Talisha woke up from her sleep earlier than her brothers. Although it was more akin to a nap—the siblings had spent most of the night awake.
She found Mumma in the veranda, already making preparations. She went and touched her feet. It was the customary way of greeting elders.
Mumma blessed her.
"Your eyes look swollen."
Mumma's eyes darted to Papa, asleep in the courtyard.
"Not your fault, dear."
"It's not what you think. We just... we talked through most of the night... Me, Leo, and Avi."
Mumma gave a solemn look...
Does she think I'm lying?
Ouch!
"The boys are missing their sister already. How adorable."
Mumma's grip was firm as she twisted the delicate ear. It was a good sign, she thought—it meant that the siblings felt the marriage would be finalized.
"You are the eldest. You should know better. We can't have you looking like this, not today," she scolded, although her voice was playful now.
"Sorry, Mumma," she said in a meek voice.
It worked.
Mumma let go of the ear.
"Wake your brothers up. They will help me with the cleaning while you take a bath. Then come back to give me a hand in the kitchen," Mumma gave her the synopsis of the morning.
It was all within her expectations. What worried her was the part that came afterwards—meeting the suitor. She swept the worries to herself and took the outer stairs to the rooftop.
She glanced back at her father.
Memories of last night crept into her heart, embracing the uncertainty of the future.
But these feelings couldn't stay for long and were instantly swayed away by her habitual mind. Yet their shadows lingered on, heavier than they ought to be.
It took several kicks, shouting, and finally pinching them in the belly to wake them up.
Sweat drooled on her face, and she made her way to the bath.
---
The morning felt unusually busy when Jatan woke up. Or perhaps it was he who was too slow—his consciousness drifting from sleep to awareness in small consecutive segments, like sheep making their way in a herd.
It was only after the entire herd had passed through that he realized what day it was.
The family! They must be here!
He shot up abruptly as he knew he was late, judging by the sun.
"Why didn't anyone wake me up?"
His question wasn't targeted at anyone in particular.
He received his answer from a pair of disdainful eyes.
Runal, his wife.
He was confident in the fact that through the long history of the village no man had ever had such a dutiful wife, and surely none as pretty.
She had such pure black eyes. Too pure, in fact.
He had always been fond of them.
He would have wondered what she saw in his eyes, but her look didn't leave much to wonder about.
He averted his gaze instinctively, afraid to corrupt the purity with his not-so-pleasant eyes.
Runal did not say a word. She did not need to. The silence degraded the air each passing minute.
The heavy air entered his soul, reminding him of the guilt that had taken birth a long, long time ago.
How long had it been since it all turned out this way?
He knew the answer and actively looked the other way.
Runal had already left when he managed to look back.
This wasn't supposed to be like this, he thought.
Why did I have the drink the other night? Why didn't I stop myself?
He knew why.
I drank because I thought I could get away with it.
He had been happy. Too happy, in fact, as he was sure the marriage would be finalized.
He had lost himself in that happiness—let go of the reins he had on his desire, persuading himself that he deserved it, that life wasn't all bad, that it wasn't bad at all, and that things would turn out great no matter what choices he made.
That he was human and was allowed to make mistakes. That he would be forgiven.
That it wouldn't matter.
This delusion—rooted in his subconscious desire to find excuses for his pleasure—was now causing him and his family great misery.
Not anymore.
This was the last time.
From today I am a changed man. When I get the urge I will remind myself of this day and the consequences. Yes! That will surely stop me.
He had already repeated these prayers to himself countless times, and now he repeated them again.
Were they truly sincere or just an attempt to excuse himself, he did not know, nor did he have any wish to figure out.
His thoughts jumped back to the vsiting family.He remembered he needed to get ready and left.
"Talisha hates me too now" he muttered in hishead.
---
It was early afternoon when the Tula family arrived.
Rolo Tula was a heavy, round man—quite fitting for his job as a sweetshop owner.
Jatan saw him and wondered if he ever even left some of the sweets for the customers.
He was accompanied by his son Retal, the suitor for Talisha. He had a good build, medium hair, and a proper moustache. He matched Leon in height, which would put him three fingers above Talisha.
Overall, he had a positive first impression on Jatan.
They were also accompanied by his three younger siblings—two boys and a girl, barely the age of seven.
The mother hadn't come, as was to be expected in such affairs.
They got a warm welcome from the Pakshi brothers and their father. Jatan adorned the traditional turban.
Talisha was in the kitchen with her Mumma.
They sat in the courtyard, now cleaned and decorated.
Runal entered with a plate full of sweets and a warm smile, hidden behind her veil but easily communicated.
"I hope your journey went well" Jatan acquired.
"As well as this weather would allow. You never know nowadays, with the thunder god leaving his throne and all" Rolo answered as he sat on the Rope bed, taking half of it down with him.
"So how are the preparations for the festival going?" Rolo asked with sincere excitement.
"You only need to prepare yourself to enjoy it. And against the pickpockets, there's truly nothing much else to it," Jatan replied, trying to match his energy.
Rolo had a loud, contagious laugh that made Avian flinch every time.
He stuffed himself with sweets and always seemed to have space for more.
"So these are your boys? What fine young lads. What's their name?"
"Leon."
"Avian Pakshi."
"Wohoho! I like the confidence in this one!" Rolo said as he picked Avian up in the air.
Avian tried to refute, but the big man seemed blissfully unaware of his struggle. He probably evaluated Avian as younger than his age, thanks to his short stature.
Leon felt pity for Avian but couldn't help laughing inside.
He was now enjoying this much more.
The entire atmosphere seemed to lighten up due to the sweet-seller's antics.
Jatan was thankful for that.
He looked towards Runal, hoping the atmosphere would lighten her mood too.
Their eyes met—and Jatan realized it wasn't going to be easy.
"Lighten up, champ!" Rolo smacked his son on the back, which only made him more anxious.
The men talked some more and shared tobacco.
The awkwardness between the younger members seemed to fade, little by little.
Runal decided to check up on Talisha.
---
Talisha listened to the laughter and banter, her ears pressed to the kitchen wall.
The jingle of the anklet signaled Mumma's arrival.
"They seem to be a jolly family. That's good." Talisha commented , putting on her best smile.
"You ready?"
"Do I go in now?" The smile quickly turned to worry.
"No no, dear. I was just asking."
Mumma held her firmly and looked directly into her eyes.
"I think this is it. The boy looks good. And his father... well, I'm sure you could hear his laugh from here."
Talisha smiled and looked down.
"Only if the mother had come with them. I would have threatened her. Can't have her troubling my daughter."
"Another time, Maa. You'll meet her soon."
"Ooooh. I take it my daughter has decided on the marriage."
"No, I just—"
"I know what you meant, dear. It was a joke.
The final decision is yours. Remember that."
That was the part she was most grateful for.
It was also the part that hurt the most.
She had been given the agency to choose her own husband.
Her Papa had made sure of that.
That was rare in those times—even royalty seldom got the chance.
Talisha had taken that agency and rejected the many suitors that came before.
It was only after the lack of new suitors that the realization dawned upon her.
In this part of the world, marriage wasn't a personal affair.
It was the union of two families.
The parents took the decision for their children, and they accepted gratefully.
She had heard it was different in some distant parts of the world—but not here.
She had been prepared for it her whole life.
But when she was finally of age, her father decided otherwise.
She was overwhelmed.
After multiple rejections, there was a shortage of families willing to marry under such conditions.
Most considered it a taboo.
The options had already been limited—but she realized it too late.
She wondered how many good men she had rejected.
And good families with good offers—in terms of dowry and other things.
She realized how easy it would have been for her father had she chosen such a family.
But that chance was gone.
And now she counted herself a burden.
No proposals came after that. None.
Not until today.
This was probably her last chance to make things right.
She had already decided upon her answer days ago.
She was going to say yes.
She just prayed the man was worth it.