Flaming Sun Collection 2: Marriages Made in India (Box Set with 5 novellas)

by Sundari Venkatraman

  “Tch!” Ruma wrinkled her nose at him. “And here I thought you’re being so romantic.”

  Lakshman kissed her nose, unable to resist.

  11

  The next day at work, the moment she had a few minutes free at her desk, Ruma checked out cake decoration classes on the internet. From the time she had checked out Laki’s Bakes, she had had an idea. Lakshman’s business was predominantly into breads, savouries and regular pastries. It could do with some designer cakes, made to order. For that she needed to learn the craft, and create a market in Jaipur. She had spoken to Lakshman about it and he had been extremely encouraging. “That’ll be perfect. You go on and learn the basics. I’ll help you get the extra hands on board. We’ll work out the list of raw materials required. I’ll also let out feelers into the market for the demand.”

  There were a number of classes in Delhi for this. She copy pasted the addresses on her phone and decided to check out the four places she had zeroed on.

  That evening, she tackled her mom as Lakshman had suggested. “Mom,” she hugged her from the back as her mother was sorting through her wardrobe.

  “What’s up, Ruma?” asked Rati Malhotra, smiling. “So when should we invite Bunty over? His parents are eager to make you their bahu.”

  Ruma grimaced. “That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t like Bunty Vaswani. I don’t want to marry him.” Tch! It had all come out wrong and negative. Why the hell had she argued about Bunty? Wasn’t she supposed to convince her mother about the advantages of marrying Laki? Ruma reproached herself.

  “What? Are you mad, Ruma? Are you even aware of what an opportunity you’re trying to throw away? Bunty’s the only child of the Vaswanis who are billionaires. He’s highly qualified and helps his father run his business. He’s good-looking and so many families are keen to have their daughters tie the knot with him, while he’s keen to wed you. Do you understand that you’re an extremely lucky young woman?”

  Ruma turned away, rolling her eyes. She turned back to her mother and said, “But Mom, I can’t stand the man.” She shuddered as she recalled the only time she had spent half an hour with him. First of all, the man couldn’t converse intelligently. Over and above that, his roving eyes had irritated the hell out of her.

  Rati looked at her daughter with pitying eyes. “I think you’re just being a spoilt brat. I’m not going to listen to you. You’d better accept that you don’t have a choice. We’ve been postponing the meeting, waiting for you to come around. If this is your attitude, then it’s best we go ahead and plan your engagement.” Her mother turned away this time, letting Ruma know that the conversation was over. Yeah, her mother could be pretty cold-blooded when it suited her.

  It was time to tackle Grandma.

  “Daadima,” said Ruma, squatting on the floor next to her grandmother Ganga who was relaxing on a couch in her room, reading.

  “Ruma beta,” said Ganga, hugging her grandchild, smiling.

  “Daadima, I don’t want to marry Bunty Vaswani. He gives me the creeps. Why don’t you talk to Dad?”

  “You don’t like him either? Thank God!” said Ganga, much to her granddaughter’s surprise. “What? You think I don’t have eyes in my head? Or I’ve become senile or something? That boy is an idiot if there was one. An idiot without manners,” she declared vehemently.

  Ruma grinned widely, holding on tightly to her grandmother’s arm. “Then you’ll talk to Dad?”

  Ganga’s smile disappeared. “When has your father listened to reason?”

  “But Daadima, it’s not just that I don’t want to marry Bunty. I like someone else.” Ruma turned red as she confessed.

  “Oh, you do? Who’s this young man? I’d like to meet him.” She knew that Ruma had her head tightly screwed on her shoulders. The boy must be good.

  “His name’s Lakshman Maheshwari. He lives in Jaipur with his family. He runs his own business, Daadima. Maybe not as big as Bunty’s, but it’s a flourishing one. He’s handsome and smart too.”

  “So, how did you meet him?” Ganga was curious to know and she did have all the time in the world.

  Grandma and grandchild chatted for the next couple of hours as Ruma gave her the details. “So, he didn’t agree to run away with you?”

  “Well, he told me to talk to Mom and you first.”

  “Smart fellow, I think. I’d like to meet him. Will you arrange for it?” That was an order cloaked as a request for sure.

  “Of course, Daadima. I’ll ask him to come over to Delhi. But you’ll have to come out with me to meet him. I don’t think I should bring him home.”

  Ganga nodded. “Of course.”

  12

  Grandma studied the young man who came into the restaurant and greeted a blushing Ruma with a bear hug. He was so obviously in love with her granddaughter. And was he impressive! So tall and handsome! Even better than that, he was well-mannered. He bent down to touch her feet in respect before giving her a warm hug and a peck on her wrinkled cheek.

  “Hello, Daadima, it’s lovely meeting you. Now I know where Ruma gets her beautiful looks from.”

  Ruma heard him in surprise. This was the man who spoke so little. Look at him chatter with her grandmother. She sipped at her cold drink, listening to them talk.

  Ganga laughed, pleased with the compliment. “So what do you do beta? I know you run your own business, but don’t know what.”

  He spoke to her about Laki’s Bakes in detail. Later, also about his parents, his brothers, his little sister who was married to Ruma’s boss. Ruma got to know more about the man she loved that day.

  “What happens to the food that goes unsold? That must be something you need to deal with on a daily basis in this perishable industry.” Grandma was extremely wise. She had helped her husband set up the family business initially. She used to be on the advisory board of the company when her husband had been alive. Later, she quit as she and her son Shyam seldom saw eye to eye.

  “The shops close at 8 pm. We work in tandem with a few orphanages. They have volunteers who go to the outlets to collect all leftover items that’ll not survive the night. They do it between 7.30 and 8 pm. My company bears the cost, of course. The food is distributed to the orphans and sometimes to the poor, depending on the quantity.” He didn’t add that special 3 kg cakes were baked for every single kid in those orphanages on their birthdays. He had a long list with names and dates nailed to a soft board in his office.

  Ruma’s jaw dropped. Was it possible to fall more in love with Laki?

  Grandma held Lakshman’s hand in hers, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “It’s my granddaughter who’s the lucky one, Lakshman. God bless you! So, what do your parents say? Ruma tells me that she’s not met them yet.” Grandma knew about her trip to Jaipur.

  Lakshman shrugged. “I haven’t spoken to them yet. I know they’ll agree to my getting married to the girl of my choice. If I mention anything now, I fear my parents will insist on meeting Ruma’s to convince them of our match and life might just get more complicated. And then there’s my elder brother, Ram. They are working at arranging his wedding.”

  Grandma nodded. “You’ve a point there. Well, if push comes to shove, we’ll get you both married at a temple right here in Delhi, in secret. We’ll break the news to both sets of parents later. There’s nothing much that Ruma’s parents can do, after the event. What say, Lakshman? Are you open to that? Or do you think your parents might get too upset?”

  Lakshman grinned, a light of mischief in his eyes. “My parents are adorable and I’ve never crossed them. Sometimes, a bit of adventure can be fun, right?” He winked at Grandma and Ruma shut her eyes in horror. Was he flirting with her grandmother?

  Ganga’s laughter rang out through the restaurant.

  13

  Ruma couldn’t escape a meeting with Bunty and his parents. “Aren’t you looking beautiful, Ruma dahling!” gushed his mother Bhanu, admiring the young woman who was dressed in Indian ethnic at her mother’s
insistence. Ruma wore a salwaz kameez of Tussar silk in the colour of a peacock’s neck—blue shot with green. It was heavily embroidered with gold zari and pearls. She wore a matching necklace of emeralds and sapphires that glittered at her throat. She hadn’t wanted to remove Lakshman’s gift and wore it like a talisman under the necklace, close to her skin. Matching chandelier earrings grazed her shoulders as she turned her head this way and that, trying to take in the conversation going on around her.

  Everyone was in high spirits, literally, when Bunty waylaid her. “Why don’t we take a walk around the garden?”

  Ruma withheld the shudder that went through her at his proximity. Not having a choice, she went along with him, pretending not to see the hand he extended towards her. “So, are you all set for marriage?” he asked, arrogantly confident that she was his for the taking.

  Ruma nodded. Well, she didn’t have to tell him that her bridegroom had another name.

  He gave her a stupid grin, thinking that his father would be so happy and proud of him. The Malhotra finances would go a great way to bolstering the Vaswanis’ dwindling business prospects. “Shall we seal it with a kiss?”

  Oh my God! Ruma turned the other way, doing her best to appear shy.

  “Ruma.” He took her hand in his. “Come on, we’re going to be married soon.” He put his other hand on her chin to turn her face towards him.

  She kept her eyes lowered, not wanting him to see the temper building in them. “Please,” her voice came out in a whisper. “Can’t we wait till the engagement?”

  Bunty sighed. It looked like he was going to get an extremely shy bride. He shrugged, dropping her chin and her hand. It was a good thing that he hadn’t yet said ‘goodbye’ to the woman he was having an affair with. And if he was getting a cold fish for a wife, maybe it would be for the best if he didn’t part ways with that woman at all.

  They walked back to the part of the garden where their respective parents were seated, planning the engagement party. Grandma was also there, as she kept nodding and shaking her head weakly, pretending to feeling old and tired.

  Rati looked at her daughter proudly as she walked into the circle of light. Ruma had obviously come to her senses. Bunty and Ruma did make a smart-looking couple.

  “We’re planning to hold the engagement six weeks from now, after we get a date from our family pandit,” declared Shyam Malhotra. “We need the time to ensure that the affair is grand enough. I think we will stick to just two hundred guests. What say, Deepak?”

  Deepak Vaswani nodded his head, a greedy smile on his face. “But of course, Shyam. I’m sure you know what’s best for your daughter.”

  Ganga gritted her teeth as she saw Bunty walking closely beside her granddaughter. The man was unfit to kiss the ground Ruma walked on. It was time to plan her secret wedding to Lakshman. That night, Ganga had a long chat with him, keeping his cell phone engaged, much to Ruma’s frustration.

  “Why the hell was your phone busy till now?” Ruma’s voice broke when Lakshman finally called her past midnight. She had tried calling him so many times.

  “Sweetheart, I…”

  “Don’t “sweetheart” me. Didn’t you hear the beeps from my calls? I called you twenty-two times.” Ruma’s voice almost broke as tears sprung to her eyes. Today, of all days, she needed him. She so needed his arms around her. While Bunty had just held her chin, she still felt besmirched by his touch.

  “I know, love. I’m sorry. But, you might want to hear what I’ve to say. It just might cheer you up.” Lakshman’s voice was soothing. He knew she had met the Vaswanis as her parents had insisted, even if he didn’t know what had taken place between Ruma and Bunty. Grandma had updated him on the meeting and the plan for the engagement party.

  “Nothing can cheer me up right now.” She paused, before saying, “Unless you’re here in Delhi.” Knowing full well that it was simply wishful thinking, she continued, “Let me tell you what happened today. Bunty wanted to kiss me.” She declared dramatically, confident of shaking up his calm demeanour.

  “He didn’t succeed,” declared Lakshman, a smile in his voice. How he wished he had her in his arms! Ruma was so obviously upset by the evening’s events. And over that, he hadn’t taken her calls. But then, the chat with Grandma had been the need of the hour.

  “How do you know?” Ruma was miffed and wanted to pick a fight with him.

  “Well, he’s not in the hospital. So, I presume…” he laughed softly, “I love you Ruma.”

  “Now he tells me,” complained Ruma, doing her best not to smile. “Laki, why aren’t you here, holding me in your arms? I miss you. I want you. I love you.”

  “Whoa! Aren’t I lucky? Okay, that wasn’t a pun.” He laughed again.

  “Haha! Very pun-ny. So, you said you have something to say that might cheer me up. Or do you want to hear my bad news first?”

  “You tell me. Let’s save the best for the last.”

  “I’ll be engaged to Bunty Vaswani after six weeks; will give you the exact date once I have it.” She hoped she had wiped the laughter from his face. Laki could be so ‘duh’ at times, easygoing about everything. There was a time to chill and there was a time to get angry. Life can’t be all fun, can it?

  Well, she didn’t know the Maheshwaris. “If you’re done with your bad news, here’s my good news…”

  “Laki, did you even hear what I said?” Ruma yelled on the phone. She wanted to throw something at him. Why the hell did he have to be so far away?

  “Of course, my love. You were loud and clear.” Lakshman’s voice was amused.

  “Don’t you have anything to say about it?” Her lips trembled in anger and self-pity. Shouldn’t he be feeling sorry for her? She could do with some tender, loving care right now.

  “Well, I was trying to give you some great news that’ll most definitely cheer you up. I…”

  “I don’t want to hear it,” yelled Ruma, before cutting the call. She jumped off her bed, fuming. How could he be so insensitive to her pain? She had told her boyfriend, the man who had promised to wed her, the man she loved, that she was going to be forced into an engagement with another guy. And all he did was laugh. How could he? Had she misunderstood his character? She lifted the pillows and cushions on her bed and threw them forcefully one by one, her temper going out of control.

  Even as she turned to pick up the lamp at her bedside, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Grandma came in even as Ruma replaced the lamp on the side table. Saved by the knock indeed! “Daadima.” She rushed to Ganga and hugged her tightly, tears flowing down her cheeks. “I think I’ve made a mistake. Lakshman…”

  “Did you speak to him? He must have given you some wonderful news.”

  “Daadima,” yelled Ruma, stamping her foot in rage. “I don’t care about his news, wonderful or otherwise. I…” She stopped mid-sentence when Ganga laughed softly. And her Grandma was anything but cruel. Ruma calmed down enough to ask, “What did I miss?”

  “Lakshman’s brother’s wedding is next week…”

  “I don’t give a damn. Ask Lakshman also to get married on the same day. I hate him,” said Ruma in a loud whisper, tempestuous tears pouring down her face. She didn’t like losing control of her life. If she had her way, she’d leave her home right now. Maybe she would, at that.

  “Ruma.” Grandma hugged her. “Why don’t you let me finish?” She stroked her granddaughter’s head. “You obviously didn’t let Lakshman tell you either.” Ruma’s phone had been ringing continuously. “Do you want to take his call?”

  “I don’t.” Ruma was vehement. “He doesn’t care about me. He laughs too much and is too insensitive to my situation.” She walked to where she had left her phone on the bed and cut the call.

  “What is your situation?” asked Grandma.

  “You too Daadima? How could you? I’m going to be engaged to the moron of the century in six weeks and you’re asking me that?” Ruma’s voice rose with her temper.

  “Anything can
happen in six weeks, Ruma. Do you know, a kangaroo gives birth to a joey in lesser time? The gestation period…”

  “Will you get to the point, Daadima? I’m not interested in how a baby kangaroo is born.” Ruma sniffed. Did no one care about her?

  “If you’ll let me, yes.” She looked at her cell when it rang and switched it on, even as she continued to talk to Ruma. “That’s your boyfriend on the phone.” She raised a hand to stop her granddaughter from saying anything. “You know I got back to my room before the Vaswanis left. I thought it best to keep Lakshman updated on what’s happening. That’s when we came to a conclusion that it’s best you both got married in secret soon after his brother’s wedding.” She’d left her phone on so that he could also hear them.

  But Ruma had stuck her fingers in her ears, shaking her head wildly. “I don’t want to know.” She paused when she heard the words ‘marriage’ and ‘secret’ and removed her fingers. “Daadima,” her voice turned soft. “You’re planning to get us married secretly, way before the engagement that Dad’s planning.” A smile broke out on her face as she walked towards Ganga.

  “Yes, my dear. And that’s what Lakshman and I have been trying to tell you. I’m sorry that I spoke to him for so long. But then, I hadn’t realised you were back in your room.”

  Ruma had the grace to look sheepish. “I’m sorry Daadima, for yelling at you.” She hugged her grandmother before taking her cell and speaking into it, “I’m really, really sorry Laki.”

  This time, she joined him when he laughed.

  14

  Ram and Sapna’s wedding had been yesterday and the couple had left on their honeymoon that morning. Lakshman had sent a WhatsApp message to Chanda that he needed to talk to her and Ranveer in private. They decided to go for a drive in the afternoon after lunch when most of their families were settling down for a nap.