• Second Chances •

7. The Condition

"You are not pregnant?" 

"Who told you that I am pregnant?" 

"No one!" 

"That can't be. How else are you asking that question then?" 

"I heard you and Mom talk about it."

"No. Let me just tell Shivina the truth. Brinda heard you and Nandini aunty talking and then told me about it and then we both told Ram." 

"God why?" 

"Why not? What were you thinking when you decided to hide such a thing from me?" 

"How was I supposed to tell you this? You are my brother for god's sake!" 

"Okay fine. But what about Sid now?" 

"I don't love him. I love only Akshay and I am going to marry him." 

"Shivi yaar! You can't do this."

"I can. It's my life and I can do whatever I want." 

"Okay, but I need to settle down before marrying you Shivina."

"Akshay! Please don't say that. It might take years before you find a decent acting job." 

"You don't believe in my talent?" 

"I do but..."

"But what? And anyway, that is not it. I also can't get married before Priya Di!"  

Priya squeezed her eyes shut. She had half the mind to ask Ram for the headache tablet now. The entire conversation between Akshay, Shivina, Aditya and Ram; the whole fiasco was a blur for her. The great thing was that Shivina was not pregnant. But the rest of it was bad. She didn't want to marry whoever she was supposed to marry and now the entire conversation had somehow shifted to Priya's marriage. Priya was mortified.  

"I should have gone to the institute today..." mused Priya wistfully. 

"Huh?" Ram looked around the room in confusion. "Wait. I don't get it, Akshay. What does that mean? Why do you want Priya to get married?" 

"She is elder than me and she deserves to have a partner, a lover in her life. That's why..." said Akshay with downcast eyes. "As a brother, it's my duty to look after the interests of my sister first." 

All eyes in the room turned to look at Priya. Her heart sank. Akshay had truly lost his mind. He knew everything about her past, what she thought about marriage and her aversion to love. Yet, he was pushing her in a corner like this. That too, in front of strangers.  

Priya turned to look at Ram. "Do you have a pill for headache?" 

His eyes widened for a split second but he enthusiastically nodded. He motioned her to forward her palm and gave her a pill from his precious tablet box. She put it in her mouth and drank water. 

"That was my gla..." Ram began to say something but stopped. 

Silence ensued in the room as everyone waited for Priya to react. She didn't. She was done reacting. Neither did she want to create a scene in front of these strangers. 

"I personally think that you should not pressurize Priya jee like this..." said Ram after a few awkward minutes passed. 

Now everyone's eyes were on Ram. Even Priya's. Looking directly into Akshay's eyes, Ram said, "I mean getting married is a choice. I am also 38 years old and I am not married yet. Not everyone wants to marry. Your decision to marry Shivina or not should not be based on Priya's choices." 

Priya didn't know what to say or react. She found herself listening to him intently. 

"I am sorry but right now, you look like a bully Akshay," mused Ram. "You are not only bullying your sister but also my sister. There are no conditions in love. There cannot be. Love is supposed to just happen. It can't survive if it is based on conditions." 

Priya's face softened and the air around her seemed to change. Ram was right. Why was she being asked to do something that she didn't want? It was funny that someone else, someone who was an outsider had a better understanding of her situation than anyone. 

"I agree," nodded Aditya. "Look Akshay, we don't know you. But you either want to marry Shivina or you don't. Simple as that. Don't make this someone else's battle. Please." 

"Sir!" Akshay spoke up. "I love Shivina. And I want to marry her. I must have told her a million times. But I also want to settle down first. I have to make a career first. She didn't get it, broke up and tried to marry someone else. So that's that. Secondly, this isn't someone else's battle. I genuinely want to see Priya Di with someone. She has us but we all need a partner with whom we can share everything, the good, bad and the ugly. She can't share everything with me no matter how close I am. I don't like to see her broken and sad. This is my battle. You can call me a bully but I really can't settle down before her. It's not going to happen." 

Sighing, Ram turned to look at Priya. She still couldn't get herself to say a word. It was endearing to see Akshay bat for her like that but it was also making her angry. What good was marriage going to do for her? What partnership was he talking about? Did her father be a good partner to her mother? Or Sara Di's husband? Or that Neeraj? The truth was that marriage is a sham. It meant nothing. 

"I don't know what to say..." Ram rubbed his forehead. Then he threw an exasperated look in Shivina's direction. "So you don't want to marry Sid?" 

"Of course not!" cried out Shivina. "How many times do I have to repeat it? Go and talk to him and just say no. Or your ex. Whatever!"  

"Shivi!" yelped Aditya. 

Priya watched in fascination as Ram's face crumbled. He looked down and fidgeted with his fingers. He blinked a couple of times. Then he looked up. When he spoke, there wasn't an ounce of bitterness or awkwardness in his voice. Instead, he sounded loving and comforting. "Okay. I will talk with Vedika and Shashi. If you don't want it, we will not do it." 

Aditya also ran a hand through his hair. "Bhai, I think we should leave now. Let's talk with Nandini Aunty and decide how to deal with this." 

Ram bobbed his head in a daze and got up. He caught hold of Shivina's hand and pulled her up. "Come, let's go." 

He took two steps and then suddenly turned around. It startled Priya but she gathered herself. He dabbed his forehead with her handkerchief and said, "Thank you for the fan and water." 

Priya wanted to shout at him but instead, she said, "Thank you for the pill." 

Nodding, he rushed out along with Shivina and Aditya. And if Priya had looked at him long enough, she would have seen him bang his knees into their neighbour's shoe rack just like she always did.