‘Aditi. Go upstairs and
change your clothes.’
‘I don’t want to
change. I like my jeans and tee shirt Aunty
Yasmin.’ Aditi is
sitting on the sofa reading a book.
‘Aditi! You cannot wear
jeans and t-shirt for visitors! Put
your new sari on.
Pradeep and his parents are coming soon.’
‘Mmm…’
‘Aditi, you are not
listening!’ Aunty is angry now. She turns
to Aditi’s father. Ravi is watching the Saturday sport on the
television.
‘Ravi,
tell Aditi to wear her sari. I want her to look pretty.’
Aditi’s father winks at
his daughter. ‘Aditi looks very pretty
to me,’ he smiles.
Aunty is upset. ‘I try
to help Aditi to meet nice young men
but she’s not the same
as her sisters,’ she sighs.
‘You help us all,’ Ravi told her firmly. ‘You are the mother to
my four girls Yasmin.’ Ravi looks sad. He remembers the
death of his dear wife
Aruna. ‘We are grateful to you Aunty
Yasmin.’ He pats her on
the arm.
Aditi puts her book on
the sofa. She jumps up. She puts
her arms round Aunty
Yasmin and she hugs her.
I’m sorry Aunty. I want
to finish my book before the visitors
come. I like wearing
jeans but I can change my clothes for
you. What do you want
me to wear?’
Aunty gives a little
smile. She loves Aditi and her sisters
very much. You wear
those jeans and a t-shirt all the time.
They are not very
pretty. ‘I like the pink sari. Men like pink’.
Aditi sighs. ‘All my
friends wear jeans and I like to wear
casuaI clothes. I don’t
want Pradeep to like me very much.
It’s not a good idea.
I’m going to University soon. I don’t want
to marry for a long
time.’
2
‘I don’t want you to
marry now Aditi but if you go away to
London University, it’s better if you
are engaged first.’
Aditi’s father
interrupts, ‘Aditi, put the sari on my dear.You
are a modern girl. I
don’t want you to marry if you don’t want
to marry. Aunty doesn’t
like jeans for visitors. She wants you
to meet nice young men
before you go to University. I like to
see you in a sari
too.When you wear a sari you look like your
mother.’
‘Alright father I’m
going to put the pink sari on,’ Aditi says
but she whispers in his
ear. ‘I don’t want to get engaged.’
Her father nods. He
pats the arm of his youngest
daughter. ‘Aunty is
quite happy if you are friendly and you
look pretty.’
Aditi goes upstairs to
change her clothes.
Yasmin speaks to Ravi. ‘You spoil that girl. She can find a
good husband now but
after University I’m not sure. The
young girls get the
best men.’
Ravi laughs. ‘She’s only
eighteen. She’s going to
University for three
years. I don’t think twenty-one is too old
to marry a nice man.’
Half an hour later
Pradeep and his parents arrive.
Pradeep is short and
very fat. His mother tells him what to
say.
3
‘Say, hallo to Yasmin,
Pradeep,’ she says to her son.
‘Hallo, Yasmin’,
Pradeep says, in a dull, slow voice. His
mother says, ‘Say good
afternoon to Ravi my son.’
‘Good afternoon Ravi,’ Pradeep says in his slow voice.
‘Good afternoon,’ Ravi says, ‘Do you remember me?’
‘Yes, of course he
remembers you.’ The young man’s
mother says. ‘Pradeep!
Tell Ravi you remember him.’
‘I remember you Ravi,’ Pradeep says.
Pradeep’s mother smiles
at Aditi. ‘You are a beautiful
young woman my dear.’
Aditi is wearing the sari. She tries to
smile. Pradeep’s mother
pushes him. ‘Tell Aditi she…’
Aunty Yasmin says
quickly, ‘Aditi, why don’t you take
Pradeep into the garden?
It’s sunny and you can show him
the fish.’ Aditi smiles
but she doesn’t want to smile. She is
polite because she does
not want to upset her father and
Aunty. She walks into
the garden. Pradeep’s mother gives
him a little push and
he follows Aditi.
4