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"Good. These are for the guests, you could have them later," Anjali said without casting a glance at me. She was busy arranging the table with eatables.
"Can't I at least have one of them?" I gave her my best puppy eyes, "I am really hungry."
Her eyes softened a bit before placing a laddoo before me, "You ain't getting more than this." Placing another laddoo over my hand she winked before walking away. I had a toothy grin etched on my lips. I loved my cousin!
I hogged the two laddoos and was about to steal another one from the tray when Kush announced, "they are here!"
I don't know from where my mom appeared right out of the thin air, grabbed hold of me and dragged me into the nearest room, all along she was scolding me for dirtying my hands and face. I didn't realize that the sweet sticky oil from laddoos had smeared across my lips and a part of the cheek, "I don't get it, how in the hell did you eat that everything has spread over your cheek? You are grown up Rynah, yet there is no difference between yourself and a five-year-old," her rambling went on as she cleaned my face and only stopped when the ringing of doorbell boomed through the air. She called Anjali in to retouch my makeup as she walked out to meet the suitor and his family.
I felt the anxiety seep in. My hands started to tremble a bit as my feet turned cold.
Anjali seemed to understand what I was going through because she placed her hands on my shoulders giving them a gentle squeeze.
"I'm scared," I whispered.
"It will be fine. I bet he is an amazing guy, don't worry."
"I am more scared that he will reject me..." I trailed off.
"He will be a fool if he did."
I gave Anjali a tiny smile for her encouraging words, which she replied by her stunning one. She was a wonderful girl, inside and out. And I was lucky to have her as my cousin.
We waited in silence, letting my thumping heart calm down a bit before we were called out, only to be all nervous again...
Timidly I walked out, where I met my mom who handed over a tray of teacups to me. I had no other option but to carry that over to the guests. I was glad that my nervousness wasn't displaying on the outside like it usually did in the form of shivering. And that was how I jinxed myself.
Sitting on the L-shaped sofa were five people. A man and a lady in their late forties, wearing traditional Indian wear. A girl who looked like she was in her high school, in a blue frock, and two men who were in their mid or even in the late twenties, both formally dressed. I found one of the guys to be cute. The other one was rather plain. It was clear, the man and the lady in the forties were the suitor's parents and the little girl must have been his sister. But I wasn't sure about who was the suitor among the two guys and what was his relationship with the other guy? They could be brothers, cousins, friends or even broker and client. Looking at the fact that he looked different, I take it he wasn't blood related, but I wasn't sure.
Out of the Indian tradition, I moved to every one of them to serve them tea, greeting and smiling nervously at each of them. My hands were slightly shaking when I stood before the suitor's parents, causing the teacups to make a vibrating sound but they were polite enough not to comment about it.
"That's my son, Ravi," the suitor's dad informed when I was serving the plain looking guy. My hands were full on shaking now, causing mini tsunamis to appear in the teacups. A bit of tea fell on the tray too, but Ravi was oblivious to it. I felt relief but also slight disappointment that he wasn't the other guy. I had hoped it to be the other guy, though I had an idea that it wouldn't be. But couldn't a girl hope? Ravi couldn't seem to look away or break the eye contact. He was fine and all, not as cute as the guy sitting next to him and not at all anywhere close to any of the Raivardhan brothers. But I was at peace because in case he agreed, I wouldn't have to marry Surya Kanth Nath...
"And he is from the mediating agency," Ravi's dad added when I moved forward to serve the tea to the cute guy who just smiled in acknowledgment. See, I knew it that he was the wasn't blood related! He was the broker.
I moved away to sit on the single sofa after serving everyone, letting them have a proper look at me. Relieved that I didn't drop the hot tea over anyone and make a fool out of myself. This was how arranged marriages happened in India, this was how everyone evaluated the girl before the marriage.
Shyly, I glanced towards Ravi to find him looking at me, but that didn't fail me to notice the broker guy gaping at something behind me. What was he being awestruck by?
"Rynah betah, you may go in," my dad spoke from the side. Oh my gosh! My dad was here, and I didn't see him? I had been so anxious as I concentrated over the guests that I didn't take note of my father who was sitting by the TV. I could feel my cheeks flush.
I nodded in acknowledgment and got up, giving one last glance towards Ravi. Again, not failing to notice the broker guy staring behind me. I turned around only to find Anjali standing a few feet away from me, ready to take me back inside.
Everything clicked in its place as I smiled toothily at her. Had to agree that she looked rather lovely in the blue kurta. She just gave me ayou-are-weirdlook and ushered me inside.
"Looks like someone has an admirer," I sang as soon as we were out of the earshot.
"I saw, Ravi couldn't keep his eyes off you," she smiled making me roll my eyes.
"I wasn't talking about Ravi."
"Then?"
"The person beside him did show a great interest in someone here," I sang again as I fell back on the bed.
"No..." She frowned in disbelief.
"Oh yes," I was enjoying teasing her.
