Page 68 of 12 Years
‘What to do alone at home? It feels lonely without you.’
‘Aww. I can’t come tonight. I told my family that I need to talk to them post-dinner. It’s a formal, scheduled meeting.’
‘What did they say?’
‘They seem worried. They asked what happened. Now I’ll tell them.’
‘Cool. All the best.’
‘Thanks. Okay, quiet. I mean mute. Just listen. Going now.’
I heard her place the phone in her handbag. I could hear distant but clear voices as Payal entered a room.
‘What on earth has happened? Why did you want to talk to us like this?’ I heard a female voice. That would be Payal’s mother, Yashodha Jain, I figured.
‘Nothing, Mom. It’s something I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time.’
‘You lost your job?’ a young male voice said, laughing. Vansh, her brother.
‘No, I didn’t,’ Payal said. ‘And before you comment on my job, tell me, do you even have a job?’
‘I’m doing lots of things, sister,’ Vansh said.
‘Like what? Playing video games? Doing vodka shots in the afternoon with your loser friends?’
‘Get lost,’ Vansh said. ‘You don’t even have friends.’
‘Stop it, you two,’ I heard a firm adult male voice. Anand Jain, the father. ‘Payal beta, what is it?’ he said.
‘It’s nothing to worry about,’ Payal said.
‘Then?’ Yashodha said.
‘This Parimal thing …’
‘You’ve already fought enough with me on this,’ Yashodha said. ‘You don’t even understand these things, Payal.’
‘What fight?’ Anand said.
‘She wants to return the bangles they sent.’
‘Why?’ Anand said. ‘They sent it out of love. They treat you like their own daughter.’
‘But I’m not their daughter.’
‘You will be. Their daughter-in-law,’ Anand said in a definitive voice.
Maybe I was the one who needed to worry here.
‘I’m twenty-two, Dad. Too young to be someone’s bahu.’
‘How old is Akanksha? Same age as you no? She’s been married two years already,’ Anand said.
‘Yes, exactly,’ Yashodha said in an excited voice. ‘Akanksha looks so happy. Did you see her Diwali photos on Facebook? She looks radiant in that onion-coloured zari lehenga.’
‘I’m not Akanksha, Mom. I’m not into onion-coloured zari lehengas. I work at Blackwater. I’m not aspiring to be a stupid housewife,’ Payal said in a loud, irritated voice.
‘Your own mother is a stupid housewife,’ Yashodha said.
