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Orna had entered ninth grade! There was a reception invitation for the wedding of Chayan Babu's close friend's son. The venue was a fifteen-minute distance from home. Asking her mother, Orna wore a soft Jamdani saree of her mother's for the very first time, and the incident that followed right after was what caused Siddharth to drift slightly away from Orna's heart for the first time!
It was a blue soft Jamdani saree paired with a pink three-quarter-sleeved blouse. For her age, Orna possessed a well-proportioned figure. Her height wasn't bad either—at just 14 years old, she was around 5'2". However, childlike innocence was still clear in her eyes, face, and mannerisms, so she didn't seem that mature. Yet today, wearing a saree, she looked like a young college-going girl.
Orna never wore sarees on Saraswati Puja because she couldn't manage them, but that day she had felt a slight urge to wear one—she would go, eat, stand around for half an hour, and return. Since it was just a matter of an hour or an hour and a half, she thought she could wear a saree today. Thinking this, Arpana Devi, at her daughter's request, had pleated and draped the saree on her! Along with that, Orna had painted her thin lips with a pink-coral lipstick borrowed from Payel. At home, her mother had prepared homemade kohl, and using that as both eyeliner and kohl, Orna had dressed up her large, expressive eyes! On her face, as always, was baby powder, and her waist-length hair was pulled back from the front, pinned at the back, and styled into a fishtail braid by her mother!
Looking at herself in the mirror that day, Orna felt utterly enchanted! Seeing herself like that, Orna felt shy for the very first time; this was how she had imagined herself as a woman. But this fantasy did not remain a reality for long. The moment she stepped out of the room into the drawing room with her mother, Siddharth and Chayan Babu were standing right there!
Seeing Orna, Siddharth walked up to her and looked her up and down thoroughly. Seeing that, Orna asked her brother happily, "How do I look, big brother?!"
"Go change your clothes!!"
"Huh?!"
"I said go change your clothes!"
"Are you kidding with me? Why on earth should I change again? I'm completely ready!"
"Why are you acting like this, son? The girl wore a saree today out of enthusiasm...!"
"I don't want to say a single word to you on this matter, Mom! Tell her nicely that if she wants to go to the party, she should change out of the saree. She has so many salwar suits—wear that long gown I bought you a few days ago! It's getting late... What's wrong? What are you staring at me for? Go! Hurry up, there isn't much time."
Orna stared at Siddharth with a set, firm face... Sensing a streak of stubbornness rising within her, she decided she wouldn't remove the saree today. Either she would go looking just as she was, or she would stay home alone! Seeing Orna standing there with an impassive face, Siddharth's jaw tightened!
"Orrrrrrru! What did I just say?! You won't listen, will you?! Look, don't force me to lose my temper!"
"Sidhu, why are you starting trouble again?! When she doesn't want to, why are you forcing her like this? She's growing up..."
"Dad, Mom, you two go sit in the car!" Saying this, Siddharth dragged Orna into the room and locked the door from the inside!
"Babu, Babu... don't you lay a hand on her! It's not her fault, I was the one who gave her the saree! Alright, she won't wear the saree anymore—no, no, she'll take off the saree right now and wear something else, but don't hit her!" Arpana Devi banged continuously on the door.
Inside the room... Siddharth made Orna stand there while he rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out the very gown he had mentioned a moment ago. All the clothes inside the wardrobe were left in a disarray as Orna stood silently, just watching what Siddharth was doing.
"Here, go to the washroom and change into this. I'm sitting right here! As long as you don't change, I will stay sitting here—Mom and Dad can go ahead on their own."
In short, it meant: Until you change out of that saree, I will not budge from here, whether I end up going or not!
Fourteen-year-old Orna realized that day just how far her doctor-brother's stubbornness could drive him to achieve his way. Quietly taking the red, full-sleeved Barbie gown from her brother's hands, Orna walked away. As she cried, her kohl got smudged, so she washed her face thoroughly with Johnson's face wash before coming back out. Luckily, her hair hadn't come undone. Siddharth looked at her and smiled sweetly, his dimples showing on his cheeks. Then, stepping forward, he kissed Orna on the forehead and said, "There's my good girl, my sweetie, listening like a good girl! Look how pretty you look—just like a princess! A moment ago, you were looking like an old woman! Come on, let's go now, it's getting late..."
"Wait, big brother, my makeup got washed off...!"
"What now? No need to put anything on your eyes or lips. My sweetie is beautiful as she is—just apply some powder on your face, I'm heading downstairs!" Saying this, Siddharth strutted out the door and went downstairs. Arpana Devi, who was standing outside the door, stepped inside and saw her daughter wearing a different outfit, though she still looked pretty! Touching her daughter's chin affectionately, she said, "Don't feel down, sweetie! You know how your brother is... He didn't hit you, did he?"
Orna shook her head to say no.
"Come on, dear! Let's go, they are sitting in the car."
Stepping away from her mother, Orna took powder from the dressing table and rubbed it on her face, applied kohl to her eyes as before, and put on lipstick. Orna applied them intentionally; from that very day, a quiet spirit of rebellion against Siddharth had taken root in her mind!
Later, when she sat in the car, Siddharth looked at Orna once and let out a deep sigh. Orna kept a sullen face the entire time that day and didn't even eat much at the wedding.
"What happened? I put the cooking on the stove! The girl didn't eat yesterday, so I'm making a few luchis for her and your father. I've kneaded the dough and put the curry on the gas!" Siddharth looked at his mother for a moment and said...
"Alright, go turn off the curry! Then I'll tell you! It can't be done like this—you have to listen to everything with a calm mind!"
Arpana Devi frowned at her son once...

To be continued........