S11: "The ‘WHY’ day"

It was around 6 am and I was made to sit in the middle of the hall and my parents were in a deep discussion, making a few phone calls and walking here and there. I was sitting on the sofa lingering in my sleepy hangover. None of their words were reaching my eardrums and somehow I slept. A pillow suddenly came with a speed. It hit my head and conquered over my sleep. I woke up and sat there with my eyes and mouth wide opened.

‘How could you sleep?’, shouted my mom. I replied with the same expression.

‘Are you even listening?’, another pillow crashed my head.

‘Yeah, yeah I am listening’, I replied very annoyingly.

‘Why are you getting irritated now? It’s not me who is going to get married. You should show some responsibility’, my mom yelled at me.

Her words were reaching my ears as if I was hearing a rap song from a very far distance, unable to understand the lyrics.

‘Umm’, I replied rubbing my eyes.

Another call came. ‘9 am ok’, were the only words I heard. She hung up the phone and my mom and dad looked at me.

‘What’, I asked before she would hit me with another pillow.

‘They are going to come at 9am to see you. Go and get ready’, my mom said.

‘But its just 6am’, I exclaimed. It was a marriage proposal and they are going to come to our home to see and decide whether I would fit to their daughter-in-law’s position.

I had no interest to get ready traditionally wearing all the ornaments with fake smile and listening to all the exaggerated statements as if I am a genie from Aladdin. She can cook for 10 people in 10 minutes. She can make your home shine. See our house was entirely cleaned and decorated by her. She is like salt, she adds flavour to your family and also she will dissolve in all the issues and she will never ever talk back at elders. Perfect is just a small word for her, she is beyond that.

 But I had no choice. I was preparing mentally for all this and the phone rang again.

My mom was talking but this time she was giving more exclamatory expressions.

She looked at me and said, ‘they are not coming to our house’.

‘Why? They said no even before seeing me?’, I asked very calmly.

‘No’, she paused.

‘What’, I asked.

‘They said he wants to talk to you personally, so he will meet you in the mall at 9am’, she said with a pinch of disappointment.

I was surprised and relieved by listening that. Deep inside my heart, I also wanted that.

 ‘Oh’, I replied hiding my excitement. ‘Ok then I’ll go and get ready’.

They threw some weird expressions at me. Ignoring everything I went to get ready and I was very excited.

I reached the mall at 9am sharp and he was already there waiting for me.

‘Hey’, he said giving me the flowers.

‘Hi Santosh’, I replied. I had a very positive first impression.

We comfortably sat at some restaurant in the ground floor and he started saying everything about his life, his hobbies, his interests and his future plans.

My excitement levels were increasing gradually. He was very good looking and I liked the way he was talking and I was feeling very positive that we will have a future together.

An hour flew by and we were in a deep conversation, suddenly a voice came towards me.

‘Hey, long time’, he said. I retrieved myself back from the deep conversation and saw him.

My eyes and heart blasted out. I lost my senses for a moment. He is my ex boyfriend and who would expect an ex at that moment. I had no idea how to react.

‘How are you babe’, he said standing beside me.

I wanted to sit under the table and hide myself instead of facing that moment. By hearing the word babe, santosh started looking at me shockingly.

‘Umm, hi’, I stammered and tried to tell him to walk away with my eyes.

‘Your brother?’, my ex asked looking at santosh.

My heart stopped for a moment. You were my ex boyfriend and you know every relation of mine and you’re still asking that, you pig. I had a battle of words in my brain.

Santosh sat there looking at him angrily.

‘No. He is not my brother. He is my..I will talk to you later. I am bit occupied right now’, I said.

He was about to ask something but I interrupted and said ‘Bye’. He walked away from there.

Santosh was looking at me hoping for the answers. I threw a fake smile and said, ‘He is my childhood friend’.

He nodded and I diverted the topic. The awkwardness in the air was vanishing gradually but before it could vanish completely, I heard another voice. This time, it was a female voice.

‘Ohhh! Look who’s here’, she came towards me holding her shopping bags.

I looked at her and murmured ‘oh my god’. She is my best enemy. We messed with each other a lot and we were so true in our hate relationship. We never let the other live in peace no matter what.

 I had no idea why the hell this is happening to me.  What’s wrong with the planetary movements? ‘Why’ was the only word which was revolving in my head.

She came closer to me. She saw santosh and said,’Oh you got a new boyfriend. Boyfriend number..Oh I forgot the number’.

‘Mind your own business’, I replied.

‘Yeah sure, you look so tensed. By the way I saw your..’, she was going to say about my ex boyfriend.

‘Will you please leave’, I interrupted her before she could anything.

She looked at santosh, took a deep breath and said, ‘I pity you’.

‘Leave’, I got so irritated.

Santosh was sitting before me dumbstruck.

‘She is my enemy. We always talk to each other like this’, I tried to explain.

Santosh looked so puzzled. Though he diverted the topic, he had so many questions in his mind. I had enough for that day. I can’t afford any more shocks. ‘Let’s leave’.

Meeting outside for the first time was the worst decision ever when you are not a studious kid whose life was only books. I had so many thoughts punching my head. I don’t know what he will think about me and what he will say. I had this feeling that he will definitely say no. I reached my home and without answering anyone’s questions, I went to bed and slept to escape from all these mind-boggling thoughts.

By the time I woke up, my room was entirely filled with flower bouquets. For a moment, I thought it was a dream.

‘He said yes’, my mom came running to me.

‘Oh’, I was surprised. My phone vibrated with a new message. I opened it, ’Hey my fiancee’.

My smile had no limits and I was very happy after seeing that message.

A new message, A new beginning, A new phase, A new love and A new happiness.