The Secret of Orange Dress!!

This happened when my daughter Varsha was 3 years old. Usually, she is a talkative kid. By birth, she is an active kid and bold too. To this date, as now she is 7 years old, now I am more careful than not to speak or discuss anything in front of her. But mistakes do happen!

It was marriage season in our family.  My mother in law s sister s daughter s marriage.  She was like my ‘ second saas’!. She was eldest to my mother-in-law, even she used to order my mother-in-law for everything. Whenever she came to our home.  There were lots of new rules formed then. We prepared lots of delicious dishes to satisfy her. She was a type of person who had a perception that “bahu was meant for working in the four walls of home and giving at utmost respect to inlaws and pati parmeshwar and never ever cross the Lakshman Rekha drawn by them.”

Now coming back, she had come to invite us to her second daughter s wedding. It was our customary practice to give dresses to all the members of the family. It happened to be the case that my Mil s sister got dresses for everyone in the family, from the eldest person in the home to the youngest one.

My daughter Varsha was the youngest one for whom she bought ‘ghagra choli.’ It was bright orange and silk-type material. At first look, I got shocked to see such a color. My heart cried out when I saw the price tag – Rs. 3500. Such a waste of money for dress material of unpleasant color! It wouldn’t stop there, and she would compel everyone to wear whatever the dress was given.

Before the wedding took place, we had got Christmas vacation, for which my husband wanted me to spend time in my mom’s place.  So we all went there, and I stayed back with Varsha for a couple of days.

Once in the afternoon, I had put Varsha to sleep and was spending my time with my mom, where we were discussing very personal issues about my inlaws and others. Whatever I had locked in my heart, everything I poured out. Suddenly my phone rang at the maximum sound; I was shaken by it.

My daughter got up, but I just pat her back to sleep. Then I remembered to show the picture of the dress given by my Mil s sister, which I had on my phone.

“Amma, see the color, I have never seen such brash color,” I was blabbing to my mom.       “she has spent 3000 bucks for this, and she will order everyone to wear it”.  ” Amma, give me some nice idea to avoid this dress during the wedding,”  I asked my mom.
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There was festivity in the atmosphere. All around were glittered, perfumes of different flowers, the aroma of different foods. Everyone looked excited; kids were running and playing.  All looked smart in their new outfits. So finally we arrived in the wedding hall.

After refreshing ourselves, my “second saas ” called my daughter and me. She asked me, ” are bahu? Where is the dress which I got for Varsha? ” I was well prepared to answer this question. “Well, I am sorry to say this, but it was torn inside,” I replied coolly. “Oh! Hey Raam, how is this possible… I knew already that shopkeeper would have cheated…I knew from the face. But I will give u a bill ..u go n change it,” she said. I was jumping with joy; this is exactly what I was expecting!. ” Amma, we can get nice color ma. The orange color which ajji (grandma) gave was so bad. You also didn’t like na ma, ” Varsha said as loudly as possible.

I was dumbstruck by this statement of her. My “second saas” watched all this and laughed aloud till tears came from her eyes and went away. I felt like the Earth would open up and drag me inside. I couldn’t explain anything later to anyone at all. I just kept my mouth shut and avoided my ‘Second saas’ rest of the wedding!!

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