Page 3 of Red Flags and Rishtas
‘His name is, um … Aakash,’ I said, coming up with the most generic name I could think of.
I was beginning to fear that she would ask to see his Tinder profile. But before she could interrogate me further, the door tomy room swung open. My mom walked in, holding a tray with a bowl of fruits, a packet of chips and two glasses of lemonade.
‘Mom, I wanted a cola,’ I said, pointing to the lemonade.
She pulled my side table to the front of the bed and set the tray down on it.
‘Do you know how much sugar that thing has? You’ll get a tummy like your mummy,’ she said, slightly pleased with her rhyme.
Vrinda laughed, giving her all the encouragement she needed to go on.
‘Vrinda beta, teach her no. You’re always eating healthy and going to the gym and all. And this aloo can’t even get her own snacks from the kitchen,’ she clapped my arm on the word aloo.
Vrinda laughed some more before finally noticing the murderous look I was throwing her. ‘Aloo? She’s thinner than me, Aunty,’ she finally said.
‘Too thin, if you ask me,’ my mother mumbled, adjusting her dupatta.
‘Mom! What’s your problem?’ I asked, opening the packet of chips with a loud pop.
‘You are my problem,’ she said, then leaned forward to tuck a stray hair behind my ear.
‘I just don’t want people to judge my little aloo.’
‘Can you please stop calling me that?’ I demanded, smoothening my loose Steve Carell T-shirt over my stomach, as if to reassure myself that I hadn’t magically gained weight under the scrutiny of my mother’s gaze.
‘Who’s judging her?’ Vrinda asked.
‘You didn’t tell her?’ Mom asked, looking at me like I was supposed to know what she was talking about.
‘Um … no? What’s there to tell?’
‘Don’t tell me you forgot,’ she said, as her hand immediately flew to cup her head. ‘The Chauhans are coming to see you tomorrow!’
I shot up from the bed like someone had lit a fire under my butt.
‘Wait, that’stomorrow?’ I said at the same time as V’s voice went extremely shrill.
‘Someone’s coming toseeyou?’
I held up a hand to her, trying to telepathically communicate.
I’ll explain later. Don’t feed this fire right now.
Her eyes practically screamed at me.
Coming to see you? Like for marriage?
‘Mom, you know how I feel about this whole thing,’ I said. ‘I’m going to turn him down.’
She sighed, shaking her head as she said, ‘First meet him na. He’s a nice boy from such a nice family.’
‘You haven’t even met him!’ I said, throwing my hands up in the air.
‘Okay, okay. Don’t get mad. You don’t have to do anything, just sit through tomorrow. It’s too late to back out of it,’ she said, giving up.
When I didn’t respond, she bent over to peck my forehead. After a few moments of stubborn silence, she left Vrinda and me alone to discuss the mess.
‘Oh my God,’ she breathed.
