama can be matched with any of them?" He asked.
That grabbed Atharva's attention. He put the phone down and turned to his side to look at his father.
"Really?" Atharva asked.
"Hmm. But Kumud is one of the youngest. I wonder if any of her older cousins are still unmarried?" He wondered out loud.
"I don't know if Rama will agree. He's lived life on his own terms. Had many girlfriends, nana. But let's see." Atharva shrugged.
At around 6pm, Atharva and Ram set out to the tailor shop. They walked there, the evening breeze was very welcome. He greeted people on the way with a nod and made some small talk. They collected their clothes and made their way to Valli's home. Ram opened the gate, and the noise made them both look at each other. It sounded like a party almost. Atharva saw Valli playing with a few small children and some younger girls in the front yard, Buddi was hidden in her lap as the babies tried to pet it. A smile twitched up on his face, he missed her, strangely enough despite talking to her almost all night.
But just as they walked further in, his phone rang. It was an associate from Germany that they were currently negotiating a deal with. He looked up at Valli and then at his phone with a longingly.
"Of for fuck's sake. You spent all day yesterday together. That's an important call, go and take it." Ram exclaimed.
"I'll need to go back home because he'll want to talk more!" Atharva almost whined, which was very much unlike him.
"Just go. I'll give her the clothes and come back." Ram shooed him off.
"Who the fuck made me the CEO?" He muttered to himself, turning around and answering the call. He walked faster to his house while speaking on the call.
Valli grinned when she saw Ram, and her eyes went over his shoulder, looking for her Atharva mama. Her smile fell when she saw that he was alone.
"I know I'm not your Chinnayya, but I'm still human. There's nothing wrong in greeting me with a smile." Ram snickered.
"Why didn't he come?" She pouted.
"He came but he got a call from one of associates in Germany. There was no way he could miss that call, Vadina. Sorry." Ram patted her head.
"It's fine. I understand. Did you guys try the clothes on?" She asked, walking him inside.
"No." He snorted.
"Then how will you know if it's fitting well? Common sense, Ramanna!" She poked his forehead.
"Kumud!" Her mother scolded in a warning tone.
"It's fine aunty. She's living in a high that she's super smart. Let her before the bubble is burst." Ram snickered.
"Aye!" Valli pouted.
"Your Atharva mama is not here to coax you. Your pouting only works with him." He whispered. She became red in the face and held herself back from smacking him.
"Whatever. Everyone, this is Ramanna. Chinnayya's best friend and brother. Ramanna, this is everyone." She introduced. He nodded at them all, joining his hands together and doing a namaste.
"Go try it on, and tell him also to try it on. We will get alterations if needed. And tell him that I can't find my phone! You saw no how many people there are?" She sighed.
"Yeah. He's been getting desperate. Staring at his phone like a fucking creep." Ram muttered.
"Ram! So you work with Chinnaya?" Santosh asked.
"Yes, we both started the company together after college. Together ever since." Ram grinned.
"You're in marketing?" He asked.
"Finance. The CFO!" Valli answered instead.
"You're telling as if you're the CFO." Ram scoffed.
"I'm the shareholder." Valli giggled, she hardly knew what that meant, but Atharva had told her that.
"I own 20 more shares than you." Ram told her.
"Ey!" She glared at him.
"Ram, here ma, drink tea." Her mother brought out a cup in a tray. He thanked her and grabbed the cup.
The house became noisy again with the cousins in a banter. In all that, Ram's eyes fell on a woman. She seemed older, she sat silently to the corner, looking into her phone and tending to a child who was trying to climb up her as if she was trekking up a mountain.
"Attha, look at me!" The toddler whined, grabbing her face. He looked at her forehead, her neck, her hand and then her toes just to make sure that he wasn't checking out a married woman. She didn't seem like it, but she he was beautiful to say the least, she seemed like she was silent, heavy in thought. She was in a dress and her dupatta was strewn across her chest. She put her phone down and wrapped her arms around the toddler. Her eyes were so gentle, but we're deep. As if they'd seen life elaborately. She wasn't quite as young as the others, but she was beyond beautiful. Her lips were plump, and she seemed to have the softest skin.
"Sumi! He's hungry ma!" She called out. Another woman came and grabbed the baby from her. She leaned up and joined in on the conversation, but only to listen. Her eyes met his finally, and she seemed startled that he was already staring at her. Ram looked away quickly, not wanting to look like a freak.
"I'll leave now. Atharva and I have some work to take care of." He said, getting up. Valli walked him out.
"Who was that woman? Pink dress." Ram asked.
"Pink dress? My Sukanya anna! My favourite akka. She's like a mother to me and all of us younger siblings." Valli grinned. Hmm. Sukanya.
"Nice. Huge family. It'll take me years to remember them all." He changed the topic.
"Of course it will. But it'll be fun, I promise. We're thinking of doing a trip soon. I'll tell Atharva mama about it. You also come." Valli said.
"We'll see. Bye Vadina!" He waved off.
Valli waved and walked back inside.
"Can someone give me my phone?" She screamed out loudly. A silence took over, they all looked at her for a few seconds before they went back to whatever they were doing on.
Just then, Junnie, her little niece came up to her and gave her a phone. It was hers. It had a cartoon playing. And her charging her at 10%.
"Argh!" She yelled in frustration and spent the rest of the evening looking for a charger that someone had borrowed, she had no idea who.
"You'll have to wait, Chinnaya. I'll beat this chaos to talk to you." She sighed and got to work.
******