Like most daughters, she was closer to her dad than her mother. She always followed his words and wouldn’t dare to question nor disappoint him. She also knew he wouldn’t do a thing to hurt her and that she was the apple of his eye. She was going to miss him, but she decided she wasn’t going to think about it. She was seeing him running around ordering the servants and relatives and trying not to miss out on anything. Tears welled up but she looked away, not wanting others to find out.

She had not been as close to her mother, who had always been confined to her household duties. Having not studied past her middle school, Madhavi never felt comfortable to get her mom involved in her fast paced life and it wasn’t a secret that she had looked up to her dad alone.  This however, never stopped her mother from admonishing Madhavi to learn cooking and other household chores, which Madhavi did grudgingly. But she was always waiting for her dad to come home rescue her from these duties. These episodes invariably ended with a strict word from her dad, telling her mother not to trouble his princess. Her mother never spoke back to her dad nor argued. She accepted his decisions and completely dependant on him for everything.

She was the first of her family women to study abroad and she was the only one to stay in a PG in another city. Naturally her mother wasn’t thrilled about it. And she had cajoled her dad’s into approving. She was sure she didn’t want to be like her mother right from the beginning and was glad she didn’t turn out so.

As her wedding date neared, she spent more and more time at home and she saw her mother making lists after lists and almost always on calls. She spent her days shopping and packing and scheduling her parlour appointments. She made sure she selected she bought everything in sync with the current fashion trend. With just a week to her wedding, they had purchased everything except her wedding clothes.

Her mother’s younger sister was coming over to help her parents with the arrangements and Madhavi was looking forward to meet her. She had been her favorite aunt and she had been working as a bank employee, unlike her mother. In fact her dad had helped her aunt with her education.  When Madhavi asked her aunt to accompany to buy her wedding clothes and not her mother, her aunt saw her sister’s face crestfallen and eyes glued to the ground. But she didn’t want to create a scene when all their relatives and friends were around.

It took more than half a day to finish their shopping. They stopped at the nearest CCD and ordered their drinks. Madhavi realized she would have never brought her mother there. She shared with her aunt everything about her fiance and their plans. It was obvious that she was excited about the wedding and her new life. Her aunt listened to her and nodded at the appropriate places. She clearly wanted to say something but looking for the right opportunity, in fact she had agreed to join the shopping expedition mainly to talk to her niece.

‘I know by now, everyone in the family would have share showered you with advices but I know you are a strong independent woman, so I don’t have to tell you anything more. I just want to share with you a story of another strong woman like you.’ Her aunt gave a pause for an effect. ‘She is my closest friend right from childhood. She dropped out of school as her single parent mother could afford to send only one of her daughters to school. She chose to help her mother who was a house maid and a cook. She struggled hard to keep her younger sister at school. Even before the time came, she married the groom chosen by her relatives without a murmur, only because she was promised her sister’s education would be out provided for, by the groom. The family she was married in to, was not any better financially as well, but better than hers. And his family never failed to remind her of that fact, still she held on. She slowly gained place in their hearts, though never their respect. For them she is still the daughter of the cook who never passed middle school. But she holds on’ her aunt stopped her narration.

Madhavi was furious, ‘I don’t think she should be going through that, at all. Women like her should be supported and people who mistreat her should be ashamed’, she spat out. Her aunt continued, ‘she endures it because she loves her family and she is strong. And maybe it is time you know she is my sister and your mother’.

Her wedding was just two days away and Madhavi couldn’t be help bring restless. She saw her mother in a different light. She seemed to know each of the member’s need and whims. She was there before she was called, she knew how to handle her crazy uncle, tantrum throwing nieces and nephews, berating grand mom and short tempered dad. She finally understood her mother and didn’t know how to express it to her and that’s why she was restless. Until she came across the website. And she instinctively knew what to get her mother.

Diamond. Solid. Strong. Reliable. Hard. Shine. Transparent. Perseverant. Clear. Priceless. And rare. Just like her ‘mom’. Now all she had to do is click and thanks to the one day delivery, she would be there to see the happiness on her mom’s face. She can’t wait for it. Thanks to Stylori !