Are You Happy Here?

It is the year 2037. An ordinary evening in Mumbai. Maya is relaxing on the verandah of her Penthouse on the 17th floor of Garden Apartments. Watching through the glass railing of her balcony at the skyline. It is a new moon day. The line of sight is filled with yellow shimmers. Her plants are happy tonight, it is breezy. They are swaying to the sitar music Maya is listening to. She loves to lie down on this furry grey rug she bought 2 years ago. The first thing they bought for their home. She takes a sip from her glass. (It is water, don't presume things!) Her favorite, the palm plant in the middle of morning glory, and Jasmine finds a way to tickle her. She knows it does. She likes it. 

Her daughter, beside her- is looking through her phone. She rolls towards her mother and asks her- "Why divorce rates are so high in the past few years?"

Maya- "Why are you looking through this stuff suddenly?"

Anya- "I don't know, I was just thinking the other day what it would be like to be married. What will I do if I get a kid like me? Will I survive or kill her?"

Maya chuckled."I don't think you will kill your daughter. You will survive."

Both exchange laughs.

She asks Maya again. "Why do people get divorced so much?"

Maya looks away from her daughter, watches the lights switching off slowly from other high rises and neighborhood- "Because people stopped trying and started giving up. And for some, they could not take it anymore. They could not stand more people telling them what to do. What not to do, where to go or not to. What to say or not to. 

It is important to be happy where you are. It is not just about a couple. Interestingly, we don't look for statistics of children moving out or of old parents leaving their son's house. If you are not happy, you split up with everyone or everything. It can be your parents, friends, school, music, painting, your snuggle bear, or even yourself. You only try harder for a place you love to be or want to be."

Anya asks if Maya is happy. Maya looks at Anya with all the love in her eyes and says- "Yes, sweetheart. I am."

Anya-" Then why are you lying here alone, not talking to dad who is alone over there?" They both turn and look through the glass door into the not so distant kitchen. Abhay is taking out the freshly baked bread from their oven and he yells-"Yes! It's fluffy!"

Maya and Anya look at each other and laugh. Maya puts her arms around her daughter and says "because your Dad loves me and I love him. He knows I love looking outside at the world and I know how joyful he is when he bakes his favorite chocolate cake. The sparkle in his eyes and that smile on his lips are irreplaceable. "

Maya opens her eyes and asks her daughter." Now, will you get married?"

Anya looks at the sky above, stretching she says. "Maybe. Someday. I want someone who can bake".