Vaishali Chandorkar Chitale

Romance Classics Inspirational

3  

Vaishali Chandorkar Chitale

Romance Classics Inspirational

Romancing The Husband

Romancing The Husband

4 mins
259


Death is so final, thought Akshara. She had lived up to the ripe old age of eighty and sitting on her gilded throne high up in heaven, she looked back at her life, and wondered whether she would have lived it any other way.

“Oh yes, “she thought to herself, “most definitely”. Surrounded by her family, mainly extended, she never could have any boyfriends or even fantasise about anyone, what with innumerable aunts and cousins keeping a hawk’s eye on her movements. The family had decided everything and before she could blink or even think of looking for a job, she was led down the path of matrimony with accompanying merrymaking and drumbeats.


“But now that I AM dead, I can surely bend it like Beckham. That’s the best part of being dead and peering down from the clouds above. One can assume any age and let the imagination soar” she laughed to herself.

 Actually, she had never had the luxury of dreaming about any demi-God or otherwise; being married off at a very young and impressionable age. Just as she was about to take off and soar, freer than tempestuous waves and as anxious as a Chihuahua on meeting a stranger to explore the world, her parents suddenly had woken up to their ‘responsibility of finding her a well-grounded man!

She was a diehard romantic. No surprises there; most of us are! Though She had known from the very beginning that veering away from the oft trodden path (read: Arranged Marriage) that her family had been following for generations was never on the cards, it didn’t stop her from dreaming about her Prince Charming and building a picture of the ‘man-of-my-dreams’ in vibrant Eastman colours. It was an understood fact that her parents would play an active part in finding me a “suitable boy”, and sure enough they got down to the task as enthusiastically as a shredding machine on Dalal Street. Within a blink of an eye, they had found her“Mr Right”. Giving her ‘would-be’ a once over she knew as surely as day follows night that though he was a ‘good chappie’as they say, he was so not going to make me as giddy as a debutante on her ‘Presentation Ball’. He ticked all the boxes on her parents’ wish list, how she wished he had ticked hers too!

For a person who breathed romance, she got pragmatism and logic instead. She wanted to be wooed by flowers and perfumes, but she was bombarded with recipe books, weekly planners, juicers and mixers and oh! all that you can think of for turning vision into reality for a Michelin starred chef! Well, as they say, life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.

AND now that she was DEAD, she wanted to date this very ‘chappie’ and teach him a thing or two about romancing a girl. You see, though he and she were as different as morning mist is to dark clouds, they did have a long happy innings and now she wanted him to do the unthinkable (for him) and take her out on that one unforgettable evening that she had waited all her life for, but reached the pearly gates before it could happen.

Flashback to the time after their engagement……Her story now as she had dreamed of…..

The wedding date was set, parents as busy as the locals in Mumbai on their daily run in their preparations of ‘the D-Day ‘and she at her anticipation best! Out with her friends for coffee one evening, she was surprised by a waiter appearing suddenly out of nowhere beside her and pointing towards the door. Therewith a wide grin on his face was standing her newly minted fiancé holding a huge bouquet of red roses. Between the trilling and twittering of her friends, she was escorted out and whisked off for a drive. Just as she was still catching her breath by the unexpectedness of it all, he nonchalantly pointed towards the back seat, where she saw a gift-wrapped hamper. On being told to open it, she was amazed to see her favourite chocolates (her brother told him) and her most loved perfume. She was also informed that they were going on a long drive and to settle down for the ride. Which she most certainly did.

When they turned towards the Ghats, she realised that they were on their way to Panchgani, a small hill station midway to Mahabaleshwar. Taken aback by the unexpectedness of it all, her romantic streak perked up sensing the excitement. But even she had not imagined the lengths that her ‘adventurous’ fiancé would go to. On reaching a scenic plateau with a breath-taking view of the valley, he parked the car, opened the boot and took out all the rudimentary things required for a picnic! With a flourish, she was informed that they were in for a moonlight picnic meal, accompanied by wine and cheese. A mushy evening followed.

Needless to say, it was one of the most cherished evenings she had even if it was only in her imagination, after her death. She fell in love with her handsome dude all over again, with all her regrets and complaints washed away in one stroke, albeit after her death!


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