Six Months Ago

"Saroja, do you have any new dresses or any saree for Diwali?" Radha Mami asked as they all sat in her room discussing about the upcoming Festival. Radha Mami's daughter in law had purchased a new saree the other day and was showing it off with elan.

"I think I do" Saroja was thoughtful. "I have a new saree, I bought it for a friend's wedding some time back, but it got postponed as her Grandfather had fallen ill. And then I came over here. So ..."

Radha Mami sighed in relief.

"Good. Just take it out. We will all go to the temple in the evening on the day of Diwali, offer prayers to the Goddess, and then come back quickly and decorate our rooms and the backyard."

Saroja was elated to be a part of some sort of celebrations, some festivity.There must have been Diwali celebrations earlier when she was a child, but she didn't remember anything.

Her excitement was contagious as she later updated Vedant about their plans for Diwali, and how they would decorate their rooms, and the backyard. And the lane beyond.

Vedant listened to her quietly, marvelling at her enthusiasm. However he didn't find it in his heart to mention that there would be puja offerings at home as well, but his family and parents wouldn't probably want Saroja there. He knew he wanted her to be there with him; but he was also cultivated enough to know that these changes would and should happen in increments.

Even though his blood boiled every time he thought of the discrimination, yet Saroja always managed to calm him down, being extremely careful of not wanting to stir up trouble, literally on her way out of the house.

Vedant was forever indebted to Gopi Mama and Radha Mami and their family though for making it worthwhile for Saroja. They had surely realised how the situation would be and had thus planned for this visit to the Temple. Every other year, they had joined the Raju family for prayers at home.

...

All around him he could see his family members busy planning, shopping, and splurging. He nearly purchased a beautiful pair of ear rings for Saroja, during an impromptu visit to a jeweller one day, but decided against it. Not because she didn't deserve it, but because he had no idea how to approach the situation and gift her something. The next day, however, he found himself in front of the same jeweller again, purchasing that pair of ear rings. It had to be Saroja's, he knew.

Later at night, he sat all alone and wondered if he was just being a weakling, not being able to stand up for the woman he was in love with. But he had his own reasons. He understood that once Saroja was out of this place, she would be less stressed out and more happier. And would be back to her more confident self.

He nodded his head vehemently.

Like hell, he wanted to build a life, a future with her; but he also wanted her to realise, acknowledge and yearn for the same. A home, a life together, children maybe ... and maybe more.

Perseverance was the key, he knew.

His work now took him to various parts of the State and country; and he missed her a lot. Often at night, he would glimpse through the photos of their visit to the Rock Garden. And remember that kiss, and how shy she had been afterwards.

He smiled, he still had another promise to fulfil. He needed to take her to Chicha's, for some authentic Hyderabadi biryani.

...

Two Days Later

It was raining heavily when Vedant's flight landed in the evening. He had had to rush to Chennai for a day for an urgent Meeting, related to an upcoming Project. The first round of discussions had been smooth, and Vedant was happy with the outcome. It was only when he called his senior to update him, did they tell him about the heavy rainfall that had engulfed the city since the day before.

Vedant cursed softly, he had been neck deep in work and had not bothered to check for any weather updates or so.

Last night, he had wanted to send a message to Saroja, but one glance at his wristwatch and he knew that it was too late for her to be awake to answer. Little did he know that she had spent hours staring at her phone, hoping for a message to slip in.

Saroja had no misunderstandings about the circumstances either. Though they have eased a bit into what anybody would now call a relationship, yet they were not the types to invade into each other's living moments at every time, through messages or calls. She remembered receiving only a few clinical messages from him, before the visit to the Rock Garden, and she knew what it was all about. He was being cautious; in fact, this was good for them.

Her lips curled into a grin as she remembered the kiss, it held all the promises that could make the world such a beautiful place. Her world.

She felt like Cinderella indeed.

...

By the time Vedant reached home,it was already 11 in the night, the roads were nearly deserted as the downpour continued. There was water logging in some parts of the route, and he was grateful to have reached home safely.

His Mother busied herself with Dinner, happy that his son was back home safe. Though they were not speaking much recently, yet she couldn't be angry with him. Her anger resided in the girl who had created this distance between them.

She had not felt this unfamiliarity, this distance, even in those 8 years that his son was away in Pennsylvania.

Fate, she thought, as she laid out food for him.

...

Ravi came to him later that night, as Vedant was getting ready for bed.

"You look happy Ravi. Any good news?" he asked, as Ravi settled down on the couch.

"Yes. And No. Yes, Shalini and I are back together, and we have decided to give our relationship a chance. No, in the sense I have decided to stop pursuing the other girl I told you about."

Vedant laughed out aloud - "Good for you Brother. So what's the concern?"

Ravi smoked some more

"Mom says that I can't marry till you settle down. You are the eldest ..."

Vedant sat down beside him and clapped his back

"There's nothing like that. I will speak to Aunt tomorrow. By this winter, you should get married."

"What about you? Aren't you planning to settle down?" Ravi asked, blowing smoke puffs in the air.

"Yeah I will. Just not immediately" Vedant replied honestly. "But that doesn't mean that you should wait."

The discussion ended there for the night.

...

An hour later

So is my Cinderella asleep? ... her phone pinged.

Not enough to not miss my Prince Charming ... his phone pinged.

So you think I am your Prince Charming? ... her phone pinged again.

Just like you think I am your Cinderella ... his phone pinged again.

...

Diwali ... Two days Later

It was finally Diwali. Everybody in the house were excited as they busied themselves with preparations for the day.

Vedant sat down with his laptop, he needed to send a document urgently, but his mind was somewhere else. He could see Aaru with Saroja in the garden, as they moved around together, from one flower bed to another, picking a flower or two. He smiled as he saw Saroja pinning the flowers on Aaru's head, while the child giggled. These were sights and sounds that made him happy and relaxed. He wanted to quickly finish off his work and join them.

After a few minutes, he could hear Aaru calling for him. She was now in Saroja's arms. He peeped down to see the child blowing bubbles and kisses at him. Vedant grinned hard, this was too good an opportunity to miss. He sent flying kisses along their ways, one for each of them. While Aaru giggled even harder, he could see Saroja''s face reddening.

She gently shook her head and headed inside.

"God bless the moppet" Vedant thought as he returned to work. Aaru's love for Saroja overwhelmed him; the love that Saroja returned in equal measure, if not more. He was glad that his sister Sunitha never tried to stop these interactions between those two.

"Aaru is just a kid, I don't want her to be psyched in any way. The problems lie with us adults" she had said one day.

This was going to be the best Diwali ever, Vedant thought as he returned to work.

...

That Evening

Vedant was now restless. The Puja in the house was complete, and the entire family was now getting ready to visit the Temple nearby.

With relatives and friends in the house since morning, he hadn't had time to go downstairs and wish Saroja. He paced impatiently in the balcony, feigning as if he was on an important call, all the while glancing towards the back door.

And then he could hear voices of Radha Mami, her daughter in law and others entering the house. Saroja followed them. She was busy handing over sweets to the children out in the street, as she made her way through them. The others were already lighting up the lamps placed all around the backyard, and she joined them.

Vedant was mesmerised; Saroja looked ethereal in a simple red and gold saree as her face glowed with happiness. She looked up towards the balcony and their eyes met. He winked at her, and she blushed some more. And then she turned away. He sighed as he remembered the ear rings in his pocket, he decided to meet her on returning from the temple.

...

That Night

The house was now all quiet. Everybody had retired to their rooms. Vedant walked downstairs barefoot, he could hear the grandfather clock strike twelve.

Gopi Mama and his family were still awake, all sitting together, discussing about the day. He could see the light in Saroja's room.

Knocking gently, he waited for her to open the door, careful not to alarm her. As expected, she was surprised to see him. She looked tired but happy.

"I couldn't go to sleep without wishing you. It's our first Diwali together, and I didn't want to just send a message over phone" he said, rocking on his feet.

Saroja nodded in agreement, as Vedant continued

"You looked beautiful today evening. Understatement though. You always look beautiful"

Saroja smiled and offered a shy "Thanks"

"I got something for you" he said, as he thrust his hand inside his pocket, pulling the box out, and opening it to reveal the ear rings

Saroja's eyes lit up as she looked at the earrings. A split second later, she looked up at Vedant and sighed

"Thank you so much Vedant. This is gold, I can't accept this"

He looked at her perplexed - "Why? This is just a gift"

Saroja reached out for his hands and curled her fingers around his

"Yes. But you know how things are and who I am. Maybe someday when everything is okay ..."

Sujith came over to the balcony to call for Vedant. He hastily removed his hands from hers and pushed the jewellery box back inside his trouser pocket.

He turned around quickly and wiped the lone tear with the back of his hand. He hadn't missed those tears in her eyes though.

Saroja shut the door behind her and turned the light off. Her tears found it easier to find a way in the darkness; she felt wretched for making him this sad. After all, she had been waiting for him the whole day.

But then again, she knew that he would understand alright. They would have to wait for some more ... for what? She didn't know.

End of Part 16