Page 1 of Someone I Chose

CHAPTER ONE

And then the bouquet hit the fan.

Like in a movie, suddenly everything became so slow that one could perceive many things at the same time. At first, laughter bubbled up in Neha. The bouquet toss ending in the large ceiling fan was funny, after all. The dismayed cries of the single ladies that had been fighting over the best spot to catch the flowers were funny, too. Neha hadn’t meant to be part of this stupid game. She had no intention at all to be the next bride, thank you very much.

The fan grabbed the bouquet and swirled it around a couple of times. An angry whooshing sounded from the ceiling. Whether it came from the aggressive fan, or the captured bouquet was impossible to make out. After a few tours around, centrifugal forces helped the flowers to come loose—and sent them Neha’s way. They surged towards her in big cartwheels, mocking her attempt to stand at the far side of the venue, trying to not partake in a ceremonial divination of who would marry next.

Oh, her parents would love this! They had been nagging her about getting married and starting a family for years, but, with her thirtieth birthday only months away, they had become veritable pests. The constant badgering was grinding on Neha’s nerves, and she was appalled at fate’s trick to send her the bouquet. Her feet felt like they were glued to the ground, and her spine was unyielding—she could neither move to the side nor duck away. The only thing she could do to avoid being hit in the face by the stems of two dozen roses was to catch them.

She stared at the flowers in her hands and let them drop to the ground. Her hands itched, and she wiped them on her bridesmaid’s gown.

Everybody was staring. Some laughed and cheered. Neha wished to vanish. She turned to the door, but before she even took a step, Shanae came running and wrapped her into a tight embrace. Who would have thought her best friend would toss her wedding bouquet that wretchedly?

Shanae whispered, “I’m sorry.” She rubbed Neha’s back.

Neha hated to see that mortified look on her friend’s face. Just because she abhorred the thought of getting married off didn’t mean she wanted to ruin Shanae’s wedding. “I’m fine.”

Shanae squinted at her. “The hell you are.” They had lived together as roommates long enough to know each other well.

“No, really, I’m fine. It’s just flowers, you know.” Neha smiled and hooked her arm into the bride’s. “Let’s get back to the party.” She took Shanae’s hand and pulled her to the dance floor. Together, they egged the guests on to start dancing again.

Neha even let Nathan, the best man, whirl her around the dance floor, but a little while later she sneaked out. The rain had lessened to a soft drizzle, and it wasn’t too bad to walk through the dunes for a few minutes. Neha walked towards the shore and breathed in the salty, fresh air. Her shoulders relaxed. The errant bouquet had been an unfortunate sling slip. No clairvoyance involved at all.

Just when she had managed to calm herself, her phone rang. Neha chuckled. Shanae’s insistence on gowns with pockets paid off. Her father’s photo looked at her, the one she had taken just recently. He had grown gray in the last few years and looked constantly tired.

“Hey, baba.”

“Where are you? Why are you not here?” His voice was overly calm. This meant he was furious.

“I am at Shanae’s wedding, remember?”

“I told you to refuse that invitation.”

“I will not miss my best friend’s wedding.”

“Your friend’s wedding you care about!”

“Yes, I do.” So they were arguing about her getting married again. Neha sighed quietly. She hoped her father had not heard it.

“We need you to do your share with the travel preparations.”

“My share? What does that even mean?” Neha stopped in her tracks. “You are going to Delhi, not me. And you are no invalids. You can make all the preparations yourself.”

Neha heard her parents squabble but couldn’t understand their conversation.

“Neha, darling.” Her mother sounded calm, too, and Neha knew she was trying to run interference. “I know how important Shanae’s wedding is to you, and I think it’s a good thing you went.”

Her father protested in the background, but Neha’s mother shushed him. “You’ll be back tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ve got to work on Monday.”

“Good then, good.” Neha knew her mother was nodding right now. She always did that when she struggled with what to say. “We will talk tomorrow. Come for dinner.”

Neha rolled her eyes. “Yes, Ma.” She had hoped for an evening alone.

From the direction of the hotel, she heard voices coming nearer. Time to wrap the call up. “See you tomorrow.”

She heard a little shuffling on the phone, and then her father yelled into it, “And bring your passport!”