Chapter 1
The Invitation
It was the end of November 2014, I was in my final year of engineering, completing my 21st winter on this earth. In Prayagraj, winter had already reached. Foggy mornings and dew drops on the grasses made me nostalgic. That day was Sunday, so I was lazily turning the newspapers and sipping a hot cup of tea. Mom was in the kitchen and dad went to market.
The doorbell rang.
Mom asked me to open the door, probably the hawker has come for the monthly bill. I went downstairs only to find a middle aged person, probably of forty years and a lady in her late thirties at the door. The person asked me whether my mom was at home or not. I nodded affirmatively.
I ushered them inside and they rested themselves in the drawing room. My mom came to the drawing room and was astonished to see them.
She exclaimed, “After a long time, Shashank, what’s the news? And this is your wife Meghna? Good to see you both”
I came to know, Shashank had three brothers and three sisters. It was the marriage ceremony of their youngest brother Sushant. During their talks, I also came to know their youngest sister was still unmarried and they were searching a perfect groom for their little sister.
So by relation, Shashank was my maternal uncle and Meghna was my maternal aunt. They all lived in their ancestral house in a town named Unchahar. When my mom was a school teacher, her school was also in the same town. Also I came to know, when my mom started her teaching, she used to live next to their house.
My mom told me stories, how Shashank’s younger sister, whom everyone used to call Saumya, play with me. My mom and dad shifted to Prayagraj when I was five years old, so I have no memories of my baby days, what I used to do with Saumya.
But my mom told me, Saumya was very naughty, as every youngest child in a family and she used to love me very much, as I was the only person who was younger to her. She used to take me to the mango orchards, used to take me with her to every place she went. I was like her baby doll with whom she used to play a lot.
My mom and dad accepted their invitation to be present for the wedding of their youngest brother.
