“If the world falls apart, if judgment comes upon us tomorrow, if dreams snatch your sleep. That’s not the end, consider it a beginning. The new beginning! “

“Good morning everyone, I am RJ Monisha and you are listening to Moody Mornings only on Radio Mirchi 98.3 fm, it’s hot. Yes, it is really really hot, I meant the weather outside. Jaipur is burning with 42 degrees, guys. What could be the best recreation at this time? Let me guess, nothing is gonna match up to the bliss of basking in the cool water, isn’t it? So, pick up your cell phone, dial the number 233390 and let me know the first weird thought that you get after noticing the weather and win a chance to get stretch out in the Marine Life water park. So, hurry up and till then, listen to this beautiful song dedicated to the most awaited rain.” With that, Barso Re Megha Megha poured in my room through the speakers of home theatre and I lazily stretched my body to the fullest, preparing for the daily session of power yoga.

I was always in preference to the power yoga and cardio than any other exhaustive work out. It somehow relaxed me and was the safest option to be fit without any consideration of having an uncoordinated stretch of limbs that could end up in ailing. I spread out the mat on the marbled floor and increased the volume of the speakers as the song changed to Naina Thag lenge.

Risking it, I jerked the blinds away from my windows and sun outside, glowing at its full glory, smirked at me. Despite the windowpanes, I could feel the glaring of sunbeams that made me thankful of the air conditioner without which it was hard to survive in Jaipur whatsoever. The heat emitting from the ground could morph a metal into liquid state.

I got back to my place and set off a few basic Asana that I had mastered over the course of four years of practicing yoga. Soon, I was done and exhausted with that. I snatched up my clothes from the cupboard and bunched up my hair in a messy bun, the frizzy locks bounced on my shoulders. I neatly folded the mattress and slid it under the pet bed. I did the routine and changed into the flower printed jumpsuit as it was Saturday and being in the corporate world, it was a perk to have Saturdays off.

“Mom!” I yelled sprinting downstairs and sequestered my position on the double set sofa installed in the living, “Coffee!” I switched on the television and channeled to NDTV Business to get into the swing with the latest update.

“It is good to sometime to jog inside the kitchen to make coffee for yourself.” I smiled as the mocking reached my ears, I could never fail in putting a name on that voice. I didn’t deter from scanning the news. Shankar who worked as a menial in our home served me the coffee shortly. He was here to assist us since the day dad got his transfer in Jaipur. Being a high official in the department of customs, dad had several privileges and Shankar was a part of them. In fact, we had three servants in total who were always in commission to get the orders that mom hardly gave to anyone except trimming the lawn, buying groceries and sometimes, assist her in the kitchen.

“Don’t worry. I have people to serve me.” I jeered as my response to the mocking of Siya. I could hear her scoffing as she reached closer with the toast clipped between her lips and snapped her fingers before me, “These are not going to go with you, ma’am.”

“What do you mean?”

“You will know what I mean shortly.” She winked at me and gestured me to shift aside. I did as commanded in a daze and furrowed my eyebrows together while she was at peace, destroying mine. My eyes wandered from her to Shashi who was mopping the floor. I tried to make a hunch maybe she knew anything but it was a vague thought. She was a servant, after all.

“I want to know now.” I prompted, without any delay. Siya casted a glance at me and shook her head, “I told you that you will be informed shortly.”

“If you didn’t tell me now, I am going to question mom.” I rolled my eyes and she snickered, covering her mouth. “I strongly suggest against it because di, you will end up being in an awkward position. Trust me on this.”

“Do you want me to be restless for the whole day until mom tells me?”

“I presume you will have to wait for more than a day.” She smirked, “Since dad is not in the town, you will have to wait until dad is back which will take a fortnight. So, presumptively, you will have to wait for fourteen days.”

I sulked, coiling at one end of the sofa. This was my evil sister; she deliberately sprouted the seeds of curiosity in me and now left them unattended, bare and open. She was significantly manipulative and shrewd and I had to shame in acceding that I was always the guinea pig for her given the fact that she was younger to me by five years. She would help me in providing the news around and I would pay her for that that was supposedly contributing her in raising funds for her higher education in case dad refused to support her but I knew it was a plain white lie, she was investing the whole sum of money in her recreation and only peanuts used to pop by her piggy bank, if she had any.

“Okay fine, how much do you want this time?” I was on point. She bit her lip, pondering and threw the remote on the table before turning to me, completely. “Five thousands, only.”

Her voice was a combination of accomplishment and exuberance. I scrunched my face at her demand and nibbled on the toast, crumbs of it fell over my dress. I swiped them off, “I think I prefer to wait for fourteen days.”

“What?” Shock amalgamated in her voice. I grinned inwardly, knowing it very well that she would cave in. “Okay, two thousand?”

Albeit her proposal was speculative, I tended to break her more. “One thousand, not a penny more than that.”

She seemed to take it into consideration and nodded a while after, “One thousand rupees and the new perfume bottle that you’ve purchased that has notes of smoke in it.”

“No way!” I refused that blatantly, “I am not going to put a bargain on that. You’ve already gifted yourself with my Dolce & Gibbana perfume for an occasion unknown to me, not anymore.”

“Oh, yes. You are.” She jerked her shoulders, reading me. “I know that this news is more important to you than a perfume bottle. It is related to your future. Besides, you’ve got plenty of money. You can visit the mall anytime.” She emphasized on the ‘future’.

“I don’t want to waste money.”

“Waste money?” She tried the word as it was foreign to her. “Di, money is not some sort of limited resource that is going to waste if you spend a little. Consider the fact that mom dad are immaculately saving money for us. So why do you have to bother for something as trivial as tagged ‘saving’? I am your only sibling; you should spend it on me.”

“I don’t see any reason to spend money on my sibling.”

“Recall the part where I said the news is pertaining to your future.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me, suggestively.

“Okay fine. What is it?”

ESV sniffed in a corner at my incompetency of standing root against her. ‘This evil witch is burgling you overtly and you’re a wimp to that.’

ESV was my subconscious voice. Very much akin to that of yours, except it had a tendency of providing me with the badass, savage replies for anything and plenty of quirks irrespective of the probability of the fact that I might not just want them, at all. Therefore, I called it Evil Shree Voice aka ESV.

“Okay, the news is…” She started off when I wrapped my palm on her mouth and impeded, “Not here, idiot! Come with me.” I pulled her on her feet and sprinted upstairs to my room. Once inside, I locked the door firmly and veered at her, “Now.”

“Okay,” She roamed her eyes around and pranced to my dresser to get hold of the said perfume bottle she demanded and positioned it as a mike. “So, the news is that the most eligible bachelor of our society has sought your hand. For the wedlock, of course! What I gathered from the sources, his aunt took a fancy to you and she has asked mom to think over it, your alliance with the said bachelor.”

“What?” This wasn’t something I had bargained for. My eyebrows reached to the hairline in surprise and I blinked thrice to contemplate it. “Did I just hear...wedlock?”

“You did.”

“What the hell! Who’s dying to swallow my maidenhood just when I have turned twenty three?” I had so many cousins who were of nuptial age but this ‘aunt’ noticed me only? It was an uninvited issue for me.

ESV sniped at me, ‘Were you planning to celibate? Count me out if that’s what you’re chalking out.’ I shooed her away instantly.

“What’s his name?”

“Abhimanyu.” Siya announced as if he were an emperor which only compelled me to roll my eyes. “Who is this? Is he someone that we are familiar with?”

“I think I have an idea.” She jogged her memories, doing a freefall on the bed, “He’s Shikha aunt’s distant nephew and Roma aunt’s sister’s cousin’s son. All that I’ve managed to pull together involves that he is directing his father’s company as CEO and he was present in Aditi di’s wedding. Oh, maybe that’s where Shikha aunt has thought that you both could be a potential match.”

“Shikha aunt sought this match?” Shikha aunt was my dad’s cousin, a close one actually. In back of my mind, I was still cracking the puzzle. Roma aunt’s sister’s cousin’s son! Isn’t it a bit too complicated? Well, we had this happy go lucky big fat family and our family ties were a bit complicated for generation three to remember. I belonged to this generation three.

“I am not sure.” Siya raked her fingers through her hair and inspected them, “Perhaps, Mr. Groom himself has selected you for him and chose Shikha aunt to only deliver the proposal.”

“What rubbish!”

“Hey, this could be possible.” She flopped on her stomach and rested her chin on her cupped palms. “Did you see him?”

“No! I didn’t.” I dragged my knees closer to my chest and cinched my arms around them. “Did you?”

“If he had been hot, I would have definitely.” She replied, nonchalantly that it made me giggle. I swatted her arm and she grinned as well. “So, what have you thought?”

“About?”

“About this alliance, duh!” She banged her head on the bed at my stupidity probably.

“What’s in there to think?” I chewed on my lower lip, furrowing my eyebrows at her exaggerated reaction.

“Did you feel tingles and anything of that sort in your belly?” She was more excited than me. Her eyes twinkled and I huffed, “Are you dupe? How can I feel tingles for someone I haven’t seen?”

“No, I mean generally you should feel tingles when it concerns your marriage. Right?”

“No! I don’t think so. Anyway, how did you know all of these and that too in great details?” I inquired, popping my fingers. It was when I noticed that the color faded off her face and she gulped, avoiding eye contact with me.

“Um…I…actually…eavesdropped?” She punctuated it as a question itself.

“You did what?”

“See, I didn’t want to but I was just passing by and I happened to hear it and I thought it was something interesting to know and then, I ended up hearing it all.” She blabbered followed by a long drawn sigh.

“You are being impolite, Siya. I am so disappointed in you.” I was pissed at her for her crudeness. ESV pondered it to be a good manner to interrupt, ‘Is it because she told you about the hypothetical wedding?’

“No, it’s not because of that.”

“Ah, what?” Siya twisted her eyebrow at me and I gave her a hard glare. “Do not try to swerve me from the topic.”

“I am sorry for that.” She mumbled, sitting up and dangled her legs down. “It wasn’t on purpose. I was really not intending to hear it but mom was speaking so loud on her cell phone that it just penetrated in my ears and I heard it all. I really didn’t plan it.”

“Try telling that to mom.” I snubbed and she glared me, “This is wrong, di. I did a favor to you by informing you about the whole thing and you are conniving to frame me.”

“I never asked you to eavesdrop, so don’t even try to make me your ally. Intended or not, it is still a felony and I must tell you that if mom knows about it, you will be dead. D-E-A-D.”

“Thanks for making me feel better.” She twitched her lips and got up, “You should say thanks to me but I think you are in opposition. Just hand me my fees and get done with me.”

An evil thought surfaced in my mind as I tamed my hair, “I don’t have the changes now.”

“Hey! You are lying.” She accused me, “I know you’ve money.”

“Why will I lie?” I played again. She made a puppy face, cutest in the world and whined. “Di, please. Don’t play now, I know you are lying.” And with that, she crawled on me tickling my sides until I was in stitches.

“Okay okay, stop!” I whizzed in giggles and pushed her away. She folded her knees and sat on the bed awaiting. I skated down on my feet and took out my clutch from my reticule. Counting a thousand rupee, I thrust in her hand with a fair warning. “Treat me if you’re going to eat something or else hide it in your piggy Jar.”

‘I think she will have a mini version of WB with the sum of money and in a few years, she will be crediting loans to developing countries.’ ESV quipped, mocking me silently sipping her coffee and I nodded my head having the same mind because it was making holes in my wallet. Satisfied, Siya squealed for her newly earned money and ran out of the room, making me smile at her antics. I blew air in exhaustion and did a face plant on the bed.