There was so much chatter at the dinner table. While the mothers enjoyed the conversation about food and weddings, the fathers were talking about their old forgotten friends. Navi had engaged Advay in some hush-hush discussion. It annoyed me that I couldn't hear what they were talking. Perhaps because I was at the other end of the table.

Mrs. Gulati had suggested they get the engagement done in the nearest auspicious time. My mother had agreed. Throughout the discussion I tried to subtly reason that it was too early to get them engaged but my parents didn't take the bait at all. Or rather purposefully ignored my hints. No one at the table paid heed, except Advay Singh Gulati. But he soon kept quite when his mom gave him a pointed look. Turns out he was a trained mummy's boy. Oh dear Navi, what the hell are you getting into!

So it was decided that the families would meet again in three days after consulting the elders of the respective families and the horoscopes, to decide a date for the engagement and wedding. 

Great! How am I supposed to tell them that Annoying Shameless Guy was a perv? That he went to cafes and told his friends that he had 'hots' for the sister of the girl he was courting?

I stared at Advay who was looking at my sister, smiling at something she said. My eyebrows furrowed. It wasn't a fake smile, as far as I could tell. I sighed shifting my gaze around the table only to find Uncle Mehrotra looking at me. I smiled awkwardly, he returned a smile with the nod of a head. I think he's beginning to get suspicious of me. Is my disapproval of Advay coming out loud and clear? Perhaps, I need to tone it down a bit?

Advay and Navi were excused to go talk to each other in private. I had tried to go for a walk along with them but mummy had held me back asking me to take care of clearing the table while she and aunty retired to the room to talk about stuff. It was their gossip time!

The men had conveniently moved to the study room in our house, for drinks.

Begrudgingly, I cleared the table while cluttering my mind with thoughts, trying to decide upon a course of action. Maybe I should just talk to Mummy. That was the best approach. Maybe when I catch her alone for sometime I will tell her. 

"All okay?"

I turned around sharply to find Uncle Mehrotra at the doorway of the kitchen.

"Yes, uncle. Did you need anything?"

"Yes, ice cubes."

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. I will bring them in a minute." I said and he nodded walking away. 

True to my words, a minute later I was in the study making drinks for the men. 

"You've taught your daughter how to make a drink?" Uncle Mehrotra mused.

I smiled. He'd be surprised if he learnt all the unconventional things Papa taught his this daughter. Papa laughed, saying he taught me just as he would have taught his son. 

"I will have a large, I am not driving tonight!" Uncle Mehrotra said. 

"Even I am not driving, but if the Missus comes to know, I will never hear the end of it. So small for me." Advay's father said. While Uncle Mehrotra got up from his seat to explore the huge shelf filled with various books we have.

"That's a huge collection of medals." Mehrotra uncle remarked from the far end of the room where the trophies and medals were displayed on the showcase. "Where did you buy them Chaddha?" He teased.

Papa laughed heartily. "You haven't lost your sharp comments and wit, Anand. My daughters brought them for me. Most of the academic related ones would be Navi's achievements she's pretty good at mathematics while sports ones would be Avni's. My Avni is as good as a young soldier gets at sports."

"Impressive. So Avni, what sports are you into?" Uncle Mehrotra asked.

"A lot of them uncle, ...like cycling, boxing, running, high jump, swimming." I left out tree climbing, rock climbing, volley ball, karate and basket ball, I never got any medals in those.

"If I didn't know better, I would say that you were training to follow your father's footsteps." He spoke eyeing the picture of me in my NCC (National Cadet Corps) uniform that was taken when I had got a chance to march in the Republic Day Parade, when I was in high school.

The man's cognitive skills were nothing short of remarkable. There was a time when I aspired to follow in my father's footsteps and join the army. That ambition drove me to excel in sports throughout school and college. I was on the verge of enlisting when Mummy and Beeji intervened, their disapproval shaping my path away from the military. Despite the detour, it wasn't all in vain. I gained a notable height, unlike Navi, and inherited a metabolism that allowed me to indulge in my favorite foods without worry.

"She would have, but her bebe and my bebe wouldn't let that happen." My father said with a sigh glancing at me. My dad had always wanted to see me in uniform. He had always wanted to pass the baton on to me. My great great grandfather, my great grandfather and my grandfather had all been in the defense forces of the country. My father wanted the legacy to continue. He didn't care if  it was a son or daughter, to him the uniform was meant for anyone who is deserving.

I smiled back at him. It had been both our dreams— to see me as a soldier. But we had to lay our defenses when it came to going against the wishes of our respective mothers.

The men in the room gave me reassuring smiles. It wasn't that I wasn't enjoying my life; their concerned expressions suggested I'd lost something vital, like a kidney. No, I am quite alright actually, I wanted to say but I kept my mouth shut.

"Excuse me, gentlemen!" I said breaking the awkwardness and making my way out of the room.

* * *

I found a moment alone with Mummy while Papa and Navi went downstairs to see the guests off. I began by mentioning that it seemed premature to think about Navi's engagement, but my comment seemed to backfire.

"You said you don't want to get married, I said okay. Now what's the problem if Navi's going for it? We had asked you beforehand if it's okay if Navi gets married before you, and you had said you'll be okay with it, right?"

"Yes, I'm fine with it," I replied. "But don't rush things. We still don't know if Advay is a good match."

"He is!" my mother asserted firmly before turning back to wash the dishes.

And I am Miss India!

I couldn't let it go, so I pressed on, trying to plant a seed of doubt. "But Mummy, didn't you notice how he looked at me today? It wasn't just today; even the last time they visited, he had that same unsettling gaze. I don't know, but it struck me as a bit creepy."

Mummy sighed, turning off the faucet and facing me. "Did he say something to you?"

"No." But I head him say a lot of things for which I would still like to consider killing him for.

"Then don't complicate a simple situation by putting your brain into it. Everything has a different deeper angle according to you. But it's not like that. This is very simple, Avni beta. Navi likes him, he likes her, the families like each other, both of them our financially independent. Even Beeji is okay with their family. Everything is perfect. And she's not getting married tomorrow. It will definitelybe after few months. Navi made it clear that she won't be okay with immediate shaadi."

"Mummy, perfect is a notion that our mind comes up with when we don't want to think or are tired of keeping our guards up and senses alert."

"Avni, not now, not here. I am already too tired today. I can't listen to your thoughts." Saying that she resumed with her work.  

I sighed, turning away. Maybe I should try to have this conversation with Navi. Perhaps, she'll understand.

"And Avni, please don't go around sharing your speculations and doubts with Navi or Papa. Advay, is a good guy. Unless you have something solid to prove he is not, don't go around talking about him in a negative light. He's going to be your brother-in-law."

I let out a frustrated exhale. Mummy was right. I didn't have anything solid. Hell, I didn't even know why he said yes, if he was confused only couple of hours ago. Maybe I was over analyzing this whole thing.

To much information corrupts. I think my mind fell into the trap. Maybe I need to take a step back and re-angle my view.

* * *

Running around the city in the early hours, when night reluctantly surrenders to dawn, is a blast. That is, until two dogs decided to give me a personal escort, barking furiously as if I were a burglar disturbing their peaceful slumber.

So, I swapped my sneakers for a bicycle. Pedaling through the city under a dark blue sky felt like freedom itself. The only other folks on the road were vendors pushing their carts and the occasional milkman or newspaper boy, also riding their cycles, as if we were all in a sleepy parade of early risers. It was the best kind of start to my day.

An hour later, as I was leaving one of my favorite breakfast spots, I unexpectedly ran into Anand Mehrotra.

"Good morning, Uncle!" I greeted him.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who appreciates early morning aloo parathas," he replied with a knowing smile.

I returned his smile, but an uneasy sensation began to churn in my stomach, more intense than the satisfaction of devouring aloo parathas. A nagging gut feeling suggested something was amiss. But then again, considering he lived in this part of the city, it could just be a coincidence.

"Come home, it's just a short walk from here."

"Some other time uncle.."

"Oh, no I insist. Come on, allow me to be the host and offer you a real kadak chai stronger than the drink you served last night."

I had to physically force the corners of my lips into a smile as he started leading the way, leaving no room for any further argument.

I fell into step beside him. The chai better be kadak.

• • • • • • • •

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Any wild guesses?

-Anami! ♡