A Friend Gets Married

She was the most beautiful person in the wedding hall

She also seemed the most anxious

I tried inquiring about it to her garland and her ornaments

But they were too busy posing for the photographs

Oh! The photographs and the photographers!

Did they not know that she liked posing with her head tilted?

Oh! The mehndi guy!

Did he not know that she liked her mehndi GOT themed?

And the priest!

Why did he have to be the only one singing verse after verse?

I badly wanted to shut his mouth and make my friend sing

Her song would have been a sunflower shining in the moonlight

Her song would have been a young boy's laughter in a military camp

But slokas and traditions had to precede talent

An amazing singer had to remain silent as her wedding music played on.

I recall the gifting session

The gifts served as the entry tickets to be a part of the wedding album

What if my friends and I had gone without a gift?

All we had wanted was to see our princess become a queen

But a gift we had – perhaps a formality, perhaps a happy reminder when dusted years later

Though, who were we fooling?

Would she have wanted a better reminder than glancing at us from her wedding stage?

What would have run in her mind during that momentary glance?

The lunches we had shared? The fights we had fought? 

The birthdays we had celebrated? Our favorite spot at our college?

We had often debated about who in our group would get married first

And there she was, the smiling winner

A few feet away we all stood, happy, proud, and emotional. 

I recall the gifting session

It reminded me of my school annual days

Climb up the stage, shake hands with a smile, pose with the prize, and climb down the stage.

All of a sudden, a 25-member group rushed to the stage

And positioned itself around the couple - all smiles

As my friend smiled at them politely, and as her husband let out a hearty laugh

I realized that it was the husband's family

I looked at my friend amidst the 25 people and felt my heart turning heavier

She had found it difficult to even select a dish in the college canteen without the group's help

And there she was, prepared to serve this new family with joy 

A few feet away I stood, happy, proud, and emotional. 

I recall the gifting session

My friends and I also climbed that stage and we also handed over a gift

But we did not want to climb down – Her eyes would not let us

We knew she had so much to share, so much to laugh and cry about

But then it hit us – Beside her was standing a new friend who was more interested.

We wanted to share a few tips with him;

We did not, knowing it would spoil the fun

Letting the new love blossom, my friends and I stepped down.