Page 5 of One Indian Girl
‘Are you dressed?’
I looked in the mirror.
‘Yeah, almost.’
‘Come down fast. What are you wearing?’
‘The yellow salwar-kameez. Zari border.’
‘Silk?’
‘Yes.’
‘You wore a chain?’
‘Yes.’
‘Come then.’
‘Hey, remember me?’ I heard a voice behind me. I turned around.
‘Brijesh,’ I said to my husband-to-be. ‘Hi.’
I didn’t know what to do next.Should I look shy? Should I giggle? Should I give him a hug?Like an idiot, I shook hands with him while he adjusted his black-rimmed spectacles with his left hand. Unlike how he’d looked in the Skype calls of the past few weeks, he was thinner, his white kurta and blue jeans hanging a bit on him. His neatly combed side-parted hair made him look like those schoolboys whom teachers first ask to become prefects. I smelled strong aftershave.
I was in the lobby. The boy’s side had arrived. They crowded around the special check-in desk. The hotel staff brought in trays filled with glasses of coconut water.
‘I made them get the coconut water. It wasn’t part of the package,’ Suraj told me. He was trying hard to compensate for the rooms’ disaster. He gave me a printout of the week’s plan. I glanced at it.
Radhika weds Brijesh: Itinerary for the week
Day 1:Arrival, check-ins, briefing, relax in resort
Day 2: Goa Darshan Tour for elders and children (11 a.m.-6 p.m.)
Bachelor Party for MrBrijesh Gulati at Club Cubana (8 p.m.)
Bachelorette Party for Ms Radhika Mehta at LPK (8 p.m.)
‘You have organized buses for the bachelor parties?’ I said.
‘Yes, ma’am. The buses will be there at 7.30 at the front entrance.’
I read further.
Day 3:Bhajan and Puja in function room (4 p.m.)
Day 4:Mehndi—counters for all ladies in function room (12-6 p.m.)
Day 5:Sangeet in function room (8 p.m.)
‘The choreographer is here for the sangeet practice?’ I said.
‘No, ma’am. He will arrive in two days. He said that’s enough time for practice.’
I looked at the itinerary again.
Day 6:Wedding at the Grand Ballroom and the Main Lawns (8 p.m.)
