"Grandma, tell me how you and Grandpa met," I asked her, and as soon as I did, she smiled and closed her eyes, drifting into her memories. "Grandma, where are you lost? Come on, tell me how you met Grandpa," I asked again, unable to hold back when someone falls silent like this.
"Oh, bacche, I'll tell you, have some patience. You kids these days don't have any patience," she replied.
Grandma is my best friends. I love her alot.Grandpa passed away a long time ago, back when Dad was just a child, so Grandma raised Dad all on her own. I never got to meet Grandpa, but Grandma always tells me stories about him. I love talking to her-she's my only friend.
"Oh, Saru dear, where do you drift off? Are you listening to what I'm saying?" Grandma asks.
"Yes, Grandma, I'm listening. Please, go on," I said.
"Your Grandpa was quite handsome and charming when he was young," she says, telling me about him. But look at me-I'm so captivated by her face that I can't focus on anything else. She's so old now, yet still so beautiful. Her hands tremble as she gestures while telling her stories, and her wrinkles form when she smiles. Despite all this, there's a unique glow on her face, and there's no doubt that she must have been stunning in her youth.
"Of course, Grandma! If you're so beautiful, then Grandpa must have been handsome too," I said.
"Oh, be quiet. You know, all the village girls were crazy about him, but he only had eyes for me," she said.
I started laughing, not because it was funny, but because teasing Grandma is so much fun. "Oh, be quiet, you don't understand. When I was young, I was no less than Aishwarya. Your Grandpa was head over heels for me for a reason," she said, trying to hide a smile. "Yes, Grandma," I replied, managing to control my laughter and agree with her, but she was still giving me a look. Finally, she gave up and continued with her story.
"Your Grandpa was a true city gentleman. What do you call it...awaaaa...rrrrrrreness...something?"
"Oh, Grandma, it's called 'awareness.'"
"Yes, yes, that. He used to spread awareness about mental health, going from village to village. He worked for some NGO. One day, he came to our village too. My father was the head of the village, so your Grandpa used to visit our house often. Whenever no one else was around, I would go to him and ask him lots of questions."
"Wow, Grandma, you were amazing!" Grandma was so daring even back then, while I..... sometimes question if I'm truly her granddaughter.
"And then, he ended up liking me, and one day, he asked my father for my hand in marriage," she said.
"Oh, Grandma! You're blushing! What did you say to Grandpa?" I asked.
"What else would I say? I'd be a fool to let such a good man slip away, so I said yes. Oh, leave all that, now tell me why you're all dressed up today."
"Oh, Grandma, it's nothing. Mom just told me to wear this."
"You and your mother! Why did she tell you that?"
Oh, my sweet Grandma, even when she's angry, she looks so cute.
"Oh, Grandma, today is..."
"Saru, sweetheart, how much longer will you take? Come down, it's Grandma's death anniversary today," calls out Saru's mother from downstairs.
Oh, Mom never lets me have any peace! "Grandma, I'll come back and talk to you later. Bye, love you.
"Yes, yes, love you too. Now go, or your mother's voice will make me die all over again!"
---
Author's Note:
Sarswati's father: Adharsh Sharma
Sarswati's mother: Parvati Sharma
"Dear, don't you think you should talk some sense into Saru? She always talks to herself. If this keeps going, no one will marry your beloved daughter. She's not a child anymore; we can't just ignore her behavior," Parvati says from the kitchen, speaking to her husband.
"Yes, Parvati, I hear you. And who says no one will marry my daughter? Just wait and see, a prince will come for her," Adharsh responds, as usual, sitting on the sofa reading his newspaper, but now paying attention to his wife.
"Oh, there's no point in talking to you. You've spoiled her too much. She's not a child anymore. You should understand that."
"She's my only daughter. If I don't spoil her, who else will I spoil? And you, too, today of all days, bringing this up..."he said
I can hear Mom and Dad talking. Our house is small, so we can hear conversations from different rooms. This is their daily routine-Mom getting frustrated with me and Dad trying to calm her down. "Dad, what's going on?" I asked as I entered the room.
"Oh, look, here she is. Can't we discuss anything without you showing up?"her mom scold her.
Mom is really upset today. Whenever her blood pressure rises, this is how she behaves.
"Ooh, it's nothing, dear. Your mom just does this every day. Now, tell me, why did you take so long?"her dad said giving side eyes to her wife but as soon as she look at him he looked away in fear.
And here's my cool Dad, always calm. Grandma says relationships are like that-one should be calm like water, and the other fiery like fire. Perfect balance.
"Dad, I was talking to Grandma."
Mom's side-eye glance could make anyone nervous, but I'm Sarswati Sharma, daughter of Adharsh Sharma. A look like that doesn't scare me at all. Mom, you'll have to try harder next time.but whom I'm kidding it does effect me afterall she is the lady boss of the house.
Adharsh pats his daughter on the head lovingly, realizing that Parvati was right. His daughter isn't a child anymore. Sarswati has grown up, and one day, she'll leave, and this thought brings tears to Adharsh's eyes.But he still has a smile on his face.
"Dad, what happened? Are you okay?" I asked, recognizing that look-he's getting emotional again.
"Oh, it's nothing, dear. Just thoughts..."
They say daughters grow up so quickly, don't they?
---
"Can you two be done with your bonding? Go check on the priest; he's waiting to start the pujaa. And you, here, take this onion and cut it," Parvati says as she herself started getting emotional to lighten the environment.
"Oh, no, Mom, please, not onions. They make my eyes water."
"Oh, my darling, cut it, please?"her mom gives her puppy eyes.
This is typical. Mom scolds me all day, but when there's work to do, it's all "my darling, please." Guess I can't escape this time, not even Dad is here to rescue me. Fine, Saru, just do it, or Mom will start chanting again.
Sarswati begins cutting the onion, but her mind is elsewhere. She doesn't even realize her mother has come up beside her and has been calling her name for who knows how long. She's oblivious, lost in her thoughts, until she feels she was again zooned out and come in real world, she hears her mother's panicked voice.
"Saru! Whatdidyoudoareyou okay?" Her mother's words don't quite register. What is she saying? Just a moment ago, everything was fine.
It's all confusing, but as her mother holds her hand, Saru understands what happened.
"Oh, honey, look at all this blood. Where's your mind these days?" Parvati is anxious, trying to stop the bleeding with the end of her saree, sweating and clearly distressed.
"Mom, don't worry. It's just a small cut. And besides, you know I don't feel anything in this hand."she says trying to calm her mom down
"Forgive me, dear. This is all my fault. If I hadn't taken you there that day, you wouldn't have..."she said with the tears in her eyes.
I know where this is going. "Mom... Mom, please listen to me. First, calm down. Nothing happened because of you."
"No matter how much you say it, it's my negligence that you got lost that day, and ever since then, you've been seeing things... ghosts, spirits..." Parvati says, crying and confiding in her daughter.
"Mom, I've told you so many times that I don't see ghosts. It's just a little condition I have.it' just hyperphantasia.You remember what Doctor Uncle said, right? Everyone imagines things; I just have a stronger imagination. That's all." Yeah, it's so strong that it feels real, like Mom and Dad. Sometimes, it's hard to distinguish what's real and what isn't. Anyway, let's not dwell on that-you wouldn't understand.
"And besides, Mom, this is curable."she says to ensure her.
"What are you two talking about?" Adharsh asks as he walks in interrupt them in middle.
"Oh, nothing, Dad, just talking..."
"Oh, nothing, huh? Go get the first-aid kit. Look at all this blood."her mom said while holding her hand and wiping blood from the end of her pallu.
"There's blood? What happened?"her dad asked shocked
Time skip
"All done, dear. I wrapped it tightly," Adharsh says, looking over the bandage one last time.
"Yes, Dad, I told you, it's just a small cut."she said shrugging her shoulders.
"Okay then, let's go. The priest is waiting to start the prayer," he says.
..........
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