Spicy

Chapter 3

Samonika swept the floor of the kitchen while she listened to the songs on her phone, with her earphones. She moved side to side, humming the song. She continued sweeping until her mother walked in, arms crossed. Her mood immediately changed.

“What is it, ma?” She asked, while removing one of the earphones from her ear. She eyed the woman silently until she casted her gaze at the window.

“When you're done with the kitchen, meet me in my room,” the short haired woman said, eyed her from her feet to her face before walking out.

Samonika rolled her eyes and leaned on the sink. She pressed her palms on her face, and exhaled.

“I just hope it isn't what I'm thinking?” She bit her bottom lip and tilted her head back with a groan.

Flashback…

The chattering from the market women and men and people walking back and forth, through the narrow pathway of the local market, gave Samonika a mild headache as she clutched onto the bag filled with the things she had bought. She dragged her feet against the concrete ground, looking around the arrays of goods set out on sale in different stores.

Once her eyes caught sight of what she needed to buy, she closed in on the store and greeted the owner. While she gestured to what she needed, her ears perked up when she overhead her name and her mother's name in a nearby conversation.

“...yes. She said she was going to have her daughter married to the son of the former Constable before this year is over.”

“Oh, my. I heard Samonika is a stubborn one. She doesn't respect her family, eats free food from them, she doesn't even have a job. What kind of a daughter is that? I would disown her if she was mine. What a shame.”

Samonika closed her eyes and clenched her free hand. She took deep breaths, and rotated her shoulders as their words echoed in her head.

“Good Lord. What has my mother been telling people?” She asked herself and opened her eyes to find the man staring at her like he wanted to say something.

“Sorry, but what those women said is true. It's unfortunate how everyone in this small town knows who you are. I mean, I'm just a market man but my daughters are all married and have good jobs and take care of their families,” he said, wrapping up the vegetables she needed.

Anger boiled within her as she glared at the man. Once he held out the bag for her, she pulled out his money and slapped it on the table before snatching the bag from him.

“Since you people know so much about me, why don't you learn to ignore my life and focus on yours,” she snarled at the man and turned around, facing the women who were discretely staring at her across the narrow street. “Mind your f*****g business, you oldies!”

Everyone around snapped their attention on her, which she ignored and marched away.

…

Samonika snapped out of her thoughts of what had happened earlier in the day. She moved away from the place she had been leaning on, and jerked slightly when Bambam jogged into the kitchen with her phone to her face.

“I'm hungry, sis,” Bambam said, her attention still on her phone.

Samonika frowned. “And what's that supposed to mean? Do you not know how to serve yourself?”

“Uh, I do. But ma said you should serve me dinner. I'm really hungry and I have pills to take. Are you doing it it not?” Bambam had a pointed look on her face but looked away when her phone dinged.

Samonika turned away from her after rolling her eyes. She made her way to the cooker in the corner and picked up a bowl from the plate rack on the counter beside the cooker. Just as she picked up a scooping spoon from the same rack, her sister screamed, making her drop the utensil on the ground.

“God!” Samonika spun around and glared at her sister. “What is wrong with you?!”

Bambam was breathing heavily, her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in shock with her phone in her face.

“What is it, i***t?”

Bambam fanned her face then looked up from the device. Her mouth was still open in shock.

“You would not believe what I just read on Twitter!” She squealed. “No wonder why he's trending here and worldwide too!”

Samonika’s worried expression dropped to a mask of boredom before she turned around to pick up the scooping spoon.

“Remember the guy I told you about this morning?” Bambam began, getting her attention. “He tweeted that he is getting married! Oh, my God! This is ground breaking news!”

Samonika sighed. “And how is that any of my business? I thought you said you hate him.”

“Yes, I still do. He's so full of himself. He literally walks around with so many different women in a year. He's just a bratty, spoilt player. I can't even believe that girls rate this guy over the likes of top good looking and responsible celebs. He's getting married? Wow.”

Samonika did not get the hype about celebrity life and the people who they worshiped as their favorite stars. She saw everyone of them living a fake life for the public and to gain from the gullible ones. She disliked majority of the celebrities, and saw them as snobby and people full of pride. Even though she knew some who were humble, she knew it was all fake. It was impossible for everyone of them to be so good while normal people around them were bad, filled with toxic behavior.

“So?” She shrugged. “You hate him, and him getting married should not be of your concern.”

Bambam scoffed. “True, but this has everyone tweeting. This is good for trolling. Hold on, let me tweet something.”

The brown haired woman watched as her sister held her phone with two hands and typed aggressively on it.

“Samonika?!” Her mother's voice echoed around the whole house.

“Ugh. Look, serve yourself when you're done with those fake people.” She dropped the bowl on the counter and brushed past her sister.

The moment she got to her parents’ room, she saw the multiple red and yellow colored sarees and some jewelries on their bed. Her white haired father was reading the newspaper in the corner facing the window while her mother sat on the bed.

“Choose your saree, Sammy. You're getting married by the end of this month.”

Samonika stiffened at her mother's utterance. She narrowed her eyes at her, sizing her up before shifting her gaze to her unperturbed father who only shook his newspaper.

“Married?” She blinked. “Ma, why are you forcing me to get married when I don't want to?”

“How old are you?” The older woman asked, frowning and crossing her chubby arms.

“How's that important?”

“How old are you, Samonika?”

She bowed her head. “I'm twenty four.”

“Twenty four. Listen to yourself speak! You have no job, no home of your own, nothing attached to your name. The fees we paid for you are all a waste cause you decided that your certificate is useless. All your childhood friends are married and already have kids while all you do is stay in this house and do nothing!” She stood up, breathing hard with sweat on her face.

“But I told you that I've tried. I've gone places to look for a job but I am always unfortunate!”

“That is because you are full of misfortune!”

Silence overtook the room after she spoke, and a wave of hurt pounded at Samonika’s heart. She eyed her scowling mother and rolled her eyes away when tears pricked them.

“You are, Samonika. You are the eldest after your brother. The eldest daughter, and you ought to have gotten something attached to your name already. I bragged about you when you left for the University but all I see now is a wasted daughter. I hide in shame each day I go out of this house. And all you do is tell me about a stupid medical course you want to study?”

Samonika clenched her shivering fists and took short breaths as her heart doubled in the dull ache it gave off. She bit her bottom lip and looked up to see her father eyeing her in disappointment.

“Your father is mocked places he goes to. And all you care about is yourself? Have you thought of why your sister is tired of your presence? Neighbors mock us. You bragged a lot that you wee going to go medical when we warned you to stop. So when people found out that you didn't study that, the mocking began. You are such a nuisance. It makes people think that we don't train you well! Your siblings all get mocked and-”

“It's enough.” Samonika's small voice echoed around the small room. “I've heard you and that's enough. Can I go to my room now?”

“You will stop telling us what to do or think from now on. By the end of this week, we will have your in-laws coming over. Prepare yourself, Samonika. Now leave.”

Without any delay, she barged out of the room and tears rolled out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She rushed through the hallway and into her room where she dropped to the floor after locking her door.

“Ah!” She tossed the wooden chair beside her aside and clenched her fists hard. “How do I escape this? I just don't want to get married. Oh, God. What do I do?”

She held her head between her hands and exhaled hard. She whispered words of encouragement to herself then raised her head and wiped her cheeks.

“There has to be a way to stop this wedding. I can't get married to someone I don't love or even like,” Samonika said dispassionately. “What do I do?”