Part 7

We finished the sangeet with about a half hour of me singing love songs and, although the dance floor was less populated, there were still quite a lot still dancing and I saw a few couples dancing closely. I suppose all races have their lesbians, it is just how hidden they may be and, let’s face it; we were all girls here today.

We joined the others after our show for some food and drink and the five of us had plenty of women wanting to chat. I saw several women in deep discussion with Janet, today resplendent in a salwar kameez of her own. Grette was over the moon at the outcome and she wished us well for the reception. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and wished her a happy marriage as we, the band, would not be attending the morning ceremonies. Janet took us out to the side room while the party wound up. We came back to collect our kit when all of the women had left. She told us that she had enough provisional bookings to keep us busy for about six months and that most would be finalised after the reception after the menfolk had heard us. The girls were very happy with that.

They then turned to me and Janet said “After the reception last week we thought that we should find you a place to live and I have heard, today, that there will be a one bedroom unit vacant from Wednesday in the block where the other girls live. You can come and stay with us if you like.” I said I would like that as it seemed that I would be able to afford it if we had the work she suggested. Aganee had joined us and said that it was all right for me to stay with her family until I had somewhere to go so we had a group hug. Then she said that Guptar was friendly with the council officer who managed the block my room was in and that he would arrange it for me to move out quickly and get my bond back as well.

We were taken back to the house but left the kit in the bus as we would need it for the reception. Because everyone was busy with the ongoing wedding we stayed out of the way in one of the bigger rooms and quietly sang acapella which seemed to work nicely, a thought we put aside for later times. Saturday lunchtime we were picked up in the bus and taken to a restaurant for a group meal, laid on by Janet as a bonus. We had a good time and it was a lot of fun. I was gently needled about the attention I was getting from Gaurav but laughed along with them while wondering what he was doing now.

Janet then took us to the reception centre which was huge compared to the last one. We set up on a stage area and again did a sound check for the tech. The centre manager stood and listened to us as we did a couple of songs while Janet went around making sure there was a good audio coverage. He then spoke to Janet and they walked out of the room deep in discussion. She had supplied new stage clothes for this event as it was likely to be the wedding of the year. This time we were all in a very deep cherry red, in a shiny satin with golden threads through it in a random pattern. The salwar was black satin and the jutti were cherry red leather and we looked great. When she came back she said that she thought that would work and got us to pose for pictures.

With this event we had been allocated a table next to the stage so that we would be fed as well with the other guests and, as people started to arrive I was amazed when Gaurav came over to sit with us. The girls thought it was hilarious but he chatted well with everyone and got into a deep conversation with Janet and her husband about the future of entertainment and retail marketing. He had the idea that if you had entertainers in the supermarkets sometimes it would attract more customers. She held the line that you would not get more people on the dance floor if you gave out free bags of potatoes.

With the guests all fed it was time for our part of the procedure so we got up and went up on the stage to start the bhagra. We started with a slow raga interspersed with songs and when we had enough on the dance floor we started another raga which we spiced up as it went on. We had them swaying and swirling before we slowed it down a bit. Guptar had asked that we did two sessions if it went well so we finished off with me singing love songs, finding myself looking at Gaurav occasionally as I sang. When we finished the dancers and the audience clapped and we went back to the table. We were served some tea and dainty biscuits and Gaurav sat very close to me, which made me feel self-conscious but also warm and fuzzy. It was a feeling that I had never felt before.

Guptar gave him a stern look when he came over and asked us if it was all right for us to do a second session. We all said we were good and went back up to the stage. We had a little huddle and then Tavleen went to the microphone and announced that we normally played a session as we did earlier but this one would be a little different. She told them that the first part would be slow and then we would play a raga until the dancers wanted us to stop. This is what we did. I sang a couple of love songs and we then did a few of the ones usually only heard at a sangeet. I could see an awful lot of people out there dancing close. As the crowd thinned a bit we started the raga and filled the dancefloor with gyrating bodies. It took about half an hour before they started to wilt so we slowed it down for five minutes before we stopped to a great cheer and a lot of laughter.

Janet took us back to the house and my kit was unloaded. They then loaded the girls’ bags and we all had a group hug before they left for their own homes. I went to my room, stripped off and had a shower before getting into bed, so tired I didn’t even have time to put the light out before I fell asleep.

In the morning the house was very quiet when I woke up. I had another shower and dressed in a plain salwar kameez and normal slippers before going down to the kitchen where I found Aganee sitting with some tea and toast in front of her. I got myself the same and sat down with her. She looked a bit under the weather and told me that she had not had so much fun since her own wedding reception. She said “Geet, last night would be talked about for some time to come as it was a total surprise for a lot of very staid members of our society who had not heard the traditional music played so well for a long time. You and the girls are going to get a lot of work, believe me.”

She then got serious and carried on “Now, I need to broach the subject of you and Gaurav. I can see that he is smitten because he has not argued with any of us for days. I have heard that his store-staff want to know what has got into him because he goes about his daily work with a smile on his face. I know that you have feelings for him too, ones you don’t understand because they should not be feelings that one boy feels for another. Since you came to stay with us I have felt that you are a remarkable person who had not realised how remarkable you were before. I have started to think of you as not just a friend but also a potential grand-daughter-in-law. I expect that is something you could not comprehend yet.”

I just sat there and looked at my teacup, somehow feeling that I was at yet another point in my life that I would look back at in old age. I said “Aganee – Grandmother, I am not sure how I feel at the moment, nor do I know why I feel it. I do know that every time I see him I feel glad and I think about him sometimes when I am alone. The attraction I have for him is there but impossible as I could never make him my husband as I could never be his wife.” What she said next shook me to my core. “Why not” she said “You know that every Indian here has a cousin or a cousin of a cousin that works in every area you need help. Now we have a cousin of a cousin who has a clinic in the country and it would not be a difficult thing for him to make you the woman that Gaurav wants in his life.”

“How on earth would I be able to afford something like that” I said with tears in my eyes. She took my hand and stroked it when she said “You have become important to this family. Last night was an absolute success and will be a stepping stone for Guptars’ upward movement in our society and, beyond that, Gauravs’ future success should he keep his nose clean. What we have done for you so far is nothing compared to what you and the girls have done for us in the last couple of days. Birgitta thinks of you as a daughter and Grette already considers you a sister. You can’t get away from it now, you are part of the family already and we would welcome you into it as Gauravs’ wife.”

She then told me that nothing was urgent as I had only been a girl for a couple of weeks now. I said that most of the things I did felt wrong but right at the same time and that I absolutely loved being out there in front and singing, especially the fado songs and my percussion work was so much more satisfying. We took our plates and cups to the sink and she held me in a close hug and whispered “You are amazing, grand-daughter; the last couple of weeks experiencing a group of experts develop new songs and then see them played as if you have done them for years has been something I had never thought I would see. I learned a lot about all of you in those sessions but I also learned a lot about me and what I want out of the rest of my life. I thank you for that.”

I held her close and whispered back “I have learned something about me as well. It is that I like being a girl, so much that being a wife of Gaurav does not frighten me if it does work out the way you suggest. I would consider it an honour to truly be part of this family.”

Marianne G 2021