"Oh hooooo.....!"
For the past half an hour or more, they all were busy spilling naughty and dirty secrets of enticing their husbands and boyfriends. None of them were taking Mita seriously however stern face she may appear to turn with towards them. So, when nothing worked she left them on their own and soon began to search the girl in the mirror.
The mirror girl had been neatly wrapped in a deep red benarasi Saree heavily embroidered with the Golden zari work with intricate designs glittered giving a vibrant look. Her lips were bloomed like that of a red rose petals. The head jewellery which was lovingly gifted by her in laws shone with pride above all. Meanwhile, the nose ring dazzling and dandgling from her small nose ,captured her eyes. That held a special request by him to be worn by her. Indeed the nose ring made her feel like true bride.
Her look ☝🏼above.
"What?" Mita asked shyly from under her lashes. The tiny smile always intact on the young bride's face.
" Some one is getting ready tonight..... "
"Especially for Jiju..."
"With lots of efforts"
"With lots of expectations"
"Arey....not to forget....lots of worries too, right? "
The females inside had now noticed the young bride blushing profusely before the mirror and they want her to turn her completely red before the groom tonight. Till now their Mita was refusing each and every other aspect they were discussing.
Now is their time .
"..Um..N-No." Mita lied with red warm cheeks. "Oh God! It's so so embarrassing" Mita thought. She could now neither deny nor nod in a YeS to all. Tough spot.
"But my eyes and your tomato face is telling us a different story all together Didi." Rita mumbled amusingly. And they all snickered.
"Oh.. Will you all stop ? I'm not able to finish this up!" Mita fake scolded everyone. That includes the school friend, the college friend, the cousins and her extremely naughty sister Rita. They all have gathered just at the last minute of Mita's wedding. And they were not leaving a single screw from being nailed to unabashedly tease the soon-to-be wife.
The cellphone of Mita's ranged with the ringtone of Friends Theme song....and it kept on ringing till....'I will be there for you when the rain starts to ...' . It was placed on the bed corner, near Shivangi, her school friend and an unfiltered tongue.
"Pass me the phone." Mita shouted amid all the laughter of the group, who kept the phone passing from each other like playing a game. Enjoying this helpless situation Mita was in for a day. With that awfully heavy benarasi Saree, it was a tough job to move a few steps. Forget about jumping from this side of the room to that extreme corner.
"It must be important." Mita tried to reason with them repeatedly. But none of them paid heed to her reasons.
What may have suddenly happened? Her forehead creased in worry. Shouldn't he been busy in all the rituals from the groom side. Then why was he trying to call her now?
And suddenly it landed on Mita's palm.
"Alright! But not more than 5 minutes. Anyways you two are gonna get married in a few hours. You two have your whole life to keep on talking to each other." Wiggling her eyebrows, Shivani took all others out.
All the hooligans left the room giving the bride teasing glances and gossiping naughty remarks about the call. Clutching the cellphone tightly and with a drumming heart, Mita answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Mita? Oh God!! Why weren't you picking up the phone,Gandu(nickname)!! You know how worried I became in a matter of seconds of you not being able to pick it up? I thought...I thought...may be. What happened now? Hello? Why aren't you speaking? Hello? Mita?" His voice was full of anxiety. It was as if the dam of Kaveri River has been opened.
"Saurabh..." She started in between.
" Thank God!...Uff!! You are enough to give me a heart attack. Woman!! Forget it! Wait.... Then why the hell am I marrying you and bringing that entire troublesome Roy family in my life? I really wonder."
She could picture him scratching his head while asking this. Idiot!
" If me and my family is such a risk to your heart, then why don't you put it under lock and key? Why go through this much huh?" She backfired being the spit fire she was.
" Are you now... getting worked up on me for your mistake? 🤔" Saurabh had a hard time guessing now. Who actually was at fault. See, that's why people tell that it's so very difficult to understand women. He has been warned.
Par Delhi ka ladoo agar Khana hi hai phir Mita se hi sahi !
Chuckling he could make out that Mita may now be having a small smile playing on her lips amidst whole event.
"Ok Ok! Now, tell me why did you call now?" She broke the small but memorable khit-mit moment between them.
"Oh! I rang because of just a tiny tiny question I have for you. Mita, I'm asking you and this would be probably the last time we get to talk before the Saptpadi(Seven vows round the pious fire). Please listen to me carefully. You are ready for this wedding, right?" His question was a serious one and this is what Rita had been asking her several times a day. Actually anyone who knew Mita have asked. Mita had been those of girls who cringed from Boyfriend Girlfriend discussions. And after many years of hard pressure of her parents, at the age of 26, she finally answered positively, that too for Saurabh's proposal. Every minute, it seemed Mita may say No the next moment. Citing some or the other excuse. Her parents have handled strangest of excuses till now for her NOs.
Realising the constant battle Saurabh might be facing now was easy for Mita. " Saurabh....?" She began with a slight hesitation.
"Yeah..Yeah? See.... Whatever is the reason, just tell it. I'm prepared Mita. I will just go and tell them to stop it. Usually, now a days, people don't get married. Marriage is soon gonna be history. What's say?....." Saurabh was sweating buckets and was mumbling whatever his foolish brain and sensitive heart supplied so that Mita doesn't get effected. It's Mita who mattered in his life. Mita has been that door which always reminded him of his worth, his strength, his weakness and thus she slowly became his integral part of life.
But won't Ma Baba be disappointed with this? His brain questioned.
" Saurabh, I was thinking of.......If.You.Today.Are.Late...Then I will Kill you, you Fool! Understood? It's takes bloody 1 hour 40 minutes from your home to this part of the world to come. And it took me freaking two and a half hour to get ready. If now. By any chance you are trying to back out....I will strangle you, you idiot. I'm getting married to Mr. Saurabh Ghosh in this get up and freaking this tonight. Do you get it!! Any questions Soldier?"
The large stone has been lifted from his shoulders. Mita is alright with tonight's wedding. She has no reservations. Phew!
"No Madam! So I will be on my way for this mission to be successful. You in red benarasi Saree....My heart " Saurabh dreamily murmured.
"Over and out, Captain!" Mita ordered but didn't hang up and shyly continued to look at the screen. She was waiting for him to cut the call. Were these gestures also a part of being a bride ? May be. Mita longingly clutched the phone.
"So Saurabh, what did she say? We are on, right?" Saurabh's cousins were confused with the turn of events tonight.
" With a heavy heart........." Making a very sad face, he turned around. "I'm here to announce that your brother will be eating the Delhi ka ladoo. I'm getting married!!!! Woohoo! I love you Mita!!!" His cousins hollered, whistled and what not! They finally are going to witness this last brother's wedding and more over meet that girl who had it all. Saurabh's heart and mind equally.
What a night! A night every soul present in that wedding was happy and relished it with full vigor. A night when ultimately Mita Roy had started a new journey of life with her one and only true best best friend Saurabh Ghosh. That night had a combination of red and white (bride's Saree and groom's dhoti) together being the sole highlight of the marriage hall. And now red reminds her of the amount of blood she'd seen his body losing. It speaks of the trauma she had been through now that Saurabh is not present.
Mita's phone ranged again. MA kept flashing. Annoyed and disturbed, she ultimately picked it up.
"Hello, Mita! How are you? Where are you? I have been constantly trying to reach you....."
"Ma....Ma, I'm fine! I'm inside the office."
That definitely cooled down Mrs Roy a bit. Praying and then with a namaste gesture towards Goddess Durga, she again answered. " Beta, When are you going to come back home?" She was tensed but didn't want to put in over the line.
" Just in a few more minutes, I will be able to wrap it all and then will be out." Came her soft and sad reply.
"Please don't be late anymore. I will remind you again after half an hour. Will that do?" Smita offered. Smita knew where Mita may be at that time. But she is also a mother. It worries her immensely to think of the terrible pain her dearest daughter is suffering from. It would take Himalayan efforts to finally make Mita realise that Saurabh has returned Mita'sresponsibility back to Smita and Bhaskar Roy, which Mr Roy had earlier proudly given once to his loving son-in-law during Kanyadaan.
"Ok." And then she hanged up quickly.
Warm tears gradually made its way on Mita's face.
" Saurabh! Where are you? Why aren't you here? Can't you see your Gandu isn't liking this game anymore? Your Mita is fed up Saurabh. Please come back, yaar. I really will be a good girl this time. I won't pull your nose anymore. I promise. Please yaar! Just this once. " She broke down hiccupping.
This time no one came forward to wipe those precious tears away from Mita's face. No one came making funny faces to stop her from tearing up. No one bothered to pass the tissue and crack a bad and a pathetic joke to make her smile. Who will? Since,her best friend who undertook this major job has retired from this world. The position and the seat of the job, both remained vacant.
**********
Hey!
I hope you had a great time reading this piece 😊. Thank you all for the time and patience you all had given to me.
@vismii1801 had been a great encouragement and support for this plot. I highly appreciate you taking the time to give this story a chance. Hope this update was up to your expectations.