The Bride - Part 2

Screech! The car halts in front of the house. Flowers in hand, Anu rushes herself inside. Nalini is sitting in the front room with a few women guests. All talking about Aaji.

"Aai! What happened to Aaji?" asked Anu throwing herself in her mothers arms and crying.

"Calm down, calm down. Aaji's fine. Neel just called from the hospital", said Aai.

"But what was wrong all of a sudden?" Anu still crying.

"No, no. don't cry. There was a sudden rise in her BP, the doctors said. All of a sudden she couldn't breathe and just collapsed from her chair. Baba and Kaka carried her to the hospital. She will be fine soon they said and will also be there at home by tomorrow evening."

"Oh, thankfully she's fine", said Anu wiping her tears. "Can I go to see her?" She handed over the flowers to Shalu.

"No, not now. There is puja in the evening. You need to be here. And also there is mehendi function. All your friends will be here soon", Aai said patting Anu on her back.

"But I really wish to see her."

"Neel will be there with her in the hospital. You can call his cell and talk to Aaji".

Convinced, Anu nodded. Jyoti and Priya took her towards her room. The roses were kept by the decorative table near the window in a vase that Anu had got from her London trip. Shalu, the maid knew that flowers got by Anu were to be always kept in that vase.

She once again adored the flowers and for a moment forgot about Aaji.

In her room, she took a picture frame of her and Aaji's photo in it and cried again. Priya and Jyoti told her not to cry.

"Don't cry Anu, please? Aaji is fine now. We all will pray for her well being", said Priya.

Priya was just a year younger than Anu. She lived in Mumbai and worked for a Hindi television channel. She is Anu's cousin sister, her Kaka's daughter. Though she tries to be tough from her behavior, she is very kind and soft-hearted.

"Your eyes will swell if you keep crying like this. The photographer will also be coming in the evening to take pictures", Jyoti didi consoled her. "Just thank God that Aaji is fine. Obstacles often pop-up when you are going to start with something new. That's why we have to welcome the Gods at home in the evening before the marriage."

Jyoti was Priya's elder sister. She was married 5 years ago and stayed in Bangalore with her husband and son. She came a week ago with her son for the marriage. Her husband would be coming on the wedding day. So she had quite sometime in hand to enjoy herself with her family and cousins. She has always been like a real elder sister to Anu. Besides being helpful, she is intelligent and rational.

"Go wash your face now and cheer up", Jyoti continued.

Anu went in the restroom. She washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror and felt a little sad. Why did this have to happen, when I'm starting a new life? I was so happy after seeing myself in the parlor, and the flowers...Oh, the flowers, they are so lovely, so fragrant. But the lady seemed so weird. Suddenly she felt a severe pain in her right cheek. Unbearable pain, that she rushed out of the restroom and asked for help.

Jyoti came near her and saw her cheek. She checked it, but there was nothing. All at once, the pain stopped, as sudden as it came. They checked it again. But nothing seemed to be wrong. All was fine. The sisters just shrugged and thought if may have been some effect of the facial done at the parlor.

In the evening, the pujari arrived and started with the vidhi's. Anu in the her room was getting ready to join in the puja. Priya and her mother helped her drape the Saree and put on some jewellery and some fresh mogra flowers in her hair. Anu now dazzled and she was also happy as she had spoken to Aaji a while ago. It was good to hear her giving her cautious notes again.

"You don't have to go out of the house now. Tell Nalini to always put a kajal dot on your forehead".

Anu started for the puja room. She crossed the flower vase and was again in awe of it. She kept moving forward. The puja started. Anu sat on the little step stool and joined her hands. A few minutes later, all of a sudden she just declared "I don't want to sit here any longer". She sounded rude.

"Oh, what happened beta?" asked Aai.

"I just don't feel like", said Anu.

"No, you have to sit. Its a small puja. Please."

"Pujari, better finish it off quick. I don't wish to sit here for long", said Anu rudely again.

Everyone around were quite surprised with this change in Anu's attitude. The puja got over in less than an hour. Anu felt restless throughout. She quickly rushed to her room.

It was now time for mehendi. The girls who would be applying mehendi had already arrived. Anu now changed into some comfortable clothes and sat in her room. Before she forgot, she requested Priya to get her a flower from the vase and tuck it in her hair. Priya did the same. All friends and cousins gathered in the room and were ready to decorate their hands with mehendi.

It was Anu's turn first. She put her right palm forward. The mehendi-girl started drawing some nice delicate designs. Suddenly Anu pulled out her hand. Some of the mehendi got smudged.

"Anu tai, what happened?" asked the mehendi girl. "Didn't you like the design?"

"No. Draw something else", said Anu in a rude tone.

"What would you like then? Some flowers?" the girl asked, a little scared.

"Yes, flowers! Draw some roses".

As the design had just started, the mehendi girl rubbed the drawn area and started drawing some nice rose design. There was a pleasant smile on Anu's face.

"Priya, can you please get that rose flower vase here? I would love those flowers to be in my room", requested Anu out of the blue.

"Oh sure. What is it with those roses? You seem obsessed. You already have one in your hair", said Priya giving Anu a slight nudge.

"Now you just get them here", Anu's tone was rude again.

"Chill! Getting it".

Priya felt a little annoyed. But ignored it, as she thought about Anu's mixed feelings of leaving her mothers home and joining her in-laws. The flowers were brought to Anu's room. Anu looked happy again.

Jyoti didi noticed that something was bothering Anu. She seemed restless. She had been noticing the mood swings in Anu for the past few hours. She couldn't relate it to anything.

Here Anu again started showing tantrums. She no longer felt like putting mehendi on her palms. Just then her cell phone rang. Priya picked it up and declared that Prithvi was calling. Priya answered the call and everyone began teasing Prithvi and Anu, but Anu seemed least interested. After much pleading from Prithvi, he wanted to talk so much to his beloved bride, Priya held the phone near Anu's ear.

"Don't you bother calling me again", she snapped back at Prithvi. The rudeness in her voice did not go unheard.

"Sorry Anu, for calling you so late. But I did call Aai in the evening and inquired about Aaji's health", was Prithvi's calm reply.

"Its over", said Anu and she stood up.

"Hello, hello?"

"We'll call you back, jiju", Priya told Prithvi and she immediately disconnected the phone.

"Whats wrong with you Anu?" Jyoti asked, now a little tense.

"Leave me alone ", she shouted.

Anu moved fanatically in the room, all eyes on her. Nalini came rushing in the room hearing the shout. Everyone, except Nalini and Jyoti left the room.

"Anu, look at me", Jyoti turned Anu's face to her. "Can you tell us what is bothering you?"

"Beta, please tell me, I'm your mother", said a tearful Nalini.

There was no reply from Anu. The ladies thought she needed some rest before the big day. She seemed to be really depressed by Aaji's hospitalisation, they thought.

"Take some rest", suggested Nalini.

Anu rushed to the bathroom washed of her hands.

"What are you doing? Why are you washing you mehendi?" Jyoti ran behind Anu and grabbed her.

"Did Prithvi say anything?" enquired Nalini, now sounding even more worried.

"Anu, are you going to tell us anything or no?" Jyoti shook Anu hard and patted on her cheeks.

"It pains", said Anu softly touching her right cheek and crying like a little girl.

Nalini and Jyoti took a look at her cheek and saw that it had turned red. Anu looked at them crying hard.

"I'm going to die soon. I don't want to get married", Anu declared and suddenly collapsed in her bed.

Tears in their eyes, Nalini and Jyoti looked questionably at each other. They tried to wake Anu. But there she laid, unconsious, with her hair open and the rose flower resting on her right cheek.

To be continued....