29-06-2020, 08:52 PM
The woman was furious. "I flew all the way out here from Boston for nothing!"
"You poor dear. Your arms must be killing you." A pretty woman in scarlet joined them, giving sameer a grin and the complaining woman an arch look. "And you really ought to go wash those bugs off your teeth, shilpa. Such an ugly sight." She pretended to shudder, but all the time she was looking me up and down.
The woman named shilpa retreated, outraged, but the newcomer stayed, offering her hand.
"Hi. I’m sapna. And I must say, you look almost as good in my dress as I do."
Your dress?" i turned to sameer in alarm, but he was smiling at the woman named sapna with obvious affection. "Meet my kid sister, dipti," he said. "Sorry about the dress, sapna. It was an emergency situation. I shanghaied her to come to this party and she didn’t have time to go home and change."
"You mean, this is your sister’s dress?" i was finally getting the picture.
sapna laughed, reading my mind. "You thought it belonged to one of his old girlfriends, didn’t you? It’s mine. I keep a few items of clothing at his office for the times I’m in town and need a quick change." She patted my arm. "Don’t worry, Dipti. His reputation as a womanizer is highly overrated. I’ve seen him home with a book to keep him warm many a night and…"
"sapna is quite a little storyteller," sameer interrupted, taking my arm and maneuvering me away from his sister. "Which reminds me. It’s about time to tell some stories to my mother."
"Do I have to?" I dreaded this. "We really didn’t plan anything and..."
"Just tell her the truth," he said.
Me : The truth?? not sure what he meant by that. "That you intervied me last week and we fell madly in love?" i asked helplessly.
His crystal-blue eyes were hard to read. "Is that the truth?"
i hesitated, not sure if he was mocking her, or just teasing. But it was too late to find out. He was presenting me to his mother again.
"Tell me, my dear," Mrs. Kocahr said as she patted the seat next to where she was sitting signaling for me to sit beside her. "Who are your people?"
i blinked as I said. "Well, I’m from Chandigarh, if that’s what you mean."
i heard Sameet stifle a laugh and knew Ive made a faux pas. But Mrs. Kochar went on calmly. "No, dear. I’m asking about your family. Your parents. Your grandparents."
"She grew up in a chandigar," sameer began in a tremulous voice. "Her father works in the electricity board
"My son is quite the comedian," the older woman said tartly. "But I’m sure he will remember his manners soon and let you speak for yourself."
"My father is an electrician," i said quickly, giving sameer a look. "And my mother is a housewife.
"I see," Mrs. Kocahr was saying, looking slightly stunned. "And where did you attend college?"
"Oh, chandigarh govt college, of course. I got a degree in computers there."
"govt college," she echoed faintly, making it sound like something she’d found wrapped in greasy newspapers
"Mother prefers the Ivy Leagues," Sameer said, his mouth thin with barely suppressed annoyance. "Or something small and north eastern in the liberal arts." "sameer!" his mother said warningly.
"In fact, I believe your maid’s daughter is going to govt college, isn’t she?" he asked. "I hope she turns out as well as dipti has."
Looking from one to another of these two, i had a sudden flash of insight. Obviously, he had spent a lifetime warding off his mother’s clumsy attempts to take charge of his life. And after the way Mrs. kochar had treated her, ordinarily I might have felt resentment and gone completely to his side. But looking at the man who’d brought me here,I saw frustration and annoyance, and an underlying sense of guilt that complicated matters.
Acting on impulse, I took her hand.
"Mrs.Kochar, please don’t be upset about this," i told her earnestly. "Our engagement is very new and we are going to need some time to decide if it will stick. Please don’t consider this as a sure thing at this time. Anything could happen."
"You poor dear. Your arms must be killing you." A pretty woman in scarlet joined them, giving sameer a grin and the complaining woman an arch look. "And you really ought to go wash those bugs off your teeth, shilpa. Such an ugly sight." She pretended to shudder, but all the time she was looking me up and down.
The woman named shilpa retreated, outraged, but the newcomer stayed, offering her hand.
"Hi. I’m sapna. And I must say, you look almost as good in my dress as I do."
Your dress?" i turned to sameer in alarm, but he was smiling at the woman named sapna with obvious affection. "Meet my kid sister, dipti," he said. "Sorry about the dress, sapna. It was an emergency situation. I shanghaied her to come to this party and she didn’t have time to go home and change."
"You mean, this is your sister’s dress?" i was finally getting the picture.
sapna laughed, reading my mind. "You thought it belonged to one of his old girlfriends, didn’t you? It’s mine. I keep a few items of clothing at his office for the times I’m in town and need a quick change." She patted my arm. "Don’t worry, Dipti. His reputation as a womanizer is highly overrated. I’ve seen him home with a book to keep him warm many a night and…"
"sapna is quite a little storyteller," sameer interrupted, taking my arm and maneuvering me away from his sister. "Which reminds me. It’s about time to tell some stories to my mother."
"Do I have to?" I dreaded this. "We really didn’t plan anything and..."
"Just tell her the truth," he said.
Me : The truth?? not sure what he meant by that. "That you intervied me last week and we fell madly in love?" i asked helplessly.
His crystal-blue eyes were hard to read. "Is that the truth?"
i hesitated, not sure if he was mocking her, or just teasing. But it was too late to find out. He was presenting me to his mother again.
"Tell me, my dear," Mrs. Kocahr said as she patted the seat next to where she was sitting signaling for me to sit beside her. "Who are your people?"
i blinked as I said. "Well, I’m from Chandigarh, if that’s what you mean."
i heard Sameet stifle a laugh and knew Ive made a faux pas. But Mrs. Kochar went on calmly. "No, dear. I’m asking about your family. Your parents. Your grandparents."
"She grew up in a chandigar," sameer began in a tremulous voice. "Her father works in the electricity board
"My son is quite the comedian," the older woman said tartly. "But I’m sure he will remember his manners soon and let you speak for yourself."
"My father is an electrician," i said quickly, giving sameer a look. "And my mother is a housewife.
"I see," Mrs. Kocahr was saying, looking slightly stunned. "And where did you attend college?"
"Oh, chandigarh govt college, of course. I got a degree in computers there."
"govt college," she echoed faintly, making it sound like something she’d found wrapped in greasy newspapers
"Mother prefers the Ivy Leagues," Sameer said, his mouth thin with barely suppressed annoyance. "Or something small and north eastern in the liberal arts." "sameer!" his mother said warningly.
"In fact, I believe your maid’s daughter is going to govt college, isn’t she?" he asked. "I hope she turns out as well as dipti has."
Looking from one to another of these two, i had a sudden flash of insight. Obviously, he had spent a lifetime warding off his mother’s clumsy attempts to take charge of his life. And after the way Mrs. kochar had treated her, ordinarily I might have felt resentment and gone completely to his side. But looking at the man who’d brought me here,I saw frustration and annoyance, and an underlying sense of guilt that complicated matters.
Acting on impulse, I took her hand.
"Mrs.Kochar, please don’t be upset about this," i told her earnestly. "Our engagement is very new and we are going to need some time to decide if it will stick. Please don’t consider this as a sure thing at this time. Anything could happen."
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