Fake Fiance(on hold)

Prologue

AISHA

Being 24 is a beautiful gift in life. It makes you feel young, beautiful and full of energy. However in India where I am born and which is my homeland being 24 is also the beginning of hunt. Hunt for marriage.

I belong to a typical Marwadi family and that too I am a pure Maheshwari. Well if your are from India you would understand but just for clarification I would tell, I belong to an orthodox mindset family where marriage is important. They consider that marriage is a part of life, one that is very necessary. My parents were cool since the beginning and they allowed me all freedom due to which today I am a B.sc Finance graduate from Mumbai and have cleared CFA and is now almost done with my MBA.

 Honestly I have always been a straight A-Student since school days. Coming from such family doesn't mean I don't freedom. My parents are very loving and supportive but with time I realised that....at a point of time in life when parents realise that they are getting old and will die in the next 30 YEARS! They make it their life mission to see their family tree grow by setting up their son or daughter to marriage.

Clearly I am an anti-marriage person and somehow to my misfortune my parents went ballistic after my 24th Birthday. Initially they avoided their aspiration for my marriage but later they couldn't resist it. Past three months have been crazy in my life. I was all set to have a great job and settle in my life but my parents sent my proposal snap to people.

To say my love life has been very.....um... not happening ! would be appropriate. Not that I didn't have flings or crushes....but none worked out for long.

Marriage is just out of my league. I never want to be dependent on another man. I have seen my parents fight a lot but soon they put up that facade of 'We love each other' and for some unknown reasons I just cannot understand it. Technically my parents are not forcing me into marriage but are sure building 'The Pressure'. I love my parents but they are just not ready to leave the topic of marriage.

Sometimes when I read books based on setting of abroad I just think what my life would have been if I was born somewhere out of India? Maybe I didn't have to face the 'Marriage situation' nevertheless I love my family. India or not that doesn't change.

Now being 24 is being young, beautiful and also impulsive. Being 24 when I thought I could live the best years of my life I have the two biggest problems in my life. I always thought that young adults were smatter in taking decisions than old people who soon start to forget things and also young children who need to learn the difference between right and wrong, but I failed miserably for my decision making skills as young adult.

I have faced problems earlier when I met official bitches back in hostel in my school days, when I bunked classes and got caught, When I sneaked phone in hostel or when I damaged the brand new car I was gifted. At the moment I thought I was in big trouble but soon got out of it but today the problems I am facing is by far the worst and I see no ray of hope to get out of it.

Problem number 1 : My parents are after me to get married. 

I was tolerating them for a while but could not bear when they took me to meet a man for arranged marriage. The moment he told me that I was supposed to look after household I fumed up. Without a single word I stormed out of the restaurant with my confused and frowning parents following me. That night I had a heated argument with my father and mother and being impulsive I lied to them which lead to my next problem.

Problem number 2: My imaginary fake boyfriend.

 I fed my parents with all sought of love story theories I had ever read or heard of. I told them I was in deep 'love' with a boy and don't want to go on seeing men for marriage. Initially they were taken aback. I mentally high fived myself because I thought that they would get angry and go crazy fighting and arguing with me to leave the boy. I thought they would hate him and then eventually drop the idea of marriage with me as I argue and stand up for my so called 'Love'. However after the news broke to them they did not say anything and I stupidly continued to tell them that I was in love and will only consider marrying him. Without any expression of disgust or anger they patiently heard me out. I hesitated a bit but yet continued to argue with them that we both don't plan to get married so soon. I drop the conversation and decide not to get deep into my 'boyfriend's' name or our ' love story'. Silently I wait for any response from my parents as they sit before me at adjacent edges of their bed and I stand leaning against the wall before them.

I put on my 'Please forgive me and let me love him' face on and think I was pretty convincing cause they just shared a look and communicated through their looks. I don't understand how do they do it.

However unexpectedly to my horror the words that came out of my father's lips fell like thunder on my ears, "We want to meet him."

Suddenly I was void of all other thoughts. Maybe I heard him wrong.

"Uhh?"

Was all I heard myself out.