The Letter

His Letter

Shania flopped on her bed face down in boredom. Summers in Bhimtal were getting quite hot and sultry. She missed the cool breeze of the evening, the hide and seeks of the sun and the clear sky with its bright moon and million stars gazing upon her. Damn this Global Warming! To top it all, her entire family was getting on her case to meet young men daily! Why they couldn’t just leave her alone, she thought grumpily. She’ll get married when…..ever. People get married all the time and at all ages. She didn’t feel the need to become Mrs. So and So just yet. She could wait. The only problem was her family didn’t want to! Since when did being 24 mean that you have to get hitched. She had a good job as a software analyst and she was earning enough to support her own wife and kids if you know what I mean. She didn’t need someone to take care of her financially or otherwise. Plus her own website, her part-time passion was also doing well. All she needed was to go through the latest batch of designs once more with Khan Chacha and then she would ….

“Shania,” her mom’s voice broke her rant. “Come down now!” and Shania quickly shuffled to her feet and ran downstairs. “I am going to Mrs. Bhatt’s house for some time. Please stay here. And if I am late, Shan, you all have the dinner without me.” “Kay Mom,” she replied. At least this gave her a break from listening about Sharma ji’s nephew or Mrs. Mehta’s son or somebody’s somebody etcetera. Now she could work on the designs for her online jewellery store.

*

Shania was busy reading her battered copy of “Breaking Dawn” yet another time, by the time her mother, Mrs. Dhawan got in. “Have you eaten?” she asked her mother. “Yes dear. And you all?” her mom replied, sitting down on the couch, “Where’s everyone else?” “Dad and Sanyam are in the study building yet another model of God knows what! And Dadi – Dadu have gone for their romantic post dinner stroll. But how come you took so long?” Shania asked. “Well, I had such a lovely time with Mrs. Bhatt, time just flew. You know her nephew Siddharth had just come from Delhi today and they are having a big party this weekend for him. He is young, smart, good looking, witty, wealthy, single….” her mother trailed suggestively. “MOM!” Shania exclaimed rolling her eyes,” Not again, please. Am I such a burden to Dad and you?”

“Shania Dhawan, even I can shout,” her mom answered, “but, sweetheart, it’s every parents dream to get their children well settled, married to a nice person, see the start their own family. You are such a lovely child, not a burden, in fact, the day you get married, and I will be the one fretting that I married you off too soon. It is not that I am going to single you out only. Wait a few years and I’ll be hounding your younger brother, Sanyam too!” “Maaawwww,” Shania continued to whine. “Okay, okay, I know when to back off. So, tell me how are the new designs coming along?” Mrs. Dhawan said cleverly changing the topic.

*

The next morning as Shania was about to leave for office, her grandmother called out to her, “Shania, could you please drop by at Gupta’s in the evening and tell them that this month’s issue of Cosmo has not been delivered yet?” “Sure, Dadi, but why would an old bat like you need Cosmo beats me,” Shania said sassily as she kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “Young lady, a gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do. Haters gonna hate,” her grandmother shrugged. “Aaa! Dadi, please stop reading such magazines. You are getting spoilt, a bad influence for Sanyam and me,” Shania laughed, “but, I’ll get your magazine if it has arrived, Bye.”

*

Shania was just coming out of Gupta’s store that a tiny bright orange and pink human ball hit her. “Oomph” and both of them fell down. “Hey Shania, how are you?” enquired the pink person. It took Shania a moment to realize where she was; as she blinked, she saw a pair of hazel eyes squinting at her through a mass of curls, next to two very tall and muscular jean clad legs. “Huh” she mumbled as all coherent thought left her as looked up to see an extremely good looking man staring at the two ladies with a repressed amused smile. That brought her back to reality and she quickly got up dusting her skirt. “Chivalry is truly dead and buried,” she muttered as she offered her hand to the other person as support only to realize it was Maya Bhatt! Maya was her classmate in school and after graduating from JJ School of Art in Mumbai, she continued to stay there. “Hey Maya, when did you come?” Shania asked as she bent to pick up her books only to have her head bump with the handsome stranger, who had chosen that precise moment to be courteous and pick up her stuff. “Oh wow! Looks like it is Injure Shania Day,” Maya cheerfully quipped, “I came yesterday and this is my cousin Sid who is practicing his headbutting skills on you. He is also from Delhi. Oh wow! Looks like Grams is still into Cosmo. I love Kim Kardashian. She is so tall and curvy, so different from me. Hey, can I borrow it? Puhleez. A pretty puhleez. I will do some express reading and drop it off tomorrow. I have the latest edition of Cosmo-UK, I’ll send that also. It’s a bargain, no!” Shania tried to get a word edgeways as Maya paused to take a breath but Maya beat her and continued,” Any way. What’s up with you?  Your mom told us about your jewellery website and we saw it yesterday. Oh wow! You sure are talented. Did you do a course or something? I thought you were into computers.” Shania sighed and rubbed her forehead where a small bump was appearing and saw Sid do the same as he shrugged apologetically at her. She had to stifle her laugh as Sid rolled his eyes at his cousin who continued to chat regardless of her audience. “And, so I thought why not bring Sid here. He’ll get his break also and I will have an excuse to come home. So then, I....” By now, Shania’s shoulders were shaking silently as she tried to control her mirth as Sid was now making fish faces and then he went all googly eyed, brought his hand up as if holding a dagger and pretended to slit his throat. Her control burst, as she couldn’t reign in her laughter as Sid pretended to swoon. “Yeah, yeah very mature,” Maya said miffed at both her cousin and her friend. “Sorry Maya,” Shania pleaded and offered the magazine to Maya, “I am sure Dadi will love your offer. In fact, why don’t you come tomorrow and meet her yourself. She’ll love to meet you.” On realizing Maya’s cousin was standing next to them, Shania extended the invitation to him belatedly, hoping he refused. She could not take any more matchmaking!