I looked into my mother's solemn eyes. She wasn't shedding tears. She wasn't wavering. She was steady. She was sure I would not go back on my word. And that hurt me even more. Because I knew I was going to either way. One of the two promises had to be broken that day. Will it be the promise I made to Jasbir to marry her?
Jasbir's eyes flashed before my mind. How contrasting they were - red as blood and full as a river. She cried in my arms like she had never before in her life and like she never will. I already wanted to go back and announce to her happily, "I've convinced my mother. Everything's set for our marriage. All that's left is for you to come." But how can I? How can I convince my mother to let me break the one promise I made to my father on his deathbed? The promise to marry Preeti.
"Maa," I said, "This is a very big moral conundrum for me. You tell me, which promise should I break?"
"Why are you asking me now? Did you ask me before promising that girl to marry her?" she replied coldly, "Since you're determined to have your way, why did you even bother to come here? Better elope!"
"Maa..."
It was stony silence after that. She didn't speak. She didn't eat. She didn't drink. She didn't open her mouth - until I made a new promise to her. More like the same old promise - the promise of marrying Preeti, for sure this time.
The marriage happened with all the usual grandeur and pomp. Perhaps even more so than usual. Relatives came from all fours and some jumped from the sky I guess. If there's one thing you cannot have shortage of in a marriage, it would be gossip. Here though, the marriage itself was the gossip.
But as expected, the one who suffered the greatest deal in the marriage, and for the marriage, was the bride. Not only she had to learn sign as Preeti Sharma but she had to change her name in all her documents, right from Aadhar. Too much of hassle, isn't it?
By Divya Sharma
YOU ARE READING
Tales from Quora
Short StoryThis is a collection of short stories collected from the pits of Quora, bread crumps from seasoned writers that I've flavored to a new taste in my own hands. All of them are based on real incidents, or at least that's what the storyteller claimed wh...
