“So Aarush,” said Arun, smiling. “What do you know about your parents’ wedding?”

Aarush thought for a second.

“Uuuuhhh, they got married in… 2021, I think? Beyond that I don’t really know anything else, like, I don’t know how they met also. No one ever tells me anything, like I said.”

“That’s why we’re here,” said Karthik, laughing. Arun cleared his throat.

“Well, by 2021 Ravi had been working at that big tech company for the last two years. But at that time he was still living in our house, with us.”

“He still works there even now,” said Aarush.

“That is true,” said Arun. “Now, early in the year Sandhya suddenly announced that it was time for a ‘change’, so she dragged me and Ravi to a fancy restaurant in UB City. I thought I’d be familiar with Sandhya’s schemes by now, but I never imagined what she’d planned this time.”

*******

Arun Shivaram stood at a podium at the entrance of a very fancy restaurant, which Sandhya had dragged both him and Ravi to after commanding them to ‘wear something nice’. A host then led them to a table, which apparently Sandhya had reserved already. Once they arrived at the table, Arun noticed it was set for six.

“Are we expecting anyone else?” asked Arun. Sandhya simply giggled, like a schoolgirl carrying a secret. Arun started getting a little nervous.

“I’m sure there’s a reason for this Dad,” said Ravi. “She wouldn’t make us dress up all neat and stuff and bring us here for no reason.”

“My thinking exactly,” said Arun.

“Wait,” said Sandhya. “Ravi get up.”

Ravi immediately did as he was told, and Sandhya straightened and adjusted his shirt. Arun stared at his wife with suspicion.

“Did you trim your mustache before leaving?” asked Sandhya. Ravi nodded, then they both sat back down. Arun zoned out and started focusing on the Kishore Kumar track playing in the background.

A few minutes later, a wealthy-looking couple about the same age as himself and Sandhya walked in. Sandhya immediately got up and put on a massive, toothy smile.

“Oh HEL-LOOO!”

“Hi! How are you?”

“Good, good! Oh–” Sandhya turned around. “This is my husband, Arun.”

Arun smiled at the couple without getting up.

“And this is my son, Ravi,” said Sandhya. “Stand up and greet them.”

Without hesitation, Ravi stood up and did a little bow.

“Wow, your son is so well-mannered!”

“Don’t forget handsome!”

Sandhya beamed, while Arun smiled awkwardly. Who are these people and how does she know– ah.

And then he saw her.

Coming up behind the couple was a young woman wearing a fancy salwar and carrying a tacky luxury handbag, who looked about the same age as the twins. Yeah, Arun thought. It’s obvious what this is now.

“This is our daughter, Aditi.”

Arun smiled awkwardly again. Ravi looked a little confused, but Sandhya seemed to know her.

“Here, Aditi, sit in front of Ravi!”

Aditi sat down opposite Ravi, both her parents flanking her. Sandhya finally sat down as well.

“Who are these people?” whispered Arun, as the others found their seats.

“They’re the Venkataraman family, from Chennai,” whispered Sandhya. “Our people only. But look at their daughter, she’s so pretty, no? She will look good in our house.”

Arun frowned at Sandhya, a bit uncomfortable with just how far she’s gone behind his back. Aditi’s mother then addressed Ravi.

“So, your mother tells me you work as an engineer?”

“Y-yeah, I’m… I’m a–”

“He’s an electrical engineer,” said Sandhya, cutting him off. “He works in a team now, but soon he’ll be promoted to project manager. His salary will also increase!”

Arun looked at his wife with surprise. There was something oddly familiar about this.

“I see!” said Aditi’s mother. “Do you have any hobbies?”

Ravi’s eyes darted back and forth between his own mother, Aditi’s mother, and Aditi herself.

“Well, I p-play, er... played f-football–”

“He played football when he was young,” said Sandhya, cutting him off again. “But he also used to take apart all the electronic gadgets and appliances in the house. Giving him a screwdriver was a ‘danger’, we would say. My son was born to be an engineer! But he can cook and clean also if you tell him, don’t worry.”

Aditi and her parents laughed while Arun got increasingly uncomfortable with the déjà vu. As a waiter arrived with sliced onion, lime, and papadams, Aditi’s father spoke up.

“You have a daughter as well right? Where is she now?”

Sandhya hesitated.

“Y-yes, Rani. Ravi’s sister. Twin sister, in fact. She’s in… US now. San Francisco.”

“Ah, interesting,” said Aditi’s father. “Is she married?”

Ravi seemed a bit stunned, while Arun was trying his best not to smirk. Sandhya’s eye started twitching.

“... No. She’s not married.”

“Oh, I see. What is she doing there?”

Sandhya frowned.

“She’s working in… fashion.”

“Wow!” said Aditi. “That’s so cool! I’d love to meet her someday, I love clothes! In fact I bought a gorgeous ₹3-lakh Chanel dress with my bonus last month.”

Arun silently watched with a sort of vindictive pleasure as Sandhya smiled and nodded awkwardly. She then did a sharp inhale and put on a toothy smile again.

“Hey Aditi, tell Ravi about your hobbies!”

“Oh!” said Aditi, giggling. “I like shopping and sleeping.”

“A-and...?” asked Ravi.

Aditi looked at him, confused.

“That’s all...?”

Arun started chuckling quietly. Sandhya glared at him for a split second, then regained composure and switched tracks. She turned to Ravi.

“Ravi, did you know that Aditi is also an engineer? She works in software, as a consultant at a multinational British company.”

“Oh nice,” said Ravi, nodding unenthusiastically.

“Yeah,” said Aditi. “I go to office now, but I can definitely work from home if y’all want me to.”

Arun watched Sandhya pull a twisted sort of grin. Nothing good can come from this, he thought.

“That is perfect,” said Sandhya.


Sandhya couldn’t stop grinning on the car ride home. She turned to Ravi.

“So, what did you think of Aditi?”

Ravi shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know. She’s… nice, I guess? But definitely pretty, like you said.”

Sandhya looked satisfied.

“Do you understand why I introduced her to you tonight?”

Ravi glanced at her.

“I’m guessing you want us to get married?”

“Yes!” said Sandhya, laughing. Arun kept quiet. “What do you think?”

Ravi thought for a minute.

“Yeah fine, but I wanna talk to her again first, alone.”

“Oh, sure, sure!” said Sandhya, clapping. “Yes, get to know one another!”

Arun slapped his forehead. He wondered what Rani was up to.

*******

“And that’s how Ravi met your mother,” said Arun. Karthik burst into laughter, which Arun was puzzled by.

“Wait, that’s it?” said Aarush. “No dating or anything?”

“Oh no, there was dating, if you could call it that,” said Arun. “Which I wouldn’t. Honestly, they were more ‘parent-sanctioned meet-ups’ rather than actual dates.”

“And they did that for at least a couple years, right? Before they got engaged?”

“Well…”

Arun hesitated.

“Three weeks.”

Aarush raised his eyebrows in utter shock.

“What…?”

“Three weeks,” said Arun. “They got engaged only three weeks after that dinner.”

“But… why?”

“Because Sandhya wanted them to.”

“They didn’t even have anything in common,” added Karthik. “Oh wait, they did have one thing. Neither of them could think for themselves back then. Now Aditi has improved, but not Ravi.”

Aarush’s face fell.

“I don’t get it.”

“What happened, ma?” asked Arun. Aarush shook his head.

“I don’t get it! Rani-attha’s story with Elena was like something from a movie! But Mum and Dad...”

“Anti-climatic and orchestrated, right?”

“Yeah!”

Arun nodded, a bit sad.

“Question, Aarush,” said Karthik. “Have you ever seen your parents acting romantic or affectionate with each other?”

Aarush hesitated.

“I don’t think so.”

“See Aarush,” said Arun. “As romantic as Rani and Elena’s story was, such kinds of ‘fairy-tale’ love stories are actually quite rare. The vast majority of couples, not only in India but in the world, are based on compromise and not actual love. Like your parents, or even Sandhya and myself.”

“What about Karthik-chinnaana and Gracy-pinni?”

“Somewhere in the middle I guess,” said Karthik. “We dated for many years before getting married, but we weren’t interested in each other when we first met.”

Aarush looked disappointed.

“That’s… a shame.”