At the shopping mall

Tanisha was glancing through the dresses in the gown section waiting for her friend to come out of the dressing room.

“Tada!!” Amritha came out wearing a stylish white gown. She twirled by lifting the dupatta in the gown.

Tanisha shaked her head and gave a thumbs down.

“Tsk! This is the fifth one I am trying! Please make up your mind!” Amritha went back in the dressing room angrily.

Tanisha just rubbed her nails and rolled her eyes saying.

“You do want him to flip. Don’t you? I mean this is your anniversary plus your wedding is happening soon, right?” Amritha didn’t answer back which tensed Tanisha.

She approached the dressing room and put her ear on the door. She heard her friend muttering cuss words at her.

She got embarrassed and moved back to her seat.

“Ok, this is the last one! I don’t care if you like it or not! I am going to take this one,” Amritha came out in the most mesmerising red mermaid gown.

Tanisha was wide mouthed gawking at her.

Amritha liked her gaze and caught hold of her hips giving a model pose.

“Ahh! I love it! You look gorgeous! OMG! Ami, you are going to slay!!” Amritha laughed at her friends excitement. They went to the cash counter to bill their shopping.

In the other part of the mall,

Sharanya was helping her daughter to select a gown for her birthday party in the evening.

Prisha tsked at all the beautiful gowns making her mother tensed at her daughter’s pouty face.

“What happened, Kanna*? You don’t like any of them! how about this, hm?” Sharanya showed her the latest model in gown hand stitched by a well-known designer. Prisha kept it aside and pouted more.

(*Kanna – endearment call for younger ones)

“No, Mumma! Let’s go home! I am bored, please!!” Prisha begged her mom to leave the mall. She was frustrated at not finding the perfect dress for her special day.

At the café

Sharanya looked at her daughter who was sipping her apple juice and thinking hard.

When,

Laughter

Sharanya looked at the two girls who were happily discussing the accessories to be worn with the beautiful red gown in the box that they had put on the table.

Sharanya thought that maybe her daughter should have come with her friends for shopping.

She called Benisha to which

“Mumma? What if I wear a saree?”

Sharanya stopped her actions and looked smiling slowly at her daughter.

The saree boutique.

Still Prisha couldn’t select the perfect saree.

Either they were too gaudy or too simple.

“Well, guess you have to wear only your ammuma’s saree, then” Sharanya blindly said to which Prisha looked at her.

“Where is it?”

“What?”

“Ammuma’s saree?”

“Well, it’s in my closet. Why?”

“Let’s go see it, come, mumma”

“But…”

Prisha clutched her mother’s wrist and rushed to their home.

At the Varma office

Pradeep was attending a meeting with his office staff to discuss in partaking the annual exhibition plus conference in Colombia. He normally plans the whole fiasco one month prior to prepare for getting prospectus clients.

This time he thought to take his son, Previn along with him to make him accustom to the dealings in the global context.

“So, it is decided. We will leave the previous day and you can check the venue…its arrangements…. ok” Pradeep alongwith the office staff agreed to the decision.

Outside the conference room

“Dad, will it be possible to bring Uvika too? I mean she will also be able to gather information for her benefit,” Previn tried to convince his father who stopped abruptly at his words.

He chuckled saying

“Son, you can travel with her at your pleasurable time. Not during a business trip, ok? and regarding her getting knowledge. She can gather them after the marriage not before, hm?” Pradeep patted his shoulders to watch his son sulked at his refusal.

Pradeep very well knew about his lovestruck son and his possessiveness towards his fiancé.

Uvika had called Pradeep beforehand to convey that Previn was planning to take her to the Colombia Conference amidst her audit work in the office.

So, Pradeep was prepared for the comeback of his son pleading to take his fiancé for a jolly business trip.

At the Inter-school competition

Vineeth was preparing himself for the finale of the gaming competition. His team mates had encouraged him by drawing banners and stickers in his name to boost his morale.

He looked at his opponent sitting at the adjacent seat.

He snickered and signalled with a thumbs down to Vineeth. Vineeth gave his best smile and air saluted him.

Soumya rushed to the sight on time after finishing her last lap at the swimming competition. She dried her still wet hair and watched the two top gamers head-to-head.

She cheered her brother on top of her voice. Vineeth smiled hearing her cheers and concentrated more.

The last lap, two shots, one point – the winner.

Clink!

Game over!

“Yahhh!!!!” his friends cheered for him at the top of their voice. Vineeth moved back on his chair and blew an air kiss to his opponent, who banged the gaming console at his loss.

Soumya moved from the crowd to reach her brother. She hugged him tightly and smiled from ear to ear.

“Can’t breathe! Somi!! Leave!!Ugh!!!” Vineeth gasped for air in between her strong arms.

After she was satisfied, she moved back to see a half breathing Vineeth. She got tensed and asked for water.

He drank the water and looked at her with a glare.

“Mom and Dad will be so happy! Finally, they have not one but two winner from the inter school competition! Yikes!! I am so happy! Now we have to wait for Rajeev’s result. Did he call you?” Soumya was talking nonstop at the common dining table arranged for the participants by the organisers.

Vineeth was too busy stuffing himself with the pudding and pastries. As Soumya had kept him in strict diet for the competition.

He didn’t understand the context. Like she was the swimmer, which makes her to go on a diet. But he is a gamer, who does not need any dieting!

But nevertheless, he didn’t want to be smacked by his only little sister. So, he agreed to her tantrum.

“Will you stop eating for once!!!” She pinched his underarm to hear his hissing.

“Oi! Look up dummy! He is here,” Vineeth shaked his head at her torture, continuing his eating spree.

Rajeev smiled lightly and settled himself on the bench.

Soumya asked him about the results to which he nodded his head to his win.

Soumya again shrieked with joy and went to hug him to which he backed a little signalling her to stop.

She calmed down and sat back on her seat.

“That’s great, Raj! But why are you sulking? Isn’t it a beautiful coincidence that your music competition was also in the same place as ours, wow!!”

“It is, cuppy! But I don’t know…I just…*huff*” Rajeev looked down in disappointed thinking how he would convey his happy news to his clueless parents.

“Tsk! Raj, don’t worry! I am very much sure; uncle and aunty will be so happy to hear that their son has received an offer to compose a song for a track of his favourite singer!” Soumya exclaimed her thoughts to the smiling Rajeev. He caressed her hairs and nodded at her excitement.

The siblings then prepared themselves to leave for their sweet home.

At the Varma house

“Wow! Ammuma surely had some good collections, Mumma!” Prisha was amazed at her grandmother’s saree collection.

Sharanya never thought that her modern daughter would opt for a traditional saree.

She wrapped a golden saree from the lot and checked herself in the mirror.

Sharanya felt a small tear fall from her eyes. She wiped them before her daughter could witness it.

“Mumma, where is the blouse?” Sharanya looked through the cabinet and found a faded green blouse.

Both of them tsked.

Sharanya told her that she would buy a readymade blouse for her by the late afternoon. So that they could visit the beauty parlour to do their makeup.

“No, Mumma! I don’t want to. I will just dress simply. Don’t want to deck up for no reason,” Sharanya frowned at her remark.

“Kanna, it is your birthday. Everyone will notice you. You need to go to the parlour.” Sharanya made her words to which Prisha sulked down saying

“But it is my birthday. Don’t you think I should dress up the way I want, hm?” Sharanya looked back at the sad face of her daughter which always melted her stubborn heart.

She smiled lightly to which Prisha rushed to hug her and said.

“Thanks, Mumma, you bring the blouse. I will try the saree now itself, hm?” Prisha ran out with the saree to try it out in her room.

Before she could say something, she saw her daughter running out of her room.

She sat down on her bed and thought to proceed with her decision to take the proposal of marriage to the Menon’s household.

At the Menon house

The elders of the family were busy in getting ready for the party.

Sameer had made it possible to engage his son in the office under the pretext of meeting.

He called Dino in between to engage him further if the meeting gets over before their stipulated time.

“Sameer, Rekha called to ask what we will reaching there? Shall I call Sanal to pick up Soumya from the school. You know she is coming today from the competition,” Latha reminded him who had completely forgotten the fact about his kid.

Sameer tsked and called Vinay telling him to let Soumya to stay the night in their house.

After their talks, Sameer and Latha drove off to the party.

Nair residence

“Sure, cuppy will enjoy it over here! I will tell Veena to bring everyone here. don’t worry! Um…Sam, What about Sanal?” Vinay answered his besties call while brushing his hair.

Sonia came adjusting her saree and checking herself in the mirror.

Vinay was assured at Sam’s answer to holding Sanal in the office.

He kept the phone and looked at his lovely wife.

He went and backed hugged saying

“Hm…what time is the function starting?” He slowly kissed her neck making her tilt her head.

“7, why?” Sonia smiled at him through the mirror.

“It’s only 6 now…we still have an hour,” Vinay looked at the wall clock and spoke.

Sonia moved from his hug angering him.

“Vinay, no! we don’t want to be late! And moreover, we are not 30 anymore. Remember that. You have a grown daughter who is engaged and a son who is almost 20. So, behave, hm?” Vinay smirked at her and spoke

“Who says we are old? I do have the same strength and stamina that I had 16 years back. You wanna find out, hm, Mrs.?” Sonia got scared at his aura and backed a little saying

“V-vinay we will be late. Hm?” Seeing his wife backing out, he stopped and winked at her.

“Don’t ever challenge me, darling. You don’t want to mess with me!” Vinay whispered the last statement near her ears.

Sonia gulped her dry throat and saw him smiling sweetly to her.

“We will pick up tonight! Hm?” Vinay held her arms and walked out to attend the party.