"Where are you working, Aditya?" Dilip Uncle asked me while his son and wife looked at me.
"I am working in SGS in Malad." I kept it short. He nodded and smiled.
Riya introduced me to Dilip Uncle"s son Nikhil who worked as the General Manager in Dilip Uncle"s company. We smiled at each other and exchanged a few pleasantries. Dilip Uncle asked Riya and her brother questions about their office and studies respectively until the food came. After having dinner, each of us ordered a sweet dish.
"What are your future plans, Riya?" Dilip Uncle asked.
"I just want to get settled and take care of my family. My family is my first priority as of now," she answered.
"I just want to say something to all of you. It"s just how I feel. No hard feelings," he ventured, "Actually, hmm... I don"t know how to say this, but I have been looking for a girl for Nikhil. I asked him if he had someone in mind but he said no. I have been thinking about you for quite some time, Riya. You are a nice girl and understand your responsibilities; you will be perfect for Nikhil. I am not imposing my decision on you. It"s just a suggestion."
I swallowed with difficulty the spoonful of dessert. My head spun round. What the f.u.c.k! What is he saying? Have I been consuming alchohol all this while? This is crazy.
I looked at Nikhil. He seemed equally shocked at the announcement but managed a weak smile. I wanted to kill him at that moment. Everything happened in a fraction of second. Riya didn"t utter a word nor did her Mom. I thought that I had lost her but she held my hands under the table to a.s.sure me that she was mine. I looked at her but she didn"t even glance at me. She kept looking at her Mom and Dilip Uncle.
"I am not forcing you. You can definitely think it over. Don"t take your decision in a hurry. I don"t mind even if you decline my proposal," said Dilip Uncle smiling at Riya"s Mom.
The grip of Riya"s hand made me feel that I was still her Mr Perfect. She knew how I felt at that moment. I should not have come for the dinner. It would not have hurt so much had Riya told me this over the phone. But I was sure she knew nothing of what was going on in Dilip Uncle"s head all this time.
So that was why he had helped her out with all that money and a job and everything else. It was all part of his big plan to get Riya to marry his lame a.s.s son! Few days back, I was waiting outside the registration office in my sherwani to get married to Riya. But circ.u.mstances changed, the tables turned. Today, I am sitting beside her and I am helpless.
Everyone finished their sweet dish and came out of the restaurant after the bill was paid, paid by who else, but the great, generous Uncle. I wanted to strangle him there and then.
I just kept looking at them as they drove away in their respective cars. Riya popped her head outside the car window to look at me till the time their car disappeared into darkness. I didn"t move an inch. I wish we had gotten married that day.
I wanted to ask her if this was the way she wanted to be. She knew that without her I was so weak. Please... Don"t go. People say I am strong but I need your hand. Don"t leave me like this-so broken, so cold.
I looked at my cell and Riya"s message popped up.
Don"t worry, my jaan. I am yours and no one can separate us. I won"t go away from you. I will talk to Mom about this.
I managed smile but the fear kept killing me. Was it the end? I don"t want to end it this way. I wish I was the scriptwriter of my own life. I wished...
Can"t Let Go of You.
Riya and I met over a cup of coffee the next day. Her eyes seemed puffy and I could tell she had not slept very well after the disaster last night"s dinner with Dilip Uncle turned out to be.
Taking a sip of her cappuccino, she said, "After I reached home, I had a long, heated discussion with Mom. I told her that it was impossible for me to marry Nikhil as I had already devoted my life to you. But she did not take this very well. She kept on reminding me how Dilip Uncle had helped us out in crucial times and how we were obliged to him for having restored our lives back to normal."
"But that is emotional blackmail, Riya," I told her, trying to make her realize that her mother was trying to use her vulnerability to her advantage.
"I know that, Aditya. But she being my mother is right in her own way. All she is doing is looking out for us and making sure we are okay. I told her that even though I was grateful to Dilip Uncle for having helped us in times of need, it did not mean that I was going to repay him back for his kindness by pledging my own life in marriage to his son."
Riya wiped away the tears from her eyes and continued, "Mom would not hear a word of what I had to say and kept telling me that my priorities lied elsewhere. That angered me to no end. It"s not that because I am in a relationship with you, I love my parents and my brother any less? I don"t know where elders get such vague ideas from and why they turn up thinking we don"t care for them enough when in a relationship."
"Listen now, you don"t need to cry over such a petty thing. You know I love you and nothing in this world can change that," I said trying to comfort her.
She gave me a weak smile and thanked me softly, saying how she would be utterly lost without me. I chuckled and told her she would do just fine. After paying the bill, we left for our respective offices.
As the days pa.s.sed, we saw lesser of each other as her Mom made sure to keep a close watch on her. We could not talk to each other as freely as we did before since her mother"s overbearing shadow kept looming large over her head.
One evening, when her mother was away from the house, she gave me a call on the sly.
"Aditya, I have missed you so much. My mother has been trying her best to convince me to marry Nikhil. But I have put my foot down. The thing that hurts me the most is that she keeps on reminding me how I need to look out for my brother. Her twisted logic is that because Uncle has helped secure my brother admission in college, we are indebted to him forever. I so wished he would not have helped us in the first place. At least I would not be standing at such difficult crossroads today. Every act of his kindness is like a loan whose interest rate shoots up by the second."
"I know that it is difficult for you to make a decision given the circ.u.mstances you are in," I said to her on the phone.
"It"s not just that, Adi. Every time I tell my Mom that I want to get married to you instead of Nikhil, she reminds me how you will not be able to fend for me, given that you are just starting out now in life, let alone support our family when the time will come. But money is not everything in life, right? There are other things that one can care about as well," explained Riya.
"So what are your views on Nikhil? Do you find him good looking?" I said trying to ease the situation. But it did not help much.
"Please, Aditya. Looks is not the only thing that is desirable in another person. And why should I be bothered about his looks when I have eyes only for you? I love you, Aditya. I can"t love anyone else. This never-ending saga seems like it is testing my love for you. On the one hand, I can"t go against my family. There is no one to look after them, no one to care of them besides me. I have already lost my father. I can"t afford to lose my mother as well. But on the other hand, I love you so deeply. Even the thought of parting from you is unimaginable," said Riya.
"So why keep these thoughts if they cause you such pain? Just drive them away and think about how, very soon, we are going to be reconciled together," I told her in an a.s.sured tone, even though our future together looked hazy at the moment.
"Why is it that most of the times, a girl chooses her lover over her parents? In most cases, she runs away from home and get settled without thinking once about the shame it will cause her parents. At this particular junction, I am facing the same dilemma. I feel so helpless, Aditya. I am burdened with so many responsibilities and no one can deal with it except me. I need to take a decision fast. I think Mom is back. I will give you a call tomorrow," said Riya hurriedly and hung up the phone.
I reluctantly went to bed after our conversation was cut short by her mother"s entry. But sleep evaded me. All through our conversation, Riya sounded a little lost to me. I kept wondering what decision she would eventually end up making. Will she decide to be with me or will she go with the decision made by her mother? I pushed the thoughts away from my mind and tried to get some sleep.
A Decision is Made.
It was just another morning; I opened my eyes thinking about her when the alarm bell interrupted my dream. Reluctantly, I got up to get ready for office. However, the day had something entirely else in the store. I dropped the plan of going to office and started waiting anxiously for her phone. I picked the phone twice to call her but something stopped me. I took my bike to buy some roses. My ears were by then desperate to hear the ring tone that I had especially set for her. I was so desperate to hear Riya say that she had declined the proposal.
And finally, she called me.
We started talking. As usual, I gave her a morning kiss on the phone. She told me she wanted to meet me.
I reached the designated place before time. While waiting for her to come, I saw a card gallery nearby, and went in to buy something for her. After much deliberation, I finally settled for a small soft toy and some roses. I was getting impatient and was eagerly looking at each pa.s.sing cab, thinking might be carrying her.
Ah! I caught her first glimpse after so many days. She was looking extremely beautiful. Her each step was bringing her nearer to me, making my breathing heavier and uneven.
And then I spotted her. She was walking towards me in a hurry. She smiled graciously and extended forward her hand to greet me. I found her gesture a bit odd. Usually we would kiss or hug, but she seemed to have her mind occupied on something altogether different. We sat in a restaurant and I ordered a few snacks for us. After the waiter had taken the order and left the two of us alone, she told me with a heavy voice that she had accepted the proposal and was ready to marry Nikhil.
I was not sure of how to react to that. Suddenly all my excitement was gutted. I couldn"t believe what I was hearing.
"Are you insane? I understand your situation, but please cut the c.r.a.p. This is utter nonsense. I am perfectly capable of supporting you financially. I would do whatever you want. Why are you doing this to me?" Even though I told her I was ready to take on her and her family"s responsibility, both of us knew better. It would be impossible for me to look after her brother"s education on my meagre salary. But I was ready to try. I would have done anything. I would have robbed a bank for all it was worth. As long as she was with me.
"Do you think any of this is easy for me? Do you think I can stop loving you? I love you and will always do," she said hugging me tightly.
"Then please change your decision. I don"t want you to take one wrong step and repent it all your life," I said while holding her by her waist and kissing her neck. I gave her the roses and the soft toy I had bought for her earlier. She smiled and got up to leave. With a heavy heart, I waved her goodbye.
As I put my bike in gear, Mohit called me.
"Aadi, I hope you guys are coming one week before the marriage, right? I want you here this time and don"t want any excuses. Sonam just called Riya and she has agreed to come. She said she will coordinate with you and leave for Chandigarh accordingly."
"Sure, buddy. Finally, your marriage date is here. There is hardly any time left. Congrats!"
We chatted for a bit and hung up. I did not want to tell him all that was happening back in Mumbai. That would have unnecessarily upset him and I wanted him to enjoy his leftover bachelorhood days as much as he could. Riya and I decided to leave Mumbai for Chandigarh the following week.
It"s the Season of Love.
The wedding was supposed to take place in Chandigarh, Sonam"s ancestral home. Even though Riya and I travelled together, not much was spoken along the way. I tried to convince Riya to reject the proposal, but she refused to say anything. While Mohit and Sonam"s love story was on the right track, our love story was taking a different turn. We reached Chandigarh and Sonam"s family car was there to escort us. On the way, we asked the driver about where the groom was lodged. He told us that Mohit was staying in a bungalow near Sonam"s. I had informed Mohit that we would reach in a couple of hours. As our car entered the lawn, I saw that the house was decorated with lights of different colours and wedding flowers. It looked like a big, fat Punjabi wedding which is famous for its grandeur and opulence. Punjabis are known to pull all the stops when it comes to their weddings.
Mohit and Sonam were both waiting for us at the entrance. We got down from the car and congratulated them with a warm hug. I was amazed at how perfect everything looked. The entire lawn had been decorated with pink and orange silk cloths to form the ceiling canopy. It had a beautiful garden with creepers that had been coiled with lights. There were fresh flower centerpieces kept on each table with chairs that had been tied with a pretty pink bows. The house was beautifully set up for the function.
"So this is what heaven looks like. This is really a grand wedding." I looked at Sonam and she smiled back.
"Thanks a lot. It needed a lot of hard work and time," said Sonam.
"You"ve done an excellent job, Sonam," added Riya.
"We are extremely sorry for your loss. I told Mohit that we should postpone our engagement date but you wouldn"t agree. I hope everything is alright now." Sonam held Riya"s hand as we walked.
"I know, Aditya told me about it. Your celebrations should not get hindered by anything, that"s what I thought," Riya tried to smile.
Sonam"s parents saw us coming and they came out to greet us. It is rare that one meets wealthy people who are also down-to-earth at the same time. Sonam sure was lucky to have parents like them.
Sonam"s parents welcomed us by putting a garland around both our necks. Everything seemed planned to perfection.
"Sonam, tell your Dad to sponsor Riya and my wedding too. Please," I jokingly whispered to her.
"Shut up, Aadi!" she pinched me.
We kept our bags in one of the rooms and took a nap for a few hours. Sonam and Mohit were still not aware of the critical condition of our relationship. I wanted to tell them but it was not the appropriate time. Riya would have killed me if I would have done such thing, especially when their wedding day was hardly a few days away.
"Aditya, get ready for the sangeet ceremony. The function is about to start in the lawn. Let"s go," Riya came and told me.
She took no time to mix with Sonam"s family and relatives and actively partic.i.p.ated in all the work. She went to get Sonam who was getting ready in her room for the ceremony. I heard a few close relatives from Mohit"s side were also called for the function. I was wearing a black kurta while Riya had chosen to wear a pink kurti with a yellow patiala salwar, just right for the occa.s.sion. The ceremony began and some aunties started singing songs and playing the dholki.
Sonam"s family teased Mohit"s family members who were present in the ceremony, through songs. All in good jest, of course, but they took care not to get carried away. Everyone danced to the tune of bhangra songs.
Sonam"s Dad sang a song for Sonam"s Mom in front of the entire family.
Raat kali, ek khwaab me aayi aur gale ka haar hui...
It was her Mom"s turn then who sang; Haal kaisa hai janab ka, kya khayal hai aapka, Tum toh machal gaye oh oh oh Yuhi phisal gaye ha ha ha I was having a gala time. The next song was sung by Sonam"s Dad.
Gore rang pe na itna khumaar kar, gora rang to din me dhal jaayenga....
Mein shama hu, tu hai parwana... Mujhse pehle tu jal jaayega...
Mohit came and this time it was Riya"s turn. I almost fell down on the floor for this one.
Raam chandra keh gaye siya se... hans chugega daana dunaka, kauva moti khaayega....
The war went on....
When we came to the end of fantastic sangeet ceremony, everyone became emotional as Sonam"s parents hugged her and cried. It brought tears to my eyes too. I visualized my sister at that moment.
We had a royal feast after the ceremony and went to sleep. The fun we had all day brought a smile to my face. I wanted to have these very moments with Riya, but I didn"t know what the future held for us.
I wished their marriage brought them all the happiness they so rightly deserved. I wished for Sonam that life grant her all the patience, tolerance, and understanding to live with Mohit.
May they always be with each other till the end of time. If they have quarrels that push them apart, may they have the good sense enough to take the first step back.
I wanted to pour my heart out in front of Mohit. I wanted to tell him what had been going on with Riya and me since the past few days. I finally decided to tell him before the mehendi function.
Mehendi was the last major function before the wedding. Mehendiwallis had been called to both their places to apply henna on the bride"s hands and feet all the relatives. A basket containing bindis and bangles was handed around for girls to choose ones that matched the outfits they planned on wearing to the wedding.
I saw my opportunity once everyone got busy applying mehendi and went straight to Mohit"s room. He was shocked to see me standing there as he expected me to be at the mehendi function.
"Mohit, I need to discuss something serious with you." I sat down on the bed.
"What happened, any problem with Riya? Did you fight again?" he asked curiously.
"No. Why would we fight? That too during these days when she needs me the most! This is something extremely serious," I said.
I told him everything that had happened in the last few days. I told him about Nikhil. I told him about Riya"s decision to marry him.
"What the f.u.c.k are you talking about?" Mohit raised his eyebrows. "Riya and Nikhil, yuck... That sounds ridiculous. Riya only looks good when she is with you. I promise you that before my marriage, I will talk with her once," Mohit added.
It made me feel much better. All I could do was to hope for good things to happen. I went back to the mehendi ceremony where Riya was singing a song as she held Sonam from the back.
Mehendi hai rachne waali, haathon me gehri laali....
I smiled looking at Riya. She seemed to be having a good time. But I knew that beneath her calm facade, she was hiding her sorrows and worries. I went and sat close to her. I saw her hands. She had written her name and mine with mehendi on her left hand. It brought a big smile on my face. I wanted to kiss her hard, but I couldn"t because there were so many people around us.
"I love you." She simply smiled and held my hand with the other hand on which she was yet to apply mehendi.
Sonam"s mehendi was looking extremely beautiful. It was up to her elbows and looked so intricate and delicate on her. She showed me both her hands. The happiness and satisfaction of getting married to a person you love was visible in her eyes... I stared at Riya. I stared at her mehendi in silence.