Calming The Storm🌌 (#wattys2019)√

25. Unexpected Twist

"Life is not, nor ever has been a straight line forward... Life is characterized by much more by exception and disorder than by total or perfect order."

-Richard Rohr

Indrayan's pov:

It was 7 am when I woke up. Abhimanyu had left me some clothes so I could change after a bath. I was done with my morning chores by 7.30.
Now I had to go to the prayer room. I had been introduced to daily prayers in the morning by my grandmother. Even as a grown up, I followed this out of habit.
Old habits die hard!

I was about to go to Adrija or Abhimanyu to ask them where their puja(Worship) room was when I heard someone blowing the shonkho (Conch).
I followed the sound of the conch towards the puja room.
I had expected Deepshika aunty there, but instead her daughter stood their blowing the conch with ease thrice diligently.
I decided against disturbing or interrupting her worship and began praying myself.
Once done, I walked to the dining table and started reading the newspaper.

Ma, Dad, Uncle and Aunty were all up and about. Adrija was throwing up while Abhimanyu was with her and Sampurnaa was still in the Puja room.

One by one, everyone came and sat at the table. Sampurnaa was still not there. Where was she?

..........................

Abhimanyu's pov:

The first thing I woke upto was the sight of my beautiful wife throwing up. Had this been some other time, I would have surely been worried sick, but today her sickness brought a smile on my face as I knew our child was wishing us 'good morning' in this weird fashion.
Nevertheless I helped her out and then went to the dining table with everyone else. I had left clothes for Indrayan last night itself.
At the dining table, everyone had sat down for breakfast but no one had began. We were waiting for Bonu (Sampurnaa: bonu means little sister in an affectionate way).
She was in the puja room and had been there for the past hour or so. She was more involved with God than anyone else in our family. Usually, she did not get time on weekdays, so Sunday mornings were reserved for her Lord Krishna who she would spend a long time talking to while praying.

All of us began talking to each other to keep ourselves from feeling hungry. Once or twice we even contemplated on beginning our breakfast as Sampurnaa was taking a long time to come.
Indrayan refused that straightaway and so did his parents.

Of late, I had noticed that my brother in-law had been behaving quite differently. Sampurnaa and Indrayan had both come closer even though they had been involved professionally. Adrija believed that the circumstances the two of them had to bear at the red light area may just have broken the ice between them.
It felt good and I knew I could trust this lawyer with my journalist sister. Yesterday's dinner plan had obviously been for announcing the due arrival of our child but somewhere during the entire time that Indrayan and Sampurnaa were under the same roof, Maa, Baba, Ma and Dad had been scrutinizing them and analysing their compatibility.
None of us had said anything to them yet. We were waiting for the storm to die down before approaching them for this alliance.

Baba and Maa had been insisting on Sampurnaa's marriage even though we were open minded and she was young. They were hoping that she would get married now and take all the time she needed to adjust with her husband and then think of family. Sampurnaa on the other hand had high hopes of doing something bigger with her career.

Sigh!
I know what she desires and I just hope the Almighty blesses her in abundance.

Just as I was taking the newspaper, my eyes fell on the date. It was 9th August! My sister's birthday was barely 3 days away!