Chapter five

The next day...

"Hey, Anushiya, wake up..." Jo started yelling at me. Yep, she started yelling at me because she's been trying to wake me up for the past fifteen minutes.

"Please..." I huffed.

"Ma, she isn't listening to me ma. I think you've to show your magic hand on her." She shouted from my room so that our amma can hear her from the kitchen. It was all her plan to get me scolded by amma. I'm not going to let her do that. But still, I was tired and dizzy.

"Anushiya wakes up or else I'll empty a bucket of water through your face." She shouted softly from the kitchen which was double times danger than normal voice.

I didn't respond because I was lazy enough to open my mouth and make some voice.

When Jo sees me unsounded she took this as her chance.

"Amma... amma... amma..." she chanted. That makes my eardrums on fire and my laziness went on a tour to Malaysia as I sat on the bed sitting half bend, hand-holding head, felt dizzy, messy hair, still eyes closed as if I was meditating.

When her voice hurts my ears harder I shouted back, "Jo! Shut your mouth up."

A moment later when I hopped out from the bed Jo threw me a towel straight to my face. "Go and freshen up." She said while grinning at me which shows her bright teeth. "You're getting late for your college."

"Thank you." I paused for a minute. "Haha very funny," I said dramatically. I took the towel from my face which she'd just thrown and went to our bathroom which was attached to our room. I took a quick shower as the cold water wets my skin and makes me energized. When I was done I wrapped the towel around me. Then I went back to our room for changing. I opened my cupboard and looked for PJs.

Well... Yes. Today's a weekend. Jo just tried to prank me. It may work if she just stops prank me daily and starts once a year. Though she knew that will never work for me.

I sat on my swing chair on the balcony with a cup of coffee on the side and a book in my arm like I was holding the baby.

Seconds passed, minutes then minutes into hours as I laughed, cried, cursed the bad character while reading. "She's such an emotional idiot," Jo muttered under her breath when she saw me crying as she walked into our room.

Suddenly I heard a knock at our door, "Anushiya."

"Coming ma," I said as I stood and started walking towards the door but I could even open Jo opened it and already let her in.

She sat on the corner of my bed as she pattered the empty spot near her for me to sit which was a little weird because she'd never come to our room before neither sat on our bed and patted as she did now.

Without asking or showing anything on my face I took a seat beside her, when I sat she took my hands in hers and locked it. She looked me in my eyes and said, "Anu, you are now a grown-up. I didn't know how years flew by. It felt like I was holding you in my hand in that hospital bed where I saw you for the first time after ten months you'd born in me." She said as the tears pricking in her eyes.

Un-ho. I got some different ideas what she was about to say like she'd be going to threw me to a hostel for my master in Coimbatore, there would be no Netflix for the next two months, there would be no food and you've to prepare on your own.

But what she said was not what I'd expected, totally upside down.

"Anu, coming Friday your potential husband and his family will be coming to our house to meet you," Her words were slow like she was thinking every word before saying. But before she could finish the whole sentence I cut her off.

"What?" I shouted. "Potential husband?" I was totally surprised even by my response. I never thought that she'll put a bomb on me like this.

"Yes, you are already 23. You're not a child anymore." She said politely as she squeezed my hand.

"But ma," I said anxiously.

"What da Kanna( sweetie)?" she said softly. "Your aunt, my sister, Sammy sent your photo to one of her friends' group by mistake, when she was about to unsent that she got a reply from one lady also her best friend. She asked Sammy about these alliances and Sammy didn't know what to do because you are not her daughter you are mine so she called me and said about this. She also said that their family is nice. So I thought what are we waiting for? You are about to complete your bachelor's so this must be the right time I guess." She said all this in one breath.

I didn't shock by that marriage proposal but sending my photo to some stranger groups. "What? She sent my photo to a group?" she nodded. "You didn't say or ask anything about that?" I asked amma questionably. Appa would never allow me to sent or upload any photos of mine or my sister's on social media, even though Jo didn't eat for a day to upload her video on Tik Tok. How can she allow my aunt to send my photo to a stranger? Maybe she's a friend of Sammy but not for me she's a still stranger to me because I'd never seen her.

"Yes, I did. What's wrong with that? I'm your amma after all. I'm the one who sent your photo to your aunty. I also have a dream about my pappu's wedding." She used my nickname to convince me, she used my nickname which was rare and when she uses this I've to be more careful. But I'm not going to fall for this.

And also she knew exactly how to defeat me.

"But I'm just 23, ma," I said looking straight into her eyes.

"No ifs and buts, okay?" she demanded.

I didn't respond to that but, "Getting married at the age of 22-24 is like, leaving the night party at 7 pm." I muttered under my breath, better enough to my amma to hear. What's the funny part was I've never been to any night party, even forgot night party I'd never been to any party in the first place.

"Did you say something?" she asked as she leaned in. I knew she heard me but I'm not going to say the truth. And also she knew that I'm a professional introvert. If there was an award for an introvert I'll be the first one to win the gold.

"No. Not really." I lied as biting my inner lips to control me from laughing. I don't know why from my childhood I, amma and Jo were friends more than anything.

"Anushiya, look at me," She said as she took my chin in her hands and cupped it. "We all know what is good for you dear. Will you please say ok to meet this guy and his family. For me?"

"I didn't even finish my bachelors, amma," I said feeling unacceptable of going to be college dropouts. I still have two more exams to attend to. I need to focus on the exams but now it was all seems like I'll only get average marks instead of being the university topper. "I'm not going to drop out from college."

Why she have to bring this topic now? Now all I need is to study hard and get good marks for that. I have to concentrate on my studies.

"We didn't say you have to drop out of your college." She said and that felt a little bit happy. "Your aunt called me yesterday and said your potential life partner's family very good family to keep an alliance with. And also she said he was too handsome." She gave me that smirking look on her face.

"Amma," I said as averting my gaze from her. If I'm being honest I was a little blushed, too, for no reason.

"You know what? She also said that your future mother-in-law liked you in that picture when she saw that for the first time. That's why she accepted this alliance. She is really sweet and kind most importantly she knows how to respect everyone on the same scale. That's what I liked about her. Isn't that amazing?" she said with wide eyes and making it was an interesting subject.

I squeezed her hand which was in my hand now. "Amma, I accept to meet this guy but under one condition," I said more like a friendly order.

"What was that for?" she groaned and I can see that she was nervous inside.

"If he'd say no in that meeting, there is no 'marriage' word for the next couple of years. Deal? And also you need to ask my personal opinion my hand in marriage." I said more as I asked.

She nods in yes and said that "Okay, deal. Or whatever, just say 'ok' to meet this guy and his family, you'll love him." What if I don't? "And we'll see about that deal later." She said that as she wrinkled her nose in a naughty way. "He could never say no for a beautiful girl like you."

"Fine," I said and hugged her and prayed to God that they've to say no for me.

For a minute or two neither I nor amma didn't bother to talk, the awkward silence fills the air.

Then she shouted, "Ahh!" as if she forgot to mention something. "And we also checked yours and his horoscopes they said it was matched and this only happens for people, thousands in one. You're so lucky. The priest said that your Zodiac sign has some royal... something which was a good sign." She smiled.

So this meeting just not going to be some meeting-meeting, this would be going to something much bigger than just a meeting because she just mentioned that they'd already checked our horoscope which was the perfect answer, there would be no way out.

I just nodded acting cool.

After a moment she took her hand from mine and nodded as well. Then her phone starts to ring in the kitchen so she rushed over there to pick it up before it goes to silent and she paused in the doorway and said, "That must be your aunt Sammy. I'm going to say thanks and yes to this alliance that she brought. She's going to be happy as a 10-year-old kid at his first trip to a Disney land even though that wasn't." Then she was gone from my room to the kitchen as she laughed and letting her happy vibes fill the house.