Like a Phoenix from the Ashes

Chapter 1

Aanya woke up because of the ruckus that was going on in the room that they were staying in. She rubbed her eyes and looked around and saw that Arun, Rashi and Chandra aunty were all arguing about something regarding picking up someone from somewhere. She got up and asked for the reason and that was when she got to know that someone was supposed to pick her paternal aunt from the nearby bus station. There was a debate going on between the cousins Rashi and Arun, regarding who should go, as they were the only two people who actually knew driving, and also it was 4am in the morning. The other reason for the debate was that the aunt, who reached so early in the morning, was not actually liked by anyone present in the room, and everyone actually hated her.

Finally, it was decided that Arun will be the one to bring the aunt from the bus station, and so he left with his car keys. It was the month of November and the weather was really not making it easier for him to enjoy the trip to the bus station. He was in his grey hooded sweatshirt and corduroy shorts and left by blaming both his sisters, his cousin Rashi and the sibling Aanya, whose marriage was the main reason that they were in the place, to begin with.

After a few minutes, the brother returned with the aunt and they all went back to sleep within no time. However, after hearing all the debate for almost 15 minutes, it was seriously difficult for Aanya or Rashi to go back to sleep peacefully, as they both were light sleepers.

Aanya, however, just thought about closing her eyes and resting for a while, before it is actually the time for the morning rituals. She was the bride, and so it was not necessary for her to be present in the rituals that were supposed to take place on the day before the marriage. Only the kith and kin were required for the rituals that were going to take place on the day, and so people in the room again started causing so much noise in the morning, while getting ready. She was again disturbed and finally all left the room leaving the bride with her cousin Rashi.

Rashi was actually the kind of the cousin with whom Aanya shared a close bond and they both loved spending time together with one another always. They were like the partners in crime and would love doing everything together such as shopping, roaming around some places, and so on. So everyone thought that it is best to leave them both together.

Aanya's Point Of View

"Rashi, did you get to sleep peacefully yesterday?” I asked her, as I didn't get to enjoy my beauty sleep, because of all the disturbances. She turned her head both sides making a "no" gesture.

I laughed and went to the washroom to complete my morning chores. I brushed my teeth and washed my face thoroughly with the idea of waking myself completely up, as I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was seriously in no mood to have a shower, as I was supposed to shower in the evening and get ready to leave for the wedding venue at around 4.30 or 5pm.

I came out of the washroom and found Rashi going through her mobile for any messages from her fiancé. I gave her a small smile and sat on the bed reminiscing about the things that happened from the past 3 months.

Author's Point of View

Everyone in the house, including Aanya’s maternal aunt, Lakshmi aunt, and uncle, Manu uncle, were getting ready to meet the guy Shubham, who was arranged to meet Aanya in an alliance on that day. He was the stand-up guy that had taken the responsibility of his family after the death of his father, as per the friend of Lakshmi aunt, who actually brought forth the alliance with both the family.

Shubham was working in Noida city in New Delhi and was actually a degree holder. Arun thought he was the right guy for Aanya as Aanya was also the degree holder, and so he decided to proceed with the alliance, when his Lakshmi aunt suggested the guy. Arun suggested Aanya check his photos and profile in one of the most known social media sites, so as to learn more about the guy. It is actually a known fact that the type of presence in the social media sites actually describes the lifestyle of a person. Hence, she thought about going through his personal account in one of the most known social media sites. She did not get much information about the guy, because of the reason that the guy mostly keeps it to himself and was not actually a social butterfly, to begin with. This should have been a first hint for her, regarding his reserved and not so extrovert character. However, just like anyone else, she did not bother much about the problem.

After proceeding with the procedure of checking the horoscopes and family background, both the families thought about meeting in the neutral place. Aanya was residing in Pune, and this made both the parties decide to meet in a restaurant in this place.

Shubham was actually traveling to Pune to meet his family. It was decided that both the parties will meet, when he is in town, as it was really a waste for Aanya's family to travel to Delhi simply to meet the guy. He wished that his mother would also be present during the meeting between both the families and we all agreed that meeting in Pune is the best choice.

A date was fixed and both the families will be meeting on a Sunday in a café. Before meeting, Aanya thought about knowing something about the guy and this made her exchange numbers with Shubham. They both conversed and they both felt like they do connect up to a level that can make them compatible for the marriage bond. 2 weeks later, the day of meeting both the families were finalized.