Fear & Love

Twenty Six

An hour later after the reception ended, the close family members had sat down for the grand dinner. The make up on the ladies face was fading yet nothing had tired them out. On the other hand, the younger generation, Isha, Ami and others were clearly tired. Ami's eyes were drooping. The entire day was just fun, work and more fun. Isha was glad that all her arrangements went well. Nobody from the assigned planners messed up and she was just thankful for it. Her entire month's efforts finally paid off. Ofcourse, her and her Bhai's efforts. She looked at Gita and Bhai who sat at the end of the dinner table. Here, her and Ami were about to lie down, their legs aching, face numbed from all the smiling and voice hoarse from the orders and talking done. But Gita didn't look one bit tired. May be,it was the bride glow?

Draped in the elegant and ethereal Balki Lehenga, she looked like an angel from heaven. Gita's biggest asset was her charming smile. She smiled from her heart and it showed. Anand looked like the royalty he was. Gita believed he can show up in a normal kurta and he would still shine.

Ami was in awe of the grandeur of the wedding. Not just her, all of Gita's family were in awe with arrangements and the location. However,Ami felt that the best part was not the reception. It was their wedding which only family got to attend. Everything was set up and the wedding venue was this only. But God knows what happened and Anand changed the wedding venue. He found an ancient temple just few kilometers away from the city. It was a temple but isolated. Only locals visited it. He ordered the wedding planners to clean the temple and very simple desi decor in the temple done with garlands of marigold. The ancient pillars and the rocky land was cleaned and the entrance was decorated with beautiful rangoli. There was a lot of commotion due to the change in venue. Anand's aunts were surprised that their heir was going to marry in a temple! But Anand was not having any of it. Ami had doubts with the venue as well. Noone in her family had gotten married in a temple before. It was always the wedding halls. But all her confusion cleared when she saw how magical the temple looked. The chants at the wedding, the pious sound of the conch shell, it looked as if the gods were here to bless this pair. And it was more intimate due to only family's presence.
All the business associates were called only in the reception. Gita in her green traditional saree looked like the prettiest bride. When Ami said this, Gita smiled and replied, "You are saying this only because I am your sister." Ami just shook her head at this.

Gita's mom dad had tears in their eyes which they were trying to hide. The mix emotions of happy and sad tears were hard to control. Their little daughter was married! Their home would be empty without her. She was going to take away the shine of their home. No more food demands on weekends, noone to pester the father to take medicines. A fortnight before her mother and father were reminiscing about their little daughter.

"It's funny how everyone had credited us for our daughter's manners." Her Maa chuckled. She believed she had very little to do with how Gita was as a person. Her daughter was born like this. May be,everyone is born good but they don't stay like that for long. But her daughter was different, she always hold onto the values she was taught. There never was any malice in her heart. Sometimes, they scolded her for not being cunning in today's world. They always feared that somebody can take advantage of her goodness. And despite telling her, scolding her and being strict with her about this matter, she always had one reply, "What others do is not my concern, how they behave is up to them." Her naive mind never understood that it's good to be good but the world doesn't work like this. But all their worries have vanished. Anand is good guy but also very smart. He will take care of Gita!

Gita hugged her mother and father tightly with tears in her eyes. She didn't want to be the bride who cries. She had always made fun of her mother crying at her bidaai which was captured in her parents wedding album and now her ugly crying was going to be captured in her wedding video forever.