“Such a cute story! But is it true?”
“You should’ve tried it out. Looked at the moon on the first day. But I did and I have been accused of stealing!”
“Really?” Naina looked taken aback.
“Yes, I’ve been accused of stealing a heart!”
Jatin took a deep breath, turned in his seat to face Naina, and took her hand in his. She glanced at him, shyly. In a flowing blue chiffon Salwar Kameez, with raindrops glistening like diamonds in her long loose hair, she looked resplendent.
“Naina, I’ve tried to make this evening as special as possible. Because I want to ask you something very special. I love you, Naina. I’ve loved you ever since I saw you for the first time in Frenzy.”
The bashful expression on her face rapidly changed to joy.
“Oh, Jatin… ” she whispered.
“Will you marry me?” he asked.
“I… don’t know what to say!”
“Say yes!” he insisted.
“But what about Priyadidi? I have to ask her.”
“Don’t worry about her. I will officially ask her for your hand and I’m sure she will not refuse. Just say that you will be my wife!”
“Yes, I want to be your wife. Now and forever! Oh Jatin, you’ve made me so happy!” Naina exclaimed as her eyes welled up with tears.
And Jatin took her in his arms, the umbrella flying away with the wind.
“Boss, she accepted!” Over the phone Jatin sounded as excited as a child.
“She did… You mean you proposed?” Sonia confirmed.
“Yes, I asked her to marry me tonight and she was overjoyed. We went over to her house and we gave Priya the news. Naina was a little apprehensive about her reaction, but fortunately she was happy for us. But she insisted that we have an immediate engagement. Tomorrow, Naina and I are going to Laxmi Road to buy the rings. She will buy a ring for me and I will buy hers. And then we shall go to the temple. You will have to excuse me tomorrow, Boss. I promise I will make up for it later!”
“Engaged tomorrow? So soon?”
“What’s the point of waiting? We shall have a small family ceremony within a couple of days, but we’ll go and buy the rings at Wadekars as soon as possible.”
“But the Ganesh procession will begin tomorrow, for the immersion ceremony. The roads will be blocked and the shops will be closed.”
“Only after four in the afternoon. And we plan to go around two o’clock since in the morning Mom wishes to meet with Naina. We can finish well in time.”
“Jatin, are you sure?” Sonia asked again.
“Boss, I love Naina. I’m as sure about it as I know my own breath,” Jatin answered seriously.
“Wow!” Sonia sighed. “Well then, all I can say is congratulations and Best of Luck!”
“Thank you, Boss. For everything. And specially for not taking any case during this Ganesh festival”
“Then you should thank my mother, not me,” Sonia remarked. “As for me, I always did and always will have your good in mind, Jatin. Whatever I do will be with your best interest at heart. Just remember that!”
“I never doubt that.”
“Good. See you tomorrow, then. Goodnight, Jatin.” “Goodnight, Boss.”
A truckload of people, their clothes and faces smeared with vermilion, slowly passed along Lakshmi Road, drumming and rejoicing. The narrow, busy commercial street in the heart of the city was flooded with people. It was the last day of the festival and the Ganesh Mandals were winding up and gearing up to stand in the long queue for the immersion of the idols. The ceremony would begin at noon the next day, but all of the previous afternoon and all night hundreds of Ganesh idols would be brought in trucks and carts and chariots amidst fanfare and dancing on beats of the dhols. The teeming devotees tirelessly and spiritedly bid goodbye to Lord Ganesh, shouting “Ganapati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Yaa” - Come soon next year! The rain had eased and already the air was thick with dust, haze, and gulal - red powder - and the resounding repetitive rhythm of the dholak. Some of the shops had closed, but the Wadekars Jewellery House on the ground floor of Lakshmi Road was wide open. Their huge glass windows displayed the choicest and the latest in gold and diamond designer jewellery.
Inside, Jatin and Naina, oblivious to the chaotic sounds of the street, were busy selecting rings. The shop was crowded with customers and a number of salesmen and women were attending them, turn by turn.
“I like this one.” Naina indicated a single diamond in a plain gold band. She slipped it on and it fit her ring finger perfectly.
“But it’s too simple! And it’s only five thousand rupees!” Jatin protested.
Naina smiled, pleased. “I still like this one.” She observed her hand for a few seconds, then, satisfied, removed the ring and returned it to its purple velvet box.
“All right. Please keep this aside,” Jatin informed the salesman.
“Anything else, Jatinsaheb?” the salesman asked. “You are one of our oldest customers. You can’t certainly wind up with just a ring?”
Jatin turned to his fiancee. “Naina?”
“Oh yes, I want to see other articles. But why don’t you pay for my ring? I still have to select a pair of earrings for Priyadidi. I’ll pay for your ring and earrings later,” Naina suggested as she picked up a pair of beautifully studded ear tops. “Aren’t these cute?”
“For Priyadidi?”
“Of course. She’s done so much for me. I’m going to present her with a lovely gift. How much are they?”
“Only seventy thousand, Madam.” Mr Wadekar joined them. He was a middle-aged, pot-bellied man in a silk kurta pyjama and gold-rimmed glasses. His sharp eyes swiftly gauged the shopping capacity of the two youngsters.
“Can I try them on?”
“Of course.”
While Naina put on
