A Society Wedding in Goa

Oh the joy, the utter joy of it. Maria Luisa touches the piano tenderly, no, no, the piano no longer plays a tune, but it makes a great repository for the piles upon piles of invitations resting on it. Invitations to Weddings brought to select invitees by a member of the family.

‘Won’t you sit down for a cup of coffee?’

‘No, no, thank you ever so much, I have to go to so very many places. Do come ahm’  

‘Yes of course.’

Invitations so lovingly and chronologically arranged, every Saturday accounted for until the end of next month.

Suddenly a very distraught Maria Luisa realises that they have no invitation for the Pinto Carvalho Marriage, the Pinto Carvalho-Rocha Melo was the Society Marriage of the year, not being invited to this Marriage was being totally ignored by Society. These two families were considered Royalty in Goa.

As soon as Jose steps in the house, he hears a strident disturbed cry

‘Jose, Jose, querido, do you by any chance have the Pinto Carvalho-Rocha Melo Marriage invitation card.

With his heart sinking deeply, Jose knows what is expected of him.

‘Jose everyone else has received it….’tears stand in Maria Luisa’s deep brown eyes.

As anticipated a trip to Dr Fremiot Pinto Carvalho is arranged.

‘Boa tarde, Senhor Doutor, how are you? Busy hmm’

‘Yes, yes Jose what a pleasant surprise....’

Jose disliked the pompous old buffoon immensely, a small time advocate, immensely rich, he had an opinion about everything, from Law to gardening. Jose knew that this insufferable man was taking advantage of the situation. People visiting him for Invitations for his son’s Marriage. The dolt of a son, who was in ‘real estate’ which consisted in selling ancestral land to sustain a lavish life style.  

He really wished he could strangle Maria Luisa.

Maria Luisa took a deep breath, ‘Just wanted to tell you, Doutor, that if there is anything you need, any help at all, my Jose is always at your service’ gushed Maria Luisa with fervour born out of desperation.

Dr Fremiot Pinto Carvalho, loved the power he wielded on such occasions, should he invite this cretin or not, look at this gushing woman, she just sickened him. He had received many such unexpected visits, all of these social climbers with just one thing on their minds. The Invitation to his son’s Marriage. He really despised such people but absolutely loved the Power he had over them, to invite or not to invite. That is the question. 

 ‘Dona Maria Luisa, how kind, how thoughtful of you, such good friends.’

 ‘Emilia, Emilia, Sr. Jose and Dona Maria Luisa are here’

‘How nice of you, Maria Luisa, what is this packet? 

‘Nada, nada mesmo Dona Emilia, just a piece of cheese and cod our Sara brought from Portugal’. 

Dr Fremiot Pinto Carvalho, smiled a delicious smile thinking, ‘my breakfast for tomorrow, you simpering creature.

‘Tontinho was just about to come to your house with the Invitation, but now that you are here…’ murmured D. Emilia, sick to her gills of all these visits, these people simply lacked self respect.

‘Of course, of course, Tontinho need worry no more, he must be so busy’.

Ahh what utter relief she had the precious Invitation Card to the Society Marriage, the ugly - Jose’s opinion of course – red, gold and green invitation card to the Pinto Carvalho-Rocha Melo Marriage. Bless my soul, thought the naïve Maria Luisa; they even have their Family Crest embossed on it.

Maria Luisa breathes a deep sigh of pure relief; it was now in her hand. …..She places the Invitation card right in front, patting it delicately, in her heart she has to agree with Jose, it is really a jarring colour.

Invitation cards piled high, all shapes and colours, white and ivory, passé my dear, the colours of the Season are blue, violet or maybe ink blue. And as in the case of the Pinto Carvalho-Rocha Melo, their own family colours, which of course are the colours of Portugal and a Crest dating back to those times when there had been a Viscount in the Family.

Never mind that the Viscount’s grandchildren had turned out to be a bunch of illiterate, lazy, rabble of bums, molesting  young girls in their village.

A Viscount is a Viscount, whatever you may say.

Jose the man, who works very hard as a doctor, laughs heartily, at home at last, with a drink in his hand and the precious Card, he in fact just cannot stop laughing.

‘Maria, querida this card beats any card in Switzerland or even Quebec, those are bilingual, but this elite card is trilingual.’ Oh, my God a card in three languages,whatever for?

‘ Maria where is this Capela de San Roque das Doenças Infecciosas e Contagiosas?’ 

 ‘Oh my God it is in Loliem, Canacona, let us skip the nuptials?’

‘Skip the nuptials; are you out of your mind? No, Jose, no, you know how particular Dona Emilia is about such things; they always go for every nuptial mass’

‘But Loliem? Maria’…

‘No Jose, no, you know how difficult it was to be invited’. Please Jose, please, for my sake’.

‘Look Jose there is even a little map, with directions of how to get there, how nice, how clever, Dr. Fremiot has always been so particular, so precise.

‘That miserable, wretched, pompous couple’, growls Jose.

Tired and disheveled Maria and Jose reach the Capela de San Roque das Doenças Infecciosas e Contagiosas in Loliem, after the driver had missed the turning, thrice.

Nowhere to freshen up, there is no toilet, the chapel has never seen a Wedding, the local people prefer their Church. The chapel is used only if there is an outbreak of a pestilence in the village as the very name suggests. Is there something wrong with the Bride the local people wonder? Is she pregnant? Is that a pestilence? 

            Jose, a man of few pretensions, peers as a band of young girls all clad in vivid cherry red enter the small Chapel,

‘Who are those eight girls all dressed in cherry red, Maria?’

‘Jose, you daft, silly man, those are the Bridesmaids of course’

‘But our Sara had just one?’

‘Shsss Jose times have changed, all the friends of the Bride want to partake of this joyous occasion, and you cannot leave the First cousins out can you?’

’Sshh Jose, Dona Emiia just glanced in our direction ’. 

 Jose had a fine taste for clothes and food, he disliked badly dressed women intensely.

‘Maria who is that dumpy, short Bridesmaid, she looks terrible in that off shoulder dress’

‘Jose she is Advocate Pinto’s daughter, remember how he helped Dr. Fremiot when he was just starting out’.

 ‘Maria what are those eight vapid looking young men doing with those Bridesmaids?’

 Huge sigh ‘Jose those are the Ushers, accompanying the Bridesmaids, surely you did not think that the Bridesmaids would walk down the aisle, alone and unaccompanied’

 ‘But Maria, I thought Ushers showed the Guests to their places in the pews’

‘Jose here in Goa Ushers accompany the Bridesmaids, they do not usher you to your place in the pew. Maria Luisa was clearly extremely irritated at this no-frills husband of hers, spoiling her fun.

At long last the ceremony is at an end, the Choir has outdone itself, the Bride’s family was very musical. They had all sung with zest and enthusiasm. So many hymns, the entire ceremony had lasted around two hours.

Everyone moves out of the dank chapel, tired and thirsty. Poor Maria Luisa trying to wish everyone, smiling and smiling, desperately trying to make her presence felt, worried that the elite would overlook her, would be unaware of her presence.

Jose on the other hand wondering why he had allowed himself to be dragged into this, to this end of the world……….to this Cus de Judas.....

Everyone follows the Bridal Couple to the venue of the reception, most go home for a hearty snack, Jose the man of basic needs that cannot be ignored goes home for bowl of thick soup, for as he says ‘who knows when food will be served’.

Jose would really love to spend this beautiful evening at home with his wife, chatting or even watching a film but…

‘Maria shall we skip the Reception and listen to some music, or watch a nice film? ’ Maria Luisa so very horrified glances at Jose, who winks at her.

‘Come on let us go’.

Jose hates the cold, the dew makes him wheeze, he makes his way to a comfortable tent like structure at the venue of the Reception, there are two of these tent like structures. As he hastens towards one of these, Maria Luisa ever vigilant, wants to make sure her husband does not commit any gaffes, especially here at this almost royal wedding, taps him on his shoulder.

 ‘Where do you think you are going Jose?’

‘That tent like contraption does look comfortable’

‘Jose that is for the Bridal Entourage’

‘Let me understand this Maria, the Bridal Entourage sits comfortably away from the dew, the cold, while we the invitees brave the weather?’

‘Don’t be annoyed Jose, you should get a cap like Senhor Dantas’

‘Maria, if I wanted to play Golf I would get such a cap. Oh no, no, no dear God there goes that buffoon MC with his stupid and crass jokes.’ ’I have such a headache Maria’

 ‘And what is so special and breathtaking about opening a champagne bottle, the pop? I know Maria the champagne is only for the Bridal Entourage because it is expensive.’

 ‘Why have it then, the Bridal Entourage could have and should have a Champagne party at their own home with all their family members. What are we Maria? Guests or Beggars?

Jose was tired of Maria buzzing around like a tired restless butterfly wanting to be seen by everyone. He was definitely not going around trying to meet everyone, always the same conversation, ‘Jose how is business?’, ‘Is your son studying in Bombay? And then questions about their piles or varicose veins.

At last the Grand Opening of the Buffet is announced.

 ‘Maria get me some arroz refugado and some sorpotel, maybe a little balchão. No, no I am fine, just a little tired’

 ‘No absolutely no Bebinca, I cannot bear the sight of a shredded Bebinca, like confetti, the art of a good Bebinca lies in its layers baked to perfection, like my Aunt Teresa’s Bebinca.’

‘I warn you Maria, I do not want you carrying that stupid Gold fish in a plastic bag to our home; I  have already discarded those other take-aways.’ Maria Luisa keeps silent, she knows her husband is tired, hates the artificial gaiety.

Every time Jose thinks he will stop going for Weddings, but relents because he knows Maria, otherwise the nicest person, craves to be seen and to feel a part of High Society. After all Marriage is give and take.