The Missing Groom

Bright vanity bulbs. Sheer curtains. Daylight. Garment bags, flowers, tie, bouquet, accessories—sab kuch controlled chaos mein.

DINESH (40), shiny shirt, clipboard aur forced smile ke saath room mein tezi se ghoom raha hai.

TARIQ (36), tuxedo jacket, panicked eyes, phone leke idhar-udhar dekh raha hai.

SAMEER (38), formal kurta, arms crossed, already annoyed.

Theek hai, calm. Groom bas late hai. Shaadi mein late hona normal hai.

Normal? Mere hisaab se groom gayab hai.

Main bol raha hoon, woh bas... thoda lost hoga.

Groom hai ya tourist?

Dinesh fake laugh karta hai. Koi response nahi.

Please panic mat karo. Main manage kar raha hoon.

Aap manage kar rahe ho? Bhai, aapki shirt khud panic kar rahi hai.

Dinesh apni shirt dekhkar awkwardly seedha khada ho jaata hai.

Focus on solution. Koi neya clue?

Tariq jacket ki pockets check karta hai.

Main ne usko lobby mein dekha tha. Phir... phir maybe lift.

Maybe lift? Groom elevator mein evaporate ho gaya kya?

Main useful try kar raha hoon.

Teri face dekh ke lag raha hai tu bhi missing hai.

Dinesh clipboard se ek page palat-ta hai.

Okay, calm. Ho sakta hai groom makeup room mein ho.

Yeh bridal suite hai, Dinesh.

Toh... bathroom?

Sameer scoffs. Tariq suddenly freezes.

Bathroom?

Kyun? Uska ghost wahan rehta hai?

Tariq slowly bathroom door ki taraf point karta hai.

Maine... usko aate suna tha.

Suna tha? Aur dekha nahi?

Main... busy tha.

Busy kya, shaadi mein best man ho ke sudoku solve kar raha tha?

Dinesh bouquet uthata hai, phir table par rakh deta hai.

Sab log bas ek minute. Phone karo.

Tariq phone nikaalta hai. Screen par no signal.

Signal bhi gayab hai.

Groom ke saath signal bhi bhaag gaya.

Dinesh clipboard par kuch likhta hai.

Main note bana raha hoon. Emergency protocol.

Protocol? Shaadi mein? Kya protocol? “Bride ka bhai ko aur mat gussa karo”?

Tariq chair ke paas pada tuxedo jacket uthata hai.

Yeh uska jacket kyun yahan hai?

Kyunki groom ne bhaagne se pehle fashion sense bhi chhodi hogi.

Dinesh jacket leke inspect karta hai.

Nahi, nahi. Yeh toh bas... he removed it.

Haan, obviously. Next clue kya hai? Tie ki maut?

Sameer table par padi tie ko dekhkar uthata hai.

Arre, tie bhi yahan hai.

Toh? Groom ne tie bhi abandon kar di?

Abandon? Mujhe toh elope lag raha hai.

Dinesh suddenly bathroom door ke paas jaata hai. Knock karta hai.

Sir? Aap andar hain?

Silence.

Phir andar se ek ghabraya hua, muffled voice.

GROOM (O.S.)

Abhi nahi!

Teeno freeze.

Woh... andar hai?

Toh missing kaun tha, Sherlock?

Sir, aap... theek ho?

GROOM (O.S.)

Main theek hoon. Bas... ek problem hai.

Of course hai. Shaadi hai.

GROOM (O.S.)

Mere vows...

Beat.

Kya?

GROOM (O.S.)

Main vows bhool gaya hoon.

Sameer ka mouth khulta reh jaata hai.

Tu bathroom mein chhupa hua hai... vows ke liye?

GROOM (O.S.)

Main panic mein tha. Mujhe laga koi aur likh dega.

Aap missing nahi the. Aap... writer’s block mein the.

Bhai, tu ne meri jaan nikaal di.

Meri toh pehle hi nikal chuki thi.

Dinesh clipboard chest level par uthata hai.

Okay. Emergency writing team. Abhi. Isi waqt.

Main likhunga? Main?

Aap bride ke bhai ho. Emotion aapke paas naturally hai.

Emotion mere paas hai. Softness nahi.

Main romantic lines bolta hoon.

Teri lines se toh lizard bhi proposal reject kar de.

Dinesh rapidly thinks.

Fine. Short, simple, sincere. No drama. No poetry. No filmi.

Shaadi mein no filmi?

Yeh Dinesh ka personal tragedy hai.

Dinesh dictates, fast and clean.

“Main aaj promise karta hoon, main har mushkil mein tumhare saath rahunga... aur har khushi ko double karunga.”

Nice.

Thoda zyada sweet.

Aur?

“Aur agar main phir se panic ho gaya, toh tum mujhe bathroom se nikaal lena.”

That’s actually honest.

Dinesh nods, writes.

Final line: “Tum meri partner ho, meri best friend ho, aur aaj se meri zindagi ka sabse important ‘yes’ ho.”

Silence.

Then from inside bathroom:

GROOM (O.S.)

Perfect. Bas thoda sa aur... emotional.

Arre wah. Ab bathroom mein sitting editor bhi hai.

Dinesh folds the paper and slides it under the door.

Read it. Fast.

A beat.

Bathroom se shuffling sounds. Then a shaky voice repeats the vows.

GROOM (O.S.)

Main... aaj promise karta hoon...

Tariq, Sameer, Dinesh ek dusre ko dekhte hain. Panic dissolves into absurd relief.

Bathroom door opens.

GROOM is not fully seen—sirf his hand, then his relieved face peeking out enough to take the paper.

GROOM (O.S.)

Thank you.

Next time, shaadi se pehle yaad kar lena.

Ya kam se kam bathroom mein rehearsal kar lena.

Ladies and gentlemen... crisis averted.

Sameer snorts. Tariq laughs first time. Dinesh finally smiles for real.