Sparkle (Silvara)

Mehndi laga ke rakhna, doli sajake rakhna.....

The sounds of wedding songs fill the house. The air is light, people are smiling and laughing. Work is being done in regards to the wedding, people being called up, often turning into hour long conversations. Sometimes they want to speak to her, and she dutifully obeys, laughing at all the right places, chatting to them amiably.

Her cousin's wife comes over in the afternoon to help. She is young, younger than herself, having been married for just 2 years and already with a toddler son. But the cousin's wife always seems older and wiser and she wonders if this is how she will be as well.

She plays with her hair, teasing it up into a fancy bun. Her sister brings down her wedding outfit, the hand embroidered jewels sparkling. She places it over her head, in the way she will wear it on the day. For a moment, everyone is silent, taking in how the colour complements her skin, how the work on the material sparkles and shimmers in the light. She looks into the mirror and sees how she will be on the day and smiles. But inside she feels a twinge of sadness as she watches them looking at her.

They all move to the other room and put on some songs, the wedding outfit forgotten. They start to play some more of the dancing numbers. The sangeet is coming up and nothing has been prepared. Her mother wants her to dance to an old song. She thinks it's too...well....old. But cousin's wife says it's a beautiful song and it will be very nice to dance to. So she goes off to download the song so they can dance.

The song is nicer then she expected. She had heard it before, but always thought it that wouldn't suit the occasion. But when she hears the words again, tears unexpectedly come to her eyes. There is a verse singing to the mother, telling her that, tomorrow the sun would shine, the birds will sing...but she would not be there. That life will go on, but there will always be a gap.

And she wonders, is this how she will feel. If this is how her mother will feel. She looks at the sparkling material of her wedding outfit, lying on the table, and for the first time she doesn't want to leave.