The Dangerous Trail

Vows

Suman was still having terrible nightmares although not so frequently but she would go ballistic in the middle of the night and it would be difficult for Ratna Masi to handle her and it would be only Shravan who would hold her close to him and whisper sweet nothings to her ear to get her back to normal. Dr. Agarwal had assured that these will gradually come down but will take a little time but till then it was turning out difficult to handle. Shravan had to sleep in the living room of their quarters most of the time so that if Suman has nightmares, he could simply rush in. It was more than a month this arrangement had continued but Ratna Masi had to go back as she had family engagements which were unavoidable. Kavita also had to go back since she had been here for long and it was harvest season so she had to go back. Shravan had promised to take care but how was the question. With Kavita and Ratna back to their native , Suman was left under the care of Aarti Akka(the maid). Aarti was trying her best but she was quite clumsy and it was becoming difficult for Suman to manage her daily chores with her help and Shravan could not now stay overnight as it would soon be fodder for the aunties of the colony. Suman and Shravan were not stereotypes and they did not care but their closest family members Ratna masi and Kavita would not have approved of it. One-night Suman's jug had not been filled with water and when she woke up in the middle of the night she could not manage to balance and dropped the jug shattering it and letting her feet step in some of shattered glass pieces. Shravan had come running on Aarti's call and he knew that it would be impossible for him to leave her like this and not stop worrying for her. Shravan was anyways worried sick, and it would not let him have a peaceful night's sleep.

The next day Shravan had made his decision and as he tried to help Suman to the garden in the morning so she could sit on the swing which has now become her favorite spot, Shravan decided to pop the question. Suman closed her eyes to absorb the sunshine as the rays highlighted the contours of her face, her scars, her injuries , Shravan's heartbeats went on overdrive thinking how Suman would react. Suman opened her eyes to see Shravan on his knees with the coveted ring that she had dropped when she was kidnapped. Her eyes immediately misted and not long after she was crying as Shravan forgetting his proposal was trying to soothe her. After a while Suman said "You actually found it, I never thought anyone would find it but there was a twinge of hope that you would". Finally, Shravan one day asked Suman what he had always wanted "Suman, let's get married". She looked at Shravan unable to fathom the reason for the sudden proposal so he said "Suman , I cannot sleep peacefully thinking about you always, not sure how you are managing. I can fight society and stay with you but I know you will not like it to because you don't want to hurt Ratna Masi and my Mom. We had agreed to get married before you went missing and for me nothing has changed. To me today also its about us so if you say that no you want to wait , I can wait my whole life but I am dying to be with you". Suman knew Shravan was right and with her restricted mobility it was extremely difficult to do everything on her own although she did not want to burden Shravan so she said "I understand what you are saying but you have to promise me one thing. Tending to a handicapped person is not easy for anyone and I know you want to do it because you love me and I don't want to demean your love but promise me the day you know that you have fallen out of love with me you will let me know and you will let me walk out of your life. I cannot live with your pity Shravan and that would actually kill me". Shravan teared up hearing this understanding how difficult it was for Suman to say this knowing that her life was Shravan and he said " I will keep the promise Suman but I need the same promise from you and I can tell you , we are made for each other, Ek Duje ke Vaaste, we will never fall out of love. You are recovering and you are not going to be handicapped, the fighter you are I know you will fight tooth and nail, for me, for you and for us". Suman smiled at that and Shravan could not help but pull her in for a passionate kiss in a long time. Suman could feel the familiar feeling of her skin tingling and toes curling as Shravan nibbled at her lower lips coaxing them to let him in. Their tongues fought with each other for dominance as Suman let both her hands around the back of Shravan's neck pulling him closer while Shravan's hands ran all over her touching and feeling her. When they finally came up for air Shravan smiled and said "I think its high time we get married, its so difficult for me to keep my hands off you", as both of them laughed away at their uninterrupted intimacy.

Suman had been worried about Kavita's reaction, but she had surprised her by saying that they had been through lots so although she wanted a lavish wedding like they have but nothing is more than their happiness. Kavita had seen her son almost stopping to breathe without Suman and how he had glowed once Suman returned home and she knew Shravan's happiness lay with his Suman and Suman had proved that she was indeed deeply and irrevocably in love with Shravan. So, she had decided she would dance at her son's wedding be it in a court or temple, simple or lavish, that was something nobody could take away from her. A month later it was time for celebrations as Shravan looking as handsome as ever walked up the steps of the temple wearing a white and golden crusted sherwani carrying Suman in his arms. Suman wanted to walk up the steps using her walker, but Shravan would have none of it and scooped her up in his strong arms. Suman looked ethereal in her red and cream lehenga decked up in her mother's jewels. As Shravan strode up the stairs, he whispered into Suman's eyes his vows for life:

Sh: " I vow today that I am not perfect but I will try to be perfect for you"

Su : "I vow today that I might not be the ideal wife perfect at every household chore but I will definitely try to be the wife you want".

Shravan burst out into laughter hearing that and then he said :

Sh :" I might behave an asshole at times and argue with you but I still vow I will come around and listen to you"

Su : " I might sometimes be a rulebook but I vow that I will think objectively when you show how sometimes life is better by bending rules"

Sh : "I vow I might sometimes go off the track but I will always look after you even when you hate me"

Su : "I vow to walk out of your life the day you feel we have fallen out of love without any obligation and without any bitter feelings"

Sh : "I vow to grow old with you and prepare coffee for you while you tend to our garden when we retire "

A teary Suman smiled up imagining the scene as they reached the top of the stairs at the temple with entire NCB clan waiting along with Kaveri, Ratna Masi and Kavita Malhotra making their immediate family complete and that's all Suvan wanted. Soon they were declared man and wife as they completed the vows around the fire and to complete it technically, they registered the marriage at the marriage registrar's office. This was followed by a reception all arranged by Sash and Kaveri but Shravan had just wanted the guests to go as he wanted Suman exclusively to himself. After the excruciating long hours of guests and wishes were over Shravan and Suman were finally alone in the safe confines of their home and Shravan let his eyes roam over Suman draped in a red and golden kanjeevaram , decked up in jewellery including Shravan's favorite the maang tika and flowers. As Shravan slowly started undressing Suman he noticed that she was fidgeting with her hands and her breathing was getting labored. He stopped immediately and held Suman's wet and cold hands in his own and said "Suman you know I love you right" , he waited for Suman to confirm before continuing "I know what has happened but I know you don't want me to see your scars but they are mine too because you are mine". Suman could not hold back and held Shravan in a tight hug and said, "What did I do in life to deserve your love"? Shravan smiled at that and said "We just took the vows but I think we took the vows the day we knew we could not live without each other to be with each other in health or sickness so why step back when it's time to fulfill it and Suman if I would have been your place would you have not done the same" . Hours later Shravan laid a threadbare Suman on the bed and slowly made love careful not to hurt her and he hoped Suman could see how he felt about her and how he craved for every inch of her. His heart bled looking at the gashes she had on her body, they were healing but they are going to be a reminder to her always what she went through. He bent down to shower light kisses along the lines of the wounds. Later as he entered Suman and they moved in unison and climaxed almost together, Suman teared up as she said "Shravan you have started healing my heart by touching everything and everywhere they touched with your lovemaking". It had Shravan's heart as he pulled her carefully on his bare chest as both fell asleep waiting for new dawns and new beginnings.