Chapter 1 The aftermath
Mom: "Hurry up, dear, they are about to come\!"
The mother's voice, a whip-crack of urgency, echoed through the entire house, ensuring everyone was on edge and geared up. It was ten in the morning, and the family was consumed by preparations for the arrival of the groom's party—a quintessential scene in an Indian home where tradition dictated every bustling moment.
Everyone was busy, save for the one person at the heart of this so-called tradition. The soon-to-be bride sat tucked away in a corner of the house terrace, her gaze fixed on the old, sprawling tree in the neighbor's backyard. It was the same tree she had feared in childhood, convinced it housed ghosts. Now, as she stared, her mind seemed miles away, engaged in a silent debate, searching the blank expanse of the sky for answers.
"Mummy, where is Dii? When will she get ready?" a sister asked, rushing past.
"She's on the terrace," Sis 2 replied.
"What is she doing there?" the mother demanded.
The sisters exchanged glances. "We don't know\!"
Their mother fixed them with a sharp glare, a silent command to fetch her down.
"Tanvi, can't you do this simple work? Have some shame, I'm elder than you, yet I've been working since morning," the first sister, Porvi, grumbled.
"Hey, don't be rude\! Don't forget, I'm also serving as your personal PA," Tanvi retorted with a playful scowl.
"Oho\! Both of you, stop fighting and go look after your elder sister," the mother interjected.
"Okay, Mom."
"Porvi, can you please do this? I'm going to change the bedsheets."
"Yep\!"
"Oho\! Did anyone of you call your father and ask about the arrival time of the groom's family?"
"Mom, Tanvi is doing it, don't worry."
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"Dii\! Dii\! Diiiii\!" Porvi's call was a frantic shout from the balcony.
Haaa?" the eldest sister replied, her voice distant.
"Come down, please\! We don't have much time, we need to hurry\!"
Coming."
Porvi found her sister’s face pale and drawn. "What happened? Look at you, Dii... when will you get ready? The groom's family is about to come."
"Hmm," the eldest sister murmured.
"What 'Hmm'?" Porvi questioned, studying her.
"Nothing. I was just thinking... when did I get this old, that I'm getting ready for this—for a date-fixing ceremony? It feels like I haven't lived this time to its fullest. My heart is beating too fast, and I can't control my breaths. I don't know if it's normal, if it happens to everyone, or if I'm just thinking too much. There's too much stuff in my head right now. I don't know what is right. Maybe I'm just nervous, or I don't want to get married right now, or I just don't want to leave you guys. I want to spend more time with you, Tanvi, Maa, Papa. Oho\! I feel like crying," she confessed, her eyes finally welling up.
"Stop it, Dii," Tanvi said, arriving on the terrace. "You can't be this emotional. It's just a date-fixing ceremony, that's it. What you're thinking is normal, and please stop before I start crying, too. Look, I even got tears in my heart," she finished with a comical sniffle.
