Love after Marriage (4 page)

Oh no! Deepak had hurt both his brothers’ feelings. What should he do?

Deepak frantically paced in his room, talking to himself. “What have I done? Why did I have to say what I said? What should I do now?” He clenched his fists. He was angry at himself and continued to walk back and forth, rubbing his forehead and occasionally stopping to run his fingers through his hair.

Karen and he had not talked; he was unsure of a relationship with her – then why did he make such statements. This was completely immature on his part, and in the bargain, he’d caused suffering to both his brothers. It was futile to argue about this, and he went to Sashank’s room and knocked at the door.

“Deepak, come in.”

Deepak hugged Sashank. “Pardon me, bhaiya. I had no intention to ruffle you.”

Sashank returned his embrace. “Both of us spoke what was right for us. I thought it was my responsibility to find you a girl when you said you were ready for marriage.” Sashank walked closer to him. “But you are free to marry whoever you want to marry, Deepak.”

“Sashank bhaiya, please don’t say that. Would I marry anybody without your approval?”

Sashank looked at Deepak patiently and waited for him to finish.

Deepak took a deep breath. “Okay, bhaiya, I am ready to meet Roshni. Please communicate this to Prashant uncle, but–”

“But what?” Sashank interrupted with a sparkle of excitement in his eyes.

“Do I have the freedom to say ‘no’ if I am not interested in her?”

“Absolutely, both of you have the freedom to say ‘no’ if you don’t think this is right for you.” His answer satisfied Deepak. “Of course, keep in mind that I have known this girl long enough to say she is the right person for you.”

Deepak nodded. “So…if I like Roshni, do I have to marry her immediately? Assuming she is okay with this alliance, can we get engaged and get married at a later date?”

“Deepak, if you lived in India, yes…that would be possible. However, with you being in the US, you tell me…is this feasible? Can you come back in four to six months to get married?” He continued after a pause, “More importantly, when will you take care of her VISA formalities? These do take time, don’t they?”

“Okay, okay, shall we discuss these details later, please.” Deepak was hoping to buy some time.

“Yes, so shall I call Prashant and tell him we’re coming?”

Deepak smiled and agreed, being respectful of his brother. He left feeling comforted; his bhaiya was not upset any more.

Chapter 3

Deepak meets Roshni

Sashank and Deepak arrived at Prashant’s house. Prashant asked a few questions of Deepak as a bride’s father, at which time Roshni walked in with chai, biscuits and hot pakodas for the guests. She was dressed in a simple salwar kameez, and her long hair, braided, draped down on her left side. She greeted Sashank bhaiya and turned towards Deepak, and their eyes met. Roshni had seen Deepak’s picture, and indeed, he was good looking and handsome. His clothes, his composure – all was perfect for the occasion. Deepak had heard that Roshni was tall, good looking and very simple. There was no overdoing on her part for dressing, jewelry or makeup; she perfectly fit that description. It appeared they were made for each other. Their gazes met for a few seconds when Sashank introduced Roshni to Deepak.

Roshni offered chai and snacks to the guests, and as they relished the hot pakodas, Roshni and Deepak talked about their work and their jobs.

“Deepak bete, would you like to talk to Roshni in private?” asked Prashant.

“No, Uncle, this is fine. Sashank bhaiya gave me all the details.”

Roshni, on the other hand, wanted to meet him in private. She wanted to know his expectations, his interests; being educated and civilized, she certainly did not want any incompatibility either.

Sashank looked at Roshni. “Roshni bete, do you want to talk to Deepak?”

Deepak watched in disbelief; he had not expected this from his brother, but waited for her response.

“If Deepak does not mind.”

Deepak had heard she spoke her mind, and now he experienced it. He was a little apprehensive. “Sure! How about tomorrow? Are you free?”

Roshni nodded. They decided to go out to dinner, and Deepak agreed to pick her up after work.

Roshni turned to her father. “Babuji, is it all right if I went out with him for dinner?”

Deepak appreciated this gesture of hers, being respectful of her father.

Prashant nodded. He took this opportunity to invite Sashank and Akash for dinner at his place while Deepak and Roshni went out.

~ ~ ~

December 2
^nd

It was 6 p.m. Akash, Sashank and Deepak came over to Prashant’s house. Roshni arrived a few minutes early from work and quickly freshened up. She was dressed in a turquoise and pink salwar kameez with light embroidery (coincidentally this happened to be Deepak’s favorite color). She looked gorgeous!

Deepak admired Roshni, for that color looked good on her. Roshni engaged Sashank and Akash in conversation, and Deepak was amazed – she was so comfortable with his brothers.

While Sashank and Akash remained at Prashant’s house, Deepak and Roshni left.

Deepak led Roshni to the car and opened the door for her. She was impressed at his gentlemanly behavior and a little nervous, for she had never had any male be so close to her. He took the driver’s seat, and after some discussion, they decided on an Indo-Chinese restaurant.

With Roshni giving directions, they arrived at the restaurant. Roshni noticed Deepak had a hard time driving on Mumbai roads – too many vehicles and too much honking! After parking, Deepak sighed. “Thank you for navigating. I am so not used to driving here.”

Roshni smiled and acknowledged his comment.

They walked inside the restaurant, and after a few minutes, the waitress escorted them to a table in a corner. Deepak had never tasted Indo-Chinese food, so he relied on Roshni to help him with the menu as they ordered.

While they waited for the food, Deepak looked at Roshni and said, “So, what do you think?”

Roshni had a questioning expression on her face. What was Deepak trying to ask?

Deepak shrugged his shoulders and looked at her. “What do you think of all this? Sashank bhaiya and your father, I mean Uncle, have already talked about this alliance. They, or at least Sashank bhaiya, feels that we will make a good couple. What does your father, I mean Uncle, think?”

“I think he agrees.”

After a few minutes of casual conversation, Roshni felt comfortable enough to ask Deepak about his job, his company and a few other things. Deepak gave her all the details – the school he graduated from, his degree, job – and Roshni listened without interrupting.

After he was done, Roshni asked, “Would you mind if I asked you one more question?”

Deepak nodded.

“What are your expectations of your wife?”

Deepak was caught off guard. He never expected this question from her. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Roshni with an expression as to why she asked this question.

Roshni jolted a little and wondered if Deepak was offended.

She continued, “Forgive me for asking this, but as we discussed, our elders agree we make a good couple. However, it is important for me to know your expectations of your life partner. And the same is true with you, right?”

Deepak could not deny it but was impressed with Roshni’s openness. He got a glimpse of her personality: respectful of elders, good family values, very open and very assertive.

This may be a good opportunity for me to talk to Roshni about my ideas on arranged marriages, and depending upon the conversation, I could talk about Karen,
he thought.

The food arrived, and as they ate, Deepak shared his ideas of what he looked for – education, independence, family values – and then he talked about his worries regarding compatibility. Roshni felt comfortable since she fit these ‘requirements’. She knew she was extremely flexible, so compatibility was not an issue for her. The discussion continued for some time, and unawares, he got distracted and talked about his brothers, the family history and how Sashank bhaiya and Akash bhaiya had little respect and regard for most women. Roshni was aware of these details since her babuji already talked to her, but she listened patiently. Both were at ease with each other. They discussed various topics, and it was 9:30 p.m. when they decided to leave.

The return drive was better, with less traffic on the road, and Roshni navigated him back to her house.

As they entered, Sashank asked, “How was the dinner? I hope you both had a good time?”

Roshni and Deepak looked at each other and nodded ‘yes’.

~ ~ ~

As Sashank drove the brothers home, he was restless. “So what do you think?” he asked.

Deepak was startled that Sashank asked this question so soon. He gathered himself. “About what?”

“C’mon, Deepak, you know what I’m asking about.” He turned and smiled at Akash behind him in the back seat.

Deepak looked at both his brothers. “She seems like a nice girl, as both of you mentioned, matured and good looking, and she seems to be very respectful of elders.”

Sashank waited for a few seconds. “So…shall we assume you like her and would like to move ahead with this alliance?”

“Oh no! Not yet. I knew this was coming. Please, Sashank bhaiya, shall we talk about the details later. Give me some time to think about this, please,” Deepak requested.

“Okay, how about tomorrow evening? I want your answer by then.”

Deepak looked at Sashank bhaiya and nodded.
Unbelievable!

~ ~ ~

At Roshni’s house, a similar discussion was taking place.

“Roshni bete, what do you think? Do you have any questions or concerns about Deepak?”

“Babuji, let Deepak respond first. I need some time to think about this.”

“Sure, how about tomorrow evening? Will you be able to tell me by then?”

“Yes.”

And both retired for the night.

Roshni lay on the bed and thought of her conversations with Deepak. He was handsome, good looking, well educated and had a decent job. She thought of his views of his wife and involuntarily smiled to herself.
I think I fit those requirements. I think he will be a good partner for me
, she convinced herself and dozed off.

~ ~ ~

December 3
^rd

Deepak’s residence

When Sashank and Akash returned from work, Kaki made chai and brought some biscuits along with it.

Once the brothers had gathered around the table, Sashank asked, “So, Deepak, what have you decided?”

Deepak was annoyed that this topic was still being discussed. He asked, “Is it regarding my marriage?”

“Yes, you met Roshni, talked with her for some time, so what do you think? You mentioned you liked her, so…?”

“Sashank bhaiya…can I make a suggestion?”

Sashank motioned for him to continue.

“Assuming Roshni is also okay with this, can Roshni and I get engaged now, and I will come back in six months or one year and then marry her. Like I said before, I am not comfortable agreeing to this relationship at this time.”

“Again the same subject!” Sashank rolled his eyes.

“Deepak, what is your problem?” Sashank came to him and placed his arm around Deepak’s shoulders. “Listen, I have already explained that if you lived here in India, engagement now and marriage later would make sense. However, you living in the US does not leave us with this option. There are VISA formalities that need to be addressed. This means Roshni cannot join you for six months or even a year, right? So, this adds up to the time you have been talking anyways. If you delay now, there will be a further delay with her VISA formalities. Don’t you agree?”

Deepak agreed.

“If you are not interested in her, then that is a separate issue. But if you like her, then why delay?” Sashank added, “Moreover, it will give Roshni an opportunity to interact with us after the wedding, understand our family traditions, and Kaki is here to train her!”

Deepak raised his head and glanced at Sashank bhaiya with wide open eyes; something he said made a lot of sense suddenly. Deepak would like the girl to accept him and his family and traditions. Sashank bhaiya was right. This would give her an opportunity to interact with his brothers and learn their family traditions. This would also give him an opportunity to know her better while he was away in the US. All this made sense to him, but somewhere there was this inhibition, a hesitation…he was not sure one hundred percent that he could give in to a stranger.

After more conversation between him and Sashank bhaiya, Deepak felt pressured, and he agreed reluctantly to the wedding.

Sashank was relieved. “Roshni is the right girl for you. You will never regret it,” he said and hugged him. “So shall I call Prashant and ask him about Roshni’s approval?”

Deepak nodded. “As you wish.”

Akash congratulated Deepak and hugged him. “Deepak, I have never seen Sashank bhaiya so happy in the last few years. He deserves this happiness. Thank you!”

Deepak acknowledged his brother’s comment. He was apprehensive of this arranged marriage formality but was satisfied that this made Sashank bhaiya cheerful.

~ ~ ~

At the breakfast table, Prashant asked, “Roshni, did you think about the alliance? Do you like Deepak?”

“Babuji, he seems like a nice person…but let’s wait for him to respond first,” she said and left for work.

Prashant did not pressure her.

Prashant received a call that evening from Sashank, informing him of Deepak’s approval for this alliance, and wanting to find out Roshni’s opinion. Roshni returned from work at this time and noticed her father in a joyful mood, and she assumed the call was from Sashank bhaiya. Prashant talked with Roshni, and she also gave her agreement to marry Deepak. Prashant was ecstatic and hugged her; he reassured her that everything would be all right.

In less than half an hour, Prashant called Sashank and informed him that Roshni also approved, and both the elders immediately started preparations for the marriage. Deepak and Roshni overheard them confirm December 14
^th
as the date, as they had planned before. They listened with awe; the extent of planning that was done prior to their meeting was unbelievable!