The family had got together for yet another wedding. This time it was different as Aarchi was toddling around Ajab mausi very possessively as the unknown people kept her occupied, much to poor Aarchi's annoyance. Ajabdeh had made it a point that their wedding would be a very private affair with a very small guest list and no media glare and rumours. Pratap never really minded any of her conditions as long as she was ready for the marriage. The only thing he did not mind was Ajabdeh inviting Phool to the wedding and her accepting the invite.
Rukaiya had given birth to a beautiful baby boy, Salim, who, according to Jalal, looked like his mother. Jalal, much to Pratap's relief, has stopped his pranks with Patta, or so he thought until he sat on the Papad bed made by Jiwa and him as soon as he entered the hall of the wedding. Jaivanta had insisted the marriage should take place in Surajgarh as the place was away from the glamour of the cities, as well as where they belonged.
The moment Ajabdeh appeared in her lehenga, helped by Rukaiya and Heer, Pratap's smile reflected what Chaks put as a "wait of a lifetime", and Ajabdeh's eyes went wide seeing him blush like a bride! Shakti and Heer enjoyed the wedding most, although Shakti took over the responsibilities of the business as well as the wedding, much to Pratap's worry. Pratap was indeed proud when he handled it responsibly.
Heer had made sure everyone, including little Salim, was in her clothing line, which Patta and Shakti termed as her obsession, much to her annoyance, as they were forced to try on a pile of suits before she landed on a perfect contrasting pair for the brothers of the groom and bride. She had even managed to set up a colour theme, blue for the groom's side and orange for the bride, which made Chakrawati choose Pratap while Jalal and Rukaiya were happily on the bride's side.
To everyone's surprise, Heer planned to team up her blue lehenga with the orange dupatta and shrugged at an amused Shakti, exclaiming, "Come on! I am from both sides, legally!"
Hansa's eyes filled up with tears as the vermillion filled Ajabdeh's hairline as she said a silent prayer and thanked the lord. Everyone, in the end, decided to spend the post-wedding rituals annoying Patta and blushing Jiwa about who is the next one!
Ajabdeh hadn't expected a wedding night so beautiful. She had expected him to shower love, but not in the most beautiful way she imagined. He gave her a box of diaries, making her frown in confusion.
"Here in the last few years, everything I wanted to share with you is here!" His smile made her gasp and then break into a burst of laughter that made him confused.
"Wait." She managed to lift her lehenga and walk to the closet slowly, and she took out two journals.
"These are mine!" She giggled as he saw them and her and laughed along before kissing her hands right where the Mehendi spelt his name and whispered "Thank you for being mine, Strange Girl!"
"You could better say you love me, Princy!" She frowned as he kissed her forehead. The rest of the night, they spent reading each other's lost years and reliving them together again, smiling at each other as the night gave way to dawn.
Eid was never the same again, as the family made sure to come to Pratap and Ajabdeh's weekend place each year to celebrate the day at their favourite place. Brownie and Cookie now stayed at Pratap's place with their family, Choco Fudge and Crackle. They were as much family to Ajabdeh as the others.
The place was decorated inch by inch like Ajabdeh wanted it to, and the Royal Poinciana tree now hung a wooden swing for the summer afternoons. The house was nicely decorated for the evening Dawat and everyone gathered for a dinner and party. Jalal and Ajabdeh even managed to bring a frowning Khan Baba to the place as well. After all, Jalal would never leave him alone on Eid. And Ajabdeh knew, although he could refuse the children, the grandchildren were always his weakness. Pratap and Rukaiya just smiled at how Jalal and Ajabdeh often used the children to manipulate the elders so easily.
" Mamasa Eiiddiiiiii" Three-year-old Aditi had her hands stretched in front of a wide-eyed Jalal.
"Let the evening come first, Shehzaadi." He reasoned as Rukaiya watched, amused.
" So what, it's morning?" Aarchi, who was now ten, came to her defence. "Every day the evening comes after morning; today will be no exception!"
"But..." Jalal opened his mouth as Rukaiya smiled, "Don't torture the kids, they can't wait."
"Is that so?" Jalal put his hand in his pocket as both girls smiled like angels in their matching pink frocks.
As soon as he took out the purse, Aarchi smiled at the door. " Aditya, Amar, Salim! Aa jao!"
Rukaiya laughed as in a moment the bunch flocked around Jalal with eager eyes. Salim, now eight, only chose to stand close to his Ammi, not sure if he would get the Edi or the scolding.
"I swear, Abbu, this was not my idea..... they... umm..." He looked at Aarchi and made a face at him as he stopped.
"It was Amar's idea." Aarchi pointed. "He suggested we ask for the Edi from Mamasa."
"When did I..." Amar was surely not acting shocked. "Jija, you told me we are going to..."
"Dadabhai didn't say anything. Jija is lying." Aditya looked all serious as Amar smiled at his kid brother. He had his mother's looks, while his twin sister proudly flaunted Shakti's charm and manipulative skills. Also, the fact that she was Badima's ladli annoyed both Amar and Aditya.
"Wait... stand in a line and let's see who gets what... but you have to do me a favour in exchange for it, deal?" Jalal smiled as the children looked at each other.
"Are you bribing the children in exchange for chores?" Rukaiya sounded displeased as Jalal smiled. "I am giving them their Edi!"
Ajabdeh was tired after helping Ranima and Heer with the sweets. Although Rukaiya took charge of the Sheer kurma and Biryani, and Kebabs, Ranima always insisted on making some traditional sweets as well for Eid. Khan Baba was busy reading fairy tales to Aarchi and Aditi while the boys played around the hall with a bunch of barking balls, throwing brown dogs.
"Oh, why don't you go play outside?" Ajabdeh looked at Amar, who stopped running because of his mother's cranky mood.
"What happened to you? Are you sick?" He sounded worried.
"Amar, go play outside with Salim, Adi and the rest. Take Brownie along." Pratap's voice made him turn as he ran to hug his father. Brownie and Cookie reached before him as their pups ran behind Amar. Pratap gave Ajabdeh a smile and the dogs a warm pat each as Amar hugged his knees, saying, "You are back, Papa! Where is Kakasa?"
"Champ! See what I got you!" Amar went wide-eyed at the red and blue cars as Aditya ran past him shouting, "But I want the blue one, Papa!"
"But..." Amar frowned as Shakti scolded, "First, greet properly, then you will get your cars!"
"Khamma Ghani. Car?" Aditya smiled a most devilish smile as Ajabdeh smiled, shouting, "Aditi, your papa is here... where is your Maa sa?" She was about to leave the children with their toys and fathers when Pratap stopped her, "Suno?"
"Kya?" She stopped on her way.
"You... umm.... are okay?" He smiled at her annoyed face.
"I am pregnant, not sick! Besides, Rukaiya is breathing down my neck, and I keep telling her this is not the first time... don't you start!"
"I know, I know." He folded his hands, making her smile. " I asked the wrong question."
"Go get ready for the Dawat..." She smiled as he stared lovingly at his pregnant, glowing wife.
"You remember after that..."
"What?" he frowned cluelessly.
"Amar needs to be told, someone has to tell him... he needs to learn to share things with those who are going to come."
"His sister." He nodded. Then both stared worriedly at Amar and Aditya fighting over the same blue car, abandoning the red one, much to Shakti's confusion. Heer walked out of the kitchen, annoyed with the children's noise and shouted, "Adi! Amar! Behave!" That made the whole hall even. Jaivanta and Hansa stared silently at her. The children let go of the toy and murmured, "Sorry." Before running off.
"Ah, Hitler Mummy!" Shakti's smirk annoyed her. "You don't start now."
"Grow up already, you can't even handle the children!" Heer's serious tone made him chuckle. "Where is Fattu?"
"Ohho! Stop calling him that, he is married now!"
"I called Jiwa; they are on their way." Ajabdeh checked her call log as Shakti went, " Why are you standing? Sit down." Making her stare at him coldly as Pratap laughed.
" We are here!" Jiwa's voice made Heer run to hug her. "Ahem, I am your brother!" Patta frowned.
"Everyone loves me more," Jiwa smirked before managing to walk in her saree to the elders.
"Aaja Fattu." Shakti came to hug him as Jiwa giggled and Patta frowned, "Stay away!"
Saubhagyawati was making the rangoli at a corner when Jiwa decided to help.
"Do I need to do something?" Chaks asked Ajabdeh, seeing everyone work as Pratap said in a very serious tone, "Yes, ruin the rangoli!"
"Aree yaar woh..." He opened his mouth as Ajabdeh and Pratap laughed at him, remembering how a teenager once messed up another's rangoli at her place one Diwali, resulting in him getting a punishment of giving all of them a treat of ice creams.
"That was once!" Chaks made them stop laughing as they stared at each other with a smile full of memories.
Everyone except Ajabdeh ate their fill at the delicious dinner Rukaiya cooked. Ajabdeh was nauseated and annoyed as both father and son kept bugging her to have fruits and salads, and kheer. She stared at the duo like they were exact clones of one another and exclaimed, "This time I want one like me, please God!" making them frown.
Jalal had called on a professional fashion photographer for a family photo he insisted was a must to hang in each one's house. Ajabdeh gasped and stared at Pratap as Sid entered and stared right at her in surprise.
"Ajabdeh Punwar?" His smile was still the same as Ajabde smiled back.
"Where on earth did you find him, Jalal?" Chaks smiled, amused as Jalal looked confused. "He is?"
"Mrs Ajabde Pratap Singh." Pratap held her waist and appeared beside her right in time. Sid was going to take her hand, and he stopped.
"Ohh." He stared at them and at the baby bump, saying "Congratulations!"
"Ranimaaaa... Photo uncle aa gaye?" Amar stopped staring as Sid looked at the kid who looked just like a guy he knew in school.
"Ahh, nice family. You look prettier now!" He smiled as Ajabdeh blushed, a "Thank you" making Pratap say, "All right, everyone, gather for the pictures."
"I want one, on the Jhula with Amar." Ajabdeh insisted as Sid said, "Right away, Ma'am."
"Oh, I see." Jalal smiled, amused at Pratap, who gave him an annoyed glance.
After a session of photographs, Jalal was trying to get everyone together for the group picture. Khanbaba was in the middle with Jaivanta and Hansa on both sides. The children knelt before them in a row: Aarchi and Aditi in the middle, with Salim Amar and Aditya on either side, with the dogs on their sides and pups on their laps. And the couples at the back.
"Stand behind me." Rukaiya pointed to Jalal, "Not with me, I will look short." Patta moved away as Shakti laughed, " You are short!"
"Come here, Jija!" Heer called Ajabdeh. "Where do I stand?" Sau looked confused.
"Here, you go there... Aree yaar Shakti focus... Stop fighting, Salim!" Jalal was moving his hands frantically at the confused crowd.
"umm... err... I am the Photographer." Sid spoke softly as Jalal dismissed him with "One minute, haan, perfect!"
He ran to take his position as Sid said, "On the count of three... one... two..."
"Shit, my water broke!" Ajabdeh gasped as the crowd huddled around her "What?"
"Sit down." " Call the Ambulance." "Pratap, I'm calling Mahamanga ma'am."
"You couldn't have waited one minute, Ajab!" Jalal frowned helplessly at the messed-up crowd as Ajabdeh gave him an angry stare, making him smile and say, "Oops, sorry!"
"Are you okay?" Pratap managed to hold Ajabdeh's hand as she stared at him wide-eyed, as he was stone cold.
"Seems you are not." Made him smiled at her as he said, "Chalo, it's time for my Princess."
"Amar?" She looked around as he assured her, "Sau will stay with the children here!"
As the family kept running around the place hysterically, Sid stared in amusement with a smile.
"Why are you smiling?" Chaks asked, staring at the scene.
"Because what you people have is so special. A family that stands for each other."
Sid packed his camera and gave Chaks his card. "Call me once the child arrives, I will do a shoot with the entire family if Pratap wants!"
His last words made Chaks smile back with a nod before he ran off to Sau's "Where did you go, Aarchi ke baapu?"
Ajabdeh and Pratap soon had Arohi to complete their family picture, although, in reality, their family picture was never complete without Chaks, Sau, Jalal, Ruk and the kids, along with Heer, Shakti, Patta and Jiwa. Heer had started her very own children's clothing line with a show where the children were her showstoppers, and they turned heads in Delhi with their attitude and cuteness. The family was not perfect, none is, in their dreams, imperfections and problems, they all had lives, yet they were bound to each other, in such a way that they could turn to each other and be there no matter how big the problems were. No matter what happened in the next twenty years, they all knew they were one unit to love, cherish and pull each other's legs through good times and bad. Coz that's what families are for. They are not meant to be perfect. They are a Royal Mess. A beautiful one too.
The End
