Part 52

Mumbai

December 29^th 2012

9:32 pm

Shaan switched impatiently between both his phones, they were parked near Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel, a km away from Four Seasons the wedding venue…. The crowd was swelling, one of Mumbai’s poshest weddings, designers and diamonds vied for attention, there was private security and Mumbai police everywhere to keep gawkers away, Dadi searched in her purse for some tissue to dabd her sweaty nose….

Madhavi: I told Mom Pradeep ko bhejo.

Dadi: Sunil ka driver Abbas gaya hai….

Shaan: Dadi are they home?

Dadi:They had a 7 O clock apptt at the salon, maine 6 bols, tumhari woti ne usko 7 kar diya…

Shaan was irritated, he was well aware of how Khanak didn’t worry about time when it was not about work, or work related commitments…

She lived in her own world….

Shaan:Did you convince Ritu?

Dadi:Nahi! Who ik vaari gal karni shuru tey hore koi… (Dadi shakes her head helplessly, laughing hard)

His wife never answered her phone, now Ritu wasn’t either…

Pradyun:Dadi.. where is everybody?

Dadi:Aaja puttar! Tu vi aa

Shaan is visibly irritated now, Pradyun is wearing a green sherwani in silk with embroidery and glitz… Shaan thinks he looks like a clown…

Kritik is wearing a muted, tan, kurta and a maroon chudidar…

As for Shaan…. He was dressed in a charcoal/ash grey blazer, a white shirt and black as his wife’s eyes pants… Dadi had pinned a venetian red rose on his blazer much to his chagrin…

His hair was neatly combed and he was as groomed as the groom himself….

His eyes were restless as usual, scanning the crowds, focusing on the cars that pulled up…. The groom was absent, his glittering decked up chariot waited…. Just like Shantanu…

Pradyun: Have you seen Mum?

Dadi: Idhar thi, shaayad Sunil ke saath paani lene gayi hogi, they had mobile water kiosks in the baraat route…

Shaan gave him a look akin to “Are we missing Mommy?”

Pradyun: I forgot my phone Dadeee will let Ray know?

Dadi:Sure beta!

Shaan dialed again…

Ritu answered “Gujraaaaaaaaaaal”

Shaan:Wherethe hell are you guys?

Ritu: Mudkar ko dekhen janaab…

Shaan looks around…….. he cant spot any body…

A silver Merc comes to a gliding halt….

His eyes light up….

Ray exits, followed by Ritu…. His wife eventually appears……….. wearing a saree in liquid gold…… it has some lace and pearls on the edge… she is wearing a venetian red blouse…… more like a scrap of silk! (his mind curses as his body stirs) it’s a shred of fabric covering her upper front, with a bow on the back, bright red rubies sparkle in her ears, her hair is partly down, partly tied up, messy yet stylish……… no jewelry anywhere, except a purple butterfly tattoo  4 inches under her collarbone…. Its on a vine… most of the vine hidden under the scrap of a blouse…………some of the vine hiding between her cleft

“Nobody wears it like you do, nobody caries it like you do” his heart sings seeing the saree…….

Women turn sideways to stare at her……. Her eyes scan the crowd, just as his did moments ago….

It’s a quick scan “Object found” her brain signaled…..

If he was breathing heavily through his mouth, nobody heard… but the heat was unmistakable… as she approached…