Marriage For Convenience (completed)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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In spite the whole ordeal that the wedding should be simple, my granny played her way out of it making it extravagant in her own way.

See I do not call her drama queen for nothing.

She argued “Look at my age, if I dance I’ll look like a fool but I want to and this my grand son’s wedding is the only place I can dance and enjoy fully.” Did I mention the crocodile tears that my father cannot resist?

So here we are dressed in traditional glittery clothes with only a few relatives and friends from our side and none from theirs except her parents, her maternal uncles and aunts and not to forget her second choice of prospect Ram and surprisingly he didn’t seem to be retard or mentally challenged in any case. He felt normal except the fact that he stuck to his dad and followed every word of his without an argument.

Pari like an angel as my granny quoted with choice of clothes of my mom, yes my mom won this time making her wear a fancy skirt and top with a veil.

But on one condition that Pari would wear a goon oops gown on the ring ceremony.

So no worries folks my house is the same entertainment as the daily soaps of ‘Desperate housewives’ or Ekta kapoor specials of saas-bahu daily Indian soaps.

Pari however looked prettier than ever.

Strangely though the Pari I liked went missing. 

Well the point is the feisty one that I had been seeing and looking forward to was not anywhere around.

She stood seated at her place looking down like a shy Indian girl staring at her palms tattooed with semi wet heena and avoiding to look around as much as possible.

The special song and dance program was on full swing when my granny stepped forward bending to Pari, cupping her face in her wrinkled palms

‘Now hit her on her ummm..’ I told mentally as I imitated in head ‘I don’t like people touching’

My inner moved his finger on the side of his forehead and then pointing at me articulating ‘you are crazy’ to me.

Guys ignorance is a bliss. Ignore!!

But my granny was spared and I breathed that she was safe. I doubt if she could take Pari’s blow at this age.

Soon Pari was on the floor dancing with my granny.

Though her hands were on the air avoiding the smudging of very delicately drafted heena, her grooves and the steps were beautiful, like her feet moved to the rhythm of Radha nachegi [hindi Bollywood]song. She was a natural. She danced amazing, mesmerizing me.

Soon her sister Deya too joined the dance floor followed by her father who again pulled her mother.

Don’t ask about my family they were already on the floor even though the drinks were yet to be served. I think they were high on my marriage.

Somebody tell them it would be my first night, not theirs

And my inner mocked again as I was never going to have that night too especially with the Hot ass girl dancing her heart out looking delectable as ever.

This was after all marriage for convenience and I won’t jeopardize with her sanity.

But all of a sudden her face paled and she started adjusting her veil and went behind to sit on the couch looking around nervously as if something was haunting her.

She was looking everywhere except the dance floor looking for something I couldn’t decipher, her makeup had lost its color; her eyes shone like she would cry any moment.

The vulnerable her was calling for help inaudibly and I went to accompany her.

Yes I was avoiding her since we had a fight.

Well we fought again.

And this is no breaking news mouthed my inner.

It’s again a long story when my granny forced me to take her on a date.

Cue being I did not want to marry a girl I do not love so she manipulated and forced me to take her on a date and then fall in love with her.

 Am I an apple that could instantly fall?

My inner stood mocking at me as he bit into the apple that he held in his hand. I wish I could bang his face with the same apple.

FLASHBACK

“Go and get her here and we’d go shopping for her wedding dress.” My gran ma ordered.

“Why do we need to shop for her?” I was reluctant.

“Because I like the girl and you too who stood up for the idea of her family not spending a penny for wedding. So she won’t buy any of the dresses for herself for the wedding. We’ll get that for her.” My granny said lovingly.

“So its better if we pay her for whatever she buys for the wedding. We do not want her tagged along while we are dress shopping. She is urggghh irritating” I made a yuck face.

“Wait till you like and love the same irritating face” my granny winked, HOLY s**t WINKED at me.”

Will she ever grow up?

‘Keep dreaming granny” I said in my head not wanting to hurt her.

“Again shopping from Delhi is better for we have better showrooms with huge line of clothing choices and also I want her to wear my choice of goon no GOO.WWN.” she finished making sure that she uses the pronunciation properly.

My gran ma!!

So I ended up driving the Delhi-Agra expressway to pick her from Mathura to take my nasty b***h of a fiancé` for dress shopping.

‘Two hours, two hours’ I kept on chanting to myself and then this ordeal will be over once I deliver her to my gran ma and mom who’d later take her to their shopping spree and I’ll be free

Yay! And that rhymed too. My inner cooed teasing me.

I fisted my hands into balls ready to give him a blow but he vanished. Heck!

Now you’d want to know why was her company that a big pain in the ass. Don’t worry join my agony

 First she called my favorite, my baby Maybach Mercedes a monster who’d kill anybody who tries to drive with us.

I mean what is that?

How can speeding kill someone?

 And how can I freaking drive Mercedes slowly, the front round emblem with three arcs encircled inside the emblem would fall off with guilt

I wasn’t drunk either and “Mercedes is a safe car” so were the exact words I quoted to her adding on the dramatic effect by air quoting my fingers.

That was it. She lost it

Why? You might ask.

Because my so-called convenient Fiancé believes one has to constantly hold the steering while driving.

Add to that she’d slap my hands every time I tried to start the audioplayer shouting, “CONCENTRATE on driving. EYES on ROAD please. I want to live”

As if I was an extortionists and was paid to kill her with my sedan 

Silly b***h!

Also she made me listen to Hindi songs throughout the drive.

No offenses folks, I do love Bollywood songs and albums but when you already have a jabberer criticizing your every move seated on the passenger seat of your car, you’d like to shun yourself with heavy rock music and so I wanted to listen heavy metal and bass which she did not let me,my inner supporting her as he was singing along with her enjoying my torment.

If this was not enough the entire universe was conspiring against me.

And by the universe I mean my gran ma and my mom. They called me midway “we are busy today with some last minute social obligations. So we cannot go shopping.”

“I’ll then go back and drop her.” I was actually rejoicing when the heavens fell loose.

Yeah I am being overdramatic here. Kill me

“No no no no” my mom on the line now. Did I mention the phone was on speaker?

“We only busy sometime. You take her and roam Delhi.” ”Oh English bomber” my granny interjected “let me talk” I could imagine her making a duh face at her and my mom pouting. “Take her to a movie or a hotel what you youngsters call these days umm..” she took a  pause thinking.

“What gran ma?” I was beyond irritated, movie with her?

It would take an hour to decide which we both would like to watch we are way opposites.

“Its also a name of dry fruits. What is it? It what ?” my granny thinking and I was balancing between the talk of my mother, granny and driving “DATE” my granny shouted all of a sudden victoriously “Take her on a date.”

Seriously

“WILL YOU PARK THE DAMN CAR AND THEN TALK” oh I forgot there was another loose end of conspiring universe, my personal antagonist Pari who was continuously yelling at me for talking while driving.

“Don’t you think it’s hazardous, against the driving rules and unsafe?” she scolded widening her eyes in annoyance.

“Aww!” My granny cooed “she cares for you. Do as she says” 

Didn’t she hear she was too loud and yelling for her own good?

I swear these women are going to be death of me!

Confused, irritated, flabbergasted, distraught, distressed, bugged, irked 

You may gladly call me thesaurus of profanities but these women; they are getting the worst out of me.

“I cant, I need to go” I was denying openly when my mom outstripped the conversation “We late want to go. Bye, bye , bye” my granny whispered again “Try and fall for her” followed by frequent byes and the call went disconnected leaving me to a silent mobile.

Wait let me rewind the audio in my head what did I listen before the call ended?

Lots of byes Her for fall Bye bye bye late getting sxxxscccsshxx between getting and late, a clap, a high five between the two which they always do when they are conspiring against someone else in unity.

Last time when they did it my dad had a huge dent in his pocket for he had to issue a cheque of pretty huge amount for donation of constructing a temple in our area.

But that was for a good cause. Why me?

My inner pouted his mouth at me and left shrugging.

Good he left on his own or… or I Would I … hmmph I really could do nothing. 

Can I ?????

So I did not know where to take her for the so-called dryfruit I mean Date.

 Again falling in love was impossible one for her bitchy attitude and two that I already have Sam.

 I took her to meet my friends in Delhi who were flying for some destination wedding. I thought it would be a less awkward for a small town girl and she could used some friends for socializing but…

I forgot she is PARI..

First she procrastinated coming with me and then blamed me when I left her and walked towards my friends because she was busy tucking the buttons of her tunic cause her cleavage was showing too much.

How do I know?

Do you really want an answer from a guy?

Okayyyy I was STARING happy!

What pissed me was on her way back she did not thank me for the lovely date because I did see her enjoying and talking carelessly with my friends especially Keya like she was a close chhadi-buddy [friends joined from the hips] warming up to her talking politely. I swear she was so sweet and nice to them that I felt that only halo was missing, she is an angel descended from heaven.

I ONLY felt. Statistics are different.

Because once we were in each others solitude company, like always she changed her colors and started bickering 

“Why the hell do you have to blurt out truth of our relationship to your friends? 

Why can’t you use your dumb head for once?

Why do you have to be all flashy showcasing your BIG bank balance wherever you go, cars, brands and so on?

For once can you think rationally? I am a girl and everyone would judge me.”

She had a point. I know but the argument was getting on my nerves

Well that’s nothing new but she did it in front of my friends and I had a reputation and not even that I always believe that respect given is respect earned so she had no right to bully me in front of my friends.

Well you may say I could have done the same but I couldn’t. I do believe in $ex equality but there’s nothing worst than humiliating a woman to keep your own reputation.

Well I did get back to her once I left her at her door steps asking her one simple question “Is it my fault that I am rich or that I have trust worthy friends?’

She stood still and started mumbling something in line of friend but I was so pissed that I chose to ignore her and walk away without bidding a goodbye.

Well she deserved it.

FLASHBACK over

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I went to sit besides her and she flinched but when she realized that it was me she visibly relaxed, her breathings shallow and she continued fidgeting in her seat uncomfortable.

“Missing me?” I asked.

I really did not know how to start a conversation.

“Huh” she was speechless not a single clue of what I was talking.

But she composed herself as she looked above trying to hold her tears.

“Well you are right. I was missing the most dashing, good looking guy present in the ceremony but forgot he is an arrogant, self obsessed pain in the …” her mocking was stopped and she smiled politely when my sister Sia came to us, “HI I am his only and favorite sister Sia” she introduced herself as she threw her wavy black hair that were veiling her fair face behind her shoulders.

“Hi, Parijaat,” Pari smiled sweetly at her her.

Why is she not like this with me, welcoming and friendly?

‘Ask yourself’ my inner too mocked as he imitated me “Missing me” in a childlike accent.

“Sia” my sister extended a hand.

 Pari too extended her hand for shake “But Pari for you.” She smiled sweetly 

I am definitely buying her a halo 

“Someone forgot that he needs to introduce his sister.” Pari said in her accusing tone.

“Well I was sure two jerk heads need no introduction.” I smirked earning a glare form Pari and a pout from Sia “Bro that was mean.”

“No Sia he meant introducing him and my second cousin Ram. See I never tried to introduce them.” And they high fived each other as Sia followed the suit where Ram was all over the chocolate and strawberry ice-cream that he was tried to mix and fuse or fuss, it was like he was stirring it continuously enough to convert it into a shake and smiling at his art work soiling both his and hands and clothes with the same.

As if that was not enough he was licking the overflow of his ice cream with his huge extended tongue from behind his palm

Who eats desert before meal? He sure is a retard.

I made a yuck face at him disgusted while my inner was laughing uncontrollably holding his stomach out of pain of laughing as he gestured between me and Ram and worded “two jerks”

BEEPBEEP BEEPto him!

“Define mean?” I gritted my teeth.

“How about we choose to define ignore?” Pari waved her hands shushing me away as if I did not exist at all. But the way she was warming up with my li’l sis Sia made my heart melt.

Sia had been through lot and ever since she sheltered at my place everyone looked at her with pity. 

Today for the first time Pari looked at her differently, befriended and talked to her as if she had her own entity. I had never seen Sia smile like this making her dark orbs glinting behind those glasses with glee ever before. I smiled at the two girls and let them be. 

And off they went like two girls now don’t ask me their age difference for it is almost 7 years and still they went on talking from complimenting on their dresses to jewelry to their choice of movies, their favorite hero Varun Dhawan, yes they shared it to their favorite actress Pariniti and on they went discussing about anything and everything feminine.

Fortunately their choices of favorite song were different, when Sia’s favorite was the latest ‘Abhi to party shuru hui hai’ Pari’s was the one of the old melody.

Why I was listening or bothered even though the conversation was too girly and boring?

Because how much so ever I might fail to admit but these gossips intrigue me in a way you may call me bipolar and even have a funny laugh at me, I can only pout especially the choice of Pari’s song being an old classic ‘Chura liya hai tumne’

“I need to use the washroom” Sia asked Pari for help and happily she obliged leading her inside to one of her rooms.

When I was bored with all the dances and singing of my uncles and dad who were almost drunk I realized that Sia was sitting with a dholak [drum ] in her hand and Pari was missing.

How long had Pari been missing? And how long ago did Sia return?” I wondered.

When I saw both her sister and mother too laughing and dancing I felt anxious and decided to look for Pari in one of the rooms.

Wait I did not bother about what others would say we were getting married. Right?

I took me puzzle some wander in three rooms when I finally located the crinkling of bangles and the shiverling of her anklets and the shimmering of he sequined veil that confirmed it was her.

“Pari” I called.

“Raj” she replied her voice aghast and the racing of footsteps from the room said that she had company.

I switched on the torch of my mobile to direct on her face and I am sure I saw a string of tear flowing down her cheeks.