Chapter 1 – BIG trouble

“Squadron Leader Kapoor, thanks to you, we can look forward to some interesting stuff in the Chennai skies next month,” Air Marshal Batra smiled at the tall, impeccably dressed man in his early-thirties. 

“Thankyou Sir! We will be working together on some simulated combat scenarios alongside our military. It’s always exciting to train with the international forces,” Squadron Leader Abhiraj Kapoor replied.    

“Yes of course! We will meet soon young man!” Air Marshal Batra said and moved towards the dignitaries. 

“Kapoor!” someone called out. 

“Lunch will be interesting!” Abhiraj smiled as he spotted his friend.

“Major Imran Rizwi! I never thought I would meet you this time in Amritsar!” Abhiraj shook his friend’s hand rather zealously. 

“I have just accompanied my senior. He was called to join this grand see-off luncheon,”Rizwi quickly supplied more details. 

“I thought you were on leave! Your wife is expecting right?”Abhiraj asked his friend. 

“Two more months to go. I had taken leave to drop her off at her parents. I resumed today itself! Let’s meet up in the evening?” Imran asked. 

“Not this time! I have a junior who is getting married here in Amritsar. I must congratulate him and then leave for Chandigarh. I got transferred last month from Chennai, but haven’t even had a day to settle,” Abhiraj clarified.  

“Listen, why don’t you stay back for the wedding? Indian weddings are ideal for scouting beautiful girls for bachelors like you. After the wedding, meet me and then we will party!”Imran suggested. 

“No thankyou Sir! I have no plans to marry! I will wish him luck and then get back on the road home!”Abhiraj tried to dodge the bullet. 

It was still early in the afternoon when he finally left the Amritsar Air Force base. The past three days had been grilling and draining. His command was going to participate in the bilateral exercise with a friendly nation. These exercises are conducted between two different nations to derive ‘mutual benefits’ from each other’s combat experiences. 

“Nothing better than a pleasant October day to drive!” Abhiraj mused as he cranked up the volume of his SUV’s music system. 

His agenda for the rest of the day was simple. He would visit Jaswinder Gill’s home and congratulate him for his upcoming wedding, stay there for a few hours and head home to Chandigarh. He was looking forward to the upcoming five days leave that had been approved this morning. 

“Welcome Sir!” Flying officer Jaswinder Gill, along with his father, was standing at the gate to receive Abhiraj. Bright, jolly and happy-go-lucky Jaswinder had been Abhiraj’s trainee at NDA, Khadakwasla. They had hit off immediately once the training got over and Abhiraj came out of his trainer mode. 

“I can’t tell how happy I am that you came!”Jaswinder hugged Abhiraj.

“I had to Jassi! I had promised you and I am glad that it all worked out,”Abhiraj smiled and entered the grand haveli. 

The Gill house was this old traditional two storey huge Haveli, complete with a huge internal courtyard that was flanked by rooms around and a well that stood in the corner of the compound. The scene looked just like a scene out of a typical Bollywood movie. 

“Abey what a filmy setting!”’ Abhiraj mumbled to himself.  As he followed the Gills into the household, a yelp from the floor above pulled his attention. 

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“Hello ji! Welcome to Kudi Ambarsariya i.e. Mehek’s world! Before we go ahead, thank you all for 200 followers! I am so happy!  In my last week’s vlog, I had informed you that my elder brother dear Jassi bhaji is getting married. I have been so busy!” Mehek spoke into the phone with an ease that only came with practice.

“Oooji vekho…[Look where you are going]!” 

Mehek was alerted by a conscientious domestic help, who spared her from a potentially embarrassing incident.

“Sorry Uncle ji!” Mehek ducked and bit her tongue in mortification. However, she shifted her focus on the phone right away. 

“Haye…had I slipped on live, it would have gone viral!”Mehek confessed on camera to an invisible audience.  

“Khair chaddo[Let it be!] Meet my cousin sister Binny and cousin brother Sunny, fresh off the plane from Canada. Binny is twelve but she looks like sixteen and Sunny is nine. Say ‘hello’ guys!”Mehek turned the camera, stuck at the end of a selfie stick, towards them.

“Hey guys!”both said in unison.

“My teacher said it’s not cousin brother or sister, it is cousin!”Sunny, a young lad with thick spectacles, exclaimed.

“Oho! Canada wale! Justify this…how will the other person know if it is brother or sister?”Mehek exclaimed but earned a smirk from Sunny. 

“Well nevermind these smarty pants! Let me show you guys the Haveli,”Mehek went back to her vlogging, unaware of the sinister smiles that her cousins were throwing at her.  

“Don’t mind Binny and Sunny! Since the time they have landed here, they have been running helter skelter in the whole haveli and I have been chasing these devils up and down these two storeys. I am this close to losing my mind! It is Jassi bhai’s wedding in a day’s time and I can’t keep calm anymore. Swarms of people are supposed to descend at home by tonight for the sangeet ceremony…Bathinda wale Chacha ji, Tittu bhaiya and family from Delhi, not to forget snobbish Sania aunty and her haughty daughter Malika and their crazy family-the list is endless. I have to count and get the beddings done for every room and do infinite chores…”Mehek kept on vlogging as she went from one floor to another. 

“To be honest ji, these munchkins have all my heart. These kids are cute, smart and fun to be with.  We have had this scoreboard going since yesterday. They have pulled three pranks on me and I have managed only one. Can you suggest any ideas to level the score? Please write down in the comments…till the…”  

Before Mehek could record her closing statement, a water balloon hit her right in the face. 

“My phone…my phone,”Mehek screamed and yelled at the top of her voice. 

“Ouch!” she yelped as another balloon hit the side of her cheek.  The haveli verandah resounded with the cousins’ laughter and the others joined in. 

“This is an insult! I have to do something quick!”she told herself.  “Eureka!” Mehek smiled in triumph as she spotted the cook passing by with a whole huge vessel of dry besan flour meant for pakoras. 

She made the decision in a split second. With a huge war cry, Mehek snatched the vessel from the cook and upturned it on her cousins. She laughed in anticipation of startling her cousins but that proved to be a huge mistake. 

Her war cry alerted them and they  scrambled to save themselves.

The next thing that happened  to him was as filmy as Abhiraj had just wished. In a split second a huge pile of yellow colour descended on him. His hair and face were now covered in yellow powder. He was zapped.  

“Hayo Rabba [Holy hell] I have goofed up again,”Mehek cried as she bit on her dupatta. This someone was a tall and muscular man with a very funny face. 

“He looks so funny!” Mehek tried to stop herself but couldn’t. Her body rocked with laughter.

Suddenly a peal of laughter resounded the courtyard. He took off his goggles and zeroed in on the source of laughter. What he discovered left him mesmerised. A lovely plump face with a creamy complexion was laughing at him. Her almond eyes were shut as she rocked with laughter. He just couldn’t take his eyes off her. 

“I am in BIG trouble” Abhiraj whispered to himself.  

The intensity of his gaze shut Mehek up instantly.  

“Holy hell….I am in BIG trouble!”Mehek whispered to herself nervously.     

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