A totally blissful scenario to be envisioned, the white foggy morning with a rapturous breeze hitting your face and innards simultaneously is not less than any euphoric ecstasy.

I inhaled deeply taking in every single goodness and purity nature is filling me with.

I spread my hands widely my chin raised and eyes closed savouring the cold summer morning calmness and the solitary bliss encompassing me.

I am a morning bird. I used to get up early even before 4 a.m. This is my routine since I was a kid.

I sat on the cold tiled floor facing the slowly rising horizon,the darkness of night has not completely faded out yet. The sky looked like a dark cloak with orange hue slightly coating its sparkle here and there. The glittering stars which are slowly dwindling out of the scenario added to the beauty of the masterpiece created by nature

Still an ominous darkness was lurking around me making my innards fear the ambience I am placed within. I sucked in a deep breath.

I closed my eyes, cleared my throat , and began to let out my euphonious voice get merged in with this purging richness of nature.

As my practice progressed the sun rose in all its glory like a courageous warrior who tore down the abhorring and dark shrouded nature of his enemy. The creak of dawn brought a string of hope in my vacant mind like I will come out of every adverse situation even when there is no one to back me up in the process.

After a couple of hours of practice I decided to wrap up my practice session for the day..

I prayed and opened my eyes and stared ahead of me, vaccuming my mind from all the perturbing thoughts my elders filled my mind with.Sky looked clear and a mix of blue and orange hue sprawled over, giving it the look of a paint spilled out of a bottle creating a new pattern and colour , making the sky more beautiful.

I did my yoga, meditation and . (Sun salutation sequence). All this took an hour again to complete.

The feel of the first rays of rising sun sparkling and glowering upon me purging my entire being is something mystifying and miraculous an experience. I inhaled deeply the reviving richness of cool summer morning breeze.

I let the rays of sun and the soothing breeze to fondle my eyes and cheeks respectively. I spread out my hands wide smiling in an ecstatic harmony.

I simply practiced some sword trick with my bare hands. Though it is of no use I just wanted to keep my practice at check always.Our workshop for training and the stuff needed for training are all kept inside a huge lone room in the garden.I never went there alone, in a better sense my elders never allowed me to go there alone.

After all this I lay on the rug placed on the tile floored balcony. Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. I pushed aside all the thoughts that would make my mind a junkyard from a good serene place.

After a couple of minutes of (corpse pose). I got up and walked inside home.

When I reached the living area, upstairs, I saw Kevin and Lina sitting on couch with their heads droopy and sleepy. I smiled.

I swiftly climbed down the stairs and reached the living area.

I have to cross living area to reach kitchen. I saw chithappa reading news paper while sipping his morning coffee. His track suit indicates the fact that he has finished his jogging and other exercises.

Chithappa cocked his head and glanced at me. I forced a weak and timid smile.

"Good morning Chithappa" I said in a low voice.

"Hmm.. Morning" Chithappa said in a gruffy voice while resuming with his reading.

I just don't understand what made my family turn hostile against me in one night's spell.

I was about to move towards the kitchen that I heard my chithappa clearing his throat.

"Good voice. Keep practising." Chithappa conveyed his view on my singing. I nodded meekly.

It is not everyday you get a word of appreciation from chithappa. But still something felt not so right. I shrugged off the thought and turned my heel to go.

"Are you practicing your martial arts and pressure points?" Chithappa enquired.

"Um.. Yeah. Nowadays it is less nonetheless I am well equipped if it is some fight" I retorted.

" Good. Girls should always be vigilant and on their guard" Chithappa said thoughtfully his eyes glued on the paper.

"And boys always ready to attack the given spell" I muttered under my breath.

Chithappa rose his eyes from the paper and shot a warning glance while flexing his eye brow intimidatingly.

Gosh! Instead of airforce he should be in military. The stern stance he always takes suits the military ambience.

I looked here and there like I never belonged to this place.

"Go and do your work pearl. Just keep it in your mind. Behave yourself. If you don't know how to behave just start learning the basics. . ( please don't expose your family before them sweetie. ) They are of high social status and consider you as a girl with good cultural upbringing. Don't make them feel that the decision of making you Adam's bride was the biggest mistake they have ever committed . " Chithappa said while clearing his throat and squaring his shoulder.

I scowled at Chithappa for sometime before nodding with a smirk. A beautiful plan is slowly hatching inside my brain.

Cultured bride eh? Adam! You will never know what this pearl has in store for you.

"I will do the honour Chithappa" I said smiling calmly. chithappa sat their viewing me in shock.

" ( I told you so. Girls are like that brother. Girls will say no at first but they will say you are the one I have been waiting for a long time,afterwards.) I heard periyappa's cheerful voice.

I felt humiliated why elders think so low of girls.

My no is no forever. Adam! you are a goner! Mind you!

And for you elders, you will never commit the folly of forcing a girl to get married to some random guy.

Chithappa eyed at me to leave the place. I obeyed him by moving towards the kitchen .

I went inside the kitchen and made some coffee for me,saffy, lina and Kevin.

Ben and Chithappa's kids hadn't returned yet.

Periyamma and chithi were busy with kitchen works or they pretended to do so. I could feel their gaze burning hole on my back.

"" ( You are singing so melodiously ) Periyamma complimented. I gave a meek smile while continuing with my work silently.

I very well knew that they are not intending to praise my singing ability because they are used to my voice and it is not a new thing about me. So if she is fumbling with words like this she is definitely trying to pull up a conversation regarding that jerk of a man who presumably lost his senses to come to the decision of marrying me.

After a moment's pause periyamma cleared her throat like clearing her thoughts.

" ( Everything sounds good. But something is tugging me back. Do you know how to cook, girl ?" Periyamma asked in her thundering voice.

That is it. I dropped the spoon I was having in my hand with a loud clanking noise on the counter top, turned around folding my arms across my chest and gave them a look.

" ( why are you glaring at me girl?)As if we have done something wrong to you" periyamma said a bit taken aback by my action and the creepy glare I gave her, yet maintaining her stern attitude not even for once allowing it to falter She squared up her already erect shoulder.

I stood there for a second and averted my gaze when chithi eyed me to do so.

"( sister asked you something kichu. Did you forget to be respectful to your elders? And what kind of attitude is this pearl? we never thought you will show such an impudent face to your elders) Chithi chided me making me feel bad and guilt washed over me.

My elders are just masters at giving such feels and I, as always fell a prey to their verbose web they weaved around me.

"Umm. I am sorry chithi, periyamma.I never intended to hurt you all, things just slipped out of my control clasp. I will be more careful in the future." I apologized for no fault of mine.

Even I was shocked by the words of apology that fell out of my mouth.I was intending to confront periyamma and chithi but see I end up begging apology from them. good stars!!

"Apology accepted. But your flaring up and throwing indignant remarks at elders have increased incredibly. I think Maria is not giving much attention towards your behavioural moulding"

Periyamma said glaring at me.I stood sulking.

"Pearl now dont mope around with this face all the day okay. It is for you and your welfare we are telling these stuff. Please for heaven sake beta behave when Adam and his family come to see you.They got interested in this alliance just because of the neat and clean behaviour of Alvin ,Steeve and Dave.Adam has high hope for you. He thinks that you are an angel in disguise. Dont make him think the alter of what he has for you. ."(Don't spoil your family's name with your low profile behaviour) Chithi went on giving me a long lecture on how to be a cultured brat.

"Leave it Glory , she will be okay or in a better sense we will make her okay even before she knows what is happening. now pearl! what about your cooking knowledge" Periyamma demanded intimidatingly for my least liking.

"I know somewhat to cook. Like biriyani and stuff. That is it. Why?" I asked innocently as ever. My throat felt parched up.

Periyamma watched me for sometime before weaving her way towards me and standing beside me. Chithi followed her suit and I am now between scylla and charybdis. That is the only explanation for this phenomenon of being trapped by elders from both the sides.

".( That is not enough ) you have to learn to cook northIndian dishes and curry. And from what I have got to know that he is a (foodie). So you know ,the easiest way to a man's heart is through his stomach that is food can do the magic."

Periyamma went on giving me the lecture of how to lure my future husband and keep him wrapped around my fingers. Hah! only If they had known.

I am least concerned about such stuff. I don't want him and if he slips that easily out of my fingers and life that is the best thing he can ever do to me.

"Coffee is ready periyamma. Need to go upstairs." I said elusively while walking towards the kitchen door.

"Where is Sarah?Ask her to be here in a few minutes." periyamma ordered

I turned around and looked at her for sometime before voicing my thoughts which is a rare phenomenon as far as I am involved in

"Let her be periyamma. She is so tired and weak. Let her enjoy this vacation like others do. Please for me. I will do whatever you ask me to. " I pleaded before her with my one eye closed and other eye a bit parted and nose crinkled up. My one shoulder lifted and head tilted a bit to the other side .

This is my usual way of making others budge in to my liking.

I never unleashed this tactics before periyamma and she looked a bit taken aback by this. Her features softened a bit.

"( okay. As you wish) She said caving into my demand.This easily? Wow!

I squealed and thanked her.

"Under one condition." She Stated staring at me with a calm yet firm smile

There you go. I knew this was coming.

I glanced at her aghast. Chithi and periyamma exchanged evil glances. I remained there hanging in the thin air literally.

"What condition?" My voice came out as a compressed squeal of a tiny squirrel when the horror of what periyamma demanded rippled my inner being and got registered to my brain.

"You will see for yourself in coming days. Now go" Periyamma said with an enigmatic smirk. I scowled to myself at the situation I have brewed for myself.

I took a bottle of milk for Jaquie along with coffee for us in a tray and found my way upstairs. When I reached there I saw Sarah and Ahaan drooping their head which remained glued together.

Still Ahaan and Sarah were in a dream haze. Both of them are kinda sleep waking with their head slightly moving to and fro.

I giggled a bit at this beautiful couple . They looked so cute like this. I placed the tray on the near by Coffee Table.

"Wake up sleepy heads" I cleared my throat with a small smack on kevin's head.

Sarah sprang up like a spring and looked around frantically still sleep lurking around the corner of her eyes.