Everyone’s eyes were on the bride. She was draped in a kanjeevaram saree, the mustard colour added to the glow of her face.
‘Nice Couple’, Chandra quipped looking at the bride and the groom. Her husband Ramanujam nodded absently, he was looking around in the crowd to see if he could see any familiar faces. ‘Chandra mami, do you want to come up to say hi to the bride and the groom?’ Priya said as she gently patted Chandra’s back. Priya was Chandra’s neighbor. She was the sister of the groom Prabhu. Chandra gazed at Priya remembering the first time she met her. Priya had moved in to the apartment opposite Chandra two years ago along with her husband Kartik and 1 year old son Pratik, she was working in a top IT firm. She befriended Chandra and used to affectionately call her ‘mami’ meaning aunt. Chandra often used to cook delicacies and offer to Priya and her family. Her only daughter being abroad, she saw glimpses of her in Priya.
Priya had often mentioned about her brother Prabhu , he was with the Indian navy. She used to tell Chandra how difficult it was to find a bride for him. ‘These days Chandra mami, no one wants to give a girl to some one in navy, they all want software engineers’,She used to say. Chandra used to smile and say, ‘matches are made up there’ pointing to the sky.
A gentle pat brought Chandra back to the wedding hall. ‘ do you want to go meet Ratna and Prabhu Chandra mami ?’ Priya repeated. Ramanujam readily got up before Chandra responded. He was clearly impatient, he hadn’t found one common friend in the hall and was eager to wish the bride and the groom and check out the food being served.
Chandra got up too, smiling at Priya. As they walked towards the dias, she couldn’t help but notice the grandeur of the wedding. Moving closer to where the bride and the groom were, she noticed that Prabhu was smart. This was the first time she was seeing him. She had heard a lot about him from Priya. Priya had Ramanujam and Chandra travel all the way to Coimbatore for the wedding. They didn’t mind it either, after all Priya was the sponsor and it was a good change for the retired couple.
They climbed up the steps and were nearing the bride and the groom when Chandra’s eye fell on the diamond necklace worn by the bride. It glittered , shone, reflected all the possible colours. Chandra couldn’t take her eyes off the necklace. Ramanujam gently nudged her, and she looked up at Ratna’s face, Priya introduced them, Chandra smiled at the couple and exchanged pleasantries. Ramanujam congratulated them and they stood there for a few seconds to have their photograph clicked. Chandra also gave her digital camera to the photographer and requested him to take a snap.
‘Mami, sapadu is being served’ Priya said pointing towards the dinner section, she probably had noticed Ramanujam. Chandra nodded and said ‘We’ll have Priya, don’t worry’. Her mind still lingered on the diamond necklace though.’How much do you think it is worth?’ She asked Ramanujam as Priya walked away from them. ‘What’? Ramanujam didn’t have an inkling of what she was asking? ‘The necklace, she said, I didn’t notice, he said. Chandra pulled her camera out from her hand bag and said ‘See in this and tell ‘ Ramanujam stared at her to check if she was joking. He realized that she was very serious and took the camera from her hand. He looked at the photo and took a wild guess and answered, not less than 2 Crores. Chandra’s jaw dropped. Ramanujam smiled and said ‘seri, come let’s have food’ as he moved towards the dining hall. Chandra followed him, but she had lost her appetite. The diamond necklace haunted her. She couldn’t believe Prabhu’s luck. ‘They had such a hard time finding a bride for him, and look at what they got finally, lucky boy’ she exclaimed. Ramanujam smiled and replied, ‘matches are made up there’ pointing up to the sky and started to walk towards the dining area.
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