The morning after the wedding, Pankaj Kaka, Hema Auntie’s husband, poked his head in the living room. “Two down and one to go. And this time you hit a sixer with Mohini,” he said, swinging an imaginary cricket bat.

“Yes, with God’s wishes we’ve found such a good jamai,” Mummy said, looking up at Lord Krishna’s picture. “Please, have some tea.”

“I never say no to a good cup of tea,” Pankaj Kaka said, lowering himself onto the divan. He was not a huge man, but his stomach was the roundest of rounds you could ever imagine, and when he laughed at his own comments it bobbed like a coconut in the ocean.

“You’re next,” he said as I handed him a cup of tea. I gave him a stare icier than the winds from the Himalayas.

“She still has a few years,” Pappa said. “She is doing well in her studies. I’d like her to study law or medicine.”

Pankaj Kaka’s mouth sagged with surprise. He’d thought that I wasn’t a very good student. “Daughters are never your own, and unlike sons, you have to part with them. It’s better to get them married at a young age and be done with your responsibilities,” he said, blowing on his tea to cool it.

“Nonsense,” Pappa said. “My daughters are no burden to me. I want to see them happy just like I want to see Chiraj and Vivek happy. I see no difference between Jeeta and Chiraj.”

“You can’t mean that,” Pankaj Kaka said, after taking a big gulp of tea and wiping his lips and mustache with his hand. “Chiraj and Vivek are your sons! They’ll live with you the rest of your life, and your daughters only till they’re married. Surely, Purnima will see that Jeeta is married in a few years. And I am with Purnima on this one. The sooner you get Jeeta settled in her life the sooner you can achieve peace of mind.”

“Why do I have to be married to be considered settled?” I said.

“Because once you’re married your parents’ responsibilities are over.”

“If I find a good match for Jeeta tomorrow, I’ll have her married tomorrow,” Mummy said.

“Purnima, you can’t be serious.” Pappa’s voice shook.

Mummy didn’t answer.

I was still standing there, but I wished I’d gone in the bedroom five minutes ago. Pankaj Kaka looked as though he were trapped between the two. Pappa always said, “Pankaj changes his views like a servant of a British officer: quickly, flatteringly, and without conviction.”

Seeing Pappa’s mood, Pankaj Kaka tried to calm the argument. “I think what Purnima is saying is, that if a good proposal like Mohini’s comes by for Jeeta too, she’d certainly consider it.”