Goodbye, honey :Story of an Indian bride

#Meeting

He's too old for me, I don't think I should even bother going. Sure, he looks good, but so did my last boyfriend. I don't think he'll be any different.

But I knew my mom wouldn't get that. She'd shrug and say, "Just meet him once." And then she'd just argue about it for about an hour. So let's just meet this jerk. Turn him down easy and leave.

That was the reason I was heading to a restaurant, wearing an anarkali, looking like a character from an Indian daily soap.

I reached the restaurant and asked the waiter if there was a reservation under the name Chabra and he immediately pointed to a table where a nicely built guy sat in his casuals. I'd seen Puneet in photos and chatted with him on watsapp, still he seemed more attractive in person.

When he saw me he looked at me from top to bottom in a checking-you-out way and smiled as if he liked what he saw . He moved a hand towards me and shook my hand and said,
"Hi, I am Puneet." I smiled and said,   "Hi, I am. Priyanka."

Then he stood up pulled a chair for me and he sat only after I did.

"I must say you look really pretty," he said. I just blushed and gave him a smile. He seemed pretty sweet. It seemed like I could give him a chance.

He asked me what I'd like to have and ordered the same for himself. Meanwhile he kept asking me questions about myself and I'd just ask him the same question again. For an older person he seemed quite cool. He could cook,which was incredible. Yes, we didn't have the same interests but I thought we could get by.

I guess when most of the informative questions were covered he asked, "How do you expect your life partner to be,Priyanka?"

"I'd like to be with a person who understands me. Who understands that I can't be an ideal 'bahu'. I don't know how to cook or do any of the household work. I am a career oriented woman and when I am not working I go to parties or hang out with my friends.Who are mostly guys. I don't usually wear traditional clothes, I wear shorts, skirts or dresses. It isn't that I am not open to change, but It'll be at my own pace. So, yes I need somebody who is comfortable with that." I said.

He just smiled and said,"As long as you're open to change, I don't mind any of it."

That was good. Most of the guys I had told this to don't agree with any of it. I was impressed.

"You tell me, what do you expect from your wife?" I asked him.

At that he just took my hand and in his, gently caressed it, raised his eyes towards me and said, "I expect her to be you." I just shook my head and pulled my hand away.

Then I asked, "Any past relationships?"

"No, I  never had the time. I was engaged once, but it didn't work out."

"No relationships? Really? And why didn't your engagement work out?" I asked.

He shrugged. I don't think he liked the topic much but he still replied,"She already loved somebody else, but she still agreed to marry me, then one day she finally told me she  couldn't do it any more," there was more to it, I could tell, but I didn't stress over it much, in some time, I would know.

He asked me if I had any relationships or flings. So I told him everything about all my crushes, the guys I'd kissed, the boyfriends I had, stuff I didn't even tell my parents. I couldn't afford to hold back. I couldn't paint a pretty picture about myself because I knew sooner or later it would shatter.

After I was done he just said, "What's past is past, I don't care."

"Your serious? You won't have any problems afterwards?You aren't going to object after we are married, right?" I asked.

"As long as your past doesn't affect your future, I don't," he said.

***
After dinner he left me home in his car and gave me a box of chocolates before saying goodbye to me.

Despite, the age difference, he didn't seem that boring and like a mature guy, didn't have problems over the petty issues. Maybe the age difference was a blessing in disguise. Besides he had nice abs. Who'd say no to that?

Author's note:

New story. First chapter.
It's a different story with a different twist. I hope you will enjoy it. 

'bahu' means daughter in law