My Kinda Girl - III

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Resemblance to any person living (including yours truly) or dead, to any organisation, place or thing is purely coincidental.


Part I
Part II 


"But what about the looks?" aunt asked to bring back some sanity.
"I'll be fine as long as she doesn't look like Kurangu Kusala or the mascot of Ananda Vikatan."
"Funny," aunt remarked.
"Actually, if any girl is okay with my looks in the first place, I think I shouldn't complain."
"I thought guys always look for beautiful girls," said aunt. 
"If that were the case, you wouldn't have got married. That is an overstatement," I replied.
"I think that's enough. We should stop the game. What say, Jaya?" mother said abruptly and winked at aunt.
"Eh? Enough of what game?" I exclaimed.
"Lavanya, you can come out!" mother called out. A girl emerged from the bedroom.
"What the hell! She was here all the time?" I uttered in disbelief.
"Well, that was fun. wasn't it?" aunt was all glee. Others too.
After a while when the laughter died, Lavanya spoke, "There has been talk about you for quite a while in the household. Had taken my day off today, so I thought I could just drop in to meet you. I'd just walked in when you came in right after me. And in no time maami hatched up this little game, and here we are. Just a little prank, okay?" She was terse. As many details as needed in as few words. To the point. And she had come to meet me. She meant business. She had above average looks, very little make-up, but a beautiful smile. 
"So..how are you?" she asked.
"Uh, am good, good! You?" 
"Never better!" she smiled once more.
"Hope I don't look like Kurangu Kusala," she said. She surprised me at her knowledge of Kurangu Kusala. Because Kusala is from times even before I was born.
"Not at all. But may be Vikatan's mascot. Jus' kidding!" I joked, grinning. She laughed too. Sportive spirits. Good.
"Hey, by the way," I said, " I didn't mean what I said earlier about you..I mean..er...that hundred dozen accessories and stuff.. uh, sorry, I didn't mean it, okay?"
"Oh don't bother. I understand the circumstances," said she with a smile.
The older ladies were both in rapt attention once more. Aunt wouldn't want to be left out. She pitched in quick, "So..Lavanya, you heard all that he said, right."
"Yeah, and all that you said about me to him too. It's good in a way that I dropped in. I should clarify certain things about me. Like any other girl's parents, my parents too seemed to have said some goody things about me, which am not." she spoke matter-of-factly.
"Really? In what sense?" interjected mother.
"Yes aunty, like I am not really religious as portrayed. I visit temples grudgingly on parents' insistence."
"Oh! If Raj's dad was here, he would have gotten mad hearing this," mother remarked, still shocked. But I was amused. Note mother's usage of Raj's dad. She wouldn't even use the phrase my husband, let alone his name. Call it conservativeness, homeliness, tradition, whatever. But when it came to quarrelling with each other they would whole-hearted curse each other without restraints. Tradition, you know! Damn!
Lavanya continued, "..And I can't really say am homely or conservative or whatever those words mean. Because they are such relative terms and mean different things to different people."
"You're right!" I exclaimed. Mother realised I was getting interested. She warned me with her eyes to back off. 
"What your amma had said about you is totally different from what you say." aunt intervened.
"But what would they do? Or any parents in their position? They got to raise their sales pitch, right? That's why I dropped in to clear some matters." replied Lavanya. Now, this is some straight shooting. Sales pitch. She surely means business. But the older ladies were too stunned to speak. 
"Tell me, what would you do, aunty?" continued Lavanya, "if you have a girl to give in marriage?"
"We'll only tell the truth," lied mother blatantly with aunt nodding briskly in support. I mean which parents talk truth in the matrimony market? And above all who is ready to buy truth?
"Well, would you go tell the boy's parents that your daughter had an affair with another guy and that kinda stuff?" Lavanya sent down a thunderbolt.
"Oh my god! What new story is this?" exclaimed mother. I could hear aunt's jaw hitting the floor on hearing what Lavanya had to say.
"I was coming to that," started Lavanya, "I was with this guy from college called Ravi. Our courtship lasted a year and we broke up six months ago. I thought I should just let you know of this." That was the last straw for mother and aunt. It should have hit them like a cannon ball. But I was kinda getting drawn in. I liked her brevity of expression even under no ordinary circumstances. I mean, imagine a girl walking into the prospective boy's home and talking about her ex-boyfriend. 


...to be CONCLUDED.


msr
PS: Folks, I would like to remind you all that this is just fiction! :p