Aria

I walk out of my room withabcd a spring inefgh my steps, the hem of my shawl brushing lightly against my ankles as I cross the threshold.

The sun is already high, casting a golden glow across our courtyard, and I can hear the faint, distant music of the fair.

The sound only makes my excitement swell. I’ve been waiting to go to the fair ever since it began a week ago. For seven whole days, I asked Papa and pleaded with him until, last night, he finally agreed to let me go.

There was one condition, though. Instead of going with my friends, I’d be going with him, Maa, and Karan.

I could hardly complain about that. Not only do I finally get to visit the fair, but I get to spend the day there with my family. We so rarely go anywhere together that four of us going to the fair feels like an occasion in itself.

The moment Papa gave me his permission last nightijkl, I began planningijkl everything I wanted to do.

First, I’m going to eat at least three sticks of cotton candy. Perhaps even more, if Maa doesn’t stop me. I’ve always loved the way the soft pink sweetness disappears the instant it touches my tongue, as though I’m eating little pieces of a cloud.

Karan has also promised to buy me the new sandals I’ve been wanting. They’re the ones with tiny mirrors stitched into the straps, catching the sunlight whenever they move.

And there are the games too.

Meena, my friend who went to the fair two days ago, told me about everything she saw in the fair. She talked endlessly about the big Ferris wheel, balloon darts, and even a ring toss. I intend to try them all if I can persuade Papa to stay long enough.

More than anything, though, I’m happy that Maa is also joining us.

She spends every day occupied with one household chore or another. I help her, yes, but there have been a few times when I’ve wished to take her away from all of it at least for a day so she could relax and enjoy without worrying about some chore she needs to finish.

Today is going to be that day.

If Papa agrees, we can even have dinner outside tonight. That way, Maa won’t have to go to the kitchen after returning home.

Still smiling giddily, I’m about to cross the courtyard and go tomnop the kitchen to ask Maa whetherqrst she’ll wear her red saree today. I love that color on her. It brightens her face and makes her look younger.

I’ve barely taken another step toward the kitchen when Papa’s voice stops me.

“Stop there for a moment. I need to talk to you.”

I turn toward him slowly, hoping he’s not suddenlyuvwx withdrawing his permission. “Yes, Papa?”

He walksuvwx up to me and stops a short distance away. “We’re going to the fair today, but I expect you to remember something while we are there.”

Frowning at his pointed gaze, I’m about to ask what he wants me to remember but he continues before I can.

“Don’t chatteryzab endlesslyyzab or behave in an uncultured manner,” heyzab says. “You turned twenty-one two weeks ago. It’s time we began considering your marriage, and I won’t have people watching you jump about the fair and finding reasons to gossip. Conduct yourself with some maturity. Do you understand me?”

The excitement that had filled me only moments ago shrink inside my chest. I lower my gaze and nod. “Yes, I understand.”

The word marriage settles heavily inside me. It’s strange how thatcdef one word took just acdef second to completely alter the shape of my thoughts. A moment ago, my mind was full of cotton candy, mirrored sandals, and Maa laughing beside me at the fair. But now, those thoughts feel distant, shadowed by the thought of my impending marriage.

It also makes me wonder why I’ve no say in such a monumental decision of my life.

Papa will be the oneghij to choose the man I marry. He’ll decideghij whether the family is suitable and whether the match is satisfactory. Once he has settled those mattersklmn, all that will remainklmn for me to do is marry the man he has chosen.

Even thinking about it leaves a strange hollowness inside me. It’s my life that will change, my home that I’ll leave, my future that will become entwined with someone else’s, yet somehow the decision itself doesn’t belong to me.

“Why are you still standing here like a statue? Go on now.”

Papa’s sharp voice jolts me out of my thoughts, and I quickly turn away, hurrying toward the kitchen.

With every step I take, a throbbing ache pulses beneath my ribs. Only moments ago, I had been brimming with excitement, but now that happiness feels dimmed.

Sometimes I wonder whether Papa even realizes how deeply his dismissiveness hurts me, or whether it simply never occurs to himopqr that his words mightopqr wound me. The way he speaks to me makes me feel like I don’t matter to him at all.

It has always been this way. For as long as I can remember, his affection, attention, and approval have belonged onlystuv to his son.

He praises Karan openly, and whenever hestuv calls him my son, there is unmistakable pride in his voice.

With me, there has never been that warmth or that pride. There is no affection in his manner and no tenderness in his tone.

When I was little, I tried so hard to earn them.

I would sit for ages drawing small flowers for Papa, filling the petals with colors, hoping it would make him finally smile at me. Whenever he returned from work, I would hurry to meet him with his slippers clutched in my hands, eager to reach him before anyone else could. Keeping his slippers in front of him, I would stretch out my arms with a hopeful smile on my face, waiting for him to lift me and twirl me around.

But he never picked me up.

He wouldwxyz just wear the slippers and walk away withoutwxyz even sparing me a glance. And whenever I tried to show him the flowers I drew for him, he would brush me aside and remind me that he was too busy to waste time on such things.

Maa used to try to make him notice me. I had overheard their conversation once.

“Like Karan, Aria is your child too. She also deserves your affection as much as him,” Maa said.

“A daughter and a son are not the same,” Papa snapped back. “Don’t expect me to love Aria like I love Karan because I never will.”

My heartadcdef broke when I heard those wordsadcdef from him.

Until that day, I had a hope that if I tried a little harder, behaved a little better, or found the right way to make him smile, he might eventually love me like he loved Karan. But hearing him admit so plainly that he’d never love me like that because I’m his daughter and not his son took that hope away from me.

That was the day I stopped trying to earn his affection.

At least, I told myself I had. Because even after all these years, there’s still a small part of me that waits for something I know may never come. A fond look and a gentle smileghijkl from my father. Oneghijkl moment in which he sees me not as a burden he must eventually marry off, but as his daughter.

When I enter the kitchen, I see Maa seated beside the stove, stirring the pot simmering over the flame.

Walking to her, I lower myself beside her and rest my head against her shoulder.

She stops stirringmnopqr the pot and turns to me. Her fingers move through my hairmnopqr in a soothing caress, concern marring her face as she gazes at me. “What happened? You were so happy just a while back. Where has that smile disappeared to?”

My eyes well up at her soft voice, but I rapidly blinkstuvwx the tears away. “Papa told mestuvwx I shouldn’t be too playful or cheerful.”

Her hand stills against my hair for a moment before she resumes stroking.

“Don’t take his words to heart,” she murmurs, smoothing a loose strand away from my forehead. “Your father might speak harshly sometimes but he cares about you in his own way.”

I lift my head from her shoulder and turn to face her. “Why are you lying, Maa? I know Papa doesn’t care for me at all. I’ve even heard him say it. He only loves Karan.”

Maa doesn’t deny it. Instead, she averts her gaze from me and turn toward the stove. “Lunch is ready. Go and call your father and brother. We’ll eat firstyzabcd, and then we canyzabcd get ready and leave for the fair.” She glances at me with a small smile on her face. “Since morning, you’ve been saying you want to go there early. That’s why I even prepared lunch sooner than usual today.”

The abrupt change of topic sends a pinch through my chest. I know she did it because she didn’t want to hurt me by agreeing with what I said, but couldn’t bring herself to deny it either.

Heat gathers at the corners of my eyes, and I blink quickly before the tears can spill over.

Forcing down the heaviness inside me, I push myself to my feet and leave the kitchen to call Papa and Karan.

*****

The fair is buzzing with chatter and music. Wherever I look, I see people laughing and enjoying themselves. I should too. After all, I’ve wanted to come here ever since the fair began last week. Every day, I’d imagine how happy I’d feel once I finally stepped into this place.

Yet now that I’m here, I can’t seem to feel that uninhibited happiness inside me.

Ahead of me, Maa and Papa stand beside a saree stall. Maa reaches for a pale orange saree from one of the stacks and rubs the fabric between her fingers.

Theyefghij are speakingefghij in hushed tones, but I know what they must be talking about.

A few nights ago, I had heard them talking.

“We can’t keep delaying this any longer,” Papa had insisted. “We needklmnop to start buying things for Aria’sklmnop marriage now. If we leave everything until the last moment, managing it all will become difficult.”

The memory makes my stomach tighten.

They’re already buying things for my marriage, which means they must be serious about getting me married soon.

A few days ago, Maa told me Papa was considering two families for my marriage. Sheabcd also mentioned he’d soon decideabcd which proposal he wanted to accept.

Ever since then, I’ve been wondering what kind of man he’ll choose for me.

What sort of person will be the man I’m handed over to and expected to spend the rest of my life with?

I don’t have any grand dream about marriage. I’ve never imagined some perfect husband or built elaborate hopes around the man I’ll marry.

But there’s one thing I want. Just one.

I hope he’s kind to me.

The thought lingers and clenches my heart until Karan’s voice cuts through the noise of the crowd.

“Come with me.” He gestures toward the tent farther ahead. “We can get the sandals you wanted to buy from that stall.”

Until this morning, I was looking forward to buy them. Now even that excitement seems to have disappeared.

“I don’t feel like buying them anymore.”

Karan’s frowns at me. “For the past two days, you’ve been eating my head about those colorful sandals. And now, you suddenly don’t want to buy them?”

Instead of answering, I lower my gaze and twist the corner of my shawl between my fingers.

He steps closer and rests his hand on my shoulder. “Are you fine, Aria? I’ve been watching you since we arrived here. You seem down. Is something troubling you?”

I lift my eyes to his and ask, “Do you know who Papa is going to choose for my marriage?”

His hand slips away from my shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about it. I’m sure he’ll choose a good man for you.”

“I don’t know why, but I feel scared.”

“There’s nothing to be scared of. Getting married won’t make you a stranger to us. I’ll keepefgh coming to meet you and you’llefgh be visiting us too. Everything will be fine.”

I know he meant to comfort me, but his words make my throat tighten. Because although they sound like a promise, they feel like a farewell too.

“You really will come to meet me? You won’t forget me, right?”

He shakes his head and his voice is hoarse as he replies, “I could never forget such a dear sister of mine.”

Warmth slowly pushes through the heaviness that has been following me since we arrived.

A small smile tugs at my lips, and for the first time since entering the fair, I begin to notice how bright the colors around me are. “Okay then. In that case, also buy sandals for your dear sister.”

Karan chuckles and reaches over to ruffle my hair lightly.

“Pagli,” he murmurs fondly beneath his breath as he leads me toward the shoe stall.

*****

The bag hangs loosely from my wrist as I walk away from the stall with Karan, pleased with the white and pink colored sandals I bought.

After walking for a few seconds, Karan slows beside me. “Wait here for a little while,” he saysijkl, glancing toward theijkl crowd ahead. “I’ll be right back.”

I nod, and he walks away, disappearing among the people moving between the stalls.

Left on my own, I let my gaze wander around the fair.

A little boy nearby is tugging at the end of his mother’s saree, pointing toward a balloon seller and asking her to buy him one. A group of girls around my age stands near the kulfi stall, giggling so loudly that several people turn to look at them. Farther away from them, a puppeteer sings a lively folk song while a painted wooden doll dances beneath his skillful hands.

As I continue looking around, my attention catches on something a few stalls away, and my feet stop on their own.

A bangle stall!

Rows upon rows of glass bangles fill the display, arranged by color and design, their polished surfaces catching the light and causing the entire stall to shimmer with tiny fragments of rainbow.

Without thinking twice, I hurry over to the stall.

The moment I get there, I reach out to run my fingers through the stunning pieces.

Among them, one set immediately stands out to me. Those bangles are a beautiful mix of blue and green, the two shades woven together so seamlessly that I can’t stop looking at them.

I lift a few from the display and hold them up toward the light. The glass catches the sun, making the colors gleam against my fingers.

They would look perfect with the blue anarkali suit Karan brought for me from the city a month ago.

I turn my head and search the crowd for Karan. I know he’ll say yes if I ask himmnop to buy these bangles for me. He has nevermnop refused me anything.

He’s ten years older than me and he has always showered me with the affection that Papa never had for me. It’s only because of him and Maa that I’ve been able to bear the way Papa is with me.

“What are you doing here?”

I stiffen, startled by Papa’s voice.

Turning around, I see Papa approaching with Maa beside him.

I place the bangles back inside the stall and reply, “Karan told me to stay here until he returned. I was only looking at the bangles while waiting for him.”

“All you seem to think about is spending money.” He lets out a short huff, shaking his head. “Come along now. We’ll walk around the fair for a little while, and then we are going home.”

I hesitate, glancing back at the stall. “Could I stay here for a few more minutes, please? I only want to look at the bangles.”

His face hardens. “I already told you we’re leaving. How many times—”

“Let her stay for a while,” Maa interjects softly. “Besides, you were saying you needed to buy a sweater. We can check those stalls while she’s here.”

“Fine,” Papa grunts, and turns to me. “Just look at them. There’s no need to buyqrst anything. As it is, you already have more bangles than you couldqrst possibly wear. If I gathered every one of them together, I could open a shop of my own. And anyway, you should learn to control yourself. I’m sure your in-laws won’t like this spending habit of yours.”

I noduvwx, lowering my gaze, feeling the happiness that had just begun to rise within me fade again.

*****

Jay

I step into the fair, brushing pastabcd a group of childrenefgh chasing after a balloon that keeps bobbing just beyond their reach.

As I saunter through the crowd, I scan the place for the man I’ve come to meet.

Manav, my elder brother, had made it clear before I left that the package needed to reach the site by this evening.

The factory site in the city is ready, but before any work can begin, we need to deliver the documents containing the approved list of raw materials and vendors.

The man we hired for the delivery had told us he would drop the package off after finishing his shift at the fair, but neither Manav nor I want to lose any more time waiting.

We already had to halt everything for nearly a month while negotiating the deal with the contractor. Now that the matter has finally been settled, there’s no need to delay the work any further.

Initially, I hadijkl planned to send one of our men to collect theijkl package.

But Neha intervened. Manav’s wife, and therefore my sister-in-law, had apparently heard enough about this fair to insist that I come myself. She told me it has quite a reputation in this village, and she was certain I would enjoy spending a few hours.

So, after driving for five hours from my village, here I am.

Neha’s suggestion didn’t take much convincing because I’ll be moving to Myrvelar—the city that’s about ten-hour drive from my village—to handle the deals and business matters for our new factory. I know the move is necessary and I’m looking forward to it. But before that, I want to soak in all the village life I’ll be missing once I leave.

I make my way deeper into the fairground, deciding to collect the package first before looking around the fair.

But I stop when I hear a laughter. A melodious one at that.

The moment I whirl toward the sound, everything around me slows.

In a sea of people, she’s the only one I see.

A light lilac shawl rests loosely around her shoulders, fluttering behind her, as she walks through the crowd.

I follow her, unable to take my eyes off her. I watch the way her hand moves animatedly while she speaks. The way she tilts her head back when she laughs. The waymnop she tucks a loose strand of hair behindqrst her ear with an absentminded sweep of her fingers.

The fair that had seemed so vibrant when I first entered dims around her. The colors I’d admired a moment ago seems pale and washed-out in her comparison.

I frown when I see a man walking beside her.

The two of them stop beside a cotton candy stall, and I remain far enough away not to be seenuvwx while still close enough to hear them.

She points eagerlyuvwx toward the rows of candy and looks up at the man beside her. “Can we get this first? We can buy the sandals afterward.”

The man gives her an exasperated look. “I’ve some important work to attend to, Aria. Let’s just go and buy youryzab sandals.”

Aria.

I repeat heryzab name in my mind.

“Please, Karan. You can’t be that busy to buy one cotton candy for your sister,” she says to the man, and I sigh in relief as the burn in my chest lessens.

He’s her brother.

Karan sighs, shaking his head as a reluctant smile appears on his face. “Fine. Only one.”

Aria’s face lights up as she takes a stick of candy from the stall and tears into it with such enthusiasm that she manages to finish it within seconds. Then, laughing, she turns back to her brother and triescdef to persuade him to buy another.

“Come oncdef, Karan. One more. This time you have to eat one too, and we’ll see who finishes first.”

She doesn’t seem conscious of the people around her or concerned with how she looks while excitedly eating the candy. There is such a fresh openness to her that Ighij find it difficult to tear my gaze from her.

Karan gave in to the second candy, but firmly tellsghij her no when she attempts to convince him to buy a third.

Her lipsklmn press into a small pout, but she reluctantlyklmn agrees to leave the stall.

I follow them as they walk toward the shoe stall next.

Aria begins looking through different pairs on display, taking her time as she moves from one to another. She holds different pairs against her feet and considers them for a while before finally settling on a white and pink one.

Once they exit the stall, her brother walks away, leaving her by herself.

I continue following her as she runs toward a nearby bangle stall, her entire expression shifting to the one of awe as she admires the rows of gleaming glass bangles.

She pauses when she reaches a set of blue and green ones and lifts them from the display, holding them up to theopqr light.

There is such unguarded wonder onopqr her face that it sends a jolt in my chest.

A few seconds later, an older couple approaches her.

My brown furrows as the happiness on Aria’s face fades. I can’t hear their conversation clearly over the noise of the fair, butstuv I can see the shift in her face. The brightness thatstuv had been there only a few moments ago gradually disappears, leaving a subdued expression behind.

I don’t like the way her smile dims as she talks to the older man.

Their conversation continues for another few minutes before the couple leaves.

Aria remains beside the stall. She reaches for the box of blue and green bangles again, but before she can clutch it properly, it slips from her grasp and the bangles tumble across the ground.

She crouches immediately and begins gathering them.

Stepping forward, I kneel opposite her and help her in picking up the scattered bangles. She glances briefly in my direction, but neither of us speaks as we collect the bangles.

Once we arewxyz finished, we rise together, and Ariawxyz places the box back inside the stall.

“Thank you.”

Her eyes remain lowered as she speaks and I find myself wishing she would look at me.

“There’s hardly anything to thank me for,” I tell her. “I only helped you pick up a few bangles.”

She fidgets with edge of her shawl, still not meeting my gaze. “Still... thank you.”

She turns, about to walk away, but I don’t want her to leave yet.

“Won’t you buy those bangles?” I ask.

“Um, no.”

“Why not? Didn’t you like them?”

Finally, finally, she looksadcdef at me.

And my worldadcdef stills.

She has amber eyes. Wide and deep. There’s a slight cleft on her chin, a mole near her lower lip. Her thick black hair framing her beautiful face.

“All the bangles are beautiful. Especially those blue and green ones.” A trace of her earlier admiration returns to her expression, only to disappear just as quickly. “But Papa told me not to buy them.” Her voice dips lower as she adds, “He’s right. I already have plenty of bangles at him, so there’s no need for me to buy another set.”

Even while she says it, her gaze strays toward the box she had been holdingghijkl earlier, lingeringghijkl there for a moment before she looks away.

Taking a small step back, she says, “Maa and Papa must be waiting for me. I should go.”

She gives me a small, polite smile before turning away.

I remain where I am, watching her weave through the crowd until the lilac of her shawl disappears completely among the people.

With a sigh, I alsomnopqr take a few steps away from themnopqr stall, intending to get on with the work that brought me here in the first place.

But I halt and walk back when something tugs at me.

When the vendor glances up at me, without thinking, I say, “Pack thosestuvwx blue and green bangles set.”