‘Don’t be sentimental,’ he said as he left.
‘How are your people?’ enquired Yadamma after Sathyam was gone.
‘They’re fine,’ said Roopa. ‘But what’s wrong with you? You bunked yesterday and your sevens have become nines these days. Were you regular when I was away?’
‘Ask ayya, if you’ve any doubt,’ protested Yadamma. ‘Ayya is a good man, not like the others who have nothing but lecherous looks for the maidservants.’
‘How’s your Taraamma?’ enquired Roopa, and thought. ‘Why am I inquisitive about an unknown woman?’
‘She’s fine,’ said Yadamma. ‘Why don’t you meet her? I’ve already told her about you.’
‘What did you tell her?’ enquired Roopa as Yadamma didn’t blabber on her own, for once.
‘I’ve told her you’re good at heart and beautiful to look at.’
‘What did she say?’ Roopa couldn’t help but ask.
‘I would love to meet her, that’s what she said.’
By the time Sathyam returned, she was still lounging in the hall.
‘You had all the time in the world to get ready,’ he said in irritation, ‘I’m afraid we would be late. When I rang up Ramu he said he has a surprise for us.’
‘What else it could be but their wedding,’ she said as she went to the bathroom.
When they reached the Skyline in time, leaving Roopa at the portico, Sathyam went to park his Lambretta. However, Ramu, who came on his Royal Enfield with Meera, spotted Roopa and dropped his companion for her company.
‘How’s your trip?’ Meera greeted Roopa.
‘Okay,’ Roopa said in smile, ‘but you’re not to be seen even before the marriage,’
Soon Sathyam and Ramu joined them.
‘We heartily welcome you,’ Meera and Ramu invited the Sathyams in unison, ‘to lend your hand in ringing our wedding bells, the first of next month.’
‘Congrats,’ the Sathyams said in one voice. ‘We knew its coming.’
As she didn’t find the movie engrossing, Roopa got bored. When she chanced to see Ramu and Meera at footsie, and finding Sathyam glued to the screen, she thought, ‘romance is all about inclinations’ and in the same vein, she took Sathyam’s keenness for the formula movie by way of an explanation for his ungainliness. For the rest of the show, however, she found herself following the footsie on the floor more than the happenings on the screen as the betrothed anyway were too engrossed with themselves to be aware of her voyeurism. However, when the screen flashed ‘The End’, the rendezvous of the engaged had ended to Roopa’s peculiar disappointment.