Mésalliance (Completed)

Chapter 37

Madhu got ready in an olive green kurta that never complemented her skin colour. She was worn out to go to the hospital alone. Her fingers ached from the previous day's work and Vikram wanted her to work more. She sighed and proceeded to the living where she met Vikram and Sooraj in their night dresses.
"Don't you have an auction?" she questioned them out of shock.
"It's at twelve, right dad?" Vikram nudged Sooraj and squinted at him.
Sooraj improvised, "Yes. We are doing preliminary work for that." He stuttered to tell lies.
"Really?" Madhu looked at both of their bare hands, "There isn't a file to discuss."
Vikram covered his face with a palm, "Our mobiles.... are having enough information, Madhu. I suppose that you are late for work. Go."
Madhu frowned at them and walked towards the car. She knew something was amiss in the family, either Vikram made his dad lazy or they were going for an auction which was messed up in her mind.
She could physically feel the weight of the files that she was about to sign for the day. Her forehead creased with the relentless demands of her work. As the driver drove through traffic, she checked for new messages and felt a sudden jolt at the date.
Her heart skipped a beat as it was her birthday the next day. She should be enjoying the eve of her birthday but she was sure that none of her in-laws were aware of it, not even Vikram. Also, she had planned to propose to him and hadn't found a gift.
"Perfect shit!" she scoffed inside her mind and looked at the sliding city scrapers. He must be in an auction and she wanted to pour out her feelings to someone. Desperation welled up inside her as she missed the birthdays with her parents.
They used to arrange a party in gardens and lawns with her classmates and some close relatives. Since Madhan's death, it was only Ankitha in the parties. Her mom used to bake for her and her father presented her with gifts.
Madhu's heart swelled with emotion as she remembered the love and warmth of that moment. Her parents had made her feel like the most important person in the world on her birthdays. They created memories that she cherished till that day.
As they arrived at the hospital, her shoulders slumped in dejection. She couldn't help but cry with her memories of happier times. Madhu realized that she needed to tell Vikram about her birthday so that he could do the bare minimum.
Determined to share her wants with him, she dialled his number. The anticipation in her chest grew as it rang but when he finally answered, he sounded distracted. He said that he was busy with the auction and cut the call abruptly. With a quivering voice, she uttered "I love you" quickly and cut the call.
As the call ended, Madhu found herself inside her cabin. She had walked while talking with him and didn't realise how long she was talking to him. She felt unimportant suddenly. The files were neatly loaded on her table and she sobbed at the paper sanctuary.
She had to run through the files as she promised Vikram. Outside her mind, the administrative department was waking up to deadlines, and inside her mind, time seemed to stand still with the mountain of files.
As she shuffled through the files, she reflected on how life had brought her to Vikram. She had dreams of studying abroad, and travelling places and had huge bucket lists before she turned thirty. But, the marriage which was not on her list happened first. The rest of the dreams had been buried beneath the weight of responsibilities.
The sunlight through the window had shifted with time. The clock on the wall ticked away fast to evening time and Madhu's exhaustion grew. She tried to sign fast and wrote crooked wordings here and there to go home early. She might demand Vikram a candlelight dinner too.
With renewed determination, Madhu tackled her work, one file at a time. The clock on the wall ticked closer to the end of the workday when she signed the last file. She had balanced her responsibilities for the day and felt proud. She blew out air in relief as she went out of the cabin but it struck her that she hadn't bought him a gift.
As the evening sun cast feasible brightness over her, she wandered the shop street for a perfect gift. Even though she tried hard, she couldn't find the perfect gift to tell her love for him. She shuffled her eyes through various articles ranging from shirts to miniature toys in vain. Madhu's heart raced with anxiety as she couldn't find anything relevant to him. 
She wondered if she truly knew Vikram well enough to pick the ideal gift. They had entered into this contract marriage just a few months ago and though they shared many good days, there was still so much to discover. She was embarrassed by the fact that she didn't know his shirt size or favourite colour.
With each passing minute, the weight of her decision pressed on her shoulders. Madhu's footsteps grew slower as she reached the bookstore. She was sure that he wasn't a bibliophile, so before entering the store, she retreated.
"Hey, girl!" called the bookstore owner, an old man in his sixties or so. She turned to meet him and refused to go inside.
He called her in and she entered the shop with a sigh.
"Something brought you to the door and something else pushed you out," the old man chuckled. Madhu smiled, "I wanted to buy a gift for my husband... I don't think he likes books."
"How long have you been married?" the man asked her.
She said that it had been six months. The old man laughed, "Six months! And you don't seem to know him still."
Madhu felt ashamed.
The old man showed her a rack, "There are romantic books in that rack and philosophical books opposite to that. Find something for him."
She nodded and went to those racks.
"How to Buy a Woman by Richard Steves," Madhu cringed at the sexist title and moved to another book.
"Little Hearts Tangled by Amaira Gupta," Madhu read the blurb which was about teenage romance and she skipped that as well. She felt Vikram was too old for teenage romance and was sure that he would hate books if he read cliche stories.
Madhu stumbled upon a book titled, "The Language of Love by Amina Firdausi."
It was a slim book with poetic verses on love, not lust. It told the power of affection and connection that they wanted to build together. She flipped through the pages and the words resonated with their life, "Maybe this is it."
As she approached the old man, Madhu smiled as she found the perfect gift even though it wasn't extravagant. Madhu was ready to present it to Vikram and profess her love. She walked out of the shop with a glowing face.
She approached the car and asked the driver to go fast.
Madhu was ready to gift him a piece of her heart and forgot her birthday in anticipation of the proposal. She surfed through tips to propose love. She giggled when she imagined kissing him later that night.
As she reached home, there wasn't light inside. The guard informed her that all of the family had gone somewhere in the afternoon and hadn't reached it since. Her shoulders slumped at the information.
Her glow drained and paleness engulfed her face.
She snorted as she waddled through the pathway. She took in a few steps inside the home and reached for the switch box a deafening noise reached her ears and lights were turned on.
"Surprise!!!" shouted many voices at her and she was bewildered at them. The living room was transformed into a garden with fairy lights on the walls, casting a soft, green glow to the room. Madhu stood wide-eyed at the surprise she had never thought of. She had walked into what looked like a forest. Her in-laws and parents were gathered in green-coloured dresses with excitement.
Tears welled up in Madhu's eyes as her parents embraced her. She pinched herself to check if it was the reality.
"Of course, you are in the real world," commented Rati. "At least, return the hug to your parents!" 
She hugged her parents and Madhav.
Rati said that Vikram planned to surprise his 'dear' wife. Madhu looked at him, "It's not my birthday today."
Vikram hugged her slightly and wished her, "Happy birthday in advance. You may have more surprises tomorrow."
She forgot the tiredness as she looked at the intricately decorated cake, a masterpiece that she would always recall. A towering cake was covered in green frosting with colourful flowers here and there like a garden.
"You guys took the garden theme so seriously," Madhu commented and gawked at the cake.
"Can you cut the cake already?" Niyati questioned as her stomach began to grumble. Madhu frowned at the cake, "It's too beautiful to be cut."
Rati scoffed, "The main motive behind a cake is to taste it, my child."
Madhu walked towards the cake and blew out the candle with closed eyes and wished for a lifetime of joy. She felt incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such a loving and thoughtful family. As everyone sang "Happy Birthday," Madhu clapped her hands like a kid.
The night continued with laughter, stories and lots of eating. While everyone else was transported by the decorations, Madhu looked at her handbag that lay on the couch. She had to implement her proposal to such a sweet guy.