U-turn

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 Dad 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.