Entwined Lives

XVII

It was settled. ''Mytla weds Belot''.
The parents were happy, the destiny cards proven decently compatible. The formal engagement was scheduled for 30th of April and the wedding, 5th of June.The union of Mytla and Belot was programmed to destine.

Belot, 27 had been settled in New Delhi. There, he worked with a cosmetics company. Ms.Mytla was supposedly very lucky to have landed such a bright boy. Her parents didn't think he was bright because he was loving or caring or smart for that matter, not that he wasn't but 'bright' for them was the one who earned beyond enough. Ms.Mytla would have to move to New Delhi once they got married.
The groom's parents were equally satisfied with the match. The girl, the to be bride was not illiterate. Nor too smart. Just enough. 11th pass if not 12th pass too. That was perfect for them, a perfect, voiceless obedient girl for their son and a subordinate for themselves.
Unlike his calculative parents, Belot had no concerns for silly things like they did. He found Ms.Mytla very pretty and made up his mind about her the moment he first saw her. He had liked her. In the most pure way known to him. He didn't want to force her into anything. But in some rituals like surname change, he would have to in case of resistance. He was very happy that he would soon be getting a wife. A wife who would cook for him, sleep with him at night, give birth to his children and be there when he was home. He was beginning to picture an entire future with her. He was thrilled. But before everything, he had to get back to New Delhi, work for a couple of weeks and then return on permission for leave for his own wedding. He left.

Before he came back, she left.

The longer she had stayed back, the more her sanity was at stake. She refused to succumb to the mental pressures and left, bags taken , wishing a goodbye forever to her sleeping parents and leaving behind a possible shock attack.

She waited till 6am in the bus stop, caught the first bus into the city to reach Gapo's orphanage. She knew he went out in the morning to only return in the evening and decided to wait outside the orphanage. She arrived outside the orphanage at 7:38am. She had to wait, for how long she didn't know. As she waited outside, a bag strapped to her back, she didn't know where she was going to stay. She didn't have any money. She only knew that she was creating chaos. But somehow the chaos was her support, her unchanging North Star. And before she lost control over her actions and remained to see the repercussions of her decision she chose to leave behind what was already to be left. It didn't matter that she left earlier, they no longer mattered. She was very soon to have who mattered to her. Gapo. Tangles untangled on their own.

Gapo worked in a hardware store during his holidays. He assisted the owner in dealing with customers and their repairs. Like everyday, he walked out from the roof over his head.

'Gapo.'
'Sivi? What are you doing here?'
'They are getting me married. Engagement next week and wedding on 5th of June. I got scared.'
'Are you going back tonight?'
'No, see I brought the bag with everything you asked me to bring with me. That's it. This is it. I'm not going back. Ever. I'm rid of them.'
'No Sivi. What have you done? Where are you going to stay now? We still have to wait another month. Sivi. Just one month you shod have stayed back. The engagement is not an issue. It doesn't say anything officially.'
'I was going crazy Gapo. It was too much of unnecessary thought. I kept going over the situation over and over and over again. Staying back with them started to seem like the better thing to do. I didn't want to take chances. I can start staying in the PG that I would anyway be staying in a month from now.'
'Sivi you don't understand. I haven't saved enough.'
'I'll work too.'
'Sivi no. Please listen to me. Go back. Leave your bag and go back before they notice you gone for so long. Then. Leave on May 16th. Our results will come out then.'
'I can't go back now.'
'Look Sivi I'm getting late now. Go back. Just stay for a month longer. Then leave them forever.'
'Why can't I work and not go back?'
'You can. But who will give you a job?'
'Some store. We can go and ask around.'
'Im getting really late. I have to go. Sivi go back home.'
'Gapo. Why are you being so indifferent to how I'm getting affected by staying back longer.'
'Sivi you are being very dramatic. I don't understand why. It's just one month. Listen it's really hard to in the first place successfully support ourselves while studying further. And now this will only be an unnecessary expenditure from an already scarce saving. Don't think so much. Just go back and spend a month and then we'll be free.'
'I'm not going back.'
'You know what? Before I get fired I'm going to go. Do what you want to do. I've told the what the right thing to do is. Now it's up to you if you care to listen to me.. Go back home Sivi. Just go back home. I'll walk you till the bus stop. Give me the bag.'
' Gapo go do what you have to do. I'll do what I have to do even if it means you don't help me.'
'Sivi?'
'Gapo go. I don't know what you think of me. If you can't even understand my struggle when I'm so clearly explaining it to you, how will you know when I'm silent. You are supposed to know. But maybe you just don't... I can take care of myself. You go on.'
'I can't think about this now. I have to go.'

What was she doing? Why was she walking around making everyone an enemy? Was something wrong with her? Some disorder no one had closely observed yet? She was starting to really get scared. She was uncertain of where Gapo and she stood after the brawl. She didn't know where she was going to go. She didn't want to go back. She was still hoping Gapo hadn't given up on her. He hadn't. All of a sudden, her need for somebody to feel secure disgusted her. She was capable of being independent. All of a sudden, Gapo turned villain for not regarding her feeling and emotion with respect and care. All of a sudden, she didn't need anyone. No one at all. She was 18years old. She was entitled to a life without dependency. And that is what she decided -she had to reach for.

*

Sivi began looking for jobs that didn't require graduation. She found a couple but decided there were some better offers still out there. The job was only to support her. She was still ambitious. About what in particular she wasn't sure.
She saw a lady, her saree fixed around her waist, her hands supporting a metal plate on her plate carrying sand. Sivi instantly knew what she had to do next. It wasn't as tragic as people thought it was, according to Sivi. It was like any other job, only physically more demanding. But she didn't mind that. She even wished to lose a couple of kgs, and the labour job would be like a routine in the gym everyday. Before packing and backpacking off she was yet to find the last bit of courage to push her into the real world.'What after labour?' 'Labour for how long?' 'Where will I sleep?' 'Is it possible to make a life this way?'
She decided she had to save quite some money first if she planned not to fall into debt in owing to the rich contractors who would never let her go. She needed something in thousands to last her throughout the phase after which she decided she would move to Mumbai in search of jobs on a movie set just like she had always wished.

1000,2000,3000,4000,5000,6000,7000,8000,9000,10000. Sivi was ready.