July, 2015
Bangalore, India.
"Maaa...!" Neha kind of crooned, irritably though."Please! Not now!" she frowned, flinging her hand bag against the couch. It had just been minutes that she reached home from her workplace and not even seconds that she entered the living room. Her mother had already started lecturing her on why she had to get married.
It wasn't anything new for Neha, for, this issue of getting married was going on for days now but today it was just intolerable for her. Not that she was a misogamist or something. It was just that she had planned the things other way, she had already chosen a guy for her life. The thing was that she just didn't want to get married that early. That was what she was saying to her mother. Trying to convince her from the past few days but alas! Indian parents, you see! Convincing them for anything is nothing but a herculean task. The fact known was, no matter what the youngsters plan for their life, their life always goes by the plans laid by their parents. No wonder, this happens only in India.
"Not now?" Anya, Neha's mother widened her eyes as if she heard something she should never hear. Neha rolled her eyes at her mother's reaction.
"I said not now. That doesn't mean never." Neha said settling on the couch in the living room.
"Neha...What's wrong with you beta?" Anya walked up to the couch and settled beside her daughter. "He's your own choice. Didn't I accept him the moment you said you love him? Then what's still stopping you from getting married?" she asked caressing her hair. Her voice was so tenuous.
"Maa!" Neha shoved her hand curtly. Her impertinence was hurting her mother. She too knew that but, she was helpless too. She didn't want to get married, she's sick of trying to convince her mother on this issue. "You did. I agree but just not now. No means no! I said it and I mean it!" she reiterated. Getting up from the couch Neha made her way to the kitchen. Despite of her trails her mother not at all seemed to be convinced. Her mother wanted her to get married at any cost.
"Neha..! You need to do this! How long will you be like this?" Anya asked in a frustrated tone, following her daughter to the kitchen.
Neha was Silent. Anya stood at the door watching her daughter who was busy collecting water bottle from the refrigerator. She was waiting for Neha to speak but minutes after the silence Anya spoke again. "Neha!" she almost shouted.
"Maa, what's wrong with you? I'm just twenty three." Neha, irked with her mother's words, slammed the door of the fridge behind and turned to face her mother with a bottle full of water in her hands. Anya looked at her impatiently but with a bit of hope. Neha shook her head in despair and walked into the living room. Anya followed her, trying to convince her.
"Neha!"Anya tried to speak but was interrupted with a huge thud. "Will you just stop pestering me!!!?" Neha screamed flinging the water bottle against the floor. Anya was stupefied at her daughter's eerie behavior. She stood there like a stone whilst Neha continued to scream "We're not going to get married! Samjhey?? I don't want to leave you here all alone and move on in life to have a family of my own. I can't leave you alone maa. I just can't. Try and understand!" Neha bellowed. "End of the matter. Now stop adjuring me!" she said and walked in to her room slamming the door, leaving behind her mother shell-shocked and shattered.
Never in the years of upbringing of her child, had Anya remembered a single day that Neha shouted at her this way. Anya, no matter that she's a single mother raised her child with all love and care, standing by her through every thick and thin. Anya always wanted her daughter to be successful and happy in every walk of her life but the thing that went unnoticed was her daughter was now grown up. She was no more that little girl who played in her arms. She had grown up, that she could now make her own decisions, she had grown up that now she could plan all her life by herself. She had grown up so much that she wanted to sacrifice her love life for her. For a moment the whole life flashed before Anya's teary eyes. Yes! She had tears in her eyes, not because her daughter had screamed at her but because of the fact that her daughter decided not to get married for her sake. It pained her. But a part of her heart was happy and proud that her daughter really cared for her. Her tears had mixed feelings. Apart from being happy for the fact she cognized today, her daughter's sacrifice was giving her unbearable pain.
Making futile attempts to compose herself, Anya walked to her room mindlessly and entered her balcony, she collapsed on the plush sofa that adorned her balcony. She sat there staring at the star studded sky above. Tears began to roll down unnoticeably as the whole scene that happened moments ago flashed before her eyes. Her daughter's words reverberated in her ears. "She doesn't want to get married just because she doesn't want to leave me alone!" she recalled her daughter's words and she felt a deep twitch of pain in her heart. She just couldn't let that happen. She doesn't want her daughter to end up the way she did. She wanted her daughter to be happy. She wanted her daughter to taste the flavours of life. And so she was now hell bent to change her daughter's mind about getting married.
~~~~
The hands of the clock made an acute angle indicating the time to be eleven in the night. The sky was clear, studded with stars, adorned by gleaming moon.It's been almost two hours that Anya sat in the balcony with thoughts whirling her mind. The silence of the night failed to dissolve the noises inside her mind. No matter how hard she tried to push the thoughts away, her mind constantly kept drifting back to the days when she was just like her daughter, Neha. When, she tried to stand up for something that she dreamt of, when, she was happy. When she was with Arjun! When she trod a strange path that destiny had laid for her. It was all strange for her now. It was still a fresh memory that made her laugh and cry at the same time.
The loud buzz of her mobile ripped the silence of the eerie night, bringing Anya back to the world. She wiped her tears and checked her mobile. The screen flashed a message from her daughter Neha. As a result a smile spread on Anya's lips. She swiped it open. The message read "sorry mamma" with a sad emoticon. Anya smiled even more. She got to her feet and was about to walk into her room when she found Neha striding towards her with a glass full of orange juice and with apologetic look on her face. It was clearly visible that Neha was repenting her behaviour towards her mother moments ago.The feeling of guilt had taken over her. Anya settled back in the couch on seeing her daughter.
"Maa" Neha crooned standing at the door. Anya smiled signaling her to come and sit abreast of her, instead, Neha trod to her and sat on the floor, cross legged, in front of her. She handed her the juice. Anya gulped it down in a go."Did I hurt you ma?" Neha asked touching her cheeks that were wet with warm tears. Anya held her hand and shook her head horizontally. Neha, relieved, rested her head in her mother's lap.
"Sorry mamma... I was harsh to you" Neha said as her voice quivered. Anya noticed it"Don't be sorry Neha"Anya caressed her hair.
"But mamma" Neha rose to face her mother.
"Shh!"Anya calmed her down. As she glanced at her daughter's face, it turned hard to handle her turmoil any more. The pain buried in her heart shrieked to come out. May be the tumult in heart was far heavier than a tusker. It becomes more racking when the reason is the loved one, the one who means the world for you, the perfect one! She was not weak, she proved it. Being a single mother, she controlled her crave for love, but never did she let her anguish on life reach her princess. Nights were mostly sleepless, flipping in to different postured on bed, fighting with the nightmares. He never left her dreams. The harder she tried, the hard it became. She also tried to divert herself, but nothing was successful and so she just wanted to speak. She just wanted to be heard. Wanted to drain out the pain her heart held for years. No matter who it was in front of her, she decided to speak. She decided.
"Ek kahani sunegi?" (Do you want to listen to a story?) Anya asked smiling. Neha's eyes twinkled with surprise while she nodded in yes. Anya took a deep breath and began to speak.
