How to Woo Your Bride

25| Going Baloney

A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, 

smart enough to profit from them, 

and strong enough to correct them. 

-John C. Maxwell 

Chapter 25: Going Baloney

   Madhan was pooped. He was absolutely famished and too spent to eat, although you could hear his stomach grumble throughout the night. He had no energy to pack his bag for his office trip in four hours. He stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself sideways. 

   He was pleased with what he saw. It appeared as though his waistline dropped by six inches. His stomach wasn't as round as before, and his legs were slimmed down. He was half way on his journey to look like Mr. Incredible. He weighed himself on the scale. 103 kilograms, it read.

   Madhan had no intention of looking like a model. Hell, he didn't want abs or a flat stomach. His ultimate goal was to have a BMI that was average. At first, his BMI was 45. Now he's dropped down to 32. He lost 22 kgs that month, but it all came with a price. What worried him immensely was whether he would put it all back on or not. 

   What Riya had said stung him. Initially, he desperately wanted to lose weight for her. But now, he wasn't so sure. When he started working out, he was in so much pain, that he felt like giving up. Both Sheila and Armaan had persuaded him to keep going. But what they said was not what he had expected to hear.

   Armaan said, "Doesn't it feel good that you are losing all that fat? Don't you feel more confident?"

   Sheila instead said, "When you are old and eighty, you won't be able to walk cause of all that weight. Kill it, lose it, so you can live peacefully for another hundred years."

   Unlike Armaan, she had said it so fiercely, that Madhan unintentionally started working out harder.

   Why does he have to look like a model? Why does he have to starve himself to look good when he absolutely doesn't feel good? For Riya?

   Suddenly, that did not seem like a good reason anymore.

   Suddenly, that didn't feel like a reason at all.

   Suddenly, all he could feel was a surge of anger towards Riya.

   In an absolute fit of anger, he dumped all of his clothes into his suitcase. Calming himself for a minute, he walked out of his room and told Riya he wouldn't be home for a week. When Riya continued to ignore him, he all but slammed the door as he walked out. 

   Tears clogged his eyes as he started to drive. All that hard work for what? He would wake up at four in the morning, head over to the gym, and control his hormonal feelings while Sheila overlooked whatever he did.

   Once he was done, he would shower, come back home to get dressed, and head for work. He would grab a quick bite at work, and for lunch, Sheila would bring him food. She made special diet food for him, which had all the required vegetables and fruits. Once work was over, he would head to the gym again and work out till he drops dead. At nine, he would be at Armaan's house where Sheila would cook for all of them, and he would come back home only at twelve.

   He hardly saw Riya, let alone live in his own house. He was sick of the gym but convinced himself that it was for only two months. Madhan banged the steering wheel, as his anger for Riya grew and grew.

   He reached the airport at the nick of time, avoid two near accidents. Sheila was fidgeting to and fro worried whether Madhan would make it or not.

   "Ah, thank god,"  Sheila said. "You almost had me there. I was so worried you wouldn't make it."

   In the midst of his anger, Madhan glanced at Sheila and saw an angel looking at him. Here she was, so concerned about him while Riya absolutely ignored him. It felt good to be cared for. 

   Madhan hugged Sheila, and said, "Thank you for your concern."

  Sheila stood there for a good two minutes in shock. Did Madhan just hug her? Maybe it was time for plan two.

   The two sat together, and Sheila chattered on and on, while Madhan gazed at her, forgetting about his momentary anger towards Riya. It was only then he stopped looking at Sheila like a friend, and more like more than a friend. An angel. Someone who cared for him selflessly.

   The meeting was to be held for four days consecutively. The hotel where they stayed had a swimming pool and gym facility. So Sheila urged Madhan to resume his working-out schedule, and during the night, the two went for a midnight swim. 

   Madhan had the time of his life. Even though the meetings were tedious, watching Sheila present was very relaxing. He admired the way she spoke and presented her ideas. And when she finished, he was the one clapping really loudly.

   On the second last day of the week, a party was conducted. There were lots of drinks and the songs were really preppy to dance to. While he was in the middle of slow dancing with Sheila, he got a call from Riya. 

   Excusing himself for a second, he attended the call. 

   "Are you free?"

   "Yes," he said, excusing himself from Sheila and moving to a quieter place.

   When Riya asked him if he was there for a meeting, he got really pissed. How dare she ask him that question. It was like she was suspecting him. His anger clouded him from thinking straight, and he asked her rudely to mind her own business. As usual, she hung up on him.

   Unable to take it any longer, he headed to the counter and asked for a couple of shots.

   Sheila followed from behind, alarmed at his sudden behavior. After downing a few shots, he started pouring out whatever he was feeling to Sheila. Sheila's smile got bigger and bigger as she heard everything he said.

   Feeling bolder, and knowing that there was no one to stop her, she took him back to his room.

   "I'll make you feel better," she whispered into his hair, and kissed him on his cheek. She made him lie on her chest, and stroked his hair gently, cuddling him tighter, to make him feel comfortable. She didn't have the heart to take advantage of him. Besides, he wouldn't remember anything. Feeling tired herself, she fell asleep on his bed.

   The next day morning, Madhan woke up with a hungover. He was startled and aghast to see Sheila lying on his bed. Relieved that she had her clothes on, he surmised that nothing would have happened between them. He let her sleep, as he checked his phone for any new email.

   He got an email from his bank, mentioning his credit card statement. 

$57,000

Pink Mustang- $23,000

Interior Decoration - $30,000

Miscellaneous -$4000

   WHAT THE HELL, Madhan fumed. He re-read the statement ten times before he went baloney. Not caring that he had another day left, he caught the next flight to Salt Lake City. Keeping cool just till he reached home, Madhan kicked open the door, and shouted, "What the hell," to Riya, who was coolly reading the newspaper.