“Radhikaaaaa!” her mother called out furiously for the fifth time. “Are you done yet?” she shouted, banging the bathroom door in one hand and holding a pooja plate in another. Radhika unlocked the door abruptly and hurried to the mirror. Before the camphor flame on the pooja plate could calm down, Devi gestured the outgoing smoke and passed it over Radhika’s head as if offering blessings. “They will be here any minute,” she informed as she busily walked back.
While Radhika carefully secured the saree pleats, she wondered what kind of person would Sandeep be, will his family be a conservative one. Just then a sudden car horn interrupted her thoughts.
In a couple of minutes, she heard her father call out her name from the living room. Promptly, the neighbor aunty came towards her adjusting the already set hair and saree pleats. Suddenly, a coffee tray was placed in her hands and jasmine flowers adorned her hair.
Radhika sat facing the guests and noticed that Sandeep looked no different from his Facebook photos except for his slightly overgrown beard. His parents looked poised and kind. Everything got a tick mark on her checklist leaving just one. That which makes or breaks a marriage- ‘Dowry’. She was against business transaction that are disguised as marriages. With crossed fingers, she was all set to object with a bold “No”, waiting for someone to begin the subject. She heard Sandeep’s mother speak, “We are happy the way things are progressing,” She paused. After getting an approval gesture from her husband, she added, “Well, our family is totally against dowry and gifts. We don’t want to have business transactions in the name of marriage”. Radhika couldn’t believe her ears. She exchanged looks with her mother in awe. The room was filled with smiling faces. Radhika caught Sandeep eyeing her secretly from across the room.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
