Why Marriage?
Why Marriage?
Alarm (Beep! Beep! Beep!)
Strange things started happening today. I usually sleep well and need an alarm to wake me up. Today I woke up early and was waiting for alarm to start my day. I got up from my bed, turned the radio on and started brushing.
I was looking at the mirror and was thinking is this really love? Am I really in Love?
Now, what really is love? I don’t understand, how can someone really and honestly love? And why marriage?
Neha had asked me to meet her today at a bus stop close to her flat. She had fixed an appointment with her parents. I am going to meet them to decide our future today! We have been working in the same organization for five years and shall I say, we are good friends, or we are in love for three years. I don’t know what to say about my affection for Neha. Love is a cliched term for me and friend? No, she is more than a friend to me.
But why always an affection for a person needs a name?
Neha says she cannot just continue as it is going on now. She needs to conclude it with a ritually recognized union. What am I going to do today? I am not sure. I have groomed perfectly, wearing the white shirt that she gifted me on my last birthday. I just reached the bus stop and was noticing her from a distance. She was looking simple and sweet. I felt I could do anything to be with her. Then I thought, that is what I am doing now, anything to be with her!
She looked at me as if I was late for a job interview.
I said,” Hi you look cool!”
She replied, “Now you be cool and please make sure that they bless us”.
Now what is this? Bless us, she wants me to be what I am not and pretend to be some suitable bachelor. I wish, I could take a U-turn and go back and for rest of my life, live all alone with my attitude. I am no longer sure as to why am I doing this and facing this interview. I don’t know what to do.
Finally, I reached their apartment. Of course, I am not here for the first time. We had few parties at her flat along with our colleagues. I knew her parents for a quite long time and I know they are not that traditional. I never had a complaint with them as I was well accepted by them as Neha`s colleague. Now this interview is to accept me into their family. Her elder sister is married and lives in Bangalore. No more siblings and no more judges to take a decision. I must face only two.
We rang the doorbell. I was having a strange feeling. Her dad opened the door and peeped from his glasses, we wished each other.
He kept the newspaper aside and said, “Oh! Sanjay, please come in.”
I landed on to their age-old sofa in their living room. I was served with tea and samosa. We had a chat over the weather, road conditions in our city and a little bit about the politics.
After we got exhausted with our tour around the world, Neha's mom started, “Oh! Dear I know you are very different from Neha. She is a simple girl with very few people in her life. Now that she has decided to get married to you, we would like to know from you the reason that made you to decide”.
Immediately her father said, “We are not trying to trouble you. But, we want to understand why you want to marry Neha.”
Now I know, it was my turn to convince her parents. They knew me very well and always enjoyed chatting with me. I couldn't find out why they wanted to know this at first but realized that they have a right.
So I started, “Aunty, I have always been so close to you and now I want to be a part of your family”,
They both smiled and looked forward for my speech. “I am not sure why people marry and go through the designed life cycle. Job, marriage, children and their education, then retirement, and then playing with grandchildren. I usually look at things from a different perspective which is why people around me feel that I am not a common man. But few days back when we were discussing about some petty office matters, she told me that I am simple and mostly I convey what I really want and think. She also said that I am like a book and one who is reading me can clearly understand me. It means that I was always clear to her and I was convinced that she understands me very well. Neha is damn serious about getting married. I believe marriage is tried and tested for centuries and the design has mostly not failed people who really want to be together. And I know none other than Neha who can bear me throughout this life cycle.” They were on cloud nine.
Her mom and dad fed me with a few more sweets after my wonderful speech and then they called her sister. She and her husband congratulated us. Finally, the day ended on a good note.
For me, I got an answer with this speech.
She came downstairs to say goodbye and asked me, “Sanjay, whatever you said, is it true?”
I smiled and said, “Does it make a difference? I cracked the interview and now just want to live my life with you.”
I stared my bike with a thought that, I will soon start a new chapter of my life called marriage.