Mrs. Arjun
Part 11: Mrs. Arjun
It was a family function where Arjun's relatives would meet Meera. Sanjana entered Arjun's room carrying a new dress for Meera. Just as Meera exited the washroom after her bath, Sanjana said,
“Meeraji, this is your dress. According to the ritual, you are required to wear only our clothing today. You shouldn’t wear the clothes you brought from your mother’s home. Is that clear?”
Meera nodded in agreement. Sanjana left the room with a smile, and Meera changed into the new dress. She liked it very much. As she admired her outfit, she noticed a jar of mango juice on the table. Her face brightened at the sight because mango juice was her favourite. She poured it into a glass and took a sip, savouring the sweet flavour.
Suddenly, Sanjana’s daughter, Isha, rushed into the room and hugged Meera around the waist, shouting, “Mami!” In the excitement, the juice spilled onto Meera's blouse.
“Oh my God…!” Meera exclaimed, horrified.
Isha quickly said, “I’m sorry, Mami.”
“It’s okay. But what can I do now?”
“You can wash it, Mami. I’ll ask Ram uncle to help dry it. He can put it in the washing machine, and then we can do the ironing.”
“But what will I wear until then?” Meera asked, worried.
“Just wear something.”
“Sanjanaji said I should not wear anything I brought from my mother’s house.”
“Should I ask Mumma for help?”
“No, no! I don’t know what she will think.”
“Wait, I have an idea!”
“What’s that?”
“You can wear any clothes from this family member, right?”
“Yes, only clothes from this family.”
Isha rushed to the closet and opened it.
“Look, there are lots of clothes here!”
Meera was shocked. “You mean Arjunji’s clothes?”
Isha giggled and nodded. “Don’t overthink, Mami. We don’t have time, so hurry up!”
Meera took one of Arjun’s shirts and ran into the washroom. After washing her blouse, she came out wearing Arjun’s shirt. Isha took the wet blouse from her.
“Wait just a few minutes, Mami. I’ll bring it back soon,” Isha said, leaving the room with Meera's choli.
Meera sat on the bed, resting her hand on her forehead. She picked up the glass of juice she had left unfinished and took another sip. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching the room. She realised it was Arjun. What would he think if he saw her wearing his shirt? What if he scolded her? Panicking, she ran to the French door and hid behind its curtain. But she was too late; Arjun had already spotted her.
He wondered what she was hiding for. “Did she think he would BAD TOUCH her?" Slowly, he approached and moved the curtain aside. He was left speechless when he saw her in his shirt. Her antics seemed endless. She stood there, tightly closing her eyes. Arjun swallowed a chuckle that threatened to escape. A strange thought crossed his mind.
Couldn’t he hug her as tightly as possible, just once? He imagined the sweet scene and smiled to himself.
With a lopsided grin, Arjun asked, “Are you planning to wear this dress today?”
Meera shook her head. “No.”
“Then what’s the story?”
“Mango juice spilled on my dress. Isha took it to get it dried.”
“Okay. But why are you wearing my shirt?”
“Sanjanaji said I should wear only clothes from this family, so Isha suggested I wear your shirt,” she pouted.
“Oh, okay. Come out.”
“Are you angry with me?” Meera asked nervously.
“Why should I be?”
“I used your shirt without your permission.”
“You can use anything of mine. You have every right to my belongings.”
Meera nodded appreciatively. "Thanks”
“Di wants me to give you something. Come and sit here.”
“What is it?” she asked, curious.
She sat in the recliner as Arjun knelt in front of her. Meera was taken aback by his gesture. He pulled a small box from his coat pocket. Inside was a beautiful set of bangles.
“These bangles belong to this family’s daughter-in-law; that’s YOU. From today onwards, these are yours.” (He paused.) “Is it bad touch if I touch your hand?”
She shook her head, indicating no.
“Can I help you wear them?”
Meera gulped as she looked at him.
“Di’s order,” he added.
She nodded, bowing her head in agreement. Arjun extended his hand, asking for hers. Slowly, Meera raised her hand from her lap towards his palm. Arjun gently held her hand. Their first official touch, he thought. He made her wear the bangles with a feather-light touch. Meera smiled as she watched the bangles rotate on her wrist.
“These are so beautiful,” she remarked.
Arjun wanted to say, “Not more than you,” but he swallowed his words, smiling instead. He didn’t want her smile to fade if he said it, so he thought it best not to risk it.
The Next Day
When Arjun went into Sanjana's room, Sanjana was discussing something serious with Dev.
“Di, I’m taking Meera to the college to get her admission,” Arjun said.
“We were just discussing that,” Dev replied.
“What was that?”
“Your decision to send Meera to college.”
“What’s there to discuss?”
“We want you to reconsider it, Chintu.”
“What do you mean, Di?”
“Because I don’t think Meera will withstand all the pressure. Why should we put her through that? Let her be happy and free, Chintu.”
“Di, do you know that Meera wants to study? She didn’t want to get married.”
Sanjana and Dev exchanged glances.
“She is so happy that I’m sending her to college. I hope it helps her understand things beyond her current world.”
“I don’t know why I’m sensing bad vibes.”
“Nothing bad will happen, Di. I’m here for her.”
She nodded in agreement.
“I’m taking her to college.”
“When will you both be back?”
“We will be here before lunch.”
“Okay. Come back soon.”
“Yeah…”
Arjun could see Meera’s excitement. Thank goodness he decided to send her to college. Poor girl, she was so interested in her studies.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yeah…”
“Let’s go.”
Meera took blessings from Nani and Ganga before leaving.
College
She saw Pooja and Sagar waiting for them as they arrived at the college. Sagar gestured to Arjun with his eyes, and Arjun nodded in acknowledgement. There was no need to say that Sagar had completed all the formalities before they arrived.
“Hi, Meera…”
“Namaste.”
Pooja rolled her eyes and entwined her fingers with Meera’s as they walked toward the principal's office. Arjun entered with Meera, and the principal welcomed them.
“Welcome, Mr. Arjun,” the principal said, shaking hands with him.
“She is my wife, Mrs. Meera Arjun. I want to admit her to your college.”
Meera felt nervous hearing her name in a new context—Mrs. Meera Arjun.
“I’m glad your wife will be our student,” the principal responded.
“She is from Lucknow and has a distinction in her 12th grade,” Arjun added.
The principal looked at Meera as she handed over her file containing her certificates and mark sheets.
“That’s wonderful! (Looking at Meera) The professors at this college are very responsive. You can ask any questions at any time. Feel free.”
“Am I admitted to your college?”
“Of course. Is there anyone who could say NO to…” Before he could finish his sentence by saying, ‘Mrs Arjun’, Arjun cut him off.
“A student with good marks…”
The principal looked at him, puzzled, but Arjun nodded, encouraging him to say “YES.”
“Yes. How could we turn away a good student?”
“Shall we leave?” Arjun asked.
“Yeah. Regular classes will start next week.”
“When will I receive my books?” Meera asked eagerly.
“Don’t worry. I will send them to your home,” the principal assured her.
“Home?” Meera repeated, puzzled.
“There’s no need. We will collect them from the office like other students,” Arjun said, looking at the principal sharp.
The principal composed himself.
“I mean, the stock has been finished. Our clerk lives in your area, so I thought I'd send it through him when the stock arrives.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Meera, you go to Pooja. I'll be there shortly,” Arjun said.
She nodded and went outside happily.
“I’m sorry if I said anything wrong,” the principal continued.
“I want you to take care of Meera without her knowledge. I don’t want her to know that I made a huge donation.”
“I understand. I’m so grateful to you for donating two crores.”
“I just want my wife to be safe and sound here. You are responsible for that.”
“You don’t need to worry about Mrs. Arjun. I have already instructed not only her department staff but also everyone here.”
“That’s great. I’m leaving now.”
He walked outside, where Sagar was waiting.
“Where is Meera?” Sagar asked.
“She and Pooja went to look at their college.” Arjun nodded in acknowledgment.
“It seems like she is very interested in her studies.”
“Yeah. Whatever it takes, I will be there for her.”
“What do you mean by ‘whatever, I will be there for her?”
“Di and Jeejaji are really worried about her.”
“They will relax in a few days.”
“Hope so.”
Meanwhile,
“Meera, I need to say something to you,” Pooja said.
“Ji… what is it?”
“This is what I want to say: stop addressing everyone with ‘JI’.”
“But…”
Pooja cut her off. “This is not Lucknow, Meera. The culture of Delhi is different. Do you know how much Sanjana is worried about you?”
“Why?”
“Because she thinks people may tease you. Don’t you want to prove yourself?”
Meera nodded.
“Then you have to learn something before stepping into your college life. Will you?”
“Absolutely! But how?”
“I will help you; you must accept me as your friend.”
“Jee…”
Pooja rolled her eyes.
“No, no. Yes, Poo…”
“That’s good. You shouldn’t call anyone ‘Bhaiya,’ ‘Bhai,’ or ‘Di,’ okay?”
“Then how should I address them?”
“Call them by their names.”
“What if they are older than me?”
“Even if they are older than you, you can still call them by their names.”
“Won’t they get angry?”
“They will get angry if you call them ‘Bhaiya’ or ‘Di.’”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Disgusting.”
“Exactly. This is what you need to know. Everything from Lucknow is considered ‘disgusting’ here. So, be mindful, because you are Mrs. Arjun, okay?
“Okay…”
They arrived at the place where Arjun and Sagar were waiting for them. Sagar raised his eyebrows and asked Pooja a question. She blinked her eyes as if to say, “DONE.” Sagar smiled contentedly at her, pleased that they had successfully completed their first task.
To be continued…