10. Karwachoth fast

Preeti's point of view 

Days and weeks passed like this. Neeta maa and Akhil dad talk to me often. Keerti also phoned me and told me about her days. Siddharth never called me back after that day. I was little disappoiny about this. Maybe he got angry because I didn't replied his 'hello'.

I didn't inform kshama about what mummy told me the Karwachoth fast.

I will tell her when we will go to shopping. We can't go for shopping because of the work load in office due to festive season and at weekends we were to lazy to go anywhere but we decided, today we will go for shopping because only four days left for Karwachoth fast and I didn't do any preparations.

"Let's go to fashion corners. They sails best lehnga in whole Saharanpur." Kshama said while pointing to the show room of fashion corners.

Indeed they sails the best traditional clothes in whole city but they are expensive too.

"But they are expensive too." I said looking at the shop.

"Come on preeti.. Your husband is a billionaire and you are thinking about spending some thousands rupees." She said looking at me annoyingly.

I turned crimson when he mentioned Siddharth as my husband. His only mention make me that blush I don't know what will happen to me when he will be infront of me 24×7 after marriage.

"Now stop blushing come." She hold my hand and dragged me inside the showroom.

"Hello.. ma'am.. how may I help you." Sails boy asked us when we both settled on the chair.

"Show us some beautiful lehngas. But they should not be heavy. We want something simple." Kshama said to sails boy.

"...and it should not be too expensive." I said immediately before he could take out any expensive lehnga.

Kshama looked at me and narrowed her eyes on me.

I gave her a pleading look and she only shaked her head.

"Bhaiya do as she said." Kshama said to sails boy.

After rejected few lehnga we bought a lehnga. It was a baby pink glittering lehnga. It looks beautiful and under my budget. 

"Kshama.. mummy told me buy something in red because it's my first Karwachoth." I said looking at my lehnga in shopping bag.

"Don't worry this colour is also for bride." She said looking for rickshaw.

She give her hand and one auto is stopped infront of us.

"Bhaiya collectorate chaloge. (Will you go to collectorate?)" Kshama asked to auto driver.

"Ji madam chalenge. (Yes ma'am i will go.)" Auto driver said.

Kshama nodded her head and we both hopped inside the auto.

"When will you coming to my home." Kshama asked me.

I tucked the strand of hair behind my ear which fall on my face due to wind.

"Actually I forget to tell you something." I said.

"What?"

"I am not coming to your home." I said.

"Why..?" She asked me.

"Mummy gave me a permission to fasting Karwachoth for Siddharth." I said while blushing.

I turned my head in other direction to hide my blush when I said his name.

"Okey that's cool. Then I will come to your home to get you ready." She said while stepping out from the auto. 

I paid the fair of her because her stop come before me.

"Okey bye. I'll see you then." She said and turned to other side to crossed the road.

..........

Kshama came to my home, a day before of Karwachoth festival. Her parents are out of town so she will live with us in our home.

"Do you like it..?" Kshama asked me looking at the henna in my hand. She applied it beautifully.

I nodded my head looking at the henna in my hand.

We both are sitting in my room. Mummy told me to apply henna on my hands as per the ritual so Kshama is applying henna in my hand.

"Wait one thing is left." She said while taking a henna cone from bedside table.

"What..?" I asked her confusingly.

"Your husband's name." She said while writing 'S' at the bottom of my ring finger.

My lips curled into a smile and I smiled shyly.

"Let me take pictures of your henna for your sister in law." Kshama took my phone and click few pictures of my mehndi.

........................................................................

Today is Karwachoth and I didn't ate or drink anything since morning not even water. Kshama helped me getting ready and and make wear some jewelries. I heared Karwachoth Karwachoth vrat katha (fast prayer) with other married women and they all teased me to death. Whole day my was red due to blushing.It's already 8.30 p.m but there is no sign of moon. I and Kshama standing in my room's balcony looking towards the sky for a sign of moon.

"God this fast is so tough. How could you stay all day without drinking and eating anything." Kshama said while looking at the sky.

I chuckled softy at her comment.

"You will know when you will get married." I said while looking at the sky.

"I am not going to do any fast for my husband. I love my food." She said while walking to the other side of the balcony.

"We will see." I said while chuckling.

"Preeti.. look there..moon came out."

Kshama said point to the sky.

"Where...? I can't see." I said looking at the sky.

"Idiot come here."

I walked to her and looked at the sky. 

Indeed there is a orange moon in the sky.

I woder why it's always orange every year at this day.

We bothbwalked inside the room. I took the aarti thal and chalni with glass of water.

I turned to kshma and she picked Siddharth's photo from my bed side table. 

I raised my eyebrows in question.

"Your husband.." she said while rolling her eyes on me.

We both walked to my balcony and I started dooing pooja.

Kshma is making my vedio on my phone for the memory of my first Karwachoth.

Ring...Ring 

Ring...Ring 

"Preeti.. some keerti is doing vedio call to you." She said while looking at my phone.

"Oh! Pick it up it's my sister in law." I said hurriedly.

She picked the call and give it to me. I took the phone from her and keerti's face came on my sight.

"Hey.. Good morning bhabhi.. Oh! Sorry...there was night." She said while bitting her tongue.

"Good morning.." I chuckled softly and wished her good morning.

"You are looking so preety.." she said while loking at me in awe.

I turned into crimson. I am not used of compliments.

"Thankyou.." I whispered while lowring mh head.

"I woke up early and checked on internet if moon is come out in India or not. Moon came right?" She asked me.

I nodded my head while showing her the moon.

"Bhabhi I know it's your first Karwachoth and bhayi was not there so you open your fast on video call with bhayi." Keerti said while moving.

What No..No..

I can't face him. Please No God No.

"Keerti.. It's not need. I can open my fast with his picture." I pleaded yo her silently.

"Bhabi we lived in twenty first century. Full of technology. So take some advantages of it." She said walking into a room.

She turned on the back camera of her phone and I saw a large room.

Someone was standing infront of the mirror and looking at the back I know who he was.

My cheeks turned red looking at his bare shoulders.

He pulled the shirt up on his bare broad mascular shoulders. His shoulders wings collected and then stretched when he finally pull his shirt up.

"Bhayi..."

"Hmm.." 

"Bhayi I need your five minutes." Keerti said.

"Why..?" He turned to camera while buttoning his sleeves cuffs. But didn't look at the camera.

My heart beat increased looking at his face and my face turned into crimson.

Ksham came to my side looking at my red face. She wiggled her eyebrows looking between the camera and me.

"Today is bhabhi's first Karwachoth. So she needs you for open her fast."

His action halts. He is still looking down. His lips curled into a smile but he wiped it off before anyone can see that.

Keerti turned on the front camera again.

"Bhabi here..talked to bhayi and open your fast." Keerti said and handed her phone to Siddharth.

His face come into my phone screen and this time he is looking at me through the camera.

My face turned into beetroot when our eyes met. My heart beats at its fastest pace. I lowered my eyelids and looked down.

"Come on bhabhi starts the ritual. I have a college but I want to see you to do the rituals." Keerti said while coming to the screen beside Siddharth.

I lifted my eyelids and looked at them.

Siddharth is glaring to keerti silently saying her to leave us alone.

"What..? I am not going to budge from here. You can talk to her alone later. But I want to see her to do the rituals." Keerti said while shrugging her shoulders.

"Bhabhi.. you start" she said.

"Okey.." I whispered while nodding my head.

I looked at the place to put the phone on right place so they can see me clearly.

"Give it to me. I will hold it for you." Kshama said while taking the phone from my hand.

I give her my phone and she hold it infront of me. I put my dupatta on my head and took the chalni (net plate) and diya.

I lit the diya carefully and make a wall around it with my hand so it cannot extinguish due to wind.

I looked at Siddharth and he is already looking at me with a different shining in his eyes. His lips slightly curled into a small smile and he is glowing with happiness I guess.

I put diya in net chalni and looked at moon through it. I closed my eyes and then looked at Siddharth through it. 

We both have a different emotions in our eyes and looked at eachother without blinking like we can see eachother's soul. We both looked at eachother with same emotions for a while. 

I averted my gaze from him and took the arti thal. First I took a arti of moon and give water to moon and then joined my both hands in prayer.

Kshama helped me to hold my arti thal when I gave the water to moon. I take back the arti thal from her and took arti of Siddharth.

We didn't say a single word to eachother but it felt like we both are talking through our eyes.

I put tilak on phone screen as i am doing his tilak. I saw keerti did tilak of him. 

"Bhabhi I will do everything with bhayi which you doing there. That's it feel little that bhayi was there with you." Keerti said coming on the region of camera view.

I nodded my head slightly with a smile on my face.

"Bhayi drink this so bhabi can also drink the water." Keerti said while giving him a glass of water.

Siddharth took a glass from her and drink it while looking at me.

I blushed when his eyes didn't avert from me.

I slowly took the water glass from my plate and drink it.

Keerti give him a piece of sweet and he eat it still looking at me.

I also took the piece of sweet and eat it, looking down.

I raised my eyelids and he is still looking at me with same emotions in his eyes, like he wants to say something.

He opened his mouth to say something but before he could say anything keerti snatched her phone from him.

"Bhabhi I will talk to later. I am getting late for my college." Shae said and cut the call.

I feel little disappointment not yo talk to him. This is the second time we both are on phone and didn't talk anything.

"What happened..?" Kshama asked me.

I shake my head as 'no' while giving her a half smile.

........................................................................

It's October already and a two and a half month left for my marriage.

Diwali is coming soon. Diwali is my favourite fastival. I love to decorate house and making Rangoli. 

Only few days left for Diwali and I have lots of preparation to do but I don't get time because of my busy schedule. I told kshama everything about Siddharth's phone call and what I do. She scolded me not to say anything to him and cut the call. I assured her that I call him again but little I know that I don't have courage to call him.

These days I feel very law I don't know why but I feel I am missing something. Todaybis one of the worst day in my office because of Priyanka and her boyfriend, I mean my boss Bing bitchy to me. Priyanka played pranks on me and say bad things to me to make me feel small in everyone's eyes and when I replied to her,. Her boyfriend came to save her and scold me and threatened me to fired me. I am fed up all of this. I wanted to quit this job but I can't do this, because after so many rejections I got this job and I respect my job a lot.

I came home alone because kshama leave early today. I feel lost today. I am not aware of my surroundings. I just thinking while walking to home. Why I'm so vulnerable that everyone used me for their work and scold me if I don't do things according to them, well they scold me if I do accordingly. It doesn't matter to them what I was doing was right or wrong they just want me to feel low and week.

Today I miss Siddharth so much. I don't know why but I am missing him so muvh. I want let out all my feelings to him and wanted to cry on his shoulder and want him to protect me in his arms. I want him to protect me from this cruel world where I am nothing to anyone.

I don't know when I reached home. Mummy came to me happily. She holds my hands and took me to the livingroom. Papa is talking to someone on phone.

" Ji Akhil ji. You are most welcome in our home anytime. " Papa said with a smile. 

Papa keep silent while Akhil dad talking from other line.

" Ji ji sure, just let me know when you are coming. I'll make arrangements." Papa asked. 

I asked my mother while gesturing from my eyes. 

' your in laws' she mouthed me. 

I listened very carefully what they are talking about.

" I'll tell everyone." After saying this papa cut the call.

"What they said."mummy asked eagerly.

"Preeti's in laws will come this Diwali to our home. They wanted to see Diwali of India. So Alkil ji will come India before a week of Diwali and they will stay here with us for a week or more." Papa said.

"Is Siddharth ji also coming." Mummy asked papa , looking at me.

I lowered my head. I turned into crimson when mummy asked papa about him while looking at me. I had a small smile on my face.

"Yes he is also coming." Papa said with a smile.

My lips curled into a wide smile but I hide it immediately before anyone can notice it.

I immediately got up and run upstairs towards my room. After closing the door, I lean to the door and put my hand to my heart. It is beating really fast. 

I am going to see him. Like infront of me.

Shit!..