Chapter-20

Shraddha Kumar Malhotra POV


"Before marriage, I loved a girl.  I never confessed my love to her. I don’t even know where she is. I was searching for her for the past two years. I was waiting for her.” he said without breaking the eye contact.

Listening to him my heart broke into million pieces. Why god? Why me? I was so happy but in a minute my happiness changed into sadness.
He stood up from the bed and moved towards the window.

“I was not ready to marry but for my parent’s happiness, I made myself ready. I’m not saying that I’ll not give you any rights. You will have all the rights of being my wife and daughter in law of Malhotra’s. I want time. I want to recover from my past. I want to make our marriage successful. Please give me some time. I hope that I’ll recover myself from the past.” he told me about his feelings.

I was teary-eyed but then I wiped my tears and moved towards him.

“Truly speaking, I was also not ready for marriage but then same for my parents, I made myself ready. Past is Past which can’t be changed but we have a future and we will make our present and future beautiful. I’m ready to give you time.” I told him.

I am sad  that I wasn't his first love.

“Thank you,” he said.

I was curious to know about that lucky girl whom my husband loves so much. I want to know her. God, please help me to be strong.

“Can I know the name of the girl who made you fall in love?” I asked him not to show my sadness.

“Radha… I don’t know her full name. But her name is Radha.” I said. I was stunned for a minute but then smiled. I thought for a sec is it singer Radha as in me but then he doesn’t know her and there are many Radha’s in the world.

“I don’t even know where she lives. How she looks. I know only her name and passion.” He said and I can see his eyes which are saying so many things.

“Oh. I’ll help you to find her.” I said. I want to help him to get his love. He chuckled about hearing from me.

“No need for that. I hired a private investigator but still no luck.” He said.

“Private Investigator as in Rajeev Bhai?” I asked. He nodded.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll not back down from my responsibility. I was never forced for marriage. It was solely my own decision. I willingly accepted you. I respect my parent’s decision.” He said sincerely.

“About Radha, My feelings for her started to fade from the day I accepted the proposal for the wedding. I just want to see her and know about her.” he continued.

“Ok. We both were not forced for this marriage. We both want to have some time before we start our journey of marriage. We also don’t know about each other. So why not let’s start being friends first.” I said smiling but my inner heart is burning with hurt.

“Yes, why not.” He said smiling.

“Friends” I forwarded my hand to him with a smile. A smile which hides a lot of sadness behind it.

“Friends” he accepted my hand and did a handshake with a smile. 

“Your outfit is very heavy, so go and change. You can use the washroom. I’ll use it after you.” he said to me. 

I went near my bag which was placed near the couch. I kept it on the couch and opened it. I took a pair of nightdress and toiletries and went into the washroom.

I cried under the shower in the washroom. I don’t want to show my weak self to him. I felt so broken and sad. But then I decided that I’ll be his friend and help him to find his love. 
After meeting her, if he was in love with her then I’ll move away from his life. But if he is not in love with her then I’ll confess my love to him.
I changed into my nightdress and moved towards the dressing area. Aaron went to the washroom to freshen up.

I did my night routine. I kept my jewellery and outfit in the bag properly. He came from the washroom. He wore a t-shirt and track pants.

We both were looking at the bed. We were confused about our sleeping arrangements.

“We both are friends and we also decided that we will be giving our best for our present and future so I feel that we both can share the bed,” he said.

“Yes but I want to sleep on the left side,” I said. He chuckled. 

“Well, you are in luck. I mostly prefer to sleep on the right side,” he told me smilingly. 

We both said good nights and drifted off to sleep.
 
Morning, Malhotra farmhouse
I woke up early in the morning. I had a bath and wore a beautiful simple saree gifted by Maa as in Divi’s Mumma. I call her Maa. She gave me more than 10 sarees in various patterns. 

I was drying my wet hairs by a towel in front of the window. I was going to use a hairdryer but then Aaron was sleeping so opted to towel dry my hairs. I was wearing a chuda which was making a sound as I was drying my hair.  Chuda we have to wear till 45 days after the wedding. 

I felt some movement behind me so I looked towards it. Aaron woke up. He was looking at me.

“Good morning” I wished him.

“Good Morning” He replied. He went to the washroom for his morning chorus. I did my final touch up and went downstairs. I met Mom and Nani there who were sitting in the backyard of the kitchen. I went near them and took their blessings. 

“Today you have to make something sweet, Shraddha,” Nani said.

“Nani, if you don’t mind can I cook breakfast for all? I will make a sweet dish also.” I asked.

“Sure dear,” Nani said. 

I moved towards the kitchen and decided on the menu. I took out all the ingredients and started to cook. Once I finished I garnished them all and kept it on Kitchen Island. 

I went outside to see that almost all were ready. I saw that Aaron was looking at me. I asked with eyes what. He shook his head in nothing. 

“Today’s Puja will be done by Aaron and Shraddha,” Nani said.

We all went towards a small mandir (temple) in our home. I and Aaron started doing Puja. Then we did Aarti of the god. We both took blessings from the elders. We all went to our dining room. I went inside the kitchen and started bringing all the dishes. Riya also helped me. 

In the end, I brought a big tray filled with bowls of sweets. Everyone took their place. 

Aaron was still standing. He cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. He told us about the fire incident and informed us that he will soon return in a few hours. He also looked at me for my opinion. I blinked my eyes in assurance to him. He took his car keys and went outside.

“Sister in law,  what did you make?” Shreya asked me. 

“Kheer (Rice pudding)” I replied. 

“Oh, Bro's favourite.” Shreya started her teasings. 

Mom made her silent. I served Kheer to everyone. Then I took a seat beside Shreya. 

“All the breakfast is cooked by Shraddha.” Mom said. All looked towards me so I looked downwards

“Breakfast was really tasty Shraddha, Let’s taste the sweet dish,” Nani (Maternal Grandmother) said.

“Yummy,” Shreya said.

“It’s very tasty.” Mom-dad complimented me.

“Yes sister, it is so yummy.” My sweet devil brothers said.

“Hmm…” Nani hummed. We all looked towards her.

“Come here,” Nani ordered me. All were tense.

“Here this is for you.” Nani said giving me a jewellery box. 

“I never ate such tasty Kheer,” Nani said with a smile. We all took a breath of relief.

Mom – dad also gave me some gifts. Even Ishaan Bhai and Rajeev Bhai as well Riya Shreya also gave me gifts. 
After some 2-3 hours, Aaron came home and went to freshen up. 
He came down wearing another Indian wear.  We all were chit-chatting in the living room. My brothers and Shreya finished the whole vessel of Kheer so now Aaron can’t taste the Kheer made by me. I was sad but mom cheered me up. She said that we will be doing a few rituals again in Malhotra Mansion.
Mom said that there are few rituals and games pending which she wants us to do today.

“Mom, first we will play that ring game,” Shreya said.

“Ok, Shraddha-Aaron seat here.” Mom said showing us a place on the double seater sofa.

We went and took our seats. In front of us on the small table were a bowl filled with rose petals and milk. 

“I’m throwing this ring in the bowl. Whoever will find it first will win.” Riya said, showing us the ring.

We both put our right hand in the bowl to find the ring. 

“Whoever wins the first will have the upper hand in your marriage life.” Mom said. We both looked at each other with a smirk and started to find the ring. 

“Well, whoever wins but the wife always has the upper hand in marriage,” Dad said jokingly.

“Come on sister we have to win.” Ishaan Bhai and Rajeev Bhai were cheering for me. 

Even Shreya also sided with me.
Riya, Divya and Kartik were cheering for Aaron. 

We both found the ring at the same time; we showed the ring to others.

“That’s a tie,” Shreya said.

“Yeah, but you all don’t know that if the rings were found by both at the same time, it is believed that there will be a sense of balance, understanding, companionship, and decision-making capability in between both of them,” Mumma said.
 
“The Next game is to find the groom’s name in the bride’s mehndi designs.” Riya Announced.

I forwarded my both hands to him. As he took my hands in his hand I shivered. He started finding his name in my hands. He was searching for his name in my Mehendi designs. Soon he found his name and showed it to everyone. Everyone cheered for him. I was smiling looking at his smile which was showing on his face. 
 
“Next one is untying the knot,” Nani said.

In wedding rituals, Priests tied a sacred thread on both of our wrists which has multiple knots. We have to untie each other’s knot of thread. We can only untie it using a single hand. Whoever does it first wins the game. It is said that the winner is the dominant partner between both of them. 

We both started doing it. It was tough to do it because the knot was a day old and it was wet due to the bath. In this game, I won. I untied the thread first and after me he did.
For the next rituals, Nani asked the servant to bring stainless steel plates. He brought 6 plates. They have kept it in a row. I have to pick all the plates without making clinking noise between the plates. This ritual will predict the relation between the Punjabi bride and the members of her new family. I started to pick up one by one, stacking them on top of each other. Every plate signifies one member like the mother in law, the sister in law, etc.

Husband, mother in law, father in law, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law. Grandparents and older people are the way plates were arranged for me to pick. I did it carefully without making any noise. But at the last plate, it clicked. Not loudly but enough to be heard by us both. The last plate was the significance of the husband. 

Then mom introduced me to his extended family. I took the blessings of elders. 

Then we were made to sit on the couch. Mom kept a veil on my face. Our relatives started coming near us one by one. Everyone lifted my veil and looked at me. They all Gave both of us blessings and gifts.

After that, we all moved towards the backyard where lunch was organized for all. I and Aaron took our seats with all the youngsters in the family. 

It was a happy and fun-filled lunch. 
After that, we all went for our afternoon nap. We both changed our outfits and Freshen up ourselves.
Aaron came towards me with 2 sets of jewellery boxes.

“This is for you. One is our wedding gift and another is for the food which you made in the morning,” he said, forwarding both the boxes of jewellery to me. 

“There was no need for this,” I said. 
He kept the box in my hand and said “It is a gift from your new friend. Please accept it.”

“Ok,” I smiled.

I opened the first box. It has a simple diamond necklace with a pair of earrings. 

Then I opened the next box. It has a simple platinum chain with a letter ‘A’ in an intricate design. I loved the second set a lot. 

He told me to wear the chain. I forwarded it to him. I turned myself and kept my hair on my left shoulder. 

After a few seconds, he took the chain from the box and wore it to me. He clasped the end tightly. 

We both took a much-needed nap. 
In the evening, my both sisters-in-law wanted to see a military camaraderie and showmanship. And mom also said to visit the golden temple to take blessings of God. So we decided to roam the last night of Punjab and enjoy it.

Shreya, Riya, Ishaan, Rajeev, Divya and Kartik accompany us to Wagah border and the golden temple. We Girls wore Patiala suits. Whereas boys wore kurta-pyjama, Every evening, just before the sunset, the soldiers from the Indian and Pakistan military meet at this border post to engage in a 30-minute display of camaraderie and showmanship. Officially, the purpose of the ceremony is to formally close the border for the night and lower the national flag. We enjoyed the camaraderie. Then we all went to the golden temple. We took blessings of god. We captured many of our pictures. 

We all were hungry so we all went to the restaurant for our dinner. Soon we had our dinner and went home. Tomorrow we will be going to Mumbai. I wished him good night which he also reciprocates and then we both drifted to sleep.
 
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