Our Journey From Engagement To Marriage (#1) ✔

1. The Proposal

Preeti's point of view

"Good evening mummy." I greet my mother in a dull and tired voice, when I came home.

" Good evening beta..tired?" she asked me.

"Yeah, a little bit." I said while putting my hand bag on a table.

"You want something?" she asked me from the kitchen.

"no... mummy, I'm fine. What are you doing?" I asked her while making my way to the kitchen and picked the glass from the shelf. I opened the fridge and took out a water bottle.

"Making dinner. You freshen up till then I'll prepare dinner and come fast your papa wants to talk to you. Actually we both wants to talk to you." she said and add some spices in the curry.

"Did i do something wrong?" i asked her confusingly and pore some water in my glass from the bottle.

"Why do you always think that you do something wrong. He just wants to talk to you." she said and looked at me.

"Yeah because he always scolded me without any reason." i said with a smile while drinking a water from glass.

"That's his way to show a love towards you." she said in a understanding tone and gave me smile.

"I know mummy... just kidding. I love him too." I said while washing the glass and put it back in the shelf.

I looked at her last time and turn around to go to my room upstairs.
...........

After dinner I, papa and mummy sitting in the living room having ice cream, vanilla my favorite.

Papa clear his throat,"ahem..ahmm"

"preeti, beta I want to talk to you something important. " Papa said while maintaining his poker face.

"Beta you know, your sister shivani got married at your age and I and your mother know that this is the perfect time to think about your marriage too." Papa looked serious.

His words are filled with warmth but at the same time they are giving me deja-vu. Papa wasn't the person who get frank to someone. Shivani di Anshul has his way with him and make him smile but I feared from Papa since my childhood. If he asked me to jump from the cliff, I'll do it without giving a second thought, in a fear that he will scold me, if I don't jump. But mummy always be my side. Mummy and I never share a bond of daughter and mother but she always takes my side when papa scolds me or my little brother plan to teas me.

Shivani di got married to Anit jiju when I was fifteen and now she has two beautiful kids, Abhi and Shreya. She has a beautiful family. I don't have any reason to deny from the marriage but still it gives me goosebumps if I think about myself to get marry.

Who wants to get marry to the girl who is just an ordinary and have nothing special.

In my family, there is a thinking that if you had a good secure job then you will find a batter groom otherwise you will get marry to the person who may not as respectful as other son-in-law in the family and this things fears me the most. I don't have any secure job, where sometimes my colleagues are disrespectful to me and I don't want this for my husband. I have no any wish that my husband will be super rich or have any good position in some firm. I will be happy if he is a clerk in a small firm. I want him to give me respect and my family loves him and adore him as much as they adore Anit jiju.

I am not ready for the marriage because I know, I am going to be rejected by the person itself.

" I know papa, but I don't know if I'm ready for the marriage or not." I told to my parents honestly.

Mummy hold my hands in her hands and said, "beta their is not a thing of perfect time, jo aucha hona hata hai wo ho jata hai.(if anything good happen, it happens), you always get confused until you won't meet a person, you want to marry."

"Last week I met my old friend Malhotra ji, you know him right?"papa asked me.

"Yes I know him." I nodded my head as yes.

"hmm..he told me about Kapoor family. They live in New York(U.S.A.). I met mr.Kapoor once when he came to India in Shivani's wedding. He is a gentleman. He have a son name Siddharth and daughter keerti. Mr. Malhotra asked your hand for Siddharth. Malhotra ji is a close friend to Kapoor's family." Papa said with a smile on his face. This is the first time he smile in this conversation.

"I already send your photo to Malhotra ji. Malhotraji called me today and told me that mr.and mrs. kapoor liked your photo and they wants to meet you on next sunday. Preeti I know this is a big decision of your life but beta somewhere my heart is telling me that Siddharth is the one who will make you happy forever. So what is your decision." Papa asked me.

My parents looking at me with hope.

When I was preparing for my government exams, somewhere I know, I won't be able to crack these government exams but my family shows their trust on me and motivated me to keep going but I gave up. No one said me anything regarding to that but I know I disappointed my family, especially Papa.

Papa leave our village and come to the city because of us. He wanted to give his children best education and facilities, so that we all three stood on our legs and be financially independent. Shivani di and Anshul fulfill their promises but I left behind and J feel guilty for that till now. Though I was doing a private job but I know, Papa wasn't satisfy in this.

Maybe I am not ready for the marriage but if my family wants me to get marry then I will marry the person whom my family chose for me. I belongs to middle class and orthodox family and I know how much pressure on the parents when their children reached at the marriage age especially girls. I don't want to be burden on my family more and want them to reveal from this burden.

"Papa I don't know what is good or bad for me but I know one thing you chose the best for me in all over the world. If you think this is best for me then yes from my side as well." I told my parents with a smile.

Mummy happily hug me and kissed on my forehead.

"I knew, you will say yes." Papa caresing my head.