The girl who made my life heaven and hell like

Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

I told Pia how I felt about her and mom's I-am-not-going-with-this behavior. She listened to whatever I spoke, calmly. I vented out my frustration and disappointment on her, not even giving a moment's thought of how much she had risked, coming out of her house, at this time, just to be with me in my misery. When I finally calmed down, I felt bad of the things I spoke to Pia and worse about how she did not recoil back at me. She sat quietly at the bed post, looking up at me.

"Pia, sweetheart, I am so sorry. I never behaved this way with anyone ever before. I was so mean, I am sorry", I said, burying my face into her palms.

"Varun, please don’t be sorry. I am happier now, than when you said you loved me. You are being yourself with me, without any second thoughts. You crossed the barriers you never crossed before, and gave yourself completely to me. You have no idea how glad I feel…"

She turned even my negatives into positives, my anger into love. I did not know what to say. I felt angels did exist, and one, sat right in front of me.

"Don’t worry about what mom said. I will speak to her and make her like me", she said, with a blind confidence. I wished she could convince mom, but, only I knew how better her chances were.

Days passed into months, and I began distancing from Pia, once again. I did not want to give her false hopes and end things hard with her. As much as I loved her, I pulled myself away from her. My insides ached, my heart heaved everyday without her… I suffered silently. I did not want to talk about this to Anusha, Ashish and Preethi, not even when they insisted, seeing me looking lost. I wanted to share a confident and happy love story with everyone, not a story like mine. Pia remained uncannily hopeful which I couldn’t share. I saw the future she did not see - a future, where there is no 'us'. She even blamed me for being pessimistic, but I knew I was being pragmatic.

Love between us began to get tainted in every day bickering between the practical me and emotional Pia. All I could worry about every day was having got caught between my mom and my love. I could not go against my mom's words, nor could I let go of Pia. Amidst all the muddle, my parents began bride's hunt for me, mom, more fervently. I couldn’t handle all at once, that I finally confessed everything to my brother - about Pia, about mom, about myself. Brother and I decided to talk to mom, once again.

It was more of a conversation between mom and brother, while I quietly stood on the witness stand, recording the conversation in my phone, for Pia to hear.

"Stay out of this, Vikas. Don’t you encourage the disgrace he is bringing to the family", mom scolded brother, when he seconded me.

"Mom, please. Don’t you see what he is going through? "

"He should have known all these before he fell in the so called love with that girl.." I cringed. "It is all temporary. Once he is married, he will get out of this"

"No mom. It is not wise for him to get married now and screw his life. Why can't we give him and the girl, a chance! Let us talk to the girl, please. Don’t you want Varun to be happy, mom?!"

"Varun, will you be happy to see our kins to sneer at us, seeing us perform an inter-caste marriage to our own son?", she directed to me.

I couldn’t answer. I had seen my relatives regard our community more than their lives. I stood speechless.

"Varun, say I even accepted the girl for your happiness. Your father will never be able to accept this, son. He is already ailing, don’t bring this on him. Even after all the talks, if you still insist on taking the girl's hands, you have to do it without us. May be, your brother and bhabi will perform your wedding ceremony, but don’t you ever dare step inside the house with her." Mom said and left the room, leaving me and brother alone.

"Varun, now it is your choice. You have to choose between mom and the girl, you can't have both ways.. I am sorry, I tried my best to convince mom, but…", my brother left, giving a gentle squeeze on my shoulder. I stood alone, engulfed in darkness.

I met Pia the following day and played her the conversation.

"So, this is it. I finally see what you were telling, Varun" Pia spoke, composing herself, and holding the tears welling up in her eyes. "But don't worry, Varun. I will never tear your family apart. Let us part ways, Varun."

Tears betrayed her, when she finally said those words - Words that made me wish I was dead, rather than causing the girl, who was everything good in my life, so much pain. I did not sign up for falling in love, but I knew I got the world's best girl and I was missing her, with my knowledge.

I pulled her into my arms. "Take care of my Pia. Take care of my girl.", was all I could say, when she wept uncontrollably in my arms. I prayed that would be Pia's last tears.