PLAN

I remember that day when I sat down with my regular coffee in my hand and had the computer opened to the matrimonial site. The whole page was decorated in bright red, orange and yellow. I clicked on the register button and the link opened to the next page, which had the bright colours with a registering form that I filled in without any difficulty and clicked on register now. The site soon opened me to another page that had options for looking through already existing matches and new profiles. Without thinking any further I clicked on existing profiles. Then came to the page that had a lot of profiles. (Please check the details, I don’t know how the site looks). I began reading each one and almost all seemed to be just good enough for me. Some said alliance wanted from upper class Brahmin, some said wanted from well settled match, caste no bar. I preferred to click on one, which said that caste- no bar and quickly went through the profile of this girl who had applied on her own. Said she had no close relatives. This profile kind of just clicked with my thought process and I just sent her a reply mail with my details. Didn’t know if all of this was true, didn’t know how long they kept the profiles on air. Thought what if she is married off now and my letter just reaches on her marriage day or something. Then a second thought came up that it’s all a matter of luck, so if it has to happen there, I would be in tim
e with my alliance. Checked my watch, just had enough time to make it for lunch and then rush for the meeting so had to close the site.
In some days I had forgotten about this advertisement that I responded to and then one fine morning, I opened my personal mail account and found that the same female had emailed to me. I read the mail with eyes wide open and kept thinking all my fears had been answered. My response had reached on time and probably god wanted me to be there with her, probably.
She had given me her phone number and I immediately picked up the telephone and dialed her without thinking of what I would say, my instincts just gave way and the next thing I remember was, I was saying “hello” in response to a voice. I gathered my senses and said further on, “ I’m Srinivas and I would like to speak with Ranjita” all at one go and then I exhaled out the tension, awaiting the reply. The voice on the other side said that she was Ranjita and I realized the voice was sweet. Did not compliment her at the first go thinking that I was overtly anxious. I went on to tell her relating to the letter but she seemed to remember. She said we should meet and I agreed and we fixed up to meet at a restaurant she suggested.
That day I took great care to dress up in my best attire and put on the best perfume and deodorant. We had given specifications of our clothes so I entered the restaurant and found her sitting there already. She looked beautiful and rose up as I approached her. She was in a light pink sari and looked angel-like as her face glowed when she smiled at me. I smiled back and greeted her. Settling down, we ordered for some snacks and juice. She told me that she had lost her parents to an accident when she had just about begun working and then on had no one to take care of. She had been on her own with an uncle who just gave her financial aid being in America. He would come and meet her often. In these five to six years her life had undergone “turmoil” as she said and I could see a drop of tear waiting to fall so I decided to cut her there. I told her that her past was past and I did not want to know about it. I was interested in her present and then we talked of our work. It was somewhat similar. She worked for an institute where she taught graphic designing and I was a software engineer. I told her I would help her with some software, which she could get some from. We talked for a long time and even walked along the beach talking about my family and me in person. I got to study her nature. She was docile, quiet, sweet-natured, caring and concerned. Soon our liking grew for each other and I decided to speak with my family regarding her.
That night I called home and the first person I told to was my mother and she seemed delighted with the fact that I had ultimately decided to marry someone and she was happy that I had selected someone already. Dad agreed too and they decided to come to see her. I had already proposed Ranjita and she had given her consent to marriage. My folks came in next two days and that day was great day when I brought her to my place. She looked as beautiful and soft as ever. They spoke to her and everybody liked her as her soft nature won all hearts. Our horoscopes were matched and a suitable date was fixed for our matrimony. My mother stayed for some days, dad went back. My family had raised me with a little conservative thought. They had no problems with Ranjita’s parents not being there and her uncle we had found out had been very glad that this matrimony was happening and gave his full consent to it and said would help in every possible way. He scheduled his coming for our marriage. The date and venue had been fixed for a social get together after our marriage at the temple.
As the date kept coming closer, I began feeling great about the whole thing having happened as if it had all been planned by the lord and kept thanking him for all that he was doing to me. Just about a week was left for our marriage and early morning we got a call from Ranjita’s uncle that he has reached the city and would soon come by the afternoon to see us. We waited anxiously and he came over after lunch. He was in his late 50’s and was pretty heavy but was smart in the way he carried himself and the sobriety in which he spoke made us feel all the more comfortable even though he was an NRI. He had come alone but told us his wife and children would not miss the wedding. He got us small gifts. There was something that he had to say as I felt he wasn’t coming out with it. But I waited. Ultimately he came up with it and began saying, “My poor child has suffered a lot all her life, you know everything. The lord took away her parents from her at such an early age and then when she got married, her in-laws caused all sorts of pain to her yet that poor child carried on….” The words kind of kept ringing in me again and again, “married”, “in- laws”. I turned to look at my parents and they looked all bewildered at me with the same eyes. My mother spoke up,
“We did not know that she was married!”. Looking at me she said, “you didn’t tell me she had been married before?”. That’s when her uncle said with more force that he was sorry we had known all this but Ranjita had not ever wanted to hide this truth, so she had herself made her profile for the site. It was all wierd for me but I realized everytime I had the opportunity to learn this truth, I always escaped from it. The time when I read the profile, I read it in hurry avoiding the details and even when at the restaurant she tried to tell me about her past, I remember shrugging off the topic.
Obviously my parents had overnite decided that the marriage was called off but they wanted me to go about it with her and her uncle. I didn’t know what to do, my brain did not work. On one hand, there was what my parents wanted, of course they never wanted me to be unhappy. On the other hand, there was Ranjita whom I knew, I respected, I loved and I understood. But I would not be able to marry her when she would be unwanted by everybody at home and after all the struggle in my life I would not be able to fight on. I wanted to relax. Perhaps I was selfish but marriage was for everyone’s happiness in our kind of society.
I could not sleep in the night. The next morning I went to her uncle’s place and Ranjita was there. She looked flawless as ever. Little did she know what storm would befall her. I just fumbled with words as I sat down to speak with her uncle. He had a calm face and he looked relaxed. So I began, I did not know how or what I said but I began. I said all the pros and cons of our marriage and that my parents were dead against it. I could see the tears in her eyes as I kept on saying that I would not marry her.
I came home with a heavy heart and not knowing if it was right or wrong. The whole day I could not relax and I kept feeling guilty for hurting her. It was evening and I was thinking of all this and knew soon parents would be gone leaving me alone to go through the pain all my own. Suddenly something grasped and I found myself walking towards her house. I reached her place and called out to her. She did not open the door but I kept waiting for hours. Then she did. I took her in my arms and we both cried and cried. We decided to marry and went back home and told my parents that I would marry Ranjita. They were obviously shocked but I had to be tough. I loved her and I could not afford to let my life go away from me. Guess somewhere my mother understood and gave her consent to this marriage.
Today also I am sitting with my regular coffee in my hand but the difference is now I have my wife, Ranjita with me in everything I do. Even after 2 years of our marriage, we have not lost our love, our passion for each other. It keeps on growing and growing every minute. My parents are happy that they have Ranjita as their daughter-in-law.