You and I, plus 2 years of marriage!

CHASTE GANGES 

{8}

‘What about the files required for Monday’s meeting?’ asked Malavika peering at her laptop. Krishna was busy sorting the papers into a file.

‘They are ready except for the one which has been sent for the Director’s review. We should have it with us by tomorrow evening,’ he said closing the file. The attender brought two cups of tea into Malavika’s cabin. Krishna took his cup and sipped the tea.

‘Krish… what plans do you have for the weekend?’ she asked once the attender stepped out of the cabin.

Krishna gave her a charming smile and shook his head.

‘Nothing special. The past few days have been quite hectic, so I am just going to laze around at home.’

It was a plain white lie because he had already made plans with Nihal for the weekend.

‘Well, I want to catch the latest Bond movie, Spectre. Would you like to join me?’ she asked very sweetly. She was out rightly flirting with him and he knew it. Now he had to cleverly refuse her.

‘I would have loved to, Mala because I love Bond movies too. But I am sorry. I am really in no mood to step out his weekend. I hope you can understand.’

Malavika let out a sigh in disappointment. She had a huge crush on Krishna ever since he joined their office. The female staff in the office were already smitten by his charming smile and decent behaviour. Not even once had he crossed his limits although the women seemed more than interested in him. Since she was also in the HR team, she got many opportunities to spend time with him without anybody’s interference. Above all he was friendlier with her than he was with the other ladies.

‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ she asked him once in the past.

‘No.’

The word had slipped out of his mouth even before he could think about it. He wanted to kick himself for making such a blunder. A ‘yes’ would have saved him from many uncomfortable situations in the future. But he had lost that golden opportunity.

‘What about a Sunday brunch?’

She was still blatantly trying her luck with him. Krishna tightened his hold around the cup. His tired mind could really not come up with any smart excuse.

‘I am sorry Malavika, but I am really not interested,’ he said and abruptly stood up to leave. But she immediately held his hand. He glared at her and immediately pulled back his hand.

‘Which part of the word NO do you not understand? I am sick of your advances. Behave yourself and stay away from me!’

She was stunned by his reaction. He turned around to walk out of her cabin, but found Shruthi staring at them. Without wasting another second, he stormed past her. Tears streamed down Malavika’a eyes and Shruthi went to comfort her. Krishna had overreacted. This incident was certainly going to spread like wildfire in the office. Only the days to come could say what repercussions it would have on his career.

***

‘I cannot get a transfer anytime soon. After a lot of negotiations I got a transfer to Mumbai. Once again getting a transfer back to Chennai is next to impossible,’ said Ronav looking ahead. Nithyayuvani squeezed his hand gently and snuggled closer to him. They both were walking along the beach on a full moon night.

‘I can understand.’

‘Do you really have to go tomorrow? Why can’t you just extend your assignment? Stay with me, please…’ he whispered.

‘Ronav please don’t use that tone with me. You have no idea how hard it is for me to refuse you!’

They both sat down on the sand and gazed at the sea. The light of the moon had turned the water to silver.

‘This is so unfair! We have barely been in love for a month. I hate to make this a long distance relationship so early. I really cannot stay away from you, certainly not after knowing that you love me too,’ he rued.

She leaned on his shoulder and gazed at the moon.

‘This was bound to happen, darling. Yet it is not easy to accept. I am going to miss you a lot.’

‘Me too, Nithya.’

He kissed her forehead gently. For the past one month they had met every single day. Each day was a date for them. Time flew when they were together.

‘I will try flying down to Chennai at least once a month. It all depends on my workload here. Though we can keep in touch through Skype, it is nothing when compared to looking into your eyes through our never-ending conversations in person.’

Nithyayuvani sat up straight and gazed into his eyes.

‘I will get a transfer and come here,’ she said firmly. Ronav widened his eyes and blinked twice.

‘What!?? Are you kidding me? You really can’t be serious about this!’ he said incredulously.

‘I said I am coming for you and I mean it,’ she said without batting an eyelid. He still could not believe his ears.

‘Come on, Nithya! It is not easy to live alone in a new city. You have stayed in the comforts of your home all these years. You won’t be able to stay away from your family for long.’

She smiled at his argument.

‘Ron, if you can live in a new city for the sake of your career, why can’t I? I do understand that it is not going to be easy but I know I can handle it. Moreover you are here, what more can I ask for?’ she said shrugging.

‘Darling, if you are doing this for me, then don’t do it. You should give yourself priority when you make decisions in life. I don’t want our relationship to become a hurdle to your future in any way,’ he said firmly.

‘Who said that I am doing it for you? Our magazine has more circulation here and the growth opportunities are also better. In fact it will do more good to my career if I get transferred to Mumbai. You may be my prime reason to shift but certainly you are not the only one. I have made this decision after giving it much thought.’

Ronav stared at her in awe. He admired her steadfastness.

This woman is so unpredictable!

‘I should have been the one to be doing this. It is usually the man coming for the love of his life,’ he said shaking his head. She laughed lightly.

‘Love knows no gender. No matter who does it, love doesn’t change.’

A surge of happiness coursed through Ronav.

‘I have always admired your courage, now I am madly in love with it. Come back soon,’ he breathed and kissed her. The best part of being in love with a mature and independent woman was that she never expected her man to do everything in a relationship. She not only stood by her man, she stood up for herself too. A very rare but desirable quality in women.

***

‘What will you do if I fall in love and say that I am going to marry him?’

Devayani narrowed her eyes.

‘There is nothing wrong in falling in love. I will have no objection as long as you fall in love with a guy who belongs to our caste,’ she said coolly.

Nithyayuvani rolled her eyes at her typical Indian mother. She looked at her father, who seemed lost in the morning newspaper.

‘Amma! What is this fuss about caste? I have never seen you speak so much in favour of caste till now. Why does caste become a priority the moment you think about marriage?’

Her mother remained unperturbed and closed the Reader’s digest magazine that she was reading.

‘Nithya, we live in a system with our relatives. Caste may not greatly matter in our daily life or so it seems. But deep inside we all follow certain practices which are unique to our caste. Right from how we cook to what festivals we celebrate, caste is a part of each one of us. How can you expect me to not give it prominence in your wedding?’

Devayani was a physics graduate and she was a modern mother. Yet her idea about caste was in no way different than her illiterate mother. Nithyayuvani was taken aback to hear her own mother defend caste system.

‘You are just being ridiculous. Even if you had told me that you were against love marriage I might not have been shocked. By the way I can’t go about asking the caste and religion of every man I meet. Step out into the world and see, there are hundreds of people we come across every single day, but not once do we ever bother about which caste they belong to.’

Devayani placed the magazine on the table. She glanced at her husband and caught his eye.

‘You asked me a question and I answered it. Now, you are going to meet this guy tomorrow,’ she said with a finality which put an end to Nithyayuvani’s debate. She was fuming.

‘Arranged marriage is the breeding place of caste fanatics! I hate this system. I have already told you that I am not interested in marriage. Give me time,’ she said standing up.

‘Nithya,’ Ashok called out from behind. He folded the newspaper and kept it aside. Walking up to his daughter, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

‘We are not getting you married right away. Marriage involves a lot of preparation from two families. Arjun is a Manager at Bosch and comes from a very good family. There is no harm in meeting him once. Consider him as a family friend and meet him. Later, the decision is yours to make.’

Ashok was a very practical man and he had mastered the art of convincing his daughter. She could not say anything to refuse her father. Nithyayuvani mutely nodded her head and looked at Devayani who had a triumphant look on her face. Deep inside she wanted to scream out in protest but silence was all she could manage.

What will I do tomorrow?

                             To be continued...