Her True Soulmate

"What the f*ck is this?! I just don't want to get married. But I was looking for accommodation from the groom's side. Am I crazy ?" Laya grumbled under her breath. Nevertheless, she walked around in search of the room. It all started a week ago.

A week Ago.....

Laya Pasupuleti, twenty-one year old graduate, who was looking for a job. She just graduated three months ago, she was looking for a job but her parents called her to return Hyderabad from Chennai as there was something urgent. Laya set off to Chennai the moment she got the call. When she attempted the call from her mother she looked tense and scared. Laya doesn't know what to do, so she stopped her job hunt and started her journey. Laya studied interior designing in Madras Institute of Fashion and Technology, in Chennai. Laya's parents were too orthodox to the point she can't even have friends in her life. She felt suffocated when she lived with her parents. That's why she decided to live far from them. When she applied to the best interior designing college in Chennai after her intermediate, her parents opposed her. Only her big brother and her little brother supported. And just like any other indian family, Laya's parents listen to their son only. Her elder brother assured them he would take care of Laya, as he was also staying in Chennai due to his job. Only then Laya was spared by them. But when she was leaving her home, she got an earful of instructions or maybe it would be better to say orders from them. She only returned home once a year, but in her final year she didn't even go to her house. This was her first time returning home after nearly a year.

Laya sighed at the thought of her parents as she continued her journey. She was glad that her older brother came to drop her off at the railway station. She saw how the train looked like a big snake and the compartments looked like a tail to her. She saw them taking u-turns for every now and then. She doesn't know that not only the train but also her life took a u-turn after she returned to her home.

After nearly a day of journey, Laya felt sore all over her body. If not for her mother's call, she would have attended an interview. Even though she knew she might not get selected, she badly wanted to try as she felt like trying and exploring her lives. She saw her elder sister-in-law marrying her brother at a young age itself. They both have eight years of age gap between them, her elder brother is thirty one, while her sister-in-law is only twenty-three and a mother of a child. Her parents got her brother married three years ago. They only cared whether her sister-in-law had enough dowry and had good connections and wealth. They didn't give a damn to her age or her feelings. Her sister-in-law, Durga, came from a village. She only did her intermediate. She wanted to do a degree but her parents didn't allow her. After giving birth to a daughter, she asked her brother whether she could study or not, as she did one of the most important duties of a wife and a daughter-in-law. Even though her brother agreed, Laya's parents didn't agree. Because they wanted a grandson, but she gave a granddaughter to them. Durga was now trying to get pregnant and give birth to a son. Even though her brother was cold looking and aloof, he made her study distance education, without his parents knowledge. After all they were living in chennai and her parents were in Hyderabad, Telangana. How would they know about this?

At the thought of her Sister-in-law, Laya sighed for the nth time. She shouldn't be like her, she should be able to get a job and live a respectful and equal wife. She should be able to stand equally with her husband. Laya wanted to get married only after she got a job and was confident enough she could live without anyone's support. Laya shook her head, wriggling her high pony. She hailed a cab to her home in the secunderabad station. Laya smiled at the familiar surroundings of her house in Vanasthalipuram. The cab reached her destination. She paid the fare and took her luggage out.

Their driver greeted them seeing her coming inside and pulled Laya's luggage.

"Babai (uncle), what's wrong? Is everything okay here right? Mom suddenly called me and asked me to hurry over here?" Laya asked her driver.

"Everything is fine, beta(daughter)?" he said with a smile making his wrinkles obvious. Laya heaved a sigh when she heard her words. Only she knew how tense she was. She was wondering when something was going on in the house, her brother said that 'you will know once you reach there,'. She was also surprised when he and his family didn't join her in the journey. But she didn't ask him anything about it and just did as she was asked.

"Why didn't you come to pick me?" she asked with a pout putting her list of complaints aside.

"You see, I have a lot of work to do. There won't be next time. Sorry beta. You will forgive uncle, Right?" he asked cutely, making her laugh.

"This would be the last time," she said.

"Yes," he said.

"By the way, what's happening? Didn't they say something happened here and I have to rush here? What happened? But why are they decorating the house? It's as if a marriage would take place?" Laya asked with furrowed brows.

"Indeed it's a marriage," Ramu uncle, the driver said.

"Whose?" she asked, tilting her head while blinking her eyes innocently at him.

"You will know when you go inside," he said and led her inside. He knew her room, so he went to her room and put the luggage there. When he turned around to leave, he saw a wall of pictures filled with her pictures. He went near one and traced it.

"Even though... I am a mere driver, you treated me well, beta. Never knew you grew up this big and even going to get ma..." before he could finish his sentence he heard someone calling him. He wiped his tears and went out. Even though Ramu Uncle was just a driver, the Pasupuleti family looked at him like their own. Just because they were treating him well, he didn't take any advantage of them.

He looked after Laya like his own daughter. She is the daughter of Pasupuleti's second son, she even had a biological brother. But all her family died. Her mother died after she gave birth to Laya. Her father died due to current shock when he went to the farm to switch on water. While... her brother died in an accident.

From then... her father's elder brother, and his wife took care of her. Her youngest uncle wanted to marry off laya when she was eighteen by giving one or two acres of agricultural land in their village, as he wanted to gobble all her properties. But her peddananna(father's elder brother) stood against his own brother and saved her property for herself. Even though they never gave the earnings from her property to her, she didn't ask them. She knew she owed them too much and let them have it. But they loved her like their own daughter, her elder brother, Arjun, who is thirty-one-years old treated her like her biological sister. When she got love, why did she need money?

"Laya..." her peddamma(father's sister-in-law) called her.

"My baby, take a bath and sleep tight. There is something dad wants to talk to you, okay?" she said. Laya nodded her head and was about to turn around.

"Baby... don't forget to come down. I made your favorites for dinner," she said to her.

"Okay, Amma (mom)," she mouthed.

"I missed you. You should have visited home frequently," she said, placing a kiss on her forehead. Laya doesn't know why they behave like this. They love her so much but restrict her like this, not only her but also their own daughters. They face worse than her. But she brushed it off, soon... she would get wings and would take her properties in her hand and would handle them. She doesn't want to burden them anymore. She burdened them all these years.

After freshening up, she went down only to see her mom and others were waiting for her at the dining table. Her mom (Peddamma) fed her after she settled in her seat. "Mom.... I will be pampered to death if you do this like this. What if I get married tomorrow and miss you feeding me?" Laya pouted.

"Hmm... that's a problem. But till then let me feed you. After you get married your husband would feed you," Sharada mom said to her, making her puff her cheeks in anger. People around the table laughed at Laya, seeing her cute.

"Beta... Dad has two things to say to you. I wanted to say these things tomorrow morning, but due to a few things, I may not be at home tomorrow. So... I will tell you tonight. Meet me in study after you are done eating," Raghu said to Laya.

"Can't it wait till you return?" she asked with a pout.

"Laya... it's about your life. Don't be lazy," he said to her seriously. The whole atmosphere turned serious. Laya knew something big was going to happen. So... she kept quiet and nodded.

"My dear Hubby, please don't tell others that you are my husband outside if you continue to act like this?" she said with a scrunched face.

"I am your husband!!" he said exasperatedly.

"That's why I am advising you!" she said, making everyone laugh. Laya noticed her youngest uncle, Srinivas, was looking at her with a displeased gaze the whole while. But she didn't care. She got used to it and ignored him as usual. Their dinner finished amid laughter and smiles. But little did Laya don't know that this would be her last time to laugh heartfully.

"I will divorce you and marry a young woman!" he said exasperatedly. He thought he successfully annoyed her.

Sharada's mom thought hard for a while... and said... "Hmm... Do it. I want to go on a world tour. If you divorce me have to give me half of your property as your anomaly along with divorce. I can find a good man and marry him. I am only fifty... Can't I find who is fifty-five or so?" she said so seriously to the point her Raghu Dad believed her words! Laya held her laughter at his petrified expression.

"Woman! No one is getting a divorce here! Stop your wild thoughts!" he almost yelled.

"See... the ego of yours. You can do it and I can't do it. As I am woman, right?" she asked surprising him. For the first time, she reminded him about women's rights. Raghuram looked at his wife Sharada differently, he wondered what made her say this line. In their thirty-five years of married life, she forgot the existence of those things. But now she was reminding him. He lowered his eyes and thought was it due to her displeasure at the thing he was doing. But... that was for Laya's own good. Even Raghuram treated Laya like his own, but it's just that he can't give love to her till she is old. He has two other daughters and his younger brother has a daughter. They all are going to cross eighteen years, they have to get married. He can't delay their marriages. He regretted delaying Laya's marriage for three long years.

Laya looked at her mother in shock. What happened? Why her mother behaving strangely from the moment she came here? And her youngest uncle's inquisitive gaze at her constantly was making her feel restless. Her three cousin sisters were looking at her pityingly from the moment she came.

The dining hall was in utter silence at her words. Just like her everyone was shocked at her. "Mom! I forgot! You know... all the sunnundalu (a sphere-shaped sweet made of urad dal and jaggery) made by you were eaten by my friends. They left only two for me. Will you make them for me tomorrow?" Laya asked breaking the awkward silence as she pouted cutely.

"Didn't I say you to eat all of them by yourself? Why did you give them to others?" Sharada started berating her daughter again. The awkward atmosphere was replaced with pitiful gazes of everyone directed towards Laya. Laya resigned to her fate and took her mother's scoldings. Sharada only wants her daughter to be healthy because she sent them to her with her love and care, through his son. Laya loves sunnundalu so much. She doesn't even allow anyone to eat when Laya was there. Laya took all the scoldings from Sharada. Ahhh!! This is family! How did she miss it all the while? But again... she was afraid that her youngest uncle would torture her to give up the rights of her inheritance and her father's nagging to get married. So... she moved away for the sake of her bright future.

"Sharada! Are you done? She returned today! Let her have some peace. If you go on like this, she would turn dumb!" Raghuram said to his wife.

"Even if you give it to others, don't give it all to them," Sharada said with a sigh.

"Mom... I didn't give them. I kept it in my room and went to college. When I returned the vessel is empty," Laya said feeling wronged.

"Sigh... kids these days... whatever... Momma will make them for you tomorrow," Sharada said to her

"Momma is best..." Laya said and hugged her tight, surprising her. But her eyes held a complicated gaze as she looked at him with a disapproving gaze.

After her eldest son, Arjun Pasupulati, Laya was the eldest and cutest one in the home. Arjun married and settled in Chennai with his wife Durga. When Laya said she would be moving out Sharada cried the most, but she didn't oppose her. Also... when her peddananna was trying to find a groom to marry her off, her peddamma stopped till now with the help of her brother.

"Laya... come with me," her peddananna, Raghuram asked her standing up from his place.

"Mom... I should see an empty plate when I come down. Don't forget to eat!" Laya said through her squinted eyes.

"Beta... that..." Sharada trailed.

"If I come to know that you didn't eat, I will barge in with the food into your room in the middle of the night," Laya said making Sharada scared.

Sharada doesn't eat food at night for god knows the reason. Only Laya can make her eat. Sharada served food on her plate and started eating her food as if someone was chasing her making everyone laugh. Seeing her start eating, Laya stood up and walked to the study.

"Dad..." she called out.

The next series of his actions made her petrified.

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