Falling In Love With My Brother-In-Law ( M×M )

Chapter 4 : Rituals

Rituals

In India, marriage is not just about two people, it is also about two families.

Anjali's P O V :

I looked around and saw how happy everyone was. I knew I was happy too, but still there was a voice inside me who was constantly telling me not to go through this wedding. When I told my mama about this she said it was just wedding day jitters and every bride had it. Varun Ji seemed like a really nice person and I could feel he would take good care of me. But sometimes I also felt as if he was not happy with our marriage. I once asked him about it but he just denied saying it's nothing and I was worrying for nothing.

" Didi, don't let Jiju find his name so easily ", one of my younger cousin sister said, giggling, and I nodded my head laughing. It's a tradition where the groom's name is written in very small letters on the palm of the bride. Since the bride's hand was already filled with the designs of Mehndi, it was quite difficult to find the groom his name. Since the Mehndi on my hands were done, I put out my legs and the designer started applying Mehndi on my legs. My cousins and I started checking out the Mehndi in my hands and I was happy seeing how great it looked. I could not wait to let it dry and then rinse with water to see how much deeper its color was. It's a belief that the darker the color of the henna is, the darker the love of the husband for the wife. I wanted my Mehndi to become darker in color.

After what seemed like ages, I was finally done and breathed a sigh of relief. One of my aunts fed me some fruit along with a mango lassi and, after that, I carefully walked towards my room. Since the henna wasn't completely dried yet, I couldn't do a thing. I sat in my bed and looked around my room. The room where I was born and grew up, the very room I shared with my younger sister. Even though the house was freshly painted for my wedding, I could still see the faint marks of our mischiefs on the wall. My eyes teared up a bit thinking about how I would leave this place in two days. I would go to a different house, live with different people. I wouldn't see my family every day. All these thoughts came crashing into my mind and before I knew it, I broke down, crying loudly.

I felt someone's hand on my head and saw it was my brother Arun.

" Are you okay ? ", he asked me.

I just nodded my head. His one hand ruffled my hair while the other hand caressed my cheek.

" Don't worry Didi, everything will be fine ", he softly said, looking at me. Hearing him, I couldn't hold myself back and broke down again. He sat near hugging me while I cried like a three-year-old in his arms.

When papa and mama found out about this, they both stayed with me the entire night, whispering many sweet words and telling me some fun and mischievous memories. All of us stayed up late at night and finally I slept beside my mama.

I woke up early in the morning and finished my morning routines. I was really happy seeing the darker shade of my Mehndi. Everyone was in a hurry and I couldn't blame them. After all, it's my big day today. Today I was Sharma's daughter, but tomorrow I will be Malhotra's daughter-in-law. I checked myself in the mirror and smiled a bit.

" Anjali, go get ready, it's time for your Haldi ", one of my aunts said as she barged into my room. I nodded my head in understanding. Haldi is a ritual done mostly before marriage. Normally, all the ladies apply auspicious Haldi ( Turmeric ) to the bride's face and on different body parts, giving her blessings and in the hope that the newly wed couple will get rid of all the evil eyes. I put on a simple saree and went out of my room. As expected, everyone led me to a corner of the house and made me sit on the floor. Mama was the first one to apply Haldi on my face and then my little sister literally covered my whole face with haldi as if she was playing holi with Haldi. Though she got a good scolding from my mama, I was still happy because I knew I wouldn't experience these things anymore. Then, one by one, all the aunts and some neighborhood ladies applied Haldi to me. Once I was done, they all poured water on my head. The cold water mixed with different flowers and the essence smelled great. It's another ritual to bathe the bride with cold water just after her Haldi. Once I was fully bathed, I dried myself and went to my room to take a good and proper shower.

Once I was done, I came out of the bathroom. I dried myself up properly using a towel and put on another saree. It was only ten in the morning and the wedding would take place at night. I had a lot of time to get ready. My stomach rumbled indicating me I needed to eat something. I knew I couldn't eat anything other than fruit since it was my wedding day, so I settled for some apples and grapes. After that, I spent the entire day doing various kinds of Pujas. When everything was over, it was already four in the afternoon.

Mama told me to go ahead and call the beautician who would help me get ready for my bridal appearance. Since the wedding would take place at the temple nearby our house, everyone was almost there. I called the beautician and told her to meet me at the temple. Once I arrived, I saw how everyone was busy and worried. I spotted Papa and Anil talking to some people and two of my uncles in the backyard where the cooks were making food. My cousins escorted me to my room where the beautician was already ready. She offered me so many choices, but I couldn't decide, so I just told her to do her best. When I was half way done, both of us took a break. I put on my red Lehenga and blouse. After finishing my make-up, she started working on my hair. After four hours, I was finally done and when I saw myself in the mirror, I couldn't believe how beautiful I looked in the bridal dress. My Lehenga itself was very beautiful. It was an A line Lehenga along with, varieties of embroidery works and mirror works. The border of the Lehenga was fully covered in small pieces of mirrors, giving it an authentic look. I was busy checking myself out when I saw mama enter the room. For a few seconds she remained frozen as she looked at me.

" How is it ? ", I asked her excitedly.

" It's perfect ", she said, and I saw her eyes moisten a bit. She put on a kala teeka on a spot near my right year saying it would protect me from evil eyes. She gave me the plate of fruit and told me someone would come to bring me later. My cousins and friends joined me and all of us got busy chatting, reliving the memories of our mischiefs.