Part three
It was around my final year I guess, her marriage was fixed. And it was a huge shock to me.
She didn’t talk to me for two whole months for not attending to her engagement.
How could I?
How could I explain to her that she would miss her freedom?
How could I explain to her that she would miss the joy and hardship of job hunting?
How could I explain to her that she would miss the satisfaction of taking her first salary?
How could I explain to her that she would miss the professional success that could follow?
How could I explain her about the dowry they were giving to the groom’s family wasn’t correct? (Thank God her parents belong to upper middle class)
How could I explain her about the consequences that could follow if something went wrong with her marriage if she isn’t financially independent?
How could I explain her if her husband or in laws were not protective of her? (Even now I cannot think of domestic violence and all)
How could I explain to her?
I really don’t know.
The day of her marriage came. It was easy for me to attend her marriage as I stayed in hostel (I had to attend her marriage otherwise I wouldn’t have been alive to tell our story.. lol). I made up something at my home and reluctantly went to attend her marriage.
The marriage venue was a temple, strangely. It was a South Indian wedding which was foreign to me. After walking through the entrance, there was a big temple on one side and a big hall where the seating arrangement for the guests was done, on the other. I could see all ages of unknown faces and tried staying at a corner. I caught a few giggling kids and asked them about her. They told that the marriage has just begun and bride was performing gauri puja. I was relieved that I wasn’t late and thanked them. I took a seat and started observing the surroundings. The temple atmosphere and the music was soothing.
Her father spotted me long after, as he came to greet a few guests outside the venue. I can’t describe the warmth with which her father received me. Holding my hand, scolding me for not coming to the engagement along with greeting a few guests, he took me a very happy bride’s mother. No introductions were needed of course, but he said, dekh toh! tera beta aaya hai. Those moments were one of the best moments of my life.
She made me sit comfortably on the steps of the temple, wiped the sweat from my forehead with her saree’s pallu and said something in her mother tongue which I didn’t understand. She hit her forehead lightly and told her to stay there, I immediately asked her if I could help her with something. She smiled, kissed my forehead and went away. Gazing here and thought when will I be able to see my sister. Seconds later, aunty brought two young lads and instructed them to be with me [I guess]. They started showing me random people and how they were related to my sister. I was having a great time with the young generation when one of them pointed at the entrance of the temple.
Authors note:
So, like it so far!! please do tell me in your reviews. And I would like to thank all my readers for taking their time and leaving a comment/reaction. I apologize for my grammatical mistakes in advance.
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