02-12-2025, 10:51 PM
## Update 152 B: The Double Surprise (Avi, Pooja Bua, Sweta Didi, Sital, Sohan, and Rohan)
"I like Sital," Sohan repeated, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. "I want to marry Sital."
A collective gasp went around the room. We were all utterly shocked to hear Sohan’s sudden, public declaration, our heads snapping between his face and Sital’s. Just like the rest of us, Sital was wide-eyed with disbelief. Every thought in the room centered on the same question: What had come over Sohan? Why did he blurt that out without warning? Before anyone could manage a sensible reply, Bhabhi jumped in, trying to smooth over the explosive moment. "Sohan has a habit of joking, Aunty," Bhabhi assured Pooja Bua with a forced smile. "He’s only teasing."
"Bhabhi, I am not joking," Sohan insisted, stepping forward. "I seriously like Sital."
"You like her? What does that even mean in this context?" Bhabhi demanded, her composure cracking.
"It means I fell in love with Sital the instant I saw her," Sohan declared, his gaze unwavering.
"How can you possibly fall in love like that, in two minutes, Sohan?" Bhabhi asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
"It just happened," Sohan said simply, shrugging off the impossibility. "You are trying to get Rohan married. I’m the older brother. I should get married first, and I have decided I will only marry Sital."
"Are you high right now, Sohan?" Bhabhi whispered, utterly exasperated.
"I have never been high, and I won’t be today," Sohan returned, his posture rigid. "And as for marriage, I have to get married someday. I have made up my mind. I’ll either marry Sital or not get married at all."
"What is this total childishness, Sohan?" Bhabhi snapped, stamping her foot slightly. "We are discussing something very serious for Rohan and Sweta here, and you are... The joke is completely over now, sit down."
"Bhabhi, who is the older in the house, me or Rohan?" Sohan asked, ignoring her anger.
"You are, obviously," Bhabhi replied, defeated by the logic of tradition.
"Whose marriage should happen first?" Sohan pressed.
"Yours," Bhabhi admitted grudgingly.
"Then I have decided that I will marry Sital," Sohan stated, crossing his arms.
"You’ve started joking again!" Bhabhi exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "We have guests here, Sohan. Don't you understand how to speak politely in front of guests?"
Sohan ignored his Bhabhi’s desperate plea and turned directly to the silent girl. "Sital, do you like me?" he asked, his voice unexpectedly gentle.
"Sohan!" Bhabhi warned, taking an angry step forward.
"Sital, do you like me?" Sohan asked again, his eyes wide and earnest.
"Sohan, I've had enough of you, now you’re going to get it—" Bhabhi was mid-threat when Sital, looking quickly toward Pooja Bua for confirmation, whispered something into Sweta Didi’s ear.
"Sital also likes Sohan," Sweta Didi announced into the tense silence, a small, nervous smile on her face.
Bhabhi stopped talking immediately, her mouth hanging open.
"What did you just say, Sweta?" Bhabhi asked, completely incredulous.
"Sital also likes Sohan," Sweta Didi repeated, nodding.
I was the single most shocked person in the hall when Sital actually confirmed it.
"See, Bhabhi?" Sohan said, his face shining with victory. "Sital also likes me! Now you have to start talking about my marriage as well. Rohan’s marriage is practically fixed. Now fix mine, too, in the same stroke."
For a few moments, we had all been lost in the bewildering absurdity of Sohan and Bhabhi's argument, but now, the shared shock of Sital’s simple "yes" replaced all other thoughts.
Pooja Bua immediately started whispering urgently with Neeta Bua and Jyoti Bua.
"This Sohan..." Bhabhi muttered to herself, shaking her head. "First, I had to convince Mammi with so much difficulty for Rohan and Sweta’s match. Now I have to go through the exact same conversation for Sohan and Sital." She took a deep breath and then addressed Pooja Bua. "So, what do you all say about Sohan and Sital?"
"If Sital says she likes him, then who are we to say no to her happiness?" Pooja Bua replied, already seeing the dazzling prospect of two daughters in one wealthy home. "Now you decide what the next steps should be."
"Please, you all continue with your breakfast," Bhabhi requested. "We'll need to talk about this later."
We started having breakfast while Bhabhi, Rohan's Mammi, and Rohan's Papa went back to the private room. I quickly followed and pressed myself close to the window, needing to hear every word.
"Bahu, what is the meaning of all this chaos?" Rohan's Mammi asked, her voice laced with deep annoyance.
"What can I say to you, Mammi?" Bhabhi said, sounding truly weary.
"I already feel that Sweta is not quite right for Rohan due to their background, and now Sohan wants to marry Sital too!" Rohan's Mammi complained.
"I already knew about Rohan's feelings," Bhabhi said, "but Sohan suddenly decided right now that he must get married. What else can we do? They are the right age; we should allow Sohan and Sital to get married."
"I absolutely will not let this happen," Rohan's Mammi declared, slamming her hand on a table.
"Mammi, Sital is Sweta’s own sister," Bhabhi calmly reasoned. "They will be like sisters in this house after marriage. This means we won't have to worry about the family breaking up due to any rivalry. What if we get Sohan married to someone else, and we don't know anything about that girl? What if she and Sweta don't get along? If Sohan marries Sital, this won't happen. I'm telling you, just as Sweta is the perfect girl for Rohan, Sital will be the perfect girl for Sohan."
"But the elder brother marrying the younger sister, and the younger brother marrying the elder sister—will this be right culturally?" Rohan's Mammi asked, still searching for an out.
"Everything is acceptable nowadays, Mammi," Bhabhi asserted. "Just say yes. If you say no, you already know how angry Sohan gets when he's contradicted."
"Yes, I know that well," Rohan's Mammi admitted, conceding the point. "Do what you think is best, Bahu. If anything goes wrong later with this double match, you will bear all the responsibility for it."
"I am a very good judge of people, Mammi," Bhabhi stated with firm confidence. "Sweta and Sital won't do anything to prove my decision wrong. Now let's go. They must be wondering what is taking us so long."
A profound sense of finality hit me. I was happy for Sital, truly, because this was an immense stroke of fortune for her, securing her future. But the knowledge that Sital's marriage was now fixed, and that our secret connection would end, caused my stomach to clench uncomfortably. *Sital is getting married. My relationship with her is over.* The excitement of the moment was undercut by a sudden, private loneliness.
I quickly went back to the hall and sat down, smoothing my expression. After a moment, Bhabhi and the parents returned, their faces set in a determined manner.
---
"I like Sital," Sohan repeated, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. "I want to marry Sital."
A collective gasp went around the room. We were all utterly shocked to hear Sohan’s sudden, public declaration, our heads snapping between his face and Sital’s. Just like the rest of us, Sital was wide-eyed with disbelief. Every thought in the room centered on the same question: What had come over Sohan? Why did he blurt that out without warning? Before anyone could manage a sensible reply, Bhabhi jumped in, trying to smooth over the explosive moment. "Sohan has a habit of joking, Aunty," Bhabhi assured Pooja Bua with a forced smile. "He’s only teasing."
"Bhabhi, I am not joking," Sohan insisted, stepping forward. "I seriously like Sital."
"You like her? What does that even mean in this context?" Bhabhi demanded, her composure cracking.
"It means I fell in love with Sital the instant I saw her," Sohan declared, his gaze unwavering.
"How can you possibly fall in love like that, in two minutes, Sohan?" Bhabhi asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
"It just happened," Sohan said simply, shrugging off the impossibility. "You are trying to get Rohan married. I’m the older brother. I should get married first, and I have decided I will only marry Sital."
"Are you high right now, Sohan?" Bhabhi whispered, utterly exasperated.
"I have never been high, and I won’t be today," Sohan returned, his posture rigid. "And as for marriage, I have to get married someday. I have made up my mind. I’ll either marry Sital or not get married at all."
"What is this total childishness, Sohan?" Bhabhi snapped, stamping her foot slightly. "We are discussing something very serious for Rohan and Sweta here, and you are... The joke is completely over now, sit down."
"Bhabhi, who is the older in the house, me or Rohan?" Sohan asked, ignoring her anger.
"You are, obviously," Bhabhi replied, defeated by the logic of tradition.
"Whose marriage should happen first?" Sohan pressed.
"Yours," Bhabhi admitted grudgingly.
"Then I have decided that I will marry Sital," Sohan stated, crossing his arms.
"You’ve started joking again!" Bhabhi exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "We have guests here, Sohan. Don't you understand how to speak politely in front of guests?"
Sohan ignored his Bhabhi’s desperate plea and turned directly to the silent girl. "Sital, do you like me?" he asked, his voice unexpectedly gentle.
"Sohan!" Bhabhi warned, taking an angry step forward.
"Sital, do you like me?" Sohan asked again, his eyes wide and earnest.
"Sohan, I've had enough of you, now you’re going to get it—" Bhabhi was mid-threat when Sital, looking quickly toward Pooja Bua for confirmation, whispered something into Sweta Didi’s ear.
"Sital also likes Sohan," Sweta Didi announced into the tense silence, a small, nervous smile on her face.
Bhabhi stopped talking immediately, her mouth hanging open.
"What did you just say, Sweta?" Bhabhi asked, completely incredulous.
"Sital also likes Sohan," Sweta Didi repeated, nodding.
I was the single most shocked person in the hall when Sital actually confirmed it.
"See, Bhabhi?" Sohan said, his face shining with victory. "Sital also likes me! Now you have to start talking about my marriage as well. Rohan’s marriage is practically fixed. Now fix mine, too, in the same stroke."
For a few moments, we had all been lost in the bewildering absurdity of Sohan and Bhabhi's argument, but now, the shared shock of Sital’s simple "yes" replaced all other thoughts.
Pooja Bua immediately started whispering urgently with Neeta Bua and Jyoti Bua.
"This Sohan..." Bhabhi muttered to herself, shaking her head. "First, I had to convince Mammi with so much difficulty for Rohan and Sweta’s match. Now I have to go through the exact same conversation for Sohan and Sital." She took a deep breath and then addressed Pooja Bua. "So, what do you all say about Sohan and Sital?"
"If Sital says she likes him, then who are we to say no to her happiness?" Pooja Bua replied, already seeing the dazzling prospect of two daughters in one wealthy home. "Now you decide what the next steps should be."
"Please, you all continue with your breakfast," Bhabhi requested. "We'll need to talk about this later."
We started having breakfast while Bhabhi, Rohan's Mammi, and Rohan's Papa went back to the private room. I quickly followed and pressed myself close to the window, needing to hear every word.
"Bahu, what is the meaning of all this chaos?" Rohan's Mammi asked, her voice laced with deep annoyance.
"What can I say to you, Mammi?" Bhabhi said, sounding truly weary.
"I already feel that Sweta is not quite right for Rohan due to their background, and now Sohan wants to marry Sital too!" Rohan's Mammi complained.
"I already knew about Rohan's feelings," Bhabhi said, "but Sohan suddenly decided right now that he must get married. What else can we do? They are the right age; we should allow Sohan and Sital to get married."
"I absolutely will not let this happen," Rohan's Mammi declared, slamming her hand on a table.
"Mammi, Sital is Sweta’s own sister," Bhabhi calmly reasoned. "They will be like sisters in this house after marriage. This means we won't have to worry about the family breaking up due to any rivalry. What if we get Sohan married to someone else, and we don't know anything about that girl? What if she and Sweta don't get along? If Sohan marries Sital, this won't happen. I'm telling you, just as Sweta is the perfect girl for Rohan, Sital will be the perfect girl for Sohan."
"But the elder brother marrying the younger sister, and the younger brother marrying the elder sister—will this be right culturally?" Rohan's Mammi asked, still searching for an out.
"Everything is acceptable nowadays, Mammi," Bhabhi asserted. "Just say yes. If you say no, you already know how angry Sohan gets when he's contradicted."
"Yes, I know that well," Rohan's Mammi admitted, conceding the point. "Do what you think is best, Bahu. If anything goes wrong later with this double match, you will bear all the responsibility for it."
"I am a very good judge of people, Mammi," Bhabhi stated with firm confidence. "Sweta and Sital won't do anything to prove my decision wrong. Now let's go. They must be wondering what is taking us so long."
A profound sense of finality hit me. I was happy for Sital, truly, because this was an immense stroke of fortune for her, securing her future. But the knowledge that Sital's marriage was now fixed, and that our secret connection would end, caused my stomach to clench uncomfortably. *Sital is getting married. My relationship with her is over.* The excitement of the moment was undercut by a sudden, private loneliness.
I quickly went back to the hall and sat down, smoothing my expression. After a moment, Bhabhi and the parents returned, their faces set in a determined manner.
---
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