HER TRUE SOULMATE

The Return

"What the f*ck is this?! I just don't want to get married. But I was looking for accommodations. Am I crazy?" Laya grumbled under her breath. Nevertheless, she walked ahead to talk with the hotel manager. It all started a week ago.

A week Ago.....

        Laya Pasupuleti, a twenty-two-year-old who graduated from college a year ago, chose a different path from her business-oriented brothers by pursuing design at the Madras Institute of Fashion and Technology in Chennai. Currently on a job hunt, she received a call from her parents asking her to return to Hyderabad from Chennai. They explained that they were organizing a pooja at home to dispel a streak of bad luck that had plagued them in recent years.

            Laya's family adhered strictly to orthodox beliefs, to the extent that she found herself devoid of even basic freedoms like having friends. Feeling stifled and lacking personal space, she made a deliberate choice to live far away from them. When she applied to the top interior design college in Chennai after completing her intermediate, her parents opposed her decision, except for her older and younger brothers. In line with typical Indian family dynamics, Laya's parents tended to listen primarily to their sons. It was only after her elder brother assured them that he would look after Laya, given that he too was residing in Chennai for work, that they relented and allowed her to pursue her aspirations.

              But when she left her home, she got an earful of instructions, or maybe it would be better to say orders from them. Returning means no space, no freedom, and lots of restrictions. It's not that she hated her family. It's that Laya felt she needed the space to make her own decisions on tiny things. Even if she wants to have ice cream, she has to ask her elder uncle, her aunts, and bring one of the males from their house. To enjoy one ice cream, she has to go through so many people. And it's not even about the problem of money, but their overprotectiveness. 

             That was why she only returned home once a year, but in her final year, she didn't even go to her house in the name of being serious in the final year. After that, she got an internship and started doing it. Two months ago, she was done with her internship and was offered a permanent position. But she rejected it, hoping to work for her brother's company. In fact, it's not his brother's company alone. It's hers too. After her father passed away, all his shares went to her. Even though she was not interested in management, she likes to design. This was her first time returning home after nearly two years.

               Laya sighed as she thought about her parents while continuing her journey. She felt grateful that her older brother had accompanied her to the railway station. Coming from a large joint family, she had always yearned for independence. Her mother had passed away shortly after her birth due to health complications, followed by her father four years later in an accident. Six years ago, her brother also tragically died in a road accident. Technically orphaned, she found solace in her elder uncle and the rest of the family, who never let her feel alone, despite their overprotectiveness. The only discordant note in their otherwise harmonious family was her youngest uncle, Rama Krishna, who harbored designs on her inheritance from her parents. Fortunately, her elder uncle safeguarded both her and her inheritance from any potential threats.

                Lost in her thoughts, she gazed at the train, seeing it wind like a large snake with compartments resembling its tail, constantly making u-turns. Unbeknownst to her, just as the train changed its course, her life too had taken a significant u-turn upon returning home.

               After nearly a day of travel, Laya felt sore all over her body. If not for her mother's call, she would have attended an interview. Even though she knew she might not get selected, she badly wanted to try, as she felt like trying. Because it was her dream company. Yes, she wanted to work in their family business, but before that, she wanted to work somewhere formally and gain some experience. She saw her elder sister-in-law marrying her brother at a young age. They both have an eight-year age gap between them, her elder brother is thirty one, while her sister-in-law is only twenty-three and a mother of a child.

                    Her parents got her brother married three years ago. They only cared whether her sister-in-law had enough dowry and had good connections and wealth. They didn't give a damn to her age or her feelings. Her sister-in-law, Durga, came from a village. She only did her intermediate. She wanted to get a degree, but her parents didn't allow her. After giving birth to a daughter, she asked her brother whether she could study or not, as she had one of the most important duties of a wife and a daughter-in-law. Even though her brother agreed, Laya's parents didn't agree. Because they wanted a grandson, but she gave a granddaughter to them. Durga was now trying to get pregnant and give birth to a son.

                      Even though her brother was cold looking and aloof, he made her study distance education, without his parents knowledge. After all, they were living in Chennai, and her parents were in Hyderabad, Telangana. How would they know about this?

                        At the thought of her sister-in-law, Laya sighed once again. She was determined not to follow the same path; she wanted a job and to live as an independent and respected woman. Equality with her future husband was paramount to her. Laya intended to marry only after feeling confident enough to live without relying on anyone else. Her sister-in-law and her brother were almost on the verge of divorcing back in the day. Her parents doesn't know but she knew it. But by god's grace, they made it up. Those were also the days, Durga cried that she was useless for having a job. That was an eye opener to her. 

                        She shook her head, adjusting her high ponytail. Hailing a cab to Secunderabad station, she smiled as she recognized the familiar surroundings of her home in Vanasthalipuram. Arriving at her destination, she paid the fare and retrieved her luggage. The family driver greeted her warmly as she entered, offering to assist with her bags.

                       "How are you, Uncle? All good? Is your health good? Why didn't you come to pick me up?" She asked him with a complaining voice. "I am good beta," he answered refusing to answer the last question.

                        Laya felt something was off but she didn't probe in. He was tense unnecessarily, and his steps were faltering too. "Are you okay, Uncle? I can carry them," Laya said, trying to take her luggage. "No, no. I am fine. You should go in first, your Rama Krishna uncle is coming now," he said, pointing to the car which was entering their mansion. Feeling scared, she took hurried steps inside her home, forgetting her questions for Ramu uncle.