The Raizada mansion was a spectacular sight that night. Decked in numerous radiant flowers and countless lights, it shone brighter than the stars. However, to Khushi, who just stepped down from a white BMW, a gift from her father to his new son-in-law, she knew it was neither as big nor as lavish as the Gupta manor.
Not that she cared.
To her dreading eyes, the Raizada house looked big enough for her to feel lost. And that's exactly how she felt as soon as she knocked down the customary pot of rice and stepped inside. As the doors swung shut behind her, she couldn't help but feel like she had been sentenced for a lifetime of imprisonment.
"Are you feeling okay Khushi? Do you want some water?"
Her eyes shifted to see a matured face come into focus. There was concern there, as if the lady really did care.
"Oh come on Anjali Di," interrupted another voice. "She doesn't need water, she needs some privacy with hubby dearest. Don't worry Khushi, we are almost there. We just have the milk rasam left!"
"Stop teasing her Lavanya!"
The "milk rasam" turned out to be daunting to say the very least. Khushi sat blankly in front of a large pot of milk, her hand elbow deep in the sticky liquid, supposedly looking for a finger ring. She felt someone pat her gently, encouraging her to find the ring before her husband did, as if there really was chance that she would have a say in this marriage.
She knew, as well as they, what her place was. So she watched miserably, as the man in front of her searched and found the ring. The crowd cheered, the lady called Anjali told her it was okay to lose and then she was dragged away to the upper floors for a tour of her new room.
"... Arnav has the best view in the whole house!" It was one of the Raizada cousins.
"Tell me about it. Being the youngest apparently has all the perks," said the quirky Lavanya.
Anjali interrupted. "Says the one who got her entire room renovated more than ten times."
"Oh please Di, I would have given anything for this room. But Maa was so set on this being her Chote's."
"Well you spend more time in here than you do in your own room, so it clearly made no difference to you."
Lavanya grinned.
"But you can't anymore Lavs," teased another cousin. "This room belongs to Khushi Bhabhi now."
Khushi looked away, knowing that this was going to be yet another excuse to pass pointed jokes. And she wasn't let down. The ladies unabashedly started a new round of teasing, this time about the impending wedding night.
"Ignore them," whispered Anjali, reassuringly.
Khushi merely looked out the window in response. It wasn't until Satya Singh Raizada marched in and commanded all of them to leave that there was finally some quiet in the room.
"All your luggage has been brought up dear," her mother-in-law said, rearranging the already decorated bed. "I know how draining those lehengas are, so why don't you go change?"
Khushi didn't move. She didn't understand what was the need to show so much concern, especially since the wedding was over and the media, far from the four walls of the room.
Satya came to a stop in front of her. "Don't be nervous, this is your house now."
Khushi simply stared at her henna clad hands in answer.
"You must be missing your mother today," she continued. "I know I was clinging to mine when I got married to Shankar."
Pain, deep as an abyss, coursed through her at the mention of her mother. It had been more than a year since the accident, and yet, the grief was there as good as new.
"I know I can't make up for her," Satya murmured. "But if you need anything, anything at all, just call me. If you press 9 on the intercom, it will ring straight to my room, okay?"
Khushi closed her eyes, wishing to be just left alone. It was bad enough already that she had an entire night ahead of her, pretending to be someone she was not. She didn't think she had the strength to pretend to accept this woman as her mother as well.
Perhaps Satya got the message, for she patted her head and said, "Chote will be here soon," before walking out the room.
But her Chote never showed.