Love after Marriage (53 page)

Deepak smiled at this innocent question of hers. He pulled her to him. “Roshni, what made you think I would leave you and go away? If I wanted to leave you here, I would not have come here to spend time with you in the first place. I would not have gone through all these pains to bring you back in my life.”

He lifted her head to face him. “Roshni, you are my breath…how can I leave you. If all goes well, both of us will go together to the US. If not…then I will stay here until you get the VISA. I promise you, dear, I will not leave you here alone anymore.”

Roshni was relieved to hear this. She hugged him again, and like a little child, she put out her right hand. “Promise me you will never leave me alone.”

Deepak smiled at this action of hers and placed his right hand over hers. “I promise you, dear, we will always be together.”

Roshni felt better. She smiled and hugged him again. She felt secure in his embrace, and Deepak expressed the same feelings!

He was in a joyful mood. “Roshni, we need to catch up on all that we lost in the last year.” He smiled at her.

Roshni was shy and hid her blushing face in his chest again until they decided to leave for Mumbai.

They had breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel and headed out to Mumbai. Roshni volunteered to drive, but Deepak persuaded her to take the passenger seat and keep him company while he drove. Both enjoyed each other’s company, and they halted a couple of times to enjoy the beauty around them before finally arriving in Mumbai.

Roshni and Deepak got busy distributing the wedding invitation cards as instructed by Sashank bhaiya and Kusum didi. In the list of invitees, Roshni looked for Satish’s name and did not find it. She was unhappy and discussed this with Deepak. Deepak tried to make her understand that if Sashank bhaiya did not want to invite Satish bhaiya, that was fine. He did not want to create any tension prior to the wedding. However, Roshni was not ready to give up. She asked Deepak if he would support her if she talked to Sashank bhaiya, and he promised her he would.

~ ~ ~

That evening during dinner, Roshni initiated this conversation with Sashank bhaiya. “Sashank bhaiya, I did not see Satish bhaiya’s name in the invitee list, why not?”

Sashank looked at Roshni. He did not have an answer for her. He shrugged his shoulders and tried to avoid the topic.

“Bhaiya, we talked about it already, right? You have invited so many people; what is the harm in inviting him? He apologized to you, so now you should go beyond and forgive him. Bhaiya, please, let us not have any harsh feelings towards him anymore,” she pleaded with Sashank.

Roshni was known for her calmness and had the talent to persuade and provide rational arguments. Everybody else was quietly waiting for Sashank to respond. He stared at her; part of him felt he should invite Satish, but part of him resisted. The brothers had talked a couple of times since Roshni went to Bangalore, but they’d never met, and Sashank was nervous.

Roshni came to him and held his hand. “Bhaiya, please…what are you thinking? It is our responsibility to invite him, and whether he comes is up to him. He did not attend our wedding, he was not present for your wedding, and this is the last wedding in this family. Please…let us forgive him and invite him,” she literally pleaded with him.

Sashank finally agreed, “But I’m not going; you and Deepak can go invite him.”

Roshni was so happy; she hugged him and thanked him. None other than Roshni could do this. Akash and Deepak were relieved. Roshni and Deepak went to his house the next day and invited Satish and Nirmala. They were very pleased to hear about Akash’s wedding, and since he was still recuperating from his stroke, he could not travel. Nirmala promised she would attend the reception.

~ ~ ~

“Deepak and Roshni, December 14
^th
is your first wedding anniversary. We have been so busy with Akash’s wedding preparations, we completely forgot about this date. I think we should celebrate this day,” said Kusum.

Sashank and Akash agreed instantly. Deepak and Roshni looked at each other; they had already celebrated their anniversary in Poona. Both were silent.

“Why don’t we all, as a family, be together and go out for dinner,” suggested Deepak, and everybody agreed.

~ ~ ~

December 11
^th

All the arrangements for the wedding were complete. Akash was nervous and excited. All the rituals were being performed before the wedding, and Roshni took an active part with Kusum. Everybody was getting ready to leave for Poona one day prior to the wedding when the postman arrived with a registered letter for Roshni.

Roshni acknowledged it and received the envelope…it was from Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), USA. Of course, Roshni did not understand what this meant. She handed the letter to Deepak, being a little nervous. Deepak noticed that the letter was from INS. He took Roshni with him to their room and opened the letter. His joy knew no limits…he instantly hugged her and lifted her in his arms and turned around with excitement. Roshni had no clue why he behaved so strangely.

“Deepak, please put me down. What’s the matter? What’s in that letter that made you so happy? Will you even tell me?”

Finally Deepak put her down. “Roshni, see…INS has approved your application. They have invited you for an interview on the 21
^st
of December…what day is the 21
^st
?” He looked for a calendar. Finding one, he said, “It’s Monday, next Monday.”

“Deepak, can you calm down, and will you please explain the details. I’m confused.”

“Roshni, I applied for your immigration a few months ago, and the INS department has approved your application. They want to interview you, and after that, they will issue permanent residency status…it means you can go with me to the US.”

“Permanent residency! What, I mean, when did you apply? Where did you find my passport? I-I thought I lost my passport. Deepak, will you tell me?”

Deepak took a deep breath and noticed that Roshni was happy but confused. He came to her and, holding her by the waist, took her to the sofa and made her sit. He sat next to her and then started his explanation. “Roshni, you remember I was here in June for a conference.”

Roshni nodded her head.

Deepak continued, “I had already decided by then that I would apply for your green card, meaning permanent residency.”

“At that time we were not even sure of this relationship,” she interrupted him.

“You were not, but I had made up my mind to bring you back in my life even before June, so I wanted to get your passport. But I realized that there was no way you would give me any information to proceed.”

“So…”

“So…I happened to look for something in the wardrobe and found your passport thrown away on the top shelf. You probably did not care for it and threw it away soon after our first conversation. Luckily, I found it and kept it with me. You remember we had the power of attorney done on our wedding day so I could apply for immigration.”

Roshni nodded but had a confused expression on her face. “But I gave you those papers to apply for–”

“How could I divorce you, Roshni?” He smiled at her confusion.

“Even though our relationship was uncertain?” she asked him.

“Yes, you probably were uncertain; I was not! I knew I would bring you back in my life. That is why I included your name on my insurance and all other paperwork immediately, and you were not even aware of it.”

Roshni had not expected this, with tears in her eyes, she hugged his arm. “Pardon me, Deepak. I-I was so…”

“Shhh.” Deepak stopped her by placing his hand over her mouth. “Don’t say anything, Roshni. I understand completely; actually…I owe you more! Thank you for bringing the family back. We were lost and scattered; your efforts are greatly appreciated. And now, we have Satish bhaiya…if not for you, I don’t think we would have made any efforts.” He paused and looked at her. “And what can I say about me…you taught me a whole new meaning of marriage! Thank you!”

They hugged each other, feeling certain and confident. Soon they heard Sashank call them. “Deepak and Roshni bete, where are you? It’s time for us to leave.”

Deepak freed Roshni. “Come, let’s go, Roshni. Let’s complete the promise you made to Babuji – Akash’s wedding – let’s complete this ritual as well.”

Roshni nodded, and they went downstairs.

“After the wedding, let’s get all the paperwork ready for your interview, all right?”

“Okay!”

Deepak informed Sashank bhaiya and Kusum bhabhi about Roshni’s immigration interview on the 21st. Everybody was relieved. Finally Roshni would accompany Deepak to the US. Very soon.

“Let’s celebrate your wedding anniversary and this together. I’m assuming you both will leave soon after to the US, so shall we invite Roshni’s friends on the 14
^th
for dinner?” asked Kusum, looking at all of them.

Everybody agreed. It was very short notice, but Roshni decided to invite her friends from work, and Kusum agreed to make all the arrangements.

“Kusum bhabhi, Sheetal and I can help you too,” said Akash.

So it was decided to have a small celebration on the 14
^th
to celebrate Deepak and Roshni’s wedding anniversary. It was time to leave for Poona for the wedding.

~ ~ ~

Akash’s and Sheetal’s wedding went on without any interruptions. All the rituals were complete, and Sheetal came back to Mumbai as Akash’s bride. The reception went well, and Sheetal was introduced to all their friends.

Nirmala alone attended the reception; she blessed the newlyweds and left soon after. She met all the family after several years and was overwhelmed. She could not stay any longer; her feelings of guilt were evident.

Akash and Sheetal were making plans to leave for Vaishno Devi’s darshan as was the family tradition when Roshni went to her room. Deepak noticed this, and he followed her very quietly.

Standing in front of her babuji’s picture, Roshni said, “Babuji, your wish and my promise are complete now! Both Sashank bhaiya and Akash bhaiya are married. Both of them are very happy with their wives. Thank you for all the support and guidance.”

She wiped her tears when Deepak approached her from behind. “Roshni, you must be proud of yourself for such an achievement! I am sure Babuji is also very happy to see his daughter succeed in keeping her promise.”

Roshni turned around and started to cry. Deepak held her, consoling her. She controlled herself in a few minutes. “Deepak, you know, after my mother passed away, he was a mother and father to me.” She looked back at his picture. “I miss him a lot, Deepak.”

And again she held him tightly and cried. Deepak let her cry. It was necessary for her to vent her emotions, and he provided the support she needed.

~ ~ ~

All arrangements were made for a small get-together on the 14
^th
at a restaurant for dinner. Roshni invited her friends, and with all their family and friends, Roshni and Deepak cut a cake and celebrated their anniversary. This gave Roshni an opportunity to meet with her friends from work and share her news about her interview.

As they waited for the day of the interview, Deepak and Roshni got all the necessary paperwork ready. Deepak trained Roshni with a few questions she might be asked. Roshni was nervous, but Deepak gave her courage and support.

Finally the day arrived. Deepak and Roshni got ready and took the blessing of Babuji and all the elders at home. They stopped at a nearby temple for blessings and arrived at the American Consulate at the designated time. Roshni was called in, and with Deepak’s assurance, she went in for her interview.

During the interview, the Consul asked a few questions of Roshni, and she was issued the green card. Her passport was stamped, and the Consul explained to Roshni that she could expect the card in four weeks’ time. Very happily she came out of the interview room and shared the good news with Deepak.

Deepak called Vivek and Vaishali and informed them of Roshni receiving her green card. After all, they, too, played a role in bringing Deepak and Roshni together. Akash and Sheetal were back from Devi’s darshan, and Deepak thanked them as well.

Roshni now understood why Deepak wanted her to resign her job!

Chapter 35

Deepak and Roshni leave for the US as a Married Couple

Roshni and Deepak were in their room, discussing a possible date to leave.

“Roshni, you have to tell your boss first thing tomorrow morning, and do you need to take care of any paperwork for your company here?” Deepak asked Roshni.

“I may have to go to the HR department and complete the formalities.”

“Okay, good! So, Roshni, did you decide what you want to do with Babuji’s house and car?”

“What do you think I should do?” she asked him for his opinion.

“Roshni, that is your property; do as you wish. I will support you.”

“We have only one car here, and Sashank bhaiya and Kusum didi use it. Akash bhaiya does not have one! I will leave the car here so he can use it. What do you think?” she asked him.

“As you wish, Roshni. As I said, I will support your decision.”

“With regards to the house, we have only two options: either I sell it or rent it. Maintaining a house is a lot of work, and I don’t think Sashank bhaiya or Akash bhaiya have time for this. The only option is to sell it, or if Akash and Sheetal want to move out of this house, they can live in that house.”

“I agree, maintenance is a lot of work, and with tenants…who knows? Regarding Akash and Sheetal moving out, I’m not sure if they would like to move out. Let’s discuss it with them. If they’re not interested, I think you should dispose of it and keep the money in your account here.”

“But do you have a tentative date in mind to leave? If we decide to sell, we may not have enough time to sell it?” she said.

“Why don’t you give the power of attorney to Sashank bhaiya, and he will dispose of it on your behalf. Do you have all the registration papers ready?”