AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m free, Ma. What do you need?”
“I’d like to go to a movie,” she said, with a pleased smile.
We all stared at her carefully. Nivy moved the forks and knives away from her, while Veer poured her a glass of water. I wondered if I should call her doctor. It could be early-onset dementia.
Her son was getting married in two days, and my mother wanted to go to a movie?
“Stop looking at me like that, you idiots. These wedding arrangements are exhausting, and besides, when the Begum of Pataudi arrives tomorrow, I’d like to tell her honestly that I’ve seen her daughter-in-law’s latest movie. So, if you can spare an evening for your poor, lonely mother, Jayshree, I’d like to watch Bebo’s latest movie tonight.”
“Look at you, being so hip with Bollywood nicknames,” I teased. “And please don’t pull the lonely old woman act, Ma. You have a more active social life than I do.”
“What is it you people say? What.Ever,” said my mother, with an eye roll.
I applauded gently as Nivy giggled into her biryani. Veer just rolled his eyes at the lot of us and threw his napkin down.
“I’m off to finish some work before all your friends arrive, Ma,” he said, and dropped a quick kiss on Nivy’s head before walking away.
I saw my mother smiling at them mistily, but when she turned that same gaze on me, I felt alarmed.
“Ma, whatever you’re planning, don’t,” I said firmly.
“Hush. Eat your biryani and be ready for the six o’clock show,” she said, just as firmly.
Aryan wanted to meet up for dinner, but I knew that wasn’t possible. Ma would want to do the whole post-movie postmortem, and I didn’t want to turn into one of those girls who dropped their families as soon as they got a guy. Besides, it was nice to make a guy wait a bit, once in a while.
So, I dressed up in my most casual casuals and knocked on Ma’s door at five-thirty. She looked horrified to see me in my jeans and t-shirt.
“Why are you wearing these rags, Jayshree? Have you given away all your nice clothes?”
“Whaaat?These are perfectly nice clothes,” I cried.
“For one, there’s an obscenely large red tongue on your t-shirt, and secondly, that ghastly grey colour makes it look like aponchathat even the cleaning staff wouldn’t use. I refuse to be seen in public with a daughter who looks homeless. Please go and change into something pretty.”
“I could wear a zardosi lehenga if it would please Your Highness,” I drawled.
“Don’t you get lippy with me, Jayshree Singh. Wear that little black dress you bought in Milan,” she ordered.
“You mean the one that you said looks like a bandana wrapped around my torso?”
What was wrong with my mother? She had made me promise never to wear that dress in front of her, and here she was, forcing me to do just that.
“Just do as I say, and meet me downstairs in ten minutes.”
I sighed as I stomped back to my room. Ma had said ten minutes, but it took me fifteen, and I hobbled down the stairs, juttis in hand because she was such a stickler for time. The car was already at the door, with the valet holding the door open for me.
I slid in and turned to apologise to her for the delay because my mother was strict about such things.
“Sorry, Ma… hey! What the hell are you doing here?”
I stared at Yash in surprise, and he looked equally surprised to see me.
“I was waiting for your mother. She wanted to see Bebo’s latest movie.”
Ooh, that scheming old witch!
“She told me the same thing!” I snarled.
I knew exactly what she had done. My mother had tricked me into going to a movie with Yash. But it wasn’t going to work. If anything, I was going off to meet Aryan right now.
