I continued crying and stayed in bed the whole night. I didn't even eat dinner that night. And, I don't remember when I fell asleep. I woke up around 7am in the morning and went out of my room.
I saw my brother sitting on the sofa and reading a newspaper. I went and stood next to him, silently, without uttering a word. He noticed me immediately and said, "Congrats Sanyukta!! I still remember you being a small child, but you are now ready to move on to the next phase of your life" - the enthusiasm in his voice was quite evident.
Me: "I... I want to talk to you."
Brother: "Sure, I know you will have a ton of questions - like what is his name, how does he look like, what does he do, etc".
Me: "Not that. It's about the marriage itself. I don't want to get married so soon.."
Brother: "You know about our family. I wish I could help. But, this is out of my control. I had tried talking to our parents when the proposal initially came couple of months back. But, they didn't listen. The groom is a doctor in the United States. He comes from a well respected family. There is no way our family will let go of this wonderful proposal"
Me: "Couple of months back? So, this has been going on for quite a while then? At least you could have given me a hint. Why bro... Why... Why didn't you tell me about this before? Just because the groom is in the US doesn't mean we should agree to this proposal. I don't want to get married so soon"
Brother: "Sorry Sanyukta. I didn't want this to disturb your final year exams. Anyway, no use talking about the past."
"Listen... I have something to cheer you up.. I have a photo of your fiance'. Don't you want to take a look at your future husband?", said my brother with a smile.
"As if I have a choice to say no..", I said with a frown on my face.
Brother: "Don't worry. Things will get better. Here is his photo... ". My brother handed me the photo.
I took a look at the photo. The photo was of a tall man (around 6 foot) standing in front of a picturesque lake. He looked well built, not as handsome as the heroes of Indian movies, but good looking.
Me: "Looks like he is quite tall. I am only 5" 2. Won't I look short in the marriage photos?"
Brother: "Ha.. someone who said no to marriage just a few mins back is now worried about her marriage photos".
I started blushing. My cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. I was still mad at my family for fixing my marriage so soon. But, hey, I am a girl. Which girl wouldn't feel shy by seeing the photo of her fiance'?
I held the photo close to my heart and ran to my room, smiling with shyness. I kept looking at the photo and trying to absorb the thought of marriage, when I suddenly heard my mom calling me - "Sanyukta, come here fast. Your fiance' is on the phone. He wants to talk to you".
My heart started beating fast. I came out of my room and went to the hall. The land line phone was located near the sofa. It was a black colored phone, with the number keys in white. My mom was holding the phone receiver in her right hand. My cousin brother was sitting on the sofa. My dad, some of my uncles, aunties and my other cousins were standing just a few inches away from the phone.
I had never talked to any guy in my entire life (except of course my dad, uncles, brothers and maybe few teachers). I had studied in a girls school and college. So, I had never talked to boys before. I took the phone from my mom. But, my hands started trembling. I kept the phone receiver on my ears, and tried to say Hello. But, I was too nervous, and only air came out of my mouth.
"Hi Sanyukta. How are you?"
"I .... am.... fi... fine..."
"This is Randhir here"
Sandhir ♡
Start from the beginning
