15. Big Boss (Family Version)

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"Tu uski behen se shaadi karna chahta tha na? (Didn't you want to marry her sister?)"

"Hain? Behen se? (What? With her sister?)"

"Wohi toh keh rahi hoon mein Mala, pata nahi kya jaadu kar diya mere bacche par saari baat hi palat gayi. (That's what I'm saying, Mala, don't know what magic she did but the whole thing just turned upside down.)" Bua number 1 said with a sigh.

"Yeh aaj kal ki ladkiyan, (the girls of this generation,)" Bua number 2 added in the same tone.

I looked at Dad, making it clear on my face that their topic of conversation was pissing me off.

"Mein bata rahi hoon na, Mala. Jab uske mama ne kaha na, ki pehle uski badi behen hamare Adi se milegi phir baat aage badhegi, mein tabhi samajh gayi thi kuch toh gadbad hai. (That's what I'm saying, Mala. When her uncle told me that she'll meet Adi first before making the decision, I had a hint that something's not right.)" She gesticulated dramatically with her hands. "And now see what happened!"

"Enough, Reshma. Priya is going to be our family now." Dad interrupted sternly.

"Yeah, you shut me up. Like always." Reshma Bua sat back with a huff. "Aur bhabhi aap, (and bhabhi you,)" Mom stiffened just as she leaned in to place the tea tray on the coffee table. I ducked my head down, rubbing my temples because this conversation was giving me a headache now. "Arey mein koi dushman hoon kya aapki? (Am I your enemy?)" Mom flustered at her blunt question.

"No. Wh-Why would you say that?"

"Then why did you ask Bhaiya to tell me off? Do you know how humiliating it was?" She complained. "Mein toh sabka bhala hi sochti hoon! Aur maine sawal WhatsApp group par hi toh pucha tha! Print karva ke billboard pe nahi lagwaya tha. (I always think about everyone's well-being. And I asked the question on WhatsApp, not posted it on the Billboard.)"

Mom sighed, apologising softly for no mistake of her, and offered the woman a cup of tea along with a plate of biscuits.

"Inhone kitna sunaya mujhe. Kaha apne kaam se kaam rakho. Apna ghar sambhalo. (My husband scolded me so much. Said I should mind my own business and look after my family.)" She went on like a bullet train. Does this woman ever shut up!? "I felt so bad. Maana mayka hai mera, but abhi bhi beti hoon iss ghar ki. Haq hai mera. Aur Adi ko maine hamesha se apna beta maana hai. Nahi adi? (While I know this is my maternal home, I'm still the daughter of this house. I've every right to speak on this matter. And I've always considered Adi as my own son. Didn't I, Adi?)" She looked at me expecting an answer. Can we please go back to Mussoorie? Why do good things always end so soon? I'm hating it here. "Did I ever treat you any different than Shlok?" She added, referring to her own son.

Yes, badi bua, you did. Remember the time when I came to your house for Diwali and you reprimanded me for touching Shlok's bike because it's expensive and I won't be able to handle it while your duffer son went and crashed it the next day!?

"No," I answered meekly.

"Suno! (Hear this!)" She looked pointedly at Dad. He sighed loudly. "Haan bhai, mein hi boori hoon. Ab se mein bolungi hi nahi. Mala, tu bhi kuch mat bol. (Right, I'm the bad guy. I've decided I'll never speak in these matters again. Mala, you don't intrude also.)" She crossed her arms and leaned back on the chair. "Pata chala bhabhi ko phir se bura laga aur unhone Bhaiya ko bol diya kuch anap shanap. (We don't want Bhabhi twisting the story while telling Bhaiya.)" She jabbed.

"Didi, I never-"

"Toh ab mein jhoot bol rahi hoon? (So I'm lying now?)" She shot back aggressively.

Mom breathed out tiredly before she got up and left the living room. I felt bad for her. Everyone here was tolerating this bullshit because of me.

"Yaha aana hi galti thi. (Coming here was a mistake.)" Badi bua muttered under her breath.

Then leave!? No one's stopping you!

"Par kya karein, ghar ki shaadi hai. Aur mera dil bada hai. Mein aisi baatein dil pe nahi leti. Jo hai, woh accept karni ki aadat hai mujhe. Rishton ko sambhalna aata hai mujhe. (But what to do, it's a family wedding. And I've always had a big heart. I don't take such things to heart. Whatever it is, I accept it. I know how to care for relationships.)" She mumbled, in a low voice as though she was meaning it to say only for herself, but it was audible enough for everyone in the room to hear each syllable.

Damn bruh, what is this woman!?

"Adi," Dadi called out softly once it was clear Badi bua wasn't resuming her ramble anytime soon. I turned to the oldest woman in the room, my heart in my mouth. Metaphorically, of course. "Photo hai uski? (Do you have her photo with you?)" She asked curiously.

"Priya ki? (Priya's?)"

Dadi nodded.

I fished out my phone and scrolled through the gallery until I landed on her favourite picture of mine. The one from our engagement day. Even though I hate Preeti's constant nagging during photography sessions, she has remarkably the best photography skills I've seen so far on someone who's not a professional photographer. "That's her," I scooted closer to Dadi, holding out my phone in front of her face from a distance since her hands tremble and she can't see clearly from close.

"Savli hai, (She is dusky)" Badi bua commented. "Aur woh gehu jaisi savli nahi, balki usse jyada. (And not the wheatish brown, but darker than that.)"

"Khoobsurat hai, (She is beautiful,)" Dadi smiled a little, gazing at Priya's picture with fond eyes. My heart did a little flutter. I glanced at Badi bua to see her reaction and to my amusement, the woman appeared taken aback.

"Ye- yeah, that's true. She is beautiful. I mean, besides her skin color she has got a nice nose and brows." She added hesitantly.

I chuckled under my breath. Talk about eating your own words, literally.

"Umra kya hai? (What's her age?)" Dadi asked me.

"Thirty," I answered, holding my breath for some harsh scolding. To my surprise, Dadi smiled mischievously.

"I heard she'll turn thirty-one in a month." Badi bua added the unnecessary.

"Badi umra ki auratein pasand hai? (You like older women?)" Dadi asked me in a whisper.

I gasped, blushing deep red. "Dadi! It's not like that!"

Dadi chuckled.

Seeing her reaction, I knew badi bua was prepared to take back her words the next instant.

"Ha matlab, umra toh vaise jhalakti nahi hai uske chehre par. Young lagti hai woh. (Yeah, I mean, she doesn't look her age. She looks young.)" She nodded, speaking as if she was complimenting Priya. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the two faced woman.

"I like her maturity." I smiled at Dadi.

"Tu khush hai na? (You're happy, right?)"

I nodded with a grin.

"Then nothing else matters." She cupped my cheek, leaning in to kiss my forehead. I bent forward, smiling widely because my favourite person has accepted my choice. She patted my cheek lovingly after pulling back. "Hamesha aise hi khush reh. (Stay happy always.)" She blessed me.

I sat back with a satisfactory grin. To be honest, more than anyone else, I was worried about Dadi's rejection towards my choice. Like mom said, I've always been her favourite grandson. That's because when I was born, it was too overwhelming for my parents to handle all the kids all together and give them the same share of attention and love. So after I started crawling around, I was sent to live with my grandparents. Till I reached the age of eight, I stayed with them. Initially, I used to feel bitter about it. My own family used to come visit me like some guests. And they used to bring along my siblings as well. It was humiliating and I felt hurt for a long time. But with time I accepted the fact that my parents love me and they just didn't want me to feel neglected or not taken care of. I won't lie, the first eight years of my life were undeniably the best. Whenever I listen to Dadi's stories about my childhood, they always make a special place in my heart.

"Woh sab thik hai, Maa, but humein khabar tak nahi hone di engagement ki. Matlab- (That's all okay, Mom, but they didn't even let us know about the engagement. I mean-)"

"Chup ho ja, Reshma. (Just shut up, Reshma.)" Dadi spoke tiredly. "Jitna tu bolti hai, agar utna tu kar leti toh bhagwan niche aakar khud tere pair choote. (If you did half of what you say, God would have personally descended to touch your feet.)"

I held back a snicker. Dad didn't though, he straight up laughed hard.

Badi bua had a look of offense plastered on her face. "Ma, aap bhi na! Jao mujhe baat hi nahi karni. (Ma, I can't with you! I'm not talking to anyone now.)" She complained and got up to leave. "Chal, Mala! (Let's go, Mala!)"

Mala bua halted abruptly, the dunked biscuit half way in the air, about to slide into her mouth. They shared an awkward eye contact, where Badi bua seethed and Mala bua had a sheepish smile on her face. With a shake of her head, that spoke of disappointment louder than words could ever do, Badi bua stormed off to the guest room.

"Mujhe teri honi wali biwi se milna hai. (I want to meet your soon to be wife.)" Dadi declared, her eyes on me.

I nodded.

"Abhi, (Now,)" she stated.

I blinked. "But Dadi, she must be working now-"

"I don't know. I want to meet her right now. Bring her to me. I also have something to give her." She smiled softly, probably already imagining Priya's reaction to the gift she has brought for her.

I dragged a hand down my face.

"Mala, take me to my room," Dadi instructed.

Mala bua nodded, placing the teacup and biscuit down and getting up to wheel Dadi to her temporary stay, Bhai's room. That's another issue. Every time our extended family comes over, Bhai and I share my room because it's big enough to fit two people. But that was before the little tiff we had, before I knew my brother is also interested in my fiance and possibly has feelings more intense than I'm aware of. While Neelam bua, everyone's favourite, by the way, shares the room with Meghna. I can't wait for her to come. She lives in the states and always has some cool stuff to bring on her trip to India. Dad said she'll be landing this evening. Bhai is gonna pick her up on his way from the airport.

"Adi," Dadi called for my attention.

I looked up at her. "Ha?"

"I'll be taking a nap now. Priya better be here before I wake up." She warned.

I nodded in defeat.

She ruffled my hair and let Mala bua push her wheelchair towards the room. I don't understand why she prefers to stay alone in the room when she can't push herself around for longer than a minute. Then again, living under a rock is far better than living with my buas. If you didn't get the gist already, they are horrible. Except for Neelam bua, who is snatched by Meghna the moment she comes in because she is wanted by every young adult in the family, even the teenagers. No one from my father's side of the family is good enough to associate with if not for the blood relationship. I swear if you had the liberty to choose your own family, Reshma Bua would have been the only orphan in the world. Harsh truth, but true indeed.

"Why are you still here?" Dad questioned, catching my attention. "Go and get Priya. You know at this age Mom rarely sleeps for more than an hour." He reminded.

I sighed. "Dad, how am I supposed to just go and demand her to come with me?"

"Then don't demand?" Dad shrugged as if it were obvious.

"What happened?" Mom entered the living, looking relieved that her evil sisters-in-law weren't around. "Your Dadi doesn't like her?" She asked, then without waiting for my answer, shot off like a fired bullet. "I knew it! And I did tell you, didn't I!? When she didn't accept me over so many years, there's no way she'll accept Priya! Her age is already a huge issue, and on top of that, she is a career-driven person. While we've no problem with that, your grandmother is from a different generation. How are you going to convince her, Adi? I'm so worried for you. Did it have to be Priya of all people? Now Priya will have to go through the same thing that I suffered for so many years!" She shook her head, a hand on her hip as she carried a posture of a person who's done with life. "But I'm more worried about you. You're her favourite grandson-"

"Chup ho ja, meri ma! (Shut up, for God's sake!)" Dad burst out.

Thank you, dad.

Mom was startled at the outburst. "What?"

"She accepted Priya. In fact, she looked happy for me. And now she wants me to bring Priya home so they both could meet. She has even bought a gift for Priya." I added the last part proudly.

Shock will be an understatement to describe the reaction Mom had.

She sat down on the couch with a dramatic thud. "How- How could she?" She asked softly.

"Mummy! You should be happy for me!" I said in disbelief.

Mom flinched. "No. I- I didn't mean to. I just- why didn't she accept me this easily? Am I that worse?" She mumbled, sadness reflecting in her tone.

"Tum bhi na, Arpita, (Oh, c'mon, Arpita,)" Dad sighed, scooting closer to her. She dropped her head on his chest, sniffing softly as tears brimmed in her eyes.

"Am I that bad, Shrivastava Ji?"

"No, you're not. Maybe I'm not her favourite son." He muttered, rubbing her back gently.

"You're her only son," Mom reminded him.

"Yeah, so imagine the pain I'm feeling. Shouldn't you be consoling me?" He teased.

She chuckled, snuggling more into his arms. I sighed in relief. Dad looked at me and nodded in the direction of the main door, indirectly reminding me of the little task I had in hand.

I got up half-heartedly and made my way towards the front door. I haven't even washed up after coming home from the office. How could I when the moment I entered, Badi Bua rained on me like a snowstorm. Putting on my shoes, I left the house.

The bus was leaving when I almost reached the stop. To catch my fifty lacs-worthy four-wheelers, I ran as fast as I could. When the vehicle is more expensive than you, you gotta follow her timings. Not the other way around.

I huffed when I made it inside. To my dismay, all the seats were taken. So far, my day has not been very great. And every time that happens, I'm afraid it is going to get even worse. So, I'm frightened for what's to come ahead. Especially, since it involves my fiance. The fewer ruined moments I have with her, the better for my mental health. I overthink, and I overthink a lot. When you know you do the bad thing more proficiently, you realise you're the problem and not the people around you. She might say I'm too swamped with work, and my brain will translate it as, "Sorry, I'm too busy to waste my time meeting your grandmother." And that's not good.

"Ticket, Bhaisahab!" The conductor snapped at me.

I flinched, timidly showing him my pass. He nodded, squeezing past me. I put back the pass in my wallet and shoved it in my pockets. Though I had used the same pass while traveling today, the previous two conductors had forgotten to punch the date. Good for me though. Saved me some pretty cash that now I can use to buy some more junk food to hog on while watching Netflix.

I descended the bus two stops before my regular one. Although I've never been to her office personally before I know the address so I was able to locate the building easily. And because I've never been to her office before, I had no clue on which floor of this huge building she works on. I studied the huge board in the lobby, searching for her company's name in the crowd of other gold scripted ones.

Jalsa - Floor no 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th.

Woah.

Four floors!? Of this amazing skyscraper? That must have cost her millions.

I quickly shifted towards the bank of elevators on the right and pushed the open button. The metal doors slid apart quickly. Walking in, I pushed for the seventh number floor though I had no idea which floor her own cabin is on. I know I should have called her, but upon leaving the house when I tried, she had rejected the call and texted me the automated response, "Busy. Can't talk now." So I'm afraid of trying again.

The doors opened on the seventh floor. It was absolutely vacant. The lights were off, the monitors were off, and the main glass doors looked shut. I pushed for the eighth floor. It was the same. Then came the ninth floor's turn and I was kind of hoping it'll be nothing different. It didn't disappoint me. When I reached the tenth floor, it had all the lights on, the central AC was on high speed, or low speed, or whatever you call it but it was freezing cold out there. In winters? Seriously, how rich do you have to be to waste electricity in the month of December? I walked in slowly, looking around myself for any sign of living organisms. There was a classy-looking fish tank with all those exotic fishes swimming around which I would rather prefer on my plate than in a showpiece but they are not the living organisms I was talking about.

"May I help you with something, sir?" A voice startled me.

I looked front, noticing a woman behind the desk that looked like a reception area. With confidence that I didn't have, I approached the lady. She was absolutely gorgeous with all that make-up and a professional smile. And then there's our receptionist. The lady looks like she would kill to get out of her job.

"Hi," I began and received an even wider smile. "I was hoping to meet Priya Mathur," I added softly, my confidence faltering when I noticed her smile fading away.

"Uh, do you have an appointment?" She inquired, peeling off the dried glue from her fingers. When I leaned in to see, there was a mess of paper strips on her desk.

"No," I shoved my hands in my pockets.

"Then I'm sorry, sir, but I can't help you." She murmured with an apologetic smile.

I licked my dry lips. I need to buy a new chapstick. This one doesn't do shit.

"I understand," I added and turned to leave.

"She better be here before I wake up."

I decided to give it another try. "Uhm," I called out for her attention. She got up from her chair with a polite smile. "Is it possible for you to let her know I want to meet her?"

She bit her lower lip, looking down thoughtfully. "She is busy right now. If you're willing to wait, I'll let her know once her virtual meeting ends."

"That'll be great. Thanks." I smiled in relief.

"Well, you can take a seat there." She gestured towards the lounge room. "Would you like tea or coffee -"

"No, I'm fine." I thanked her and made my way towards the couches. I sat down, glancing at the woman as she met my eyes and we both shared an awkward smile. She went back to her work while I picked up a random magazine from the glass table and shuffle through it.

Thirty minutes had passed but there was no inclination of her hands towards the intercom. It was already six-thirty.

Some more time had passed when Dad called me. I told him I'm stuck in the traffic and haven't reached her office yet. The receptionist looked at me weirdly.

"Itna silent traffic? (Why is the traffic so quiet?)" Dad questioned.

"Because my headphones have a noise cancellation feature in them," I lied. He knows shit about technology.

"Oh, okay, come sooner. Your Dadi has asked for you quite a few times now." He informed.

I hummed in response before hanging up.

Forty-five minutes later, the receptionist finally picked up the intercom.

"Ma'am, someone is waiting for you in the lobby."

She heard the response and from her face, I don't think it was any good. "But Ma'am, he has been waiting for you for an hour now." She added softly. "Yes, it's a man." She then looked at me. "Sir, may I please know your name?"

"Aditya Shrivastava," I answered.

"Ma'am, it's -" she flinched, pulling the receiver away from her ear. She sighed and put it down. "I'm afraid you'll have to leave-"

The glass door of the main office opened and Priya walked out. I stood up from my seat.

"Ma-Ma'am, I was about to send him off-"

"Are you dense!?" Priya glared at the woman who cowered away in response.

"So-Sorry?"

"Did you not check the priority list before deciding to make him wait outside in the lobby!?" She snapped.

Even I flinched. The poor lady on the other hand looked like she would burst out crying any minute.

"Where's Sheena?" She asked in a low voice. My brows shot raised. Now that was terrifying.

"She- she is out. She had an appointment with her doctor so I replaced her today."

"And who are you?"

"Fariha, I'm an intern."

"So you're on a probation period?"

Fariha nodded with tears streaming down her eyes.

"And you take on a responsibility you're not prepared for?"

She bowed her head.

"Who's your mentor?"

Her head snapped up. "It was my mistake, Ma'am."

"I asked you something. I expect an answer for that."

She looked down at her feet, her shoulders trembling with all that crying.

"Answer me," Priya demanded.

"Priya," I called out, pulling her attention towards me.

"I'm so sorry, Aditya, if I knew you were here, I would have never made you wait so much." She apologized. "And you, who's your mentor?" For god's sake, stop going at the poor woman. She is already terrified.

Fariha began to full-on sob. Damn, she is my female version. I'm just good at holding back my tears.

"Miss. Fariha, do you want me to fire you before your probation period is over!?"

Fariha shook her head hurriedly.

"Then answer me!"

"Nikhil sir," she sniffed.

"Apart from him, which mentor do you prefer?"

She looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

"Are you deaf!?"

Fariha shook her head hurriedly. "Malini Ma'am," she squeaked out.

"You'll be working under her from tomorrow. I'll talk to Mr. Shinde." She informed. My eyes widened in surprise. "Make another mistake and you'll be fired. Clock out for the day."

"Thank you, ma'am. Thank you so much. And I'm so sorry." She bowed frantically. "I'm really sorry, sir."

"It's okay," I assured her.

She left at the speed of light. No, that's an understatement, she almost disappeared.

"Once again, I apologise on behalf of my staff," Priya said to me.

"It's okay," I reassured her too.

"Please come inside," she unlocked the door, holding it open for me. I walked closer and nodded at her to go in first. She obliged. Soon I entered behind her and closed the door.

Damn.

Now, this is heaven.

Her office well suited her personality. It was blue and green, a combination I would have elsewhere found off but strangely, it fits here perfectly. It was like sky and earth touched.

"Is there any reason you came all the way here?"

I met her eyes, "Ah, right, my Dadi. She is in Mumbai. And she wants to meet you."

Priya looked stunned. "Me-Me?"

I nodded.

"Now?"

I nodded with pursed lips.

"But- but I'm not even," she looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a fitted dark blue satin shirt and those loose beige trousers, what are they called? Culotes or Culottes? Meghna speaks words so foreign you'll need a dictionary to keep up with her fashion vocabulary. "Is it okay to meet her in these clothes? Or maybe we can stop at some shop and buy me some traditional clothes? What would she like? Salwar kameez? Chudidar? Sa-"

"This looks beautiful," I stopped her. She looked panicked for some reason. Is this the same woman who made a grown adult cry not a minute ago? "By the way, why did you change her mentor?"

"Huh?"

"Fariha?" I reminded her.

"Oh, that," she turned to her desk, stuffing her phone and keys in her purse. "She was assigned to the wrong mentor if he was unable to find her strong and weak points. She is clearly not cut out for a desk job. Did you not see the paper basket she had made of strips? She was distracted from the main job because she was more focused on her basket. Her expertise is definitely creativity and designing. Not look out for visitors and ask their purpose of arrival. So I changed her mentor to the one she prefers considering she is more comfortable with that person." Priya shrugged.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Shall we?"

I nodded, holding out the door for her.

I can't wait for her to meet my Dadi now. I'm so fucking proud of my choice.

Aditya's choice *chef's kiss* since he is going to eat her out sometime in the future anyway *wiggling brows*

Someone please drown me in holy water, or ganga jal, or Zamzam water. Whatever's available. 😭💀

Hope you liked the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment. Makes my day.