My Marriage - Romance
Note: Read the previous two notes to get the background
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. You know who said this, Leo Tolstoy. He too had a very passionate start, but his, like mine, went through some very rough sails. My wife started asking me to clean utensils, mop the floor, bring vegetables and to set the house. Not doing it has some strange consequences which I like to keep personal. I cannot bear that humiliation.
As if this weren't enough, Lekha started having her own share of troubles to me. 'Mujhey Cardiologist sey shaadi karna hain' I was dumbstruck. 'But kyun? Cardiologist hi kyun?'. 'Nahi nahi. Cardiologist first preference hain, Neurologist second preference hain'. Words came out straight, 'WHY?' 'See, its very simple. They both get home on time. They also come with bags of dollars, its an ever growing trade you know. And people love them. They want to be like them; life saving, skilled and yearned for.
'Ohh ...,' seeing that my prospects are thinning. 'I would prefer Cardiologist because he is younger and exciting. They finish their studies quickly. Neurologists take time, they are slow and rare.’ My next few hours were spent thinking on how I could galvanize her. I hit a jackpot seeing the book 'What Young India Wants' by Chetan Bhagat. 'If his past can make him sell books. Then why not my past? They get envious quickly right?'
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I had to run away from her. So I decided to spend the summer in Ahmedabad. 'Gujjus, sweet and rich', I thought. I went to a conference hearing that the food was delicious. I slipped through the gates but realised that I was the odd one out, wearing a bright orange Kurta. I got many anxious glances, worried about the earthly animal present amongst business class gods, except for one. She was like an angel, whom the gods were vying to impress.
I think she found peace in me, the power to be yourself against the swarm. She gave few occasional looks through the corner of her eye. There was a small blush, a lazy smile, each time I caught her. And finally she mustered courage to talk to me, standing alone in the crowd. 'Where are you from?' 'Bombay' 'Wow, Wonderful. I am shifting to Bombay in a month' and we went on and on.
Work was just a way to meet her. Schedule an appoint near her home. Do a survey around her office, talk to her company with business plans. A hi there, a how are you here and the first few days went by. But as we started seeing more of each other, we got familiar and thrilled each time. The more I talk, the more I discover her and about life. We needed to count places we missed visiting or left unexplored. Each journey was a tale in itself and it brought out the childlike excitement of love.
*** ***
The trick of a successful date is, never tell her it is a date. Simple and straight. Our dates were always special, we had a place to visit, a topic to discuss, an idea to critique, an experience to share. That was our definition of fun. 'Playing around,' she called them. She is a mystic, secrets deep within her, hiding those feelings beneath that beautiful face of hers. I think this is what attracts me. It is very difficult to be away from her. But that brings us even closer the next time. I found relief from the tussles back home.
The biggest breakthrough came when my wife found us under the Gulmohar tree, drinking hot tea, sitting beside each other. I was surprised to see her there, at that time. Lekha was oblivious to who the woman was. I went to my wife and asked why she was there. 'None of your business. My wish, where I have to be. You carry on, you are looking very busy'. I had to manage two women at once, not being too obvious or hiding. 'She is our client, we are working with them on a product development'. 'She is my friend, very close one from school. I will introduce her sometime later'.
I started feeling that the time has come. In pretext of taking them out, I took Nishit and Saumya to the lake. We planned to meet there that day. 'The kids are so beautiful. They are so cute.' I was surprised at how happy she was playing around with them. She did not even allow me to say whose kids they were. Young they were, tender, smooth and joy. 'You are a siren. A flirt to the core.' I wondered if I should feel shy or embarrassed. 'Now I have higher expectations from you. Try me ...'
P.S: Lekha is a tougher woman to guess. So here is a big clue, the secret is in her name. Read it again to get the meaning. Ping me if you cannot guess who she is.