The early morning sun rays kissed
her good morning, and she woke up with a smile. Something told her it was going
to be a beautiful day. She finished her early morning tasks and offered prayers
and thanks to her Lord. Her mum and dad had called promptly in the morning to
ask how the meeting went, whether she has taken a decision about Milan, what
food she had ordered, her mother hoped she had worn a ‘decent’ dress and asked
her again if she made a good impression on him. Frankly, Asha had no clue how
to answer to all these queries. She said that they had a good time together, had
lunch and an interesting conversation on their way back.
Her mother sounded excited when
she told her that Milan had come to drop her back home. She could almost
imagine her mom’s eyebrows arching up in excitement. It was then that her mom
asked her, “So, did you like him?”
Now that, was a difficult question.
She liked him, yes. But what her mom wanted to know was not whether she liked
him or not, she wanted to know if she had decided to tie the knot with him. How
could she tell her mom that she had a good feeling about this guy, but she
wanted some more time to think, how could she make her mom understand that his
dreams are American, whereas she wants to take up the offer with Bharat Jagaran, the newspaper that she
dreamed of working with, as a hindi correspondent. Mothers have a way of
knowing what bothers their children; Asha was relieved when her mom hung up
after saying that she can take some more time and think over it.
The phone rang again, while it
was still in her hand. The screen flashed a number. She picked up the
call, half guessing who it might be.
“Hi there, good morning!” a kind
voice from the other end spoke.
“Good morning to you too” she smiled
and replied.
He hadn’t even spoken his name,
yet she had understood who she was speaking to. She’d not only come to
recognize his gentle voice in just a few hours, she was also pretty confident
that he would have smiled in response to her good morning, without asking who
it was on the other end.
Last night, before logging out,
she had keyed in her mobile number and without allowing herself whether she should
or shouldn’t, had pressed ‘enter’, and quickly followed it up with two more
lines, “my number- call me in case there is something. Good night.” She had
logged out without even waiting for his answer.
*********************************************************************************
Girls in India are caught in the drift when they reach a particular age. They suddenly face a dilemma as to what to focus on in their life, whether to make a career and ensure a living or to get married and secure their life. Girls who remain single after the so called marriageable age are frowned upon by the society and are considered a burden for their families.
Throughout the month of April, thanks to the AtoZ Challenge, I am trying to portray the life of Asha, a common Indian girl with dreams and aspirations. Everyday we focus on one alphabet starting from A on April 1st till Z on April 30th. Stick with me till the end of the journey and do tell me what you think of my writing and my Asha.
B - Bridal Dreams
E - Ernakulam
I - I Love You??!!
J - Journalism's Joy
K - Krishna
O - Online?
P - Phone Number
Q - Questions!
R - Risks
U - Union
I'm enjoying this story! A LOT!! I can't wait to see what happens next.
ReplyDeleteConnie
A to Z-ing to the end
Peanut Butter and Whine
Thank you Connie. I really hope this story meets everyone's expectations! :)
DeleteI am now hooked to these tales :P
ReplyDeleteAww... that's a big compliment!
DeleteThank you :)
Like Ruchira, I am hooked too - can't wait for Q.
ReplyDeleteAap Q mein hain.. Even I cannot wait to see what I am going to write for Q :)
DeleteExcellent write. really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by much appreciated,
New follower.
Yvonne.
Thank you Yvonne for the return visit. Hope to see you around more :)
DeleteHere the first time right now....very intersting story!
ReplyDeleteThank you for coming by :)
DeleteHave a great day!
I liked that part where you said, when her mom asked her whether she liked him, she wanted to know whether she was ready to tie the knot.
ReplyDeleteSounds painfully familiar.
I'm Qurious. What will happen tomorrow?
It seems this happens to a more girls than I had initially thought.
DeleteThank you for your interest in Q.
I think I will write something now :)
detto detto. Me hooked too but why did she give no so fast. hmmpf :P
ReplyDeleteLol !
anyway agla dharavahik ke liye intezaar me hai hum sab
Lol! Agla episode is scheduled ;)
DeleteGood going! So what's next... Questions?
ReplyDeleteUh oh!! You leaked my post title!! But then again, that is pretty obvious na ;)
DeleteI know quite a few of my cousins who had to say yes or no in the first meeting and some said yes! And their marriages have worked out, its crazy! lol
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is a crazy world out there, Love is crazier still.
DeleteI enjoy reading your stories . . Have you already given us novels? Please give me the titles so i can order them right away - I feel i could simply dive in and lose myself in the world you write about.
ReplyDeleteThank you again for a lovely post.
Happy A to Z!
-g-
Oh no no G. This is my first attempt at fiction, and I feel so blessed that you keep showing your love by reading every single post of mine.
DeleteFalling for this story and Milan.
ReplyDeleteTake care Janu, his heart is already Asha's... don't break your heart :)
DeleteThis story is getting to me! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Shail! :)
Deletevery interesting :)
ReplyDeleteAnxious to hear the rest of the story. Good job!
ReplyDeleteShawn at Laughing at Life 2
Thank you so much Shawn!
DeleteMmmmm..Milan! ;) Waiting..
ReplyDeleteOnly a few more alphabets remaining though :(
DeleteBring in the Q...quickly! :)
ReplyDeleteMy reply maybe a bit late, but the post is up :)
DeleteYeh Dil Maange more ! :)
ReplyDelete:) :)
DeleteDid I praise you enough for yesterday's post? You're one super cool mom :)
You'll definitely need to turn it into a book afterwards! Love it! And love that she was so sassy she gave her number!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words.
DeleteI'm waiting for your R post, will you choose to 'R'espond or will it be another topic entirely?
Happy Blogging!
mothers???
ReplyDeleteGreat character development
and honesty
Make this a BOOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhoa!! That is something really HUGE to say!
Delete