Hardwork ALWAYS pays off. Either immediately or when it really counts.

-Akshaya :P

The occasional first person perspective :)

Chapter 10:

Riya's POV

   Do you remember how Madhan said I could take my own time to go back to the US? After I've properly said good bye to my family? Guess how long I took? I would like to say forever but sadly, I took one day, 13 hours, and 55 minutes precisely. See how horrible my life is?

   It wasn't enough that I had to break up with my boyfriend of six fricking years, and get married to a poorly arranged substition of a life partner in, say what? Three weeks that I've known him? My mom was always weak at math, but I'm pretty sure her teachers would have taught her that six years is slight bigger than three weeks, if not MUCH bigger.

   Why is it that more experienced people get more salary, or more experienced dancers dance more perfectly, but a guy who has three weeks of experience with a girl is chosen than a guy with SIX YEARS of experience with that same girl? By experience, I don't mean going all the way. I'm still a virgin, thank you very much. But it takes a long time to be able to handle me. And once you do, you'll be in heaven. That's how amazing I am.

   Ok, I was joking. No, on second thought, I wasn't, but anyway, here I am, at my husband's doorstep, with all my suitcases upright beside me. I rang the doorbell beside the big white door, and turned around to spot my dad paying the taxi driver, and my mom walking towards me.

   I reflected back to one day ago, as I turned to face the door again. To say I was reprimanded for the speech I made at my wedding was an understatement. The nerve of my mother!

   She ranted that I'd damaged her reputation twice in two consecutive days. One, I indirectly spoke about going all the way with my husband. I'd rolled my eyes at her. I didn't get it. I thought I did her a favor by doing that. I had no intention of getting children any time soon, so I did the next possible thing to avoid rumors. And two, I'd refused to follow an AGE OLD custom of going to my husband's house FIRST right after my wedding.

   She actually prayed to god that nothing bad should happen in my marriage. I mean, come on. Who cares who's house I go to first? She does, apparently. And then she said that she would chuck me out of the house the minute I got married.

   It took her a minute to realize what she said, and when she did, you should have seen her laugh. I bet even a maniac couldn't laugh as crazily as her. She managed to choke out that she's been saying those words ever since my teens, and that she can't believe that the time had actually come.

   After, what seemed like hours, she stopped laughing, and then started crying. That's when I couldn't take it anymore, and started bawling too. Soon enough, my grandmothers were sobbing, and the male members, yes, including my brother, teared up.

   Now, my brother wasn't the emotional kind of person. I've never seen him cry due to emotions. Maybe when he got physically hurt, but never otherwise. He was the kind of person who would throw popcorn at me, while I was trying to cry conspicuously, while watching a movie.

   So imagine my surprise when he gifted me a silver necklace that had the text 'Mrs. Smiley' written. I shoved him aside when I read the word Mrs. but pulled him back and crushed him into a bear hug. The usual struggle I face with him was missing, and he reciprocated the hug.

   Now that's when I started bawling like someone died, and my brother had to say, "Ew, you got mucus on me, " and needless to say, it lightened up the mood.

   After about a few hours of family bonding, everyone finally calmed down. And my mom broke the news.

   "We are chucking you out of the house tomorrow, and no buts."

   "MOM!" We were all sitting down in the living room in a big circle. I looked at my dad, pleading for help, but all I got was a wistful smile.

   "Your mom is right. You need to go back. We are going to miss you, but you are now married, and it's very important that you move ahead to the next phase of your life. We are always there. We'll be a phone call away. Call us anytime."

   "Even midnight?" I asked, smiling through my freshly shed tears.

   "Er, no," my mom began but corrected herself. "Even then," she smiled.

   I had to pack my suitcases that night. There was a lot, but my dad said he would ship them to the US, so for the time being, I just need a couple of nice dresses to wear till the flight.

   So here I was, with three suitcases, and apprehensively waiting for the Roys' to open the door.

   I heard Reshma shout that she would get it, and the door squeaked open.

   "Oh it's you, " Reshma said, quite glumly. What the hell? Who was she expecting? President Akalaka Usain?

   "Reshma!" Mrs. Roy scolded. "That's not how you greet my lovely daughter in law. Wait here beta. I'll get the welcoming plate."

   Mrs. Roy came back a few seconds later, and circled the plate, and applied kumkum on my forehead. She welcomed me with open arms, while Madhan exited from the kitchen, welcomed my parents with a beam.

   "Madhan, show her to your room, " Mr. Roy said, ushering my mom and dad into the living room.

   Soon enough I was left alone with my husband.

   "Um hi, " Madhan said, shyly.

   I replied with a non commital greeting looking at everywhere but him. I don't know whether it was because I was uncomfortable or feeling ashamed, but it was difficult to be normal around him. I felt a growing sense of uneasiness, and I guess Madhan sensed it too, since the next thing he said was, "It's okay, Riya. I'll show you to Reshma's room."

   Now I definitely knew it was because I was ashamed. Why is he so nice to me when I'm always rude and indifferent towards him? I followed him around the house, and looked in awe at how big the house was. It was a six bedroom house with two living rooms, a dining room, and a kitchen.

   "Jeez. You guys are smoking rich, " I said, unconsciously. Madhan chuckled. "We weren't always this well off."

   "Oh shoot. Did I say that aloud?" I reddened, in embarassment.

   "Yes you did, but it's okay, " Madhan replied, smiling. He stopped in front of a room, and knocked the door.

   I gave him a puzzled look, and he laughed. "She has this thing about knocking before barging into her room. She warned me a couple of times to knock, but I never bothered, and then one day she took revenge on me that left me scarred for life."

   "You bet I did, " Reshma said, as she opened her door. "There's only one place I get privacy in this house, and it's in my room. What are you two doing here? Your room is on the opposite side," she said, looking confused.

   "You two will be roommates till we leave to the US," Madhan said, giving Reshma a look that said, "You better oblige, or you'll be dead."

   Reshma sighed. "Welcome home, Riya. Make yourself at home here. You'll be here only for three days anyway."

   I thanked Madhan and told him I could take it from there. I closed the door behind me and just stood there awkwardly, taking in the view of the room. It was a room as big as a five star hotel double bed room, and her wallpaper was in hot pink. To the left was a wooden bunkbed, and right beside it was her study table. Reshma was lying on her bed, using her laptop.

   She finally looked up to see me standing, and rolled her eyes.

   "Seriously sister, do you expect me to invite you to my bed?"

   I shrugged. "Maybe."

   "Whatever. Top or bottom?"

    "Whatever is fine."

   "Okay, take the top one. I'm too comfortable to move."

   I rolled my suitcases and placed them to the side of the bunk bed. "I'm going to go back to the living room okay? I don't even know if my parents would have left," I said to Reshma, trying my best not to let my emotions out, but Reshma sensed it, and got up.

   She hugged me and told me everything was going to be okay. That Madhan would make sure I feel at home.

   I smiled at her as I gently rubbed my eyes, and left to the living room. I almost got lost, having gone down a staircase that led to the basement.

   I got goosebumps thinking about it. It was so frigging dark.

   I walked into the living room and saw my parents happily talking to my in-laws.

   "Riya darling, come sit with us," Mrs. Roy called out to me.

   I gratefully walked towards them and sat in the middle of my mom and dad.

   They resumed talking, paying no heed to me. I was thankful. I held my dad's hand and lied down on my mom's shoulder.

   Six hours passed, and it was time for them to leave. I hugged my parents, and literally crushed them to death. My mom cried, and my dad tried to stay strong. Needless to say, I went to Reshma's room, and cried my eyes out, for hours straight.

   Reshma was paranoid. She had no idea what to do, so I bet she called Madhan to ask him what to do. That wasn't the wisest thing to do, in my book.

   So when he came to the door, I told him I didn't want to see him for a while since he was the reason I was forced to part with my parents.

   My condition didn't improve for two days. Mrs. Roy always came to Reshma's room, and fed me dinner and lunch. I really wanted a motherly figure, and I was just so grateful to her. She didn't go all mother in law on me, and just for that, I wanted to make an attempt to get along with Madhan.

   I heard Reshma argue with Madhan, and I was fairly certain that she was pissed at the way I was behaving, but Madhan patiently explained to her what I was going through. When he posed the same question to her, about her being in my position, that was when she shut up.

   After a while, she came to her room and climbed on the bunk with me. She patted my head, as I kept silently sobbing.

   "You know, if it makes you feel any better, I spray painted 'I know what you did last summer - A' on his wall." Reshma said, finally. "It wasn't a big deal at all. But he's crazy about Pretty little liars, and he's got this weird thing about tv shows coming to life if you're too obsessed about some stuff. I did a couple of other stuff imitating some things on the TV show, and he fell sink line and hooker for every one of those pranks. I finally sent him a text to meet me at the basement, if he wanted to know who A was. I wore the Scream mask, and he ran out of the room, screaming for his life, and I would have almost got away with it, if only I hadn't sneezed. He identified me IMMEDIATELY. Weird huh?"

   I laughed. "Oh my, no wonder he was scarred for life."

   "Do you want to know what my brother hates, and is scared of?" Reshma asked, quite eagerly.

  And you know something? That was when I got a light bulb. It made me feel a whole whole whole lot better.

  "Yes please..."

   And for the rest of the night, Reshma babbled on and on about their life stories.

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