The Wedding: A Novel by Gurjinder Basran

Author:Gurjinder Basran
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Canadian, Indian, Romance, Extended Family, Relatives, Drama, South Asian, Punjabi, Vancouver, Wealth, Expectations, Rivalry, Bickering, Banquet, Extravaganza, Wedding Planning, Invitation, Engagement, Celebration, Family Secrets, Domestic
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre (2013) Ltd.
Published: 2024-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

The following day, when Sonia returned from running her wedding errands, the aunties were gathered around the kitchen island chopping carrots, peeling potatoes, dicing onions and singing village songs, each verse eclipsed by their laughter. Although she didn’t understand most of what was being sung, she gathered—by their gestures and embarrassed faces—the songs were vulgar. She couldn’t imagine these aunties in that way, making crude wedding-​night jokes, talking about a man’s staying power, yet there it was—sex.

Veero shushed the women when she saw Sonia standing in the doorway. “So, have you decided what to wear on your date tomorrow?”

“It’s not a date.” Sonia grabbed a carrot from the pile and took a bite. “It’s just lunch.”

“Yeah, and if you’re lucky you may even get some free headshots out of it,” Gobind said, his smile cracking into laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Veero asked.

“Auntie, Rishee is Rish . . . Baby’s wedding photographer!” Gobind told her.

“No, the profile says he’s an engineer,” Veero said.

“He dropped out of school. Never got his degree,” Gobind explained.

“What? Unbelievable—did he think people wouldn’t find out? Lying like that.”

“Who’s lying?” Baby asked, walking into the kitchen.

“Auntie set Sonia up with the wedding photographer,” Gobind said, filling him in.

“Oh cool. You could do worse. Rish is a good guy. Bit of a player though. Is there tea?”

“On the stove,” Veero said. “And no, he’s not a good guy, lying to my poor Sonia like that.”

“Poor Sonia,” the brothers mocked.

Flabbergasted, Veero shook her head. “We should cancel the date at once.”

“It’s not a date and it’s fine. You heard Baby. He says Rish is a good guy, no harm in meeting him,” Sonia said, revelling in the momentary I-told-​you-so of it all.

“Not to worry Sonia. There are plenty of boys to choose from. Weddings are the best time to find a husband,” an auntie said.

“Oh, enough now. Leave the girl alone.” Balbir handed Sonia an apron and directed her to the pile of dishes in need of washing. Through the window Sonia could see the California cousins practising their bhangra routine for the reception. She watched, mesmerized, as they, former high school state champions, jumped about, banging their long bamboo sticks on the ground in synchronized patterns. Children—to whom they belonged, she was still not certain—were blowing bubbles and chasing them as they floated out of reach, and her father and uncle—sandal-​footed and balanced on branches—were stringing lights through the trees.

As the day wore on, she collected these vignettes, these familial scenes, and stored them like dioramas in her mind; although she was still not used to the comings and goings of so many people, she found the assumed connection comforting.

After dinner the entire family gathered on the deck, and under the glow of the fairy lights and patio lanterns the adults sang songs just as they did when they were new in the country and had little else with which to entertain themselves. Satnam Uncle played the harmonium and Balbir Auntie and her parents sang old Hindi love songs.

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