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***
I took a cab to my paying guest accommodation at Warden Road. My landlady was an old Parsi widow who lived in a spacious apartment. I had rented a furnished sea-facing room with an attached toilet in her apartment. My landlady was a lively, energetic person and took a keen maternal interest in me. She insisted upon my having breakfast with her every morning. She took in my bedraggled appearance with a cocked eyebrow. I didn't pause to give her an explanation and rushed into my room. I quickly stripped and had a long, luxurious shower. I soaped my body vigorously, paying close attention to my crotch. I pulled back the foreskin and thoroughly cleaned up the crown of my cock. The soap stung a bit. I peered closely but didn't find any cut or bruise, although the crown was inflamed and red due to all the rough rubbing it had experienced against Swati's pussy, mouth, throat and possibly her teeth. I looked at the watch. It was around six o'clock in the evening. I decided to take a short nap before going to the
mehendi
ceremony. When I woke up with a start, it was almost eight o'clock in the evening. I cursed myself for having overslept and hoped that I would be able to reach the party before it ended. I quickly freshened up and changed into a churidar-kurta outfit. By the time I took a cab and reached the venue, it was forty five minutes past eight PM.
***
Swati's friend Priyanka was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. Her wedding was being celebrated in style. For the convenience of wedding guests, her father had booked an entire floor in a luxury hotel in downtown Mumbai. A medium sized convention hall had been reserved for the
mehendi
ceremony. The actual wedding was going to happen the next day, under a large
shamiana
(colorful temporary canvas roof) in the hotel's open courtyard. I need not have worried about reaching late. The convention hall was well decorated, brightly lit, noisy and overflowing with guests. Females of all shapes and sizes in glittering attire overran the place. They outnumbered males three to one. After all the
mehendi
ceremony was primarily a women's function. Perhaps half of the ladies were young belles, well made up & decked out in their best finery, vying with each other in trying to look their best & grab eyeballs. The other half of the female population was evenly divided between screaming young kids chasing each other, buxom matrons rushing about on important errands and gossiping old ladies. A buffet table was laid out at one end while professional musicians sang melodious folk songs in another corner, joined in by enthusiastically singing, clapping and dancing guests. In another corner, men clustered around a bar serving the finest liquors available. There were frequent bursts of laughter as guests cracked ribald jokes. All in all, everybody was having a thoroughly good time.
In the center was a wooden platform covered with beautiful carpets. On it sat perhaps four or five
mehendiwallis
; professional women artists who specialized in drawing intricate & beautiful
mehendi
(henna) patterns. They had been specially commissioned to apply henna on the hands of women present at the ceremony. Many girls had already had their turn & moved around with their hands stretched out, waiting for the henna paste to dry out and transfer its color to their skin. Others waited patiently for their turn before the artists. After the paste dried, lemon juice mixed in sugar syrup was applied, to fix & deepen the color of henna. Folklore had it that the depth of the color indicated the strength of the love between the girl & her husband (future husband, in case of unmarried girls). So most girls, particularly the unmarried ones tried to keep the henna paste on as long as they possibly could.
Nobody paid any attention to me as I wandered around; my eyes searched Swati. I finally spotted her in a knot of girls milling around what turned out to be the bride-to-be, Priyanka. I sauntered towards the crowd and eventually caught Swati's eye. She beamed in response, disentangled herself from the crowd and came towards me.
I was stunned. Never had I seen her so provocatively dressed. She wore a pink silk
ghagra-choli
(long loose skirt teamed with a brief, tight fitting blouse) outfit. It glittered with mirrors & sequins. The
choli
was backless. Two thin silken ribbons ran across the back, one at the shoulders and the other a couple of inches above the midriff. Each ribbon were tied in a knot at one side to hold the
choli
in place. The front of the
choli
was somewhat more modest; the rounded neck was just deep enough to reveal the top of her bosom. A narrow yoke ran down to the navel, leaving the sides of her waist bare. Since the
choli
was backless, a bra couldn't be worn; instead it had built-in cups. They were perhaps a size too small for her ample breasts. The gauzy cream colored