Enough

5

Wife.

Abhi still couldn't believe it.

He'd been watching the petite woman all day, trying to adjust to the idea that she was, indeed, his wife.

But even with the reality of her in front of his eyes, talking to his doctors and managing his family as he inched toward recovery, he was having trouble accepting it. Nevermind that he apparently had a living, breathing, busybody wife - he couldn't even come to terms with the concept of being married.

The last he remembered, he'd been very well-satisfied with his behind-the-scenes arrangement with Tanu. All of the benefits of having a girlfriend, none of the hassle of carrying out a relationship in public.

Yes, he did recall that Daadi had been making noises about giving her a bahu. And yes, once or twice it had crossed his mind that he should just make it official with Tanu.

But he'd never seriously intended to get married. The whole conventional expectation of settling down to play house and have kids had never been a priority for him. He knew Daadi wanted it for him, but that had never been reason enough to do it. He'd managed just fine living life on his own terms while pacifying her with the promise that he'd get around to marriage someday.

And yet, apparently, he had just given in to Daadi. That was what everyone had explained to him. Daadi had chosen Pragya for him, and he'd agreed to the marriage to make Daadi happy. They had been married just over two months, doing their best to make an arranged marriage work.

Just like any average couple.

One thing he had never wanted to be.

And what frustrated him especially was that he couldn't even talk to Daadi about it. She'd apparently gone off with her cousins, wanting to relax after all the work of preparing his wedding. She had so much trust in this hand-picked bahu of hers, she didn't even feel the need to stay near to take care of him.

But, as he observed Pragya - his wife! - throughout the day, he realized that he didn't really need to talk to Daadi. It was obvious why his grandmother had chosen this particular woman to be his life partner.

She was the most responsible person on the planet.

When the nurses came to dose him or change the dressing on his head wound, his wife kept a watchful eye on their every move. When the doctors came to check his charts, she squeezed every detail of his progress from them, not intimidated by their medical jargon and condescending attitudes. When his family came to visit, she politely retired to a corner of the room, but made a point of keeping everyone to strict time limits so he wouldn't get tired.

She absolutely refused to let him have his phone, insisting that it would strain his eyes too much with his surgery so recent. She fed him his meals by hand, not betraying the slightest hint of awkwardness even though it was embarrassingly clear that he didn't remember her.

In short, she took full and perfect care of him. She seemed to be utterly devoted to his well-being, which meant that of course she was the granddaughter-in-law of Daadi's dreams.

Still, Abhi knew that there had to be more to his decision than just wanting to please Daadi. He must have liked something about this Pragya for himself before accepting her as the only woman in his life for as long as they both lived.

As his first day in the hospital unfolded, he thought maybe he could see hints of what might have made him want her. Probably something about her sense of responsibility had appealed to him - it made him instantly respect and trust her, even though he considered her a stranger. She was obviously quite intelligent, given the way she interacted with the medical staff. She had a sweet smile, though he only saw it flashed once or twice that day, as she was so preoccupied about his health.