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

by Sundari Venkatraman

“He had a mild heart attack. He’s recovering,” she reassured in a hurry, not wanting to alarm her father’s good friend. “He underwent an angioplasty and is on the road to recovery.”

  “Oh! Thank the good lord for that. Do you need any help? Shall I ask Bharat or Shatrughan to come over there?”

  “No, uncle. That’s okay. Pia’s also here. So, it’s no trouble. Pappa should be home in three days.” Tch! Dia bit her tongue. She shouldn’t have refused his offer to send one of his sons over. It would have been the perfect opening to ask for Bharat’s number. How to ask him now? “How is everyone at home, uncle? Aunty, Ram, Sapna…”

  “All are fine, beta. Sapna delivered a baby girl last night,” said Mohan, bursting to share the news with the whole world. He was a grandfather now.

  Sapna felt stupid pretending not to know. “That’s wonderful, uncle. Congratulations! Is aunty there? May I talk to her?” Maybe it’d be easier to get his number from her.

  “Of course. Here…” Mohan handed the phone to Meera, saying, “Talk to Paresh’s daughter Dia. She…”

  Bharat grabbed the phone from his father and walked away, without saying a word to him.

  Mohan looked in the direction his son had gone in, his face lighting up. He finally realised why Paresh’s daughter had called on his cell. She’d wanted to talk to his son. He turned to look into Meera’s startled face. “Looks like your wish will be coming true.”

  Meera stared at her husband’s mischievous face. “What wish?”

  “That you wanted one of your sons to marry either of Paresh and Daksha’s daughters.”

  “But how do you know?”

  “Didn’t you notice Bharat’s face when he snatched the phone from me?” asked Mohan.

  “Ajeeb sa lagha,” she nodded. “You said that was Dia, right? And she wanted to talk to me.” Meera was still not clear about what her husband was saying.

  “She called me just now from her father’s phone. I thought it was Paresh. But he’s had a heart attack, it seems. No, he’s much better. Nothing to worry,” Mohan added when Meera looked anxious, “and I told her about the baby. She wanted to congratulate you.”

  “And Bharat took the phone away. Do you think they must have met in Mumbai?” Light dawned on Meera’s face as excitement took over. “That’s wonderful.”

  “It seems so.”

  “I told you nah?” she grinned at her husband.

  Mohan hugged his plump little wife, smiling back. “Exactly why I told you that your wish is probably getting fulfilled.”

  22

  Bharat rushed out of the house into the garden, out of hearing of the others, before snarling, “Where the hell did you disappear to?”

  Despite Shatru’s reassurances, Bharat had been convinced that he was never going to set eyes on Dia again. In fact, he had concluded that he didn’t want her in his life. If she didn’t care, he wouldn’t either. But the anxiety kept gnawing into him as he couldn’t stop worrying if something had happened to her. He had kept calling her cell every fifteen minutes or so. The message had changed to “this number does not exist” after some time. He’d have drunk himself under the table but for Shatru. His brother took the whisky bottle away and wouldn’t let him drink any more.

  “I’m so sorry, Bharat. I…”

  “I don’t care, do you hear? I don’t give a damn any more. If you aren’t interested in me, why can’t you just tell it to my face? Go on, say it now,” he spat into the phone, his heart breaking. He didn’t want to think of a life without Dia in it. But he would somehow survive. “Say it, woman,” he yelled.

  “Bharat…my father isn’t well. I…” Her voice broke.

  “I don’t want to know. I…” he paused, getting his wits together, trying hard to calm down his shattered nerves. “What did you say?” His voice toned down by a few decibels.

  “My father, he had a heart attack today morning. I…”

  “Oh my God! I’m so sorry, baby. I’m terribly sorry I yelled at you.” There was such remorse in his voice that Dia smiled through her tears. “How is he? What does the doctor say? I’m coming to Meerut right now. I…”

  Dia laughed softly. “I love you so much, Bharat. Pappa had to undergo angioplasty. He’s recovering in the ICU. I had gone to the airport to catch the flight to Jaipur. Mamma managed to catch me just before I checked in. I immediately cancelled that flight and took another to Delhi. Luckily, they had seats on one that was leaving in forty-five minutes. Understanding the emergency, they let me take it without a fuss. I’m so sorry I forgot to message you. There was simply no time to think. I had to shut my phone off before I realised that I hadn’t informed you.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I got out at Delhi airport to meet Pia. We left in a hired car directly from there. Pia had been in touch with Mamma and she was updating me on Pappa’s progress. We spoke to Mamma and realised that things were in control. That’s when I was going to call you and I couldn’t find my phone.”

  “Shit!”

  “Exactly. And I don’t know your number by heart. I feel such an idiot, so dependent on my phone. I should have…”

  “Sweetheart, you’re anything but an idiot,” said Bharat, smiling at the rose bush he had stopped by. “No wonder you didn’t contact me. And here I was, panicking and climbing the wall. I was sure you’d left me forever this time.”

  “That would surely have made me an idiot,” said Dia, a smile in her voice. “I love you too much Bharat. I don’t want a life without you.”

  Bharat sighed happily. “I don’t want to live without you either,” he declared passionately. “Give me your address and Pia’s cell number. I’m leaving for Meerut right now.”

  “Are you sure? And hey, how’s the new baby? You didn’t tell me anything about her.”

  “Samaira’s the cutest baby on earth,” said Bharat, in a whisper. “Tiny and adorable, with a button nose. I spent an hour at the nursing home, holding her. It felt wonderful.”

  Dia was so happy for him. She’d have loved to see the baby. But that would have to wait. “Why don’t you spend some more time with your family Bharat? Things are in control here. Pappa should be home in three days. There’s no emergency.” And she needed some time to talk to her mother about Bharat, and later to her father, when he was recovered. She didn’t want to spring her boyfriend on them suddenly, without any warning.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, my darling Bharat, I’m absolutely sure. I would rather talk to my parents about you first. Please try to understand.”

  Bharat sighed. He was going to miss her, terribly. But she had a point there. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” He chatted with her for a while before asking, “Will you be having this cell with you for some time? Can I call you on this number?”

  “Yeah, it’s Pappa’s. I’ll keep it till I get a new phone. And Bharat,” her voice turned shy, “don’t send me any naughty messages on this one, please.” Bharat’s mischievous laughter sent shivers down her spine. She blew him a kiss before disconnecting.

  Bharat messaged Paresh’s cell number to his phone before walking back to the house. It was time to talk to his parents.

  Shatru intercepted him, putting an arm around his shoulders. “So, what does Dia say?”

  “How do you know it was Dia?”

  “You mean it wasn’t? I heard Mamma and Pappa planning your wedding,” he teased, grinning. “And you’re blushing like a bride.”

  Bharat punched his brother, laughing. “Everything’s great. Dia’s dad had a heart attack.”

  “What? Can you hear yourself?” asked Shatru, shocked.

  “Shit! That came out badly. Dia had disappeared off my radar as she had to hurry home to her father as he had suffered a heart attack. She lost her phone on the way.” He continued to tell his twin the whole story as the two of them walked into their home.

  Bharat sat down on the carpet at his parents’ feet, handing the cell phone to his father. “Pappa, Mamma, I have something to say.”
>
  Mohan nodded, a smile on his face.

  “I love Dia, Paresh uncle’s daughter. I want to marry her.”

  “Does she want to marry you too?” asked Mohan, his tongue firmly in cheek, even as Meera gave her husband an impatient look.

  Bharat grinned widely. “Yes, Pappa. She’s agreed to marry me.”

  Tears of joy poured down Meera’s cheeks as she hugged her third child. “I knew it.”

  Bharat laid his head on his mother’s lap. Yeah, his mother was all-seeing—the very reason he had kept his visits to the family home to the minimum over the past two years. He hadn’t wanted her to sense that he had been unhappy during those days. He wondered whether Dia would agree to move to Jaipur. Well, all that could wait. Just now, he wanted to savour his joy. The woman he loved had not ditched him but was keen to be his life partner. He sighed contentedly, shutting his eyes as his mother ran her fingers lovingly through his curls.

  23

  Dia called her HOD on Monday to inform him about her leave of absence for one week. “What? Are you crazy, Dia? There’s so much urgent work to get out of our way. You can’t take a leave now. Get your ass back at work, right now.”

  “Stephen, did you even hear what I told you just now?” asked Dia softly. She’d always had trouble with her immediate boss, not the least because she refused to date him. But this was the limit. Anyone could understand if one’s father had taken ill. And she did have a couple of months of PL in her account.

  “I don’t really care, do you hear? I told you to get your ass to work, NOW. Or find yourself another job.”

  Dia turned red with temper. “I’ll do just that. Go to hell!”

  Pia looked up at her sister when she heard her banging the phone hard. Wincing, she asked, “What’s up?” and was startled to see Dia grinning from ear to ear.

  “Freedom!” yelled Dia, jumping from the sofa and dancing around the living room. She stopped suddenly in front of her sister. “And you know something, at times, these landline telephones are the best.” Banging the receiver down had removed all her stress.

  Pia rolled her eyes, even as Dia dragged her from her seat, twirling around the room, singing loudly now.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened or should I draw my own conclusions?” asked Pia, miffed when Dia kept grinning madly, refusing to say anything.

  “Go on, take a guess,” invited Dia.

  “You’re getting married today,” said Pia, tongue-in-cheek.

  It was Dia’s turn to roll her eyes. “I wish.”

  “Bharat’s coming over.”

  Dia shook her head. “He did offer. But I need to talk to Mamma and Pappa first.”

  “Why don’t you just tell me? I know you’re dying to,” teased Pia.

  Dia shook her head. “I give you one final chance.”

  “Hmm…” Pia tapped a painted finger on her mouth. “Are you pregnant?”

  “Idiot,” said Dia, turning red, “of course not.”

  Pia laughed. “You look guilty as hell.”

  Dia shook her head. “Not funny. Before you take any more wild guesses, let me tell you. I’ve just been fired.”

  Pia stared at her sister, her mouth wide open in shock. “What?!”

  “Yep.”

  “But…aren’t you upset?” Pia couldn’t believe it. Dia had so wanted this career. She’d completed her Bachelors in Management Studies before doing her part-time MBA, working hard, probably fourteen hours in a day. How could she feel so happy after being fired?

  “Nope.” Dia shook her head. “Listen, I ne’er wanted to say this before now. I hate my job. How much ever I do, it’s too less for my immediate boss. Stephen is a moron and plays dirty. The girls who sleep with him get ahead in the company. Well, I haven’t grown in the company as I’ve refused all his advances. I…what?”

  Pia had made a strangled noise. She had a wonderful boss and loved her work. But hearing her sister talk about her head of department, Pia was totally shocked that such things could be happening in even big companies. Now she shook her head. “Sorry, you go on. I still can’t see how you’re happy. But…” she shrugged.

  Dia smiled. “I’ve been looking around for another job since a year. Either the work atmosphere is not good, or the profile doesn’t fit or I’m not happy with the pay. I didn’t want to resign without another job in hand. But things have changed now. I’ll be moving to Jaipur after marrying Bharat. Well, that’s what I think.” She suddenly went quiet. She hadn’t discussed that with Bharat. What if he thought of moving to Mumbai? Dia frowned. He did have a lot of work in the island city. She had been thinking of something—setting up a business of her own. But she’d need to talk to Bharat before planning things fully. But whatever, Dia was happy losing her job just now.

  “Dia?”

  She looked up at Pia, having been lost in her thoughts. “Sorry. To continue—whether Bharat wants us to live in Mumbai or Jaipur, I’ve been thinking of changing my profession.” She looked at Pia to see if she had her full attention. “I’ve been teaching myself to cook different cuisines—Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Thai—especially fast foods. The kind one can take away, you get?” When Pia nodded, she continued, “I absolutely enjoy cooking. It relaxes me totally, taking away the stress of the working week. I thought, why not set up my own business in this line? My MBA degree will help me run the business angle. What do you think?”

  Pia looked at Dia thoughtfully. “The idea’s good, being your own boss. Especially since you’ve had a bad experience with the one in the company you work for. But what about investment and all that? You’ll need at least one person to help you out. Have you thought of that?”

  “Not yet, but I’m planning to. Now that I’m totally free of my job, I’ll do some home work. Mamma’s insisting on staying at the hospital. We can see Pappa only during visiting hours. I’m glad I carried my laptop with me. I’ll first talk to Bharat and find out what he thinks before doing my home work. What say?”

  “Go for it. One condition though. I want to taste some of your exotic cooking.”

  Dia grinned. “Done, beginning with today’s lunch.”

  Pia was totally impressed with the pizza that her sister made for lunch. “This is so yummy. So much better than what most restaurants serve. You’re on the right track.” She gave Dia her green signal.

  Dia called Bharat after lunch. “I need to talk to you, something serious.”

  “Go on and tell me, as long as it’s not about your leaving me,” he joked, half-serious. Yesterday morning had been a nightmare.

  “Stop it Bharat. You know I didn’t leave you. Don’t keep saying that again and again.” Dia got bugged with him.

  “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” It was no fault of hers. “That was unfair on my part, Dia. Please tell me.”

  Dia took a few moments to get her thoughts together before talking, “My boss fired me.”

  “Oh! You don’t sound awfully upset though.”

  Dia laughed. “No, I’m not.”

  “Phew! I’m glad to hear that. I’ve also been wanting to talk to you. Will you be okay with moving to Jaipur after we’re married? Or do you want to live in Mumbai?”

  “Did I tell you how much I love you? Mwah! This is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Huh?”

  “You didn’t tell me how much you love me.”

  Dia laughed again. “I’d rather show you when we meet.”

  “Shall I come over? Even if I leave now, I’ll reach there by night. Just let me…”

  “My darling Bharat, I explained to you yesterday. I can’t let you stay at my family home when my parents are out. Nor can I stay with you in a hotel. Please understand…”

  “Come on, Dia. Of course I understand. It’s not only about having sex with you. I love you baby. I just want to be close to you in your time of need, and help you in any way I can. I’ll stay in a hotel, of course, and will meet your parents on
ly when you give me the green flag.”

  There was silence from Dia’s end as she digested what he’d said just now. She felt goose pimples stand out all over her body. Bharat loved her, truly. Not just her body, but her whole self. “Please come, Bharat. I could do with a hug from you,” she said softly. “And I’d love to move to Jaipur, if you’re fine with it.”

  Bharat hooted, glad on both counts. “Catch you soon, babe,” he said, disconnecting the phone, in a rush to leave for Meerut. It took him barely half an hour to pack a suitcase, inform Shatru and his parents before driving towards Dia’s home. She had already pinged him the address. Bharat switched on the stereo in his car and sat back to enjoy the drive at a steady pace, as the car ate up the miles. He decided to take the shortest route via NH48 as he would reach fastest that way, hopefully in a little less than eight hours.

  24

  When he stopped for a cup of tea, Bharat located Bravura Gold Resort that wasn’t very far from Dia’s home at Vardhman Emerald Greens. He booked a deluxe room for himself for two nights before continuing on his journey.

  It was five minutes past eight when he rang the Mathurs’ doorbell. “Hello Bharat,” greeted Pia, letting him into the living room with a wide smile. “Or should I call you jijaji?” she smiled.

  Bharat grinned at her, giving her a hug. “Not unless you want me to call you saaliji.”

  “Ugh! No way,” she laughed.

  “Exactly.” His breath caught in his throat when he saw Dia coming down the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. “Hey.” He rushed to her and lifted her in his arms, giving her a chaste kiss on her forehead. “How’s my favourite girl?”

  “Ecstatic.” Dia kissed him full on his lips, taking her time about it, rejoicing in his hold.

  He put her down carefully, ending the kiss. He looked at her with curious brown eyes. “I thought you told me to keep my hands off?”

  Mischievous silver eyes looked back at him. “When did I say that?” she asked innocently.

  He placed both his hands on her rear, pulling her close to his aroused body. “See what you do to me? I thought this wasn’t allowed in your parents’ home? Or were you pulling my leg?” Noticing that Pia had disappeared, he rubbed himself against her, burying his face against her throat. Kissing the pulse beating there, he said, “I missed you baby.”