Part 8

The three girls walked into the room where the bride was getting ready. The people in the room were in two sects. One was the older ladies who were a little far from the bride and in some discussions of their own but kept a watchful eye on the activities near the bride. The second were the younger girls who were around the bride helping her if she needed anything and cracking jokes or giggling but keeping it down so the older women can’t catch their discussions. Payal, Khushi and Lavanya moved towards the bride when she looked up and said “you guys are late… I thought you will be here with me from the afternoon.”

“Sorry sorry Sarita, we are here now and we promise not to be late for any other ceremony till the wedding is done.” Payal replied for all of them

“I don’t know about all the ceremonies…. but if you want I can be there early for the SuhagRaat.” Said Lavanya with a very innocent face but no one could miss the twinkle in her eye.

“LAVANYAAA!!” the bride’s reaction.

Khushi burst into fits of giggles. Of the people gathered around there, some felt shy and looked away, some found it funny and joined Khushi and some found it downright shocking and stared at Lavanya. Payal went around and started tucking the flowers in the bride’s hair that seemed out of place.

“Payal jiji, these two haven’t changed even a little.” Sarita complained

“Tell me about it Sarita, I have to deal with this every day.” Payal replied with a smile checking to see in the flowers were set properly now “Anyway leave that, I have to tell you that you look very beautiful today, Sharath is a lucky guy.”

Just then

“HELLO HI BYE BYE… bhat ijj happening? Ijj bride readych or no?”

Khushi turned and found a lady in shocking pink saree with too much make up and heavy jewelry, “wow could anybody be comfortable dressed like that?” She thought.

The lady moved nearer to the bride and said “Sarita, sasuma is herz to bless you.”

Khushi hadn’t looked at anybody since she laid eyes on this lady in pink. Now she turned her attention to the other lady who had come in after the lady in pink. The older lady looked like the dowager queen of some land. She wore an off white sari and pearl jewelry that was not too much or too little… it was just right.

The most attractive part were her eyes which shown with intelligence and wisdom. Khushi straightened up to show her instant respect for the older lady, she also noticed that Lavanya did the same. It surprised her as she had never see Lavanya do that for any stranger. Then Khushi realized it was the effect the old lady had on everyone around her. Khushi’s respect for the lady grew. The older lady moved closer as Sarita stood up went towards her and started bending to touch her feet. She was stopped by the older lady midway

“That is not how grandchildren are blessed, Sarita Bitiya, they are hugged when they are blessed.” she said gently taking Sarita into a hug.

Khushi knew then that her opinion on the old lady was 100% right. She caught Payal’s eye and realized that her sister had a similar opinion. 

“Where is Anjali di, dadiji?” asked Sarita

“She is waiting down stairs, too many stairs for her to come up bitiya.” Said Dadiji

Before anything else could be said Sarita’s mom walked in and said groom and most of the guests had arrived and it was time to get the function started. Everybody started walking out of the room with the bride including Khushi.

Sarita’s mom walked over to Khushi and held her back and whispered “Khushi bitiya, can you please do me a favor, me and your uncle have planned a surprise for the couple on the rooftop can you go and check to see if everything is ready?”

“Sure aunty, will check on it right away.” Khushi replied

“Thank you, bitiya” Sarita’s mom said and left

Khushi signaled for Payal and Lavanya who were waiting for her, to go on down. They nodded before they left. Khushi waited for the room to clear out before she headed for the rooftop. She heard the old lady tell the lady in pink “Manorama, you go ahead I will be there in a bit.”

Khushi turned around and started to clear up the dressing table a little as the make up things were laying around everywhere. She and Lavanya were no strangers to this house. Sarita, Lavanya and she were practically inseparable till higher secondary when they chose different careers. Sarita wanted to do business management and help her father after graduating. They kept in touch with frequent visits and dinner dates, the familiarity was not lost. But hers and Lavanya’s friendship had turned into a bond now, a bond that could stand on par with the bond she had with her family. Khushi was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard something crash to the floor. She turned to find the old lady holding on to the study table for support and she looked ready to lose her conscious.

Her instincts kicked in and Khushi rushed over to her and held the old lady up from collapsing. She kicked the swiveling chair at the study table to face her and turned to the old lady and said “Auntyji please sit in this chair.” helped the old lady lower herself into the chair.

When the lady had settled she moved the chair towards the bed she needed to first make sure the lady wouldn’t fall even if she becomes unconscious, in this age it could lead to broken bones and long healing times. When they reached the bed side, Khushi helped her lay down on to the bed.

In the meantime Khushi was assessing the situation in her head. It had to either be blood pressure related or due to low glucose. She saw beads of sweat forming on the lady’s forehead when she was helping her to lie down. She decided it was blood pressure but she needed to be sure, she said

She rushed to the study table where she had noticed a can of sprite there brought it back and gently helped the lady turn to her side and raise her upper body a little and helped her take a couple of sips and helped her lay back down.

“Auntyji are you diabetic?” the lady nodded in the negative.

“Do you have blood pressure problems?” the lady nodded in the positive.

“Did you take your medication today?” the lady nodded in the negative.

While asking her the questions Khushi was checking her pulse, it was high but not enough to harm the lady fatally. Khushi relaxed a little and said

“Auntyji please take a few more sips of this” and held the sprite can to the lady’s lips and after she lay back down.

“Auntyji, please take a few deep breaths and relax. I am a doctor and will be right here beside you till you feel better.” It was especially important for hypertension patients to feel relaxed.

She found her clutch on the dresser and fished out her phone and dialed Lavanya’s number and when Lavanya answered she said “Lavanya go and get your medical kit from the car and meet me in Sarita’s room, make sure not to disturb the function. Make it fast.”

She knew Lavanya will be here in no time and turned to check on the lady who had her eyes closed and noticed the color was back in her face. She went and sat beside the lady and took her pulse again, it was still a little high but it was steady and strong and lower than what it was before.

She saw the old lady open her eyes and Khushi smiled at her reassuringly.

“Are you feeling any better auntyji? Your medication will be here soon. Please let me know if you feel uncomfortable.” She said steadily looking into the older woman’s eyes. The older woman smiled a weak smile and held Khushi’s had in hers and closed her eyes again.

She heard a noise and looked at the door to see Payal walk in with a glass of water in her hand and take in the situation in front of her and ask “Blood pressure?” she knew it had to be blood pressure if it was glucose Khushi would have asked Lavanya to bring something sweet before her medical kit. She held out the water to Khushi.

Khushi nodded, took the water and turned to the lady and said

“Auntyji please drink a little water.” The old lady smiled and tried to sit up straight. Khushi said “No aunty you need you medication before you sit up straight or stand.”

The lady nodded and drank the water in a semi sitting position and lay back down and said “I am feeling much better bitiya”

Khushi and Payal smiled and Payal asked “Auntyji can I call someone for you?”

“haan bitiya please call my grandson, he will be with my granddaughter, don’t let her know otherwise she will want to come up here. She can’t climb all the stairs, her leg will hurt.” The lady gave a pause and saw Payal nodding and continued “His name is Aakash Singh Raizada” she finished with a smile.

As Payal left the room Lavanya walked in with her medical kit. Khushi immediately asked for the BP machine and Lavanya handed it to her and then took her steth and climbed on the bed from the other side and checked the old lady while Khushi measured her BP. The old lady looked at Lavanya questioningly and Khushi explained

“She is also a doctor Auntyji” to put her questions to rest.

They were all coming back to normal but the lady needed medication, so she administered the medication and asked the lady to lie down for some more time.

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Aakash was just hanging around his Di as she talked to the people they knew and make small conversation and looking at the photographer who was clicking away at the couple. His hands itched and his brain started clicking pictures. He was getting annoyed with the photographer who was doing just the routine stuff, he was not even trying to think creatively. He just kept the couple on the dias and took pictures, he could have clicked the couple near the fountain, near that wonderful flower decoration at the entrance, he could have used the wonderfully decorated staircase… and his thoughts came to a dead stop. He didn’t know if what he was seeing was real or his brain was just being creative again.

He just kept staring at the beauty coming down the stairs. She was a vision in a kanjevaram sari and the color of the sari was as if it was woven keeping just her in mind. He couldn’t move his eyes away from her. His heart wished she would just walk straight to him.

The beauty had reached the bottom of the stairs and walked towards Sarita’s mom and asked something. Sarita’s mom looked around the hall and then pointed at him and said something in the beauty’s ear and them it happened. The beauty turned and looked straight at him and his heart skipped a couple of beats as their eyes met. When she started walking towards him, his peripheral vision blurred and all he could see was her and her radiant beauty. As she got closer to him, a small smile was forming on her lips and even the natural action of breathing was becoming an activity that he had to force his body to do.

She stopped near him and said “Excuse me, are you Aakash Singh Raizada?” questioned his goddess.