Hugged by Pigs
2035 Words
Next day at the office, Ishanvi broke the news to Onir about the deals they had grabbed yesterday at the party. And as she had expected and Anna had predicted, Onir was ecstatic as he heard the news.
"You are the best, Ishanvi," Onir hugged her in excitement.
Ishanvi wiggled out of his hug with her nose scrunched up. "You know I don't like being hugged."
"I'm sorry. I forgot."
"It's alright. And it wasn't just me! As usual, it was a team effort. We all worked hard to seize those deals."
Onir looked at her in amazement. Ishanvi had been working here with them for over ten months but not once she took all the credit for anything, she'd always say that it's a team effort and Onir admired this quality of hers. That's why he liked her slightly more than his other employees because she was always so modest and hardworking as well.
"Ishanvi, you know that you're amazing, right?" Onir asked her, coming out of his thoughts.
"I might be told a few times," Ishanvi replied, pretending to examine her nail extensions that she had especially got for yesterday's event.
"Is it so?" Onir raised her eyebrows.
Ishanvi nodded her head solemnly.
"Then I need to find another way to tell you how amazing you are," Onir smirked and before Ishanvi could make sense of what he said, he had engulfed her in a bear hug.
"Let me go! Let me go, you pig," Ishanvi was yelling but it was of no use.
Onir kept hugging her and laughed as Ishanvi wiggled to get out of his embrace. Onir treated Ishanvi like a younger sister and although she didn't like being touched by others, especially people she wasn't comfortable around, yet she didn't mind Onir or Anna giving her a hug once in a while. But Onir had hugged her twice just a few minutes apart, that's why she was squirming to get away. She knew Onir was doing this just to tease her and nothing else.
Just then, there was a knock on the door and a handsome figure walked in.
His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he took in the scene in front of him.
As Onir saw the visitor, he let Ishanvi go.
"I hate being hugged by pigs," Ishanvi yelled before sprinting out of his cabin, without even glancing at the handsome man standing at the door.
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Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs Oberoi were sitting in a comfy living room of a house in Green Park area of Delhi; an array of home-made delicacies was spread on the center table in front of them. And a middle-aged couple —Mr Ijay and Mrs Irshita— sat across from them, looking slightly nervous, and why shouldn't they? It's not everyday that the royal guests pay you a sudden visit.
The living room was decorated in a contemporary style with wooden floors and marble walls touch up; the plain fabric sofa set was complemented by a simple center table made of glass. A matching rug was placed and warm lights gave a warm coloured ambience which was in stark contrast with the hosts' expression.
"These *kachoris* are so delish," Mrs Oberoi complimented, taking another piece of the *kachori* from the table.
"Thank you!" Mrs Irshita blushed at the compliment.
"So are these *dahi-vadas*," Mr Oberoi said, putting another spoonful of that gooey yoghurt deliciousness in his mouth. "Mrs Irshita, you're really a magician. We have never had such amazing *dahi-vadas*, believe me when I say that they're the best *dahi-vadas* I have ever had."
*"Who knew the royals could be foody too,"* Mrs Irshita thought as she saw them enjoying her hand made Indian cuisines.
Once they had enjoyed the lavish spread in front of them, they wiped the traces of food away before turning serious.
"First of all, accept our apologies for our arrival on such short notice," Mrs Oberoi began. "We couldn't inform you in advance about our visit as it was decided only last night!"
Mr Oberoi spoke up next. "We know you both are thinking that we haven't come here for a casual visit and there must be a reason behind our visit."
"And you are absolutely right," Mrs Oberoi confirmed their doubts. "We indeed have come here with a purpose in our minds."
This statement made Mr Ijay and Mrs Irshita all the more nervous.
*"What could these Royals want from us? It won't be money or such things definitely. Then what is it?"* the couple was thinking when Mrs Oberoi spoke up again.
"We want you to accept our son as your son-in-law," Mrs Oberoi said before adding, "only if you deem him worthy of your daughter."
The couple stared at their guests in disbelief before turning to each other with the same expressions. They couldn't believe their ears.
"I… I'm sorry but I think I didn't hear you properly," Mrs Irshita stuttered, assuming they were mistaken.
"You didn't hear anything wrong," Mr Oberoi assured her. "We do want your elder daughter to be a part of our family but only if you agree, and more importantly if she consents for this match."
"But.. but.." Mrs Irshita was so stunned that couldn't find the right words so her husband took over the charge of carrying the conversation further.
"But how do you know about our daughter? Have you met her before?"
"We surely have met your daughter and it was her views about certain things that made us realise that she's the perfect daughter-in-law for our family," Mrs Oberoi told them. "Only a girl like her can handle the Royal affairs as well as our family perfectly. We have been looking for her everywhere but didn't know we would find her here in Delhi, a place we least expected to find the future Queen of Punjab!"
"Look, Sir and Madam, we really feel honoured that you think our daughter is worthy enough to be the future Queen of Punjab and we agree that she's a wonderful lady and would be a magnificent Queen one day if given the chance," Mr Ijay began, "but we don't want to impose this alliance on her. Only if she truly wants to marry into your family, then we'll heartily consent for this marriage alliance."
"That's right," Mrs Irshita agreed with her husband. "We have taught our kids to decide for themselves and although we guide them whenever needed, we don't impose our decisions on them or try to influence their decisions in any way, it's entirely their choice."
"We agree with you. It should be her decision and hers only," Mr Oberoi assented.
"And what about your son? Is he ready for this marriage? Has he consented truthfully for this alliance?" Mr Ijay voiced his doubts. After all it was the matter of his daughter's happiness, how could he not be worried about it?
Just then Mr Oberoi's phone beeped, signalling an incoming message. He excused himself and went through the content of the message before turning towards his wife first and then towards the hosts.
"I know that you're worried about us forcing this match on our son but rest assured, it isn't the case," Mrs Oberoi assured him, sensing his fears. "Our son has wholeheartedly agreed for this marriage because he too thinks she's the perfect match for him."
"Has he met our daughter as well?" Mrs Irshita asked unsurely.
Mrs Oberoi nodded her head in affirmation. "We all have met her tho we didn't meet her with the agenda in our minds that she's going to be a part of our family but I guess destiny wants it to happen otherwise why would we cross paths with each other if there wasn't any reason behind our encounter?"
The Dixit couple just sat there, nonplussed.
"Is she aware of your visit?" Mrs Irshita inquired.
The Royals shook their heads in denial. "She has no clue that we are discussing such a life-changing topic with her parents here."
The couple relaxed after hearing their response. They trusted her daughter that she'd never hide something like this from her parents but they also knew that love makes you do stupid things, so somewhere they were afraid but looked like their daughter had no idea about it at all.
"If you want, you can meet our son before your daughter meets him to see if you like him or not," Mrs Oberoi proposed after a while.
"Yeah, I think you should meet him first to see if he's worthy of your daughter or not," Mr Oberoi agreed with his wife. After all, being a father of a daughter, he too wouldn't want his daughter to marry a man who isn't right for her. So how could he let someone else marry their daughter without any meetings or investigations.
"If you don't mind, I have a question to ask," Mr Ijay said to the Oberois.
"Please go ahead. You don't have to hesitate or ask for our permission before asking anything. After all you're the giver and we are the beggars here," Mr Oberoi told him.
"Why would a Royal family want to marry their son into an unexceptionally common family? There's a stark difference between our class and social status which can't be overlooked. We are ordinary people," Mr Ijay voiced his concern that was bugging his mind since the discussion began.
"And who said ordinary people —who have extraordinary personalities— can't be a part of a Royal family?" Mr Oberoi raised his eyebrows.
Mrs Oberoi spoke up next. "Even I am from a humble background— my parents were professors in the Delhi University while my brother is an IRS officer, nothing fancy or out of the world. In fact, as normal and ordinary as it could get."
Mr Ijay —who was a government employee— and Mrs Irshita —who was a homemaker— looked at each other as if saying *it's still better than us* but chose to keep their thoughts to themselves.
"And are you okay with an interfaith marriage as you are Sikh while we are Hindu Brahmins? Won't it be a problem? Won't your people object or oppose this marriage?" Mrs Irshita inquired next.
Mrs Oberoi looked them in the eyes and said, "We don't care about differences in our statuses or religion. For us these things don't really matter. And as for our people, they know we won't bring a daughter-in-law in the family who isn't worthy."
"Why do people have the misconception that you need to belong from a certain class, status, family background or power to be a part of a Royal or any prestigious family?" Mr Oberoi voiced his concern before turning to his wife. "We must work on changing this general notion after our return from here," he told his wife.
"I agree. They should be aware that these are just baseless misbelief," Mrs Oberoi said.
They seemed like they weren't present here but were sitting at their own home, discussing their Royal affairs.
"Rest your worries at ease, *Bhaisahab* and *Bhabhiji*. If your daughter consents for this marriage, we assure you that our differences won't cause any hurdles in the wedding," Mr Oberoi assured them once again.
"Yes, we just wish to make your daughter a part of our family and nothing else," Mrs Oberoi told them, one could detect complete sincerity in her eyes. "And we want to let you know in advance, we —the Royal family of Punjab— are strictly against dowry or any kind of 'gifts' in the wedding. I hope you'll keep this in mind."
Mr Ijay and Mrs Irshita couldn't help but think about how humble and down-to-earth the Royals were contrary to what was commonly said and known about Royal families being snobbish and whatnot everywhere in the world.
After talking some more, Mr and Mrs Oberoi took their leave and asked them to feel free to refuse the alliance if they aren't happy or comfortable about it.
"Don't keep any doubts in your heart about us. We genuinely want your daughter to be a part of our huge family," were their departing words.
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- Writer
