Ruhi:
For every breath, I inhaled, the smell of henna swirled in my nose. I intermittently glanced at my henna-filled hands and the descending sun view from the massive balcony of my room. The view is as beautiful, as the art of henna on my hands. The henna artist was paid a huge amount of sum from my dadu to art my hands with one of their best designs.
"Once again, you got carried away, Maasi?" My niece hollered and shook my whole form with her tiny arms. "What happened to you, Maasi? You loved playing with me before but today, you look distracted." (Maasi: Mother's sister)
Before I reply, Akriti di, my elder cousin approached us, "Choti, let Ruhi Maasi rest early today. It's her engagement tomorrow and she should appear beautiful."
My beautiful niece pecked on my cheeks and shrieked a cry, "Maasi is gonna be the bride tomorrow!"
Akriti di giggled and glanced at me. Her smile disappeared when she saw my sad face. "It's a bad omen if Bride keeps a gloomy face just before her engagement night."
I shook my head, "I don't want to speak with any of you. Especially with dadu(grandfather)!" I declared.
"Aisa kyun Ladoo. Kya kardiya humne!" Instantly I whirled and captured the view of a giant, tall, and old man. He stood with a Shagun tray of my engagement in his hands, which Akriti Di took from his hands and placed back on the tea table in my bedroom.
"Because you all cheated me, Dadu. I came for a usual visit from Delhi but was surprised to hear that, I am getting engaged."
Akriti di giggled and left the room with her daughter, leaving us alone. Dadu sat on my bed and patted his thighs. I took the clue and lay on my bed resting my head on his thigh. He placed his hand on my head and caressed my hair.
The only important person in my life is my Dadu. I was eight when I lost my parents. And from that day he nurtured me and loved me more than his children. He is everything to me and I love him more than anyone.
His words are like a death sentence to me.
I never left my dadu, staying away from him is like a hurdle to me. But it was his wish that I have to become a doctor. And that's because of him, Ekansh Razdan. He opted to go into the medical field, instead of helping his father and brother in business. Unlike him, I was more into agriculture, I had a passion for helping our farmers harvest crops.
I was done with my third year and I came to visit my family for a week. After a week, my fourth year will start, most probably. I huffed. Currently, my medical school is not good. They might probably shut down the university forever. But they even guaranteed that we would be transferred to well-reputated Universities.
"I not only have the responsibility of your wedding but also to make sure you are happy in your married life," he explained sharing his opinion. His fear.
Other than Dadu, I have taiji and tau ji and three cousins. Everyone is married and have children. I am the only one left unmarried. And I know that it's a concerning topic for my dadu, nowadays.
But I am just 22, he should understand that I am not ready for a wedding, "Dadu... I am in my fourth year of medicine. I have to do an internship and then post-graduation. If I am married now my career will be incomplete," I explained too. Being independent was my only aim.
He huffed and replied, "The man your wedding is fixed is also a doctor, Ruhi. He will support you. And I can assure you that." He has immense faith in his best friend's grandson.
"But Dadu, how can I trust him?"
"We visit them and even they visit us. We have known them for more than 50 years. Ekansh will not harm you. Even if he does, his Maa and papaji will be on your side."
I was not in any mood to get convinced, cause my parents had a bad experience with their married life. So bad that I decided long ago that I would never marry anyone.
"What if he has a girlfriend?" I muttered my only fear.
He placed his hand on my forehead understanding the fright in me. "You were bonded to him since your birth, he shouldn't dare to see another woman."
Ekansh:
I ambled to and fro in my room. I fisted my hair and sat at the edge of my king-size bed. How could everyone cheat on me?
They said emergency and called me to Amritsar. And now I am here, they bombarded my head with news of my engagement with that spoiled brat, Ruhi Kaur.
Yeah, I agree I was crazy for her but when she was a toddler not with the adult Ruhi. Who is an arrogant girl with an attitude of Mount Everest? I wish I could just crumble her attitude and thrash it away.
For the past ten years, when no one brought up the topic of our wedding, I thought, it was a childhood fantasy, which everyone had overcome. But after ten years, they suddenly bought the topic which stopped my brain from thinking logically.
My phone rang for the third time with Anthra's caller ID. I ignored the last two, as I had no backbone to face her interrogation. She has been my girlfriend for three years. The moment, I answered her call, she bragged with frustration, "You will not get engaged to that stupid brat, Ekansh!"
I tried to calm her, "Anthra, trust me, baby, even I don't want to." I tried to explain to her. But she wasn't in any mood to believe me. She assumes that I have been playing with her feelings all these years.
"We have been dating for 3 years, how can you do this with me?" She argued. I could hear her sniffling too.
"We still have hope..." I responded. I know it's stupidity to have hopes after knowing the stubborn nature of my dada ji (grandfather) I don't think he will ever agree to my and Anthra's wedding in this generation.
She chuckled drily revealing her hurt, "I love you, baby. I love you more than anything. I can't even think of my life when it comes to you."
"Don't say that, baby." I sighed. "I will try to amend his decision."
After hearing my assurance, she cut the call. I groaned in frustration.
I can do anything but go against my Dadaji. His words are like a death sentence to us.
My whole family sat on the huge dining table, happily conversing about my engagement with Ruhi, which is tomorrow. If I knew that, they called me for the engagement, I wouldn't have come to Punjab and stayed in Delhi. But why this hurry?
My big brother and Bhabhi who is now 7 months pregnant were deciding: How to dress me tomorrow for the engagement? Everyone except me was extremely enthusiastic about it.
I realized that there was no room for my opinion. Well, this wedding was decided the moment I kissed her on her lips when I was 6 and she was a 3-month-old baby girl. I mean come on, who doesn't do it? I was a kid, I only got attracted to her cuteness.
On the other hand, my dada ji was sharing friendship stories of Sujjan dada ji and his with us.
"We stole the sugarcane and then Sujjan and I ran through the fields. One of the farmers tried to catch him but we two fought and escaped. The next day, we bought that field. it was the first one, with which we started the partnership. The same one, we gifted to Ruhi after she turned 18."
He glanced at me, "When you were six, Ruhi was born." Not again Dadaji, but I forced a smile, "And whenever we visited them, you couldn't stay without her. It was like you two were born for each other."
Only if they know that I hate the adult Ruhi more than anything, now. She is one attitude female who has a high-altitude ego on her nose.
I still remember the day I met her 4 years ago, the day she turned 18. She was preparing for Neet-medicine and her dadu visited us along with her. He only said to speak with me and take some tips for cracking neet, and I was in my first year of PG back then. But. She easily dusted me on my face, saying she was better than me.
The second incident was in her mansion. She gave attention to every one of us but when it came to me she simply avoided me. As if I don't exist. The third incident was, three years ago on the day of Holi, she spat on me when I went to apply colors for her. She said I should know my limits before I cross them. If Maa, hadn't said me to do that, I wouldn't have even glanced at her.
The soft corner I had for her disappeared that day. That even led me to move on from her.
"Ekansh, where are you occupied?" My maa probed when she noticed I hadn't even had a spoonful of Rajma Chawal since I sat down.
I developed some courage and spoke, "I don't want to marry Ruhi." Everyone fell into a drop-dead silence and eyes were glaring at me with shock, surprise, confusion, and even anger.
"Why?" Kirpal Dadaji's demanding and strong voice roared.
"Dadaji, I...don't know anything...about her," I hesitated but I put my word by staring at the table instead of his eyes.
"She is Sujjan's granddaughter. You both have known each other since childhood. What more do you want to know exactly?"
"I..."
"This wedding was fixed a long time ago, Ekansh. Not just to bind you both but even the two families. So, you will have the time after the engagement to understand her if you want. But nothing other than that." He declared.
I took a deep breath and nodded my head. But I will not give up this early.
If not me, Ruhi should reject this wedding.
***
Our families sat in a big lounge of Sujjan Dada Ji's mansion. Yes, we reached Ludhiana this morning and my pra and parjai (brother and sister-in-law) did my makeover as they decided.
We all waited for Ruhi. And the moment she arrived everyone looked amazed at her. She is beautiful, which I always admit. She was dressed in a cream lehenga and blouse, and a little of her belly was visible through the space between the two brims. Her dupatta sat on her right shoulder. For a moment I couldn't stop but admire her and her innocent face.
But I can't ignore the devil behind her innocence.
She sat on the armchair beside me. "If you both want to speak then you both can do it. We still have 20 minutes for the engagement to begin," Sujjan Dadaji announced, and just then I found myself staring at her like a loon.
I stood immediately, and everyone expected it to be my desperation to meet her. And they all laughed at me.
Ruhi silently stood and followed me. We both went to the backyard terrace. As soon as I found we were alone, I announced, "I don't want to marry you."
She sighed and looked at me. The way she gazed at me, made me feel conscious about my appearance. "As I expected," she uttered with bitterness, "now what are you gonna do?"Â She asked instead by crossing her arms below her chest. Her brown eyes held amusement.
"Not me. But you. You will reject, say something or anything."
She chuckled, arrogantly, "And why should I do that."
"I have a girlfriend. I want to marry only her."
Nodding her head, she stared and replied, "If you have guts go and reject it. By the way, the feelings are mutual. I am least interested in marrying you."
Ouch! I didn't expect this to come from her.
"And why is that?" I inquired raising my brow and leaning against the small wall behind me.
"First, you are not my type and second, I am in the middle of my career."
Not her type. That's it...I lost my temper.
"Huh, I just heard that your medical school is shutting down because of bankruptcy?" I began.
"So..." her brows narrowed with confusion.
"So, marrying me will only favor you. Atleast you will cook food, make coffee, and iron my clothes." I didn't miss the audacity of taunting in my words.
"How dare you?" She glared, demanding.
"You have the ego of cliff size. That I can squeeze in no second in my fist. However, there is no escape from this wedding for either of us. Which means... App ke sath sath hum apke ghamdan ko bhi chur chur karnge hum." (Along with you, I will grind your ego.)
By now my words annoyed her without any limits. I wanted to annoy her shitlessly so that she can reject me in front of everyone.
She raised her index and flared her nares, "Aapki bas ki bath nahi hai, Ekansh!" She asserted, poking her index against my chest. (You can do nothing to me, Ekansh.)
I caught her index and twisted her hand on her back. "Ek bar Aapko Humara hogayi, Ruhi saiba. Sab kuch karnge hum aapke sath..." Intentionally, I drifted my gaze towards her bosom, and shit, I did a mistake cause, they held my gaze captive. (The day you will become mine. I will do everything with you...)
She tried to free her hands off of my grip, "Hum harne walon mei se nhi hai. Agar hath bhi lagaya toh, apka kya hashne karenge dekhte rehna. Kisi ku muh dikhane layak nhi chodenge." She challenged. (I am not the one to accept the defeat. Even if you touch me, I will twist your life and face, so badly that you will be embarrassed to show your face to anyone.)
"Huh!" I chuckled.
You can do nothing, baby snake.