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

by Sundari Venkatraman

  “Are you sure, Akshay?” Hope dawned in Rati’s eyes.

  The whole family knew that it was Rati who needed to be convinced. Shyam was easygoing and happy-go-lucky, falling in with people’s wishes. He was at peace when his wife was happy with her pet projects.

  “Of course, bhabhi. I’ve met Lakshman and even been to his factory. It’s a mammoth operation.” The last was the truth as Akshay had made it a point to check out Lakshman’s business. The two men had developed a kind of truce after the visit.

  Rati’s mind worked fast. Her only issue was saving her face. It didn’t matter if Ruma’s engagement didn’t happen with Bunty Vaswani if they could produce a new, richer groom for Ruma. She thought quickly on her feet. “I trust your judgement, Akshay. Maaji, Shyam, what do you both think? Shall we invite this boy—Lakshman Maheshwari—tomorrow? Maybe it’ll be too early to announce the engagement. But at least we can set the ball rolling.” What she meant was that she would have enough meat to feed the sharks that she called friends. She turned to Akshay and asked, “Do you think it’s too much of a short notice to invite this boy for the party tomorrow? I hope his parents won’t mind with this level of informality.”

  “I can surely find out,” said Akshay, hiding a grin. Ruma owed him a special treat.

  At this exact same time, Meera and Mohan were knocking on Astrologer Vidyasagar’s door with Lakshman’s horoscope.

  22

  It was less than two months since Ram’s wedding and Meera had begun to bother her husband about finding a bride for their second son. “Lakshman is twenty-seven, not all that young. I think it’s time to find a girl for him.”

  “But, Meera, let’s take a breather. Can’t you wait for six months at least? It’s only last month that Ram was married,” protested her husband.

  “Am I saying that the marriage should take place immediately? We can start searching for a girl nah?” Her brown eyes were disturbed when she looked at her husband. “I’m worried for Lakshman. He’s keeping such strange hours and has been travelling a lot too. He’s spending less and less time at home and with the family. Something is not right. It’s better he settles down soon with a wife.”

  “Tum bhi Meera. Our children are all adults, in case you haven’t noticed. Lakshman is running a large-scale business, and so successfully too. Of course he’s been working odd hours and also travelling. But that’s the life he’s chosen, right? Is that a reason to get him married immediately?” Mohan laughed at his wife. Then seeing the irritated look she gave him, he asked, “Do you want me to talk to him?” His wife had a mild disposition and almost never got upset. But something seemed to be bothering her.

  Meera’s motherly instinct told her clearly that something strange was up with Lakshman. Like most women her generation, she decided that the best way to tackle this issue in her bachelor son’s life was to get him married and that would solve all problems. She shook her head at her husband. “You think I haven’t tried it? He’s been as slippery as an eel. Let’s show his horoscope to Vidyasagarji. Maybe he’ll be able to throw some light on what’s happening with Lakshman.”

  Mohan realised that she was serious. Well, he shrugged, what was there to lose? “Okay, let me check when the astrologer can give us an appointment. Will you smile now?” he teased his plump wife.

  “Very funny,” said his wife, giving him a small smile, happier now.

  And that’s how the couple landed up at the astrologer’s residence that Friday.

  They waited patiently while the learned astrologer studied their second son’s horoscope. “Did you want to know something specific?” asked Vidyasagar, looking up at the couple from above his spectacles.

  “We’re thinking of finding a bride for him. That’s why we brought his horoscope to you to check out the prospects,” said Mohan.

  Vidyasagar frowned, turning to study the horoscope once again. After a few minutes of silence, he asked, “But isn’t Lakshman married already?” not realising the impact his question had on the stunned couple sitting in front of him.

  23

  Meera was in tears and nothing Mohan said would console her. While she wanted to talk to her other sons about it, Mohan would hear none of it. “Let’s first talk to Lakshman and find out what’s happening. The astrologer could be wrong, you know. And even if he’s got married in secret, I’m sure he must have had his reasons. And why are you crying? Shouldn’t you be happy if our son has got married?” Mohan was serious. He knew his sons were responsible boys and would never do anything to hurt their parents. He put his arm around Meera and patted her shoulder. “I don’t want you crying when we speak to Lakshman, okay?”

  Meera nodded, wiping her eyes. Could the astrologer be wrong? But he’d never failed them before. It was five in the evening and the rest of the family was still out at work, including Ram’s wife Sapna, who’d gone for her training with a hair-stylist. Mohan had called Lakshman and told him to come home immediately.

  “Is there some kind of emergency?” asked Lakshman to his father, starting the car. He had left everything at the drop of a hat when his father called.

  “Not at all, beta. Only your mother’s throwing a tantrum. I need your help sorting it.” Mohan winked at his wife as he said that.

  Meera gave her husband a mock glare, before going into the kitchen to check if the Maharaj had made tea. She considered tea the panacea of all ills. Pouring the freshly brewed concoction into two cups, she carried them on a tray into the living room.

  Lakshman arrived a few minutes later and said, “Hello, Mamma, Pappa,” smiling, “where are the others?”

  “At work,” said Mohan. “Will you also have tea?”

  “Not for me. I just finished a cup when your call came. So what happened?”

  Meera couldn’t stop the tears that gushed out of her eyes. “Lakshman, are you…?”

  Mohan stopped her with a look, before turning to his son who was hugging his mother.

  Lakshman asked, “Mamma, is something wrong? Why are you crying?”

  Mohan cleared his throat, wondering how to tackle this. The words he uttered should not cause a rift in their relationship. What if the astrologer’s prediction was wrong? Would he be alienating his son by asking him if he was married?

  “Your mother and I visited the astrologer today to check your horoscope,” said Mohan, looking at his son’s face.

  “Ohkay! Mera bhanda phoot gaya,” grinned Lakshman, to his parents’ amazement. “I’ve been wondering how to break the news to you both. Yeah, I’m married. I hope you guys will forgive me. The problem is there was an issue with Ruma’s people and that’s why the secrecy. I…”

  “You could have brought her home and we would have got the two of you married,” said Meera, miffed with her son.

  Lakshman hugged her closer. “I know Mamma. But…” he looked at his father, “you’d have insisted on talking to her parents Pappa. And things would have blown out of control.”

  “Where’s your wife now?” asked Mohan. He couldn’t find anything wrong with his son’s behaviour.

  “She’s still with her parents, hoping to change their minds.”

  “Then why get married in secret? You could have waited, nah?” asked his father mildly.

  Lakshman sat down at their feet, holding their hands in his, and explained the situation from the beginning. “So, they are planning to announce her engagement with another man tomorrow. Ruma’s grandmother advised that it’s best if we ensured that her parents were left with no choice. Getting married seemed the only answer. I’m sorry Pappa. I’ll never hurt you and Mamma. I…”

  Mohan hugged his son. “I know my children too well. I know you must have done what you did since that was for the best. Did you both run away to get married?” he was curious to know.

  Meera kept turning this way and that, listening to both men in fascination. Lakshman had got married in secret, neither telling his parents nor his siblings and her husband was sitting there listening to the story. Were
they crazy?

  “But Lakshman, how could you not tell us?” she asked, before her son could answer.

  “Mamma, I just explained to you. It was an awkward situation and I didn’t want Ruma to suffer. Please understand, Mamma. If I’d told you, you and Pappa would have insisted on talking to Ruma’s parents, and that would have made the whole situation worse.”

  Mohan nodded. “You’re right Lakshman. We would have done exactly that. Our children know us well, Meera,” he grinned at his wife.

  “How can you grin like this? It’s such a big issue…”

  “Why not? Shouldn’t I feel happy that my son is married?” asked Mohan cheekily. “Come on Meera. Lighten up! Does it matter? If you want a grand wedding for your son, we can get them married again, can’t we? What say, Lakshman? He got married secretly. So what? He says he couldn’t do anything else in the circumstances. Why can’t we just accept that? Congratulations Lakshman. I’m truly happy for you,” he said, hugging his son.

  Meera gave her husband another irritated look even as she hugged her son. “I’m very happy for you Lakshman. It’s not that I don’t want you to be married. But doing it without anyone in the family and all that…”

  “Err…” Lakshman gave them both a guilty look, wondering if he should say anything further now.

  “Was it Ram or Chanda?” asked Mohan, a twinkle in his eyes. “You never did tell me if you both ran away to get married?”

  Lakshman grinned at his father. “No Pappa. We had an Arya Samaj wedding at Ranveer’s home. Ruma’s grandmother, her uncle and two of her friends were also present during the ceremony.”

  Meera hit her big son on his muscular shoulder with her tiny hand. “I don’t think I’ll talk to you. How could you do this to me?”

  “Mamma, I’m truly sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Forgive me, please?”

  “I’ll think about it after I meet my daughter-in-law,” declared Meera, giving him a mock glare. Yeah, it was difficult to digest. But then, what was done was done. She wanted only happiness for her children. Her husband was right as usual. Lakshman must have obviously done what he did because he had no choice.

  Lakshman’s phone rang just then. Seeing Akshay Malhotra’s name on the screen, he took the call. “Hello Akshay.”

  “Congrats man. I’ve convinced Ruma’s parents to meet you as a prospective groom. Will it be possible for you to attend their party tomorrow? I know it’s a last minute invitation. But…”

  “You’re a magician,” said Lakshman, a smile in his voice. “Could you extend that invitation to the rest of my family?” he asked.

  Akshay gave a shout of laughter. “I suppose the marriage isn’t a secret any more at your end.”

  “You’re right and I’m glad for it.”

  “Will you give me your father’s contact number? I’ll give him a call. Better yet, I’ll get my dad to give him a call.”

  “My dad’s right here. Let me give him the phone,” said Lakshman, handing his cell to his father.

  “Hello sir, my name is Akshay Malhotra. I’m Ruma’s uncle. I’d like to invite you and your family to a get-together at our home tomorrow. I hope it’s not too short a notice.”

  “Hello,” said Mohan. “Nice to hear from you. Well, we can’t wait to meet our daughter-in-law. Of course, we’ll be there. Please do expect seven of us from here and…”

  “Thank you so much sir. If you’re going to ask about Ranveer and Chanda, we’ve already invited them. That’s really nice of you, sir. I’ll send a car to the airport,” he promised, before disconnecting the call.

  “Ruma’s parents still don’t know about the marriage,” warned Lakshman.

  Mohan waited for the rest of the family to arrive to break the good news. Luckily, the twins, who travelled a lot, were also home.

  “I’ve an announcement to make,” said Mohan, a smile in his eyes. “Lakshman is married.” He sat back to watch with a grin as pandemonium broke out.

  Meera sighed softly, a genuine smile breaking out on her face as she watched her other sons bombarding Lakshman. Where was the need to stay angry when life was so good!

  24

  Ruma looked resplendent in a ghagra-choli in a brilliant shade of pink. Diamonds winked at her throat, ears and wrists. Her face glowed with the inner light of a happy woman. Her brown eyes kept going towards the entrance, searching for the face of the man she loved, her secret husband. Akshay had kept her updated about the recent developments and now she was ready to meet Lakshman’s family.

  She frowned when she saw Bunty walking in with his parents. All three went up to where Ruma was standing next to her parents, greeting the guests. Still believing that her son’s engagement was about to take place, Bunty’s mother hugged Ruma. “I can’t wait to have you in the family.” She didn’t notice Rati’s frown and greeted the others before mixing with the guests. “Chudail, besharam,” muttered Rati, making Ruma laugh under her breath.

  She turned again towards the entrance and her breath caught in her throat when she saw Lakshman standing there, scouting the crowd. Their eyes connected and her heart bounced in her chest. She didn’t notice the others who were with him as she had eyes only for her husband. He was wearing a three-piece suit in black, teamed with a pristine white shirt and a dark red tie. She lowered her eyes with great difficulty. She wasn’t supposed to know him.

  Akshay walked forward to greet the new guests, giving Lakshman a hug. The younger man introduced Ruma’s chacha to all his family members.

  “Namaste uncle, aunty.” Akshay greeted the parents before he shook hands with the other Maheshwari siblings, hugging Ranveer and Chanda. “I’m so glad you could all make it at such short notice,” he smiled, guiding them towards Ruma and her parents.

  More introductions took place. Shyam liked the Maheshwari family members on sight. Lakshman looked so handsome and would make a perfect match for his younger daughter. Rati studied them all as if from under a microscope, looking for faults. Finding none, she was still unhappy, as if she had lost control over her life. She could see her friends hovering around, like vultures seeking prey. She straightened her shoulders. She’d show them!

  Akshay turned last to Ruma and began the introductions. She touched Lakshman’s parents’ feet. Meera pulled her up to enfold her in a hug, kissing her on her forehead. Ruma was perfect for Lakshman, thought his mother.

  “You know Ranveer and Chanda of course,” said Akshay, his face straight.

  Ruma nodded. “How can I not know my boss and his wife?” Smiling, she hugged them both.

  “And this is Lakshman Maheshwari. Lakshman, this is my niece Ruma.”

  The world came to a standstill as they eyed each other, the people around them disappearing for a few seconds. Akshay placed a hand each on their shoulders to bring them back down to earth. “Hello,” said Lakshman, his voice hoarse, his heated black gaze boring into hers.

  “Hi,” said Ruma, unable to stop the colour rushing up her cheeks. She lowered her gaze to the level of his chest, worried about what someone might read into it otherwise.

  Deepak Vaswani walked up to Shyam who was chatting with Raj Malhotra. “So when should we announce the engagement?” he asked, a worried frown on his face. His son was an idiot, drowning himself in whiskey at the bar. The girl was flirting with a stranger. What the hell was happening? His wife Bhanu had insisted that he seek Shyam Malhotra out and get the show on the road.

  “There isn’t going to be one,” said Shyam in a quiet voice.

  “What?” The other man’s voice was like the crack of a pistol shot. “What the hell do you mean by that?” His stance was threatening. Well, he was a desperate man with his dwindling finances.

  “I think you heard him,” said Raj, menace in his voice.

  “But they promised us,” Deepak whined, fear on his face. Bhanu Vaswani stood glaring as she listened to the conversation.

  Raj gave him an evil smile. “When they promised you, they believed you ran a successful business alo
ng with your son. Now we know that’s just not true. Shyam?” He looked at his nephew.

  “Exactly. I don’t want my daughter to marry a good-for-nothing,” said Shyam. He was angry enough to use strong words.

  “How dare you?” growled Deepak, his florid face turning red with temper. “I’ll drag the Malhotra name through mud if you don’t announce the engagement right now.”

  “You will leave right now, sir, unless you want your person dragged through mud,” said another voice behind him.

  Deepak turned around in a flash—not easy, considering his girth—to face Akshay Malhotra. “And who the hell are you?” he snarled.

  “Akshay Malhotra is the name, one of those you threatened to drag through mud. I’d advise you to take your family and leave the premises right this very minute, unless you want me to call the police.”

  Deepak looked at the three men who surrounded him and his wife. Well, it seemed best to walk away with his head held high. As long as they didn’t announce the state of the Vaswani finances to the rest of the world. “Chalo Bhanu, let’s not waste time with people who have no respect for us,” he said, taking out his cell phone to call Bunty.

  “Give me a minute,” said Bhanu, walking to Rati who was chatting with some guests. Her daughter was also there, making eyes at a handsome guy. Bhanu gritted her teeth. The Malhotras had obviously found a richer boy for their daughter. “We’re leaving Rati,” she declared, then turned to the other woman who was obviously the mother of the boy Ruma was flirting with. “I don’t know you well, didi, but I’ll give you one good advice that you’ll surely thank me for. Don’t even think of making a match for your son with this family. They are shameless people,” she snarled, glaring at Ruma.

  “How dare you?” Rati turned red with anger even as she felt a firm hand on her shoulder.

  “Allow me, aunty,” said Lakshman, giving the intruder a firm look. “I think you should leave while the going’s good, ma’am. I can see the Malhotra men walking towards us.”