Some Soul Searching

“They had called”, her mom told her over the phone, “Mr & Mrs. Nair want nothing from us other than your hand in marriage for their son, and it seems Milan’s grandmother’s last wish was that he should get married in Guruvayur, so your condition has actually made them very happy.“

“They feel it’s in Milan’s destiny to be your life partner and to stick with you till the end. They now want to meet us all at some place that is convenient for you both and discuss the further things that need to be taken care of. Shall I invite them over for dinner tomorrow night at the Taj? “

“But amma, how can I meet his parents alone? I mean, can’t we arrange the meeting after you guys are here?”

“Listen dear, your father and I are flying down today evening and the three of us can have dinner together. I will arrange a place, don’t you worry” her mother said lovingly.

“No amma, let me cook tonight. It has been so long since you guys have come here and I want to make something special for you both.”

“Ohh it looks like my baby wants to perfect her culinary skills before she starts cooking for her darling Milan” She loved how her mom called her ‘baby’.

“Oh God Amma, there is nothing like that. Now please don’t start pulling my leg.”

“Chalo then, we’ll meet in the evening. Bye dear.” 

“Bye maa.”

Cooking always soothed her nerves and gave her peace and she enjoyed doing it. While cutting the vegetables and grinding the coconut, she couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen at the Bharat Jagaran, how could she put in her papers within months of her joining. It would put an indelible mark on her resume - that she was a job hopper – nobody asks you the reason why you quit so many jobs, all they care about is that you are a rolling stone who cannot stay still at one place and grow roots.

God knows how their meeting would turn out tomorrow, whether his parents would like her? Did the meeting of the two families tomorrow mean that everything was fixed? That Milan would be her husband? Whether Milan would have his own set of conditions – she had never before thought of that, that he too would have his set of dreams and wishes. How would she tackle those?

While still thinking a lot, she made a quick aviyal and rasam, her mom loved aviyal and her dad had certified that Asha made the best rasam in the world; coming from her dad, that was a huge compliment. He was a man who believed in not wasting anything, and he practiced it by not wasting words by speaking much.

As she set the table for dinner, she smiled when she thought that soon, she would be cooking for him.

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.

A - An Arranged Marriage
B - Bridal Dreams
C - Cherubs From Heaven
D - Rusty Dusty Delhi
E - Ernakulam 
F - Fretting Over F.R.I.E.N.D.S & Fiancé
G - Gratifying Rendezvous
H - Hospitality Crash Course
I - I Love You??!!
J - Journalism's Joy
K - Krishna
L - Love, Longing & Life
M - Milan - A Meeting
N- Noodles, Nimbu Paani & A Nice Guy
O - Online?
P - Phone Number
Q - Questions!
R - Risks
S - Some Soul Searching
T - Timeless Tableau, A Twist in The Tale
U - Union