Malini sat on her verandah, waiting for her daughter to return home. Even as her eyes roved over the pages of the weekly magazine, her ears zoned in the tick-tocking of the giant grandfather clock, counting the seconds for her arrival.
"Malini! Tea!" Her husband of thirty years, Subhash, hollered for her from somewhere inside the house.
Sighing, Malini was tempted to ask him to make it himself, but with age came restraint. Raising to her feet, she dropped the magazine on the chair she got out of, and with one long glance towards the road, she made her way to the kitchen.
Her hands worked with years of experience, and she smiled as she remembered the days when she would struggle to light the stove. Subhash would shake his head in bemusement, before taking over the task.
"Malini! Come here!" Subhash's voice broke through the silent house, a summon.
She grumbled irritably. It used to be Linnie, and he used to ask her so politely to come. 'Can you come here, Linnie?' Somewhere along the path, that had vanished.
She bustled out of the neat kitchen, tea in one hand, along with a tray full of biscuits. Making her way to his old office, she made a mental note to clean the house again, noting the gathering dust with distaste.
"What took you so long? I needed you to get me my phone." He didn't look up, his eyes focused on some ratty book.
Silently, she cleared a space on the table and left the tray there, before walking over to the shelf to get his phone.
"Listen, Malini... do you think we should start looking for a match for our daughter? She has grown up so fast." He began talking, taking a sip of his tea.
She brightened.
"I completely agree! Why, just yesterday, our neighbour's brother-in-law's son-" she spoke, only to be interrupted.
"My mother just called me about it. She met this family. Perfect people. The boy works abroad, but he is very cultured. They want an educated daughter-in-law, someone who can support him. Not one of those working women, but Subhadra can always quit her job." He said, eyes on his tea.
Malini sighed internally. Of course, he had already decided. Asking her was merely a formality.
She nodded softly, reaching for his empty glass. She got up and began to walk away when he spoke again.
"Come on, Malini, you obviously don't agree with my choice. Do you have anything better?" He challenged, switching to English, eyeing her like he would look at his colleagues during a meeting.
How can I, when you have only just told me? She wanted to scream at him, but she knew better. With age, she had gained restraint.
Instead, she simply said, "She has worked very hard for this job. She is going to get a promotion soon, and asking her to give that up... it just doesn't seem right. Would you give upsomething like that?" She added that last sentence as an afterthought, prompted by a rare thrust of courage.
His eyes narrowed.
"Yes, well, I don't have to." He said quickly, hands clenched.
She sighed.
"Maybe she doesn't have to, either. Why can't we look for another boy, someone who doesn't mind her being employed?" She suggested weakly, walking away from the silence.
That night, as she laid next to her rigid husband, she kept thinking about his words. Yes, well, I don't have to. He truly believed that. He loved his daughter, cherished her every moment like a doting father should, but it was drilled into him for far too long that only women should compromise their desires and whims.
For a moment, she thought of her own mother. Was this how she had felt, back when they had told her that the match was fixed and it was time to take her out of college? Had she also felt this pain, knowing that her daughter will always resent her for ending her education prematurely?
The bed shifted as her husband turned around to face her, wide awake.
"Is this what it was like for you, when you had to marry me?" He asked her, voice tortured, face twisted into a grimace.
She simply nodded, and for the first time in all her years of marriage, she felt her burden lighten.
"I never realized that I was stealing your dream." He confessed awkwardly.
She smiled gently, hugging him.
"It doesn't matter. You gave me a new dream - my daughter. Let's just try not to kill her fantasy, shall we?" She asked him earnestly.
He nodded, and they smiled, united for the first time since they were together.
********
By - deepsealife
(25/05)
YOU ARE READING
365 DAYS 365 TALES
Random"Every day has its own story" Yes, every day of the year 2016 is going to have a story. We will bring smile on your lips, We will bring tears in your eyes, We will make you sequel in joy, We will make you mourn and cry. You will travel to the...
