Let's Go Deep

Marriage or Proposal

On a beautiful night when the weather was pleasant, everyone in the house was chirping. On the ground floor in one of the rooms, all the cousins were together in a circle, pulling each other's legs and laughing while in the drawing room, the main guests (maternal uncles) were sitting and criticizing the management of the big event hosted by our family. The aunts were busy chatting about their in-laws, how they cook the best food in the new house. Taking up another corner in the house, the elders were cribbing about the society, change in today's generation and how their generation was so far the best one.

However, the hosts were occupied fulfilling their duties. The younger son was out in the market to bring more of Coca-Cola and Pepsi for the guests, the mother was performing the essential rituals relevant to the event as guided by the priest and the head of the family, the father was trying to handle the financial matters while hiding his incompetency to manage such a huge expense.

And I? I was not supposed to meet anyone before the right time, so I was given the terrace room. After all, this gigantic event was hosted for me. Sitting on the bed with a design of Henna covering my hands and feet, tons of make-up covering my face, a red heavy lehnga (skirt) tied tight to my belly, and a dupatta on my head hiding my face, I was trying to enjoy the event as much as everyone else. But the dark void inside me was acting like a black hole as if all my feelings were sucked inside that hole turning it into an abyss. For me, more than a marriage, it was a business deal where my father was incapable of paying the enormous debt, so he thought of marrying his priceless possession to their indecent son.

For not being able to contain my tears, I let one of the tears roll down my left cheek bringing all the memories of my first love alive. The feeling of first love which was as naïve as a newborn child, as pristine as holy water, as priceless as the Kohinoor Diamond, but as fragile as water bubble, brought memories of my love who used to understand me and know me deep inside, promised to treat me as his queen, vowed to stay with me forever, but left me alone and empty in the middle of this journey among these wolves breaking all the promises for the sake of his family. I felt infuriated at him, but I was more exasperated at my destiny. I wiped off his memories along with the tear carefully with a tissue to avoid messing up the face make-up.

I was now ready to be sold at a high price,

I was ready to marry.