That Indian Woman | √

Chapter 11

Alex:

I walked through the woods, with a smile on my face. Usually, when I came here fishing for the past few weeks, I never thought that I would meet Anvesha here too. But, some things are meant to happen.

When I saw her coming towards the river, I was seated at the same place, but she was busy looking at the sky and then spreading her blanket and what not, that she didn't even see me.

One thing which was running through my mind, was that she denied having any relationship with Matthew. The thought made my heart light. But, why did it affect me? Why did I care if she is in a relationship with someone or not?

Was I infatuated with her?

No! That's so absurd! Whenever I meet her, it always ends in a lame argument or fight. How could that mean that I'm infatuated with her?

But you are always eager to bump into her. You always find ways to annoy her, so that she talks to you. You pay more attention to grooming yourself these days!

Stop! My conscience should just stop! I didn't try to make an effort for myself to look good for her. And, just thinking, it's next to impossible. Even if I do feel  something, everyone knows we can never be together. These things can only happen in fantasies and imagination. And also, British women are far better in mannerism and looks.

Well not always...

Rubbish!

I shook my head, annoyed at myself. I finally reached the road, where the driver was waiting for me. He quickly jumped from his car when he saw me and grabbed the basket from my hands. He then proceeded to open the car doors for me. And soon we were off to the headquarters.

***

Anvesha:

"Papa, its getting cold. Should we take out the clothes from the trunk?"

It was the afternoon after college. My father looked towards me from where he had been seated. He was reading his newspaper, but I knew his thoughts were elsewhere, because the way he was staring at the same page of the newspaper for the past twenty minutes, it was clear that his mind was elsewhere.

"Hm?" He asked, dazed.

I got up from the floor where I was searching the rice for any adulterant (small pebbles mostly) and walked towards him. I kept a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Papa, what is bothering you?"

He hesitated, then patted the place beside him for me to be seated. After I was sat down he said, "Beta, you are of age now. I did not want to force this upon you, but there are many men out there who would love to take you as a bride."

To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. I was beyond furious. Marriage is not what I was looking for in the near future. I wanted to get educated and then be a teacher to the underprivileged children.

But this was inevitable. I was lucky to get a father like mine, or else I would have been married for ten years by now with a man who was twice my age and caring for eight  children. But eighteen was an age which appeared to be late for marriage. The people talked behind our backs.

A reason why we stay in the woods far away from the colonies is that the people there don't like us much. They call our thinking "absurd" and "useless". I still remember how my parents were taunted when we lived there. "A fifteen year old unmarried daughter?  That's a shame to the society" they would say. My father grew impatient with them, and left the place. But how long can he ignore what people say? What the people think, as much as we appear that we do not care, still affects us in possible ways.