The Bride to Be

She waited in the still room, trying to come to terms with the new place she was in. She looked around carefully and absorbed the sight of an almirah, few portraits of Hindu gods hanging on the blue walls, a brown curtain on the window swaying under the air of the fan.

'Dont worry it will be allright,' the nervous girl assured herself. Suddenly she heard loud laughs coming from the huge garden infront of the house. She went to the window, moved the curtain slightly and peeped out of it. She saw a group of men sitting on chairs around the table under the moonlit sky. They all were drunk. She recognised Kaka and gazed at him. Kaka held a glass in his hand and was rather quiet amongst the boisterous company.

'So finally our laggard is ready to taste the fruit of youth,' Papu teased patting Kaka on the back.

'Finally...' Kaka's father muttered disdainfully and then shouted in an inebriated state, 'all thanks to brother Kishen otherwise this underachieving son of mine would have died a bachelor...failed thrice in class 10th, never attempted school after that, drained my money in his unsuccessful shop, sat unemployed for four years feeding on my money and finally has joined a job as a part-time security guard. Can anyone believe that this laggard is my son and brother to two famous doctors...my goodness, if he can get married even a dog can'.

Kaka just sat their gulping down the humiliation with drink.

'Leave it brother Anand , he is doing something and finally getting married as well.' Kishen intervened.

'Why should I leave it...ask this laggard to get married and get out off my house along with his would be wife...have you seen the dark complexion of girl, this man could only get an ugly girl like her,' Anand's voice echoed flying inside the window.

The words struck like lightning to Pooja and she immediately moved away from the curtain. The first words about her would be husband and opinion about her shocked her. She stood against the wall, stared at the ceiling as a volcano of fear and grief erupted inside her. 'Papaaa!!!' Pooja remembered her father squeezing her eyes in agony. And then with curiousity she again slid the curtain slightly and looked down.

'Papa don't speak ill about the girl, she has just come. I have dissapointed you. You can vent out your anger on me.' Kaka pleaded.

'Did you see...!!!??' Anand roared jumping up from his chair and banging the glass on ground. 'Bastard hasn't even got married and is already siding with his wife. You wretched blot on earth'.

'Brother calm down...let it go,' Kishen counselled.

'Please brother, don't create a ruckus...let it go,' Papu pleaded.

'No tomorrow I want these two ugly beggars out of my house after their marriage ceremony, I want them out....thoooo!!!' Anand spat on his son.

Kaka inclined aside to escape the spit but the viscous fluid landed on his shirt. He stood up and his eyes fell on the window and caught Pooja looking from a corner. Pooja immediately pushed herself aside. Her heartbeat went fast, she wanted to cry but instead went to her luggage, opened the zipper of her bag and pulled out the red saree gifted by her parents for marriage ceremony. She buried her head in it and cried.

'