CHAPTER FOUR

It was nearly 9:30 when I finally made it downstairs. It was my first day with my new family and I had no idea how to behave. My mother had given me a serious talking to, reminding me to keep my voice down, don’t get angry, control my laughter. But what did any of that actually mean? When I asked her to elaborate on that last one all she said was “just give a gentle, serene smile and don’t start guffawing loudly in front of everyone. That’s not the way a newlywed girl should behave.” Since the engagement, Mumma had constantly reminded me that I would have to ‘adjust to them’. That they would end up throwing me out if I didn’t. I didn’t know where I would go if I was thrown out from here, my real family had already given me away. Those lessons seemed more difficult to me than advanced mathematics.

So far, however, Arnav had been pretty chilled-out. And he did promise me it’d be ok. As I walked downstairs, I was nervous. The hall was huge and it had a dining table at one side. The furniture was heavy but spread around the room stylishly. It had a lot in it, although it looked spacious. I worried about what I was going to say, what I should be doing with my hands, where I should be looking. You’d think I’d never walked in to a group of people before. I couldn’t decide on anything and my eyes fixed on the strange and beautiful design of the marble flooring. It had a pretty, abstract pattern that I didn’t understand but it was captivating nonetheless.

Before I could fully take in the space, some of the relatives, sitting in groups, called my name. “Kriti, it’s so late!”

They were taunting me, just like I knew they would, about how late it was. I was supposed to wake up early and be ready. It was the first time ever I had to join this ‘new’ family for breakfast, as is the tradition.  Women are expected to share a bond with the whole family, not just their husband. I was already freaked out by listening to some of the sarcastic remarks. They were going to think I had no manners at all. I wanted to defend myself, but I had to stay demure. My mother-in-law was going to be so angry at me already.

I looked around the room, searching for that one semi-familiar face. Searching for Arnav. He was standing next to some of the men with a coffee mug in his hand and, as our eyes met, he waved at me, mouthing “stay calm. I’m here.”

To my surprise, the morning was not a complete disaster. Breakfast actually went well. I was warmly welcomed by Maa. She didn’t pay heed to anyone’s remarks and just looked at me with kindness in her eyes.

“I know you must be tired,” Maa whispered as she took my hand in hers, “don’t you pay attention to anyone. They’re only here for the day, they won’t bother you from tomorrow onward.” She grinned and her fair, wrinkled skin shined. “You know some women, they seek equality with men but they can’t even refrain from judging and getting jealous of their own.”

Maa and I were whispering softly when one of the ladies commented, “it looks like this Princess is still in her fairyland. Kriti, look around, it’s not your own house anymore.”

I was thrown by the expression. How could she say that to me? I was being openly mocked by someone and the bruise from leaving my own family was still fresh. I felt so alone and my eyes instantly fixed on the drape of my saree. Before my pain could start flowing into tears, Maa stepped in, reprimanding the woman.

“Sissy, don’t be so rude. It is her own house, she’s not a prisoner here. And, she’s my princess, she can stay in her fairyland forever, we don’t mind that at all, as long as she’s happy.”

I loved that style of hers. Without even raising her voice or losing that gentle tone of hers, she made her point very clearly to everyone in the room, which made them all frown as though they had lost their opportunity to attack me emotionally.

After all the introductions, she put her arm around my shoulders and spoke softly to me. “Beta, don’t be worried. This is your home not some army camp. And you’re not bound to follow any rules here. You can live the way you like.”

I just barely managed a watery smile at her words. I was finding it hard to believe that my mother-in-law could be so sweet.

She patted me on the back and said, “have your breakfast soon.”

By the time breakfast was over, I had come to the conclusion that my new family was amazing. At least everyone with whom I was going to share this house. Those distant relatives didn’t bother me, especially after that show of Maa’s defense. My mother and aunts had scared the hell out of me before the wedding, and I was expecting this new life with my husband’s family to be torture. But, so far, things were going swimmingly. I was beginning to think that all that wisdom my mother had shared with me would go to waste.

I grew up watching my mother with her in-laws and I knew how challenging that was for her. I couldn’t help but wonder if things were maybe just different for me. I was skeptical, but after meeting everyone and talking to them for a few hours, it felt like they were my people. My grandpa was always a wonderful human being. I’ve never seen him scold my mom about anything. I remember him telling me “your mother is a princess, and it’s our responsibility to treat her like one.”

My grandma on the other hand, had left no stone unturned in behaving like an actual Indian TV-series-style mother-in-law. She had never, ever called my Mumma or my aunts “Beta”. It wasn’t like she tortured my mother or my aunts, but she never appreciated their efforts in anything. She found every opportunity to correct their mistakes and remind them that they were being judged.

“You people don’t know anything. What have your families taught you?”

 She never claimed my Mumma or any of my aunts as a part of her own family. Always calling them daughters of someone else. So, I had come into my new family with a misconception. In my mind, all fathers-in-law are sweet, good people, but the mothers are terrors. They are the ones that make a woman’s life miserable. I was heartbroken to find out that I had no father-in-law, because Arnav had lost his dad a long time ago.

Maa proved all my expectations false. In fact, the sea of new faces I was so scared of a day ago, now seemed like my family. Chachi ji, Chacha ji, Bhaiya, Bhabhi, Gunjan; they were all happy to welcome me as part of their big crazy family.

I don’t know how my feelings changed so much in just a few hours. I was busy talking to all my Bhabhis, who were teasing me sweetly, and I enjoyed some girly-conversation with them. They were sharing all sorts of crazy things men do when Arunima Bhabhi, Arnav’s elder brother’s wife, said, “so, Kriti, what happened last night that kept you both sleeping in this morning?” I was astonished at her way-too-direct question. I looked at her, flustered, trying to come up with anything to say to her. She sensed my general discomfort and said, “oh! That’s alright. I was just trying to tease you.”

The ladies guffawed at my shocked and confused expression and I was sitting with them all, struggling to find an answer that didn’t reveal how uncomfortable I was at such teases when I felt a tug on my saree. I saw a small girl standing beside me. She was holding a small, beautifully wrapped box with shiny red paper and a golden ribbon, and called out, “nayi wali Chachi! nayi wali Chachi! (Translated to: New Aunt, New Aunt)”

“Hello Shreya.” I was glad to see her. I had met her earlier at my wedding and at the engagement. Shreya was the daughter of Arunima Bhabhi and Abhishek Bhaiya. She was about three-and-a-half feet tall and six-years-old. She was adorable, her voice was even cuter.

She said, “Chachi, Chachi, this is for you.” She handed me the small package.

“Is this a gift for me, Shreya?”

“Yes, Chachi...see na what’s inside.”

I grinned, and I opened the package with care. “Wow! Chocolates!”

“You like them?” she asked.

“Like,” I ripped off the cover of the box, “areee I love chocolates. Thank you.”

She exclaimed, “you’re most welcome, Chachi.”

“Ah! Don't worry, we will share.” I took one of the large, gold-wrapped pieces from the box and unwrapped it.

“Can I have this one?”  Before she could answer though, I giggled and bit the chocolate in half. I looked up from our innocent moment to find every eye in the room on me, watching me behave like an over-excited child. When I caught Maa’s gaze, she smiled demurely, almost as if the smile wasn’t meant for me at all. Arnav just hung his head and laughed at the floor.

It was Abhishek Bhaiya that said, “so now we have one more chocolate lover in our house.”

I re-wrapped the half-eaten chocolate and handed it to her whispering, “take this. We’ll finish it later.”

Her little face beamed as she looked up at me. “Okay!”

The day passed in a cloud of chitchat and greetings. And I started to believe one thing. In-laws are not so bad.