Papa touches her head lightly. ‘Where’s Aditya?’
‘He’s still making some last-minute arrangements,’ says Vanita without a crease on her brow, when we both know Aditya’s probably vomiting from all the fancy cocktails Daksh has been whipping out for him.
Maa makes Vanita sit on the bed next to her. ‘Look at you, so beautiful. And your mehendi! Such a nice colour.’
‘I know, right,’ slurs Gaurav from the corner of the room. He points at Vanita. ‘She’s the best! Look at her! She could have been...’
Maa glares at Gaurav. Papa grumbles from his side of the room.
‘I don’t mind him,’ says Vanita with a giggle. ‘I’m so glad you’re here.’
‘Ask your best friend also to get married, na,’ pleads Maa. ‘She doesn’t even see the profiles Papa sends her. I don’t know what she wants.’
Papa adds, ‘There’s such a nice boy, Saket, who likes your profile, but anyway.’
‘Aunty, she will do it when she feels it’s the right time. For me, the right time is now, maybe not for her.’
Maa exhales, long and sadly, as if the burden of the entire universe rests on her shoulders. ‘I don’t know when the right time will come for her. She keeps saying career is important. It is important, don’t we know that? You are also getting married, na? So? What’s the big deal?’
Gaurav’s drunk giggle cuts through the room.
‘What . . . I was . . . what . . . she should have gotten married to Bhaiya only when he asked you!’ slurs Gaurav. ‘It would have—’
‘Gaurav, shut up!’ I cut him.
Gaurav pulls funny faces at me and I glare at him to make him shut up. But it’s too late. Maa’s heard Gaurav, and about Daksh’s proposal.
‘Maa, please tell him not to drink so much if he can’t handle it,’ I say and turn towards him. ‘Gaurav, just go and come back when you’re sober.Kuchh bhi bolta hai.’
Gaurav’s still looking at me with a dopey grin.
I feel the weight of Maa’s stare as she pivots to face me.
‘Did Daksh ask you to marry him? You told us he didn’t likeyou.’
Before I can answer, Vanita butts in, ‘Not very seriously, Aunty, just in a jokey sense. Gaurav, you should go to sleep now. Come, I will take you to your room.’
Vanita gets up and walks towards Gaurav.
Maa looks at Papa and then at me. ‘Why did you refuse Daksh? You were shy?’
I shake my head, but she’s not convinced.
She affects a very soft tone. ‘Do you want us to talk to Daksh? He will listen to us.’
‘Maa yaar!’ I cut her before she takes this any more seriously. ‘What are you saying? Gaurav’s drunk, he’s saying anything. Please don’t talk to anyone. And when the right time—’
My words are cut off by Gaurav’s stupid laughter. Vanita’s now tugging at his arm, trying to get him to stand up.
‘HE NEVER IS GOING TO MARRY HER!’ slurs Gaurav as he stumbles on to his feet.
Maa-Papa turn to look at him. Vanita’s dragging him out, but he’s jammed his foot.
He says, his words jumbled, ‘He could have been my real brother . . . actually, brother-in-law . . . actuallysaala. . . wow . . . oh no . . . I would be the saala—’
‘GAURAV! Please get out,’ I command. Vanita yanks Gaurav by the arm towards the door. He staggers away from us. I feel a sense of respite wash over me. As they disappear from my line of vision, I can finally breathe.
The door’s just closing when Gaurav asks Vanita, ‘Would . . . you tell me . . . would . . . no, you tell me . . . would . . . Aditya marry you if you aborted his child without telling him? No . . . no . . . chance, right?’
