“Wake Up- Khushi… Khushi…, it’s already 5 a.m. my child, it’s time, wake up.”
Khushi heard her mother calling her, waking her up. But, little did her mother know that her little girl, now 24, had not slept all night. She had been tossing and turning all night, feeling weak on her knees even while lying on her bed. The bed, which had once been so cozy to her, felt hard on her body, her mind unstable, having millions of thoughts all at once, so many things her heart whispered that she couldn’t decide which one to focus on.
Yes, she felt lonely. No, she wasn’t alone. In fact, her room never had that many people; her sister by her side, friends sleeping peacefully, but Khushi tossed and turned all night, breathing heavily and getting conscious of her breathing at times, aware of not disturbing her sister or friends.
Her house….. was full of people, relatives, cousins, friends; almost everyone Khushi knew was at her house that night. Everyone was sleeping like a baby after a tiresome day of Khushi’s “Mehndi Ceremony.” Her friends had danced for her; Khushi recalled how she was the center of attraction and how her friends and family tried to make her feel special on her last day at the house. At one moment, Khushi even cried when her sister and friends danced to an emotional song. Thus now felt embarrassed about her cry. Then Khushi focused on sleeping, though she at least needed to sleep tonight; sleep was far, far away. And how could she sleep when her mind and heart were in a severe battle.
“Wake Up – Khushi.” Her mother gently touched her this time. Hmmmmmm…. Khushi tossed and opened her eyes.
She was awake, yet she didn’t feel like getting up from bed. One side of her heart said that if you got up, the day was going to start and end in no time, and you will have to leave, and the other side of her heart instantly said,
“Don’t be foolish Khushi, isn’t this what you wanted “A Wedding.” Didn’t you always pray for this day? Didn’t you and Aarav always want your parents to accept this relationship? And now that everything is going as per your wish, why are you being ungrateful for the situation?”
Now, this thought of being with the love of her life forever from today was quite exciting for Khushi, but she felt guilty deep inside. And why? she didn’t know.
So finally, Khushi got up from her bed quietly and smiled at her mother. Every time she looked at her parents, she felt emotional. And she had been feeling this way since yesterday.
“I have kept a bucket of warm water in the bathroom; bath quickly or you will miss your appointment Khushi,” said her mother as she left the room.
“Ok mamma,” said Khushi and gathered her clothes.
“Oh my god, this is getting real, said her heart. Khushi was still feeling weak on her knees; she felt nauseous too; she thought she might faint at the ceremony today. So, she tried to distract herself with good thoughts. She began singing happy songs in her mind and bathed quickly. After she came out, she took a long breath, glanced at her room, and thought, when I will return here again? I may be in this room again in the future, but it won’t be the same. I might be treated as a guest.” Khushi’s eyes filled with tears.
“God, Khushi, what are you doing? If this is how you are, you will ruin the big day for yourself, so gather up and be strong,” said Khushi to herself.
She dressed up and woke her friends as they wanted to accompany her to her makeup appointment. The appointment was at 6 a.m., and it was already 5:55 a.m. The beauty salon was near but would take them at least 10 minutes to reach. The girls rushed out as Khushi booked a taxi.
Thank God they got a taxi on time and reached the saloon precisely at 6 a.m.
Khushi greeted the lady at the counter and reminded her of her appointment. The lady directed Khushi and her friends toward a room and asked Khushi to wait for a while. Khushi looked around and breathed heavily. There were 4–5 brides getting ready at the same time. Some were getting their hair done, some were being helped with their sari, and some were applying makeup. The chaos in the room made Khushi nervous. However, to her rescue were her friends, who were constantly teasing her, trying to distract her.
“You will be a stunning bride Khushi ; I am so excited for you, “said Raya. “Oh my God, I wonder what Aarav will do when he sees Khushi as his bride; he might faint,” said Bhoomi with a giggle.
“I want him to faint,” said Khushi, and the three of them laughed out loud.
