Marriage Of Hearts

This story is inspired by my own life. Its simplicity and reality will touch your heart. Sometimes we need to read stories of real people rather than fiction as true inspiration comes from real life. All love stories are not fairy tales. Some love stories are of people who have fought with each other, misunderstood each other, even failed each other but are still together because they believed in never letting go of each other.

Riya was a focused and ambitious girl. Her job was her life. She believed in carefree living and doing what her heart said. Arjun was an honest man with a sincere heart. He believed in living his life in a way that touched the hearts of people around him. She didn’t want to get married and he was already meeting suitable girls for marriage. Destiny had other plans.

Riya had a long day at work when her parents arranged a meeting for her to meet a prospective match for marriage. Although she was not ready for getting married to someone who lived abroad, she agreed at her parents insistence. She quickly got dressed and went for her meeting with Arjun. Arjun had all the qualities that Riya was looking for in a husband. He was handsome, honest, chivalrous and charming. They had a long discussion about expectations, dreams, and marriage. Arjun had to fly to Dubai the next day as he was working in Dubai. They decided to chat online for some time before they could commit to each other for marriage. The families of both Riya and Arjun began searching other prospective matches for them as they hadn't committed to each other. They thought that the marriage would not materialize. However, in the next couple of weeks, Riya and Arjun had long online chats and phone calls. It was only a matter of time before which they fell in love and decided to get married.

Initially there was some resistance as the families were unaware of their chats but finally, the families were happy to accept their relationship and started the marriage preparations. After 3 months, the two love birds got married in India. The time had come for Arjun to leave for Dubai so he could apply for a visa for Riya to join him. Riya was nervous about living with Arjun's family as their way of life was very different from Riya's family. During the courtship, it was clear that the families had different perspectives. But Riya thought it cannot be so difficult to adjust after all.

Riya's mother in law was a control freak. Initially they had small arguments on the way Riya dressed, cooked and spoke but these arguments soon turned into big fights. Cooking became the center of each argument almost every day. Although Riya tried her best to impress her mother in law, but she continued tormenting Riya. Arjun tried to pacify the situation on the telephone but it only got worse. When Riya's parents requested her in-laws to allow Riya to stay at their home, the mother in law was angrier than ever. She threw all kinds of tantrums and blamed Riya for everything that went wrong in her life. This created a friction between the families. Soon, Arjun called Riya to Dubai to live with him. 

Their life in Dubai was filled with love, care, and understanding. It seemed like Riya and Arjun were one soul in two bodies. Friends used to address them as "Arya (Ar from Arjun and ya from Riya). After a year, Arya decided to go to visit their families in India. The main reason for this trip was the deteriorating health of Arjun’s father. Arjun's mother had a lot of anger built up inside her due to her wish of living with her son not getting fulfilled. Despite the medical crisis, the mother in law instigated Riya on several occasions during their trip. Riya finally lost her temper and reacted with hate and anger. The mother in law created a big drama about Riya's behavior so she could create a rift between Arjun and Riya. 

While trying to resolve the differences between Riya and her mother in law, Riya's family got into a fight with Arjun's family. To maintain peace Arjun and Riya suggested that their respective families should maintain a distance from each other. After a few days, Arjun and Riya returned to Dubai. It took a long time for Riya to trust Arjun again and it was equally difficult for Arjun to stand by Riya's side against his family.

Time passed yet the differences between the families only grew. Whenever they would meet, there would be an argument. This bothered Riya's and Arjun's relationship. It was clear now that the families hated each other. However, Riya and Arjun loved each other and decided not to allow their families' problems to affect them. It was difficult to do so in the beginning but over a period of time, their love only grew stronger.

Riya and Arjun lived in their own house in Dubai away from Arjun's family in India. Once a year, they would visit them in India. During the visits, if Arjun's family created problems for Riya, she would silently tolerate. After every such incident, Arjun would have arguments with his parents. Riya felt very bad that her presence was creating a rift between herself and Arjun. Thus, at one point Riya decided to completely stop communicating with Arjun's family. Arjun didn't force her and respected her decision. This gesture touched Riya's heart and she respected him even more.

After a few years, Riya and Arjun had a daughter "Sia". Sia brought a lot of joy in their lives. Soon Sia became the apple of everyone’s eyes. Her innocence attracted everyone to her. In fact, Arjun's family became cordial to Riya. Sia's presence brought the families together. They still disliked each other but they became more tolerant of each other's presence. Riya began to bond with Arjun's parents. She understood that all this hate that her mother in law had in her heart was really just anger about things she had not being able to do in her own life because Arjun's father never supported her the way Arjun supported Riya. Riya began to develop a bond of friendship with her mother in law. As time passed, her mother in law also reciprocated by working on improving her relationship with Riya's parents. 

After a few years, Arjun’s father passed away. Although their relations were cordial, Riya didn’t want to stay with her mother in law. But Arjun was completely shattered. Despite the differences, Riya agreed to stay with her mother in law. Initially it was difficult as they had different lifestyles. But her presence in their family made Sia happy. The family was now complete. There were some things which Riya had to let go of and there were some things which her mother in law had to let go. They still fight but they don’t hate each other anymore. The mother in law helps Riya with the housework and also takes care of Sia. They are a happy family now.

It is very easy to fall in love but it is very difficult to remain in love with the same person all your life. There were phases in their life when one of them was angry or unable to support the other partner. But they didn't let these phases decide their fate. When Riya was weak, Arjun became her pillar of support and vice versa. Their love was forbidden by the expectations of society, but true love always wins over all obstacles. Through difficult times, Riya and Arjun learnt that the most important thing for a marriage to survive was having faith. When they got married, they promised to always be together. Arjun always said to Riya that "There are good days and there are very good days. There is no such thing as a bad day. One must trust the process of life." This gave Riya the strength to deal calmly with any crisis that she faced in life and in her marriage. It didn't matter if others forbade their relationship because God had chosen them for each other. 

This story is a story about true love between two people whose families hated each other. The couple had to sacrifice a lot to be with each other. In the end, Love triumphs over everything. Riya and Arjun loved each other truly. Despite the challenges, they never gave up on each other. When they got married, they chose each other as their life partners, a relationship for life. Riya and Arjun believed that the secret to a happy marriage is to love and respect each other, but most importantly, to have faith in each other and never give up. A marriage for them was a loving commitment which should never be broken. 

Riya and Arjun believed that "True Love can beat any storm. No matter how rough the sea is, true love sails through it."