The Wedding Tamasha

Shweta shredded the lettuce into the salad bowl while Julie threw
in the tomatoes. Sarah came in to help when the turkey was ready. She
eased the turkey out of the oven and carved it. Soon everything was on
the table. Pete walked in right then, just as everyone had gathered around
the table.
He looked striking in plainclothes; Shweta thought he looked cute
and that was probably because she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. Pete
greeted the family and hugged everyone. When he hugged Shweta, she
was amused to see that she had to stand on her toes for it.
After the toasts to good health and a great Thanksgiving, everyone
dug into the food. Julie had excelled at the All-American Thanksgiving
meal especially prepared for her son-in-law, Tim. The pumpkin pie and
Shweta’s sweet rice pudding rounded off the meal.
Pete came by to drop Shweta and Max off at the door, as they were
leaving.
‘I thank you for again from the bottom of my heart,’ Shweta said to
Pete, her eyes growing moist. ‘If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be going
to my brother’s wedding after all.’
***
Three days later, on Sunday evening, Shweta bid a tearful adieu to
Julie. Shipra and Virat drove Shweta and Max to Newark airport.
Shipra was teary eyed when their car drove into the departure area.
‘We’ll keep in touch,’ Shweta said, squeezing Shipra’s hand. ‘You
should visit me in India.’
Shipra nodded. ‘And don’t forget to email or WhatsApp. I’m going
to miss you so much.’
The girls hugged, before Max and Shweta finally waved goodbye
to Shipra and Virat.
As she and Max walked towards the check-in, Shweta couldn’t
believe it was actually happening. She was finally taking a flight to her
home in Bangalore. She had plenty to think about on the trip back home
—the family reunion, the wedding, and all the fun she’d have. The
worries about facing her family and starting right back from where she’d
been six months ago also bothered her, as did the crumbling of her
‘happily married’ charade.
As she took her seat in the flight, Shweta decided that she’d focus
on the excitement and ignore the anxiety.