Contract or Covenant

Part 13

Manik : "Reason is similar but opposite to yours. It's because of my parents. There's was a love marriage too. They were together for a few years, but soon their love bubble burst. One day, my mom's husband left her and me forever. My mom waited hoping that he will return to her some day. But that never happened."

Nandu : "Hmm... sorry about that. But it doesn't mean that what happened with your parents would happen with others."

Nandu : "Didn't you meet any one who could make you believe in love? I mean you didn't have any girlfriends before you married me?"

Manik : "I had a girlfriend, but she couldn't make me believe in it. She claimed to love me, but I guess money was more important than me for her."

Nandu : "So she left you for money?"

Manik didn't try to correct her. He was thinking about Alya when he told about it, but he couldn't tell Nandini about it.

Nandini: "In a way, I think I should be thankful to your ex-girlfriend. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been with me today."

Nandu : If I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?"

Manik : "Hmm.."

Nandu : " How did Daddu convince you to marry me?"

Manik didn't want to lie to her. But he wasn't sure if he could tell her the complete truth too. He didn't know the reason behind Mr.Murthy and Navya not telling it to Nandu. Also Nandu seemed to thinking highly of Manik which he felt he didn't deserve. So he told the truth partially.

Manik : "He offered me a huge sum of money."

Nandu : "What are you going to do with that?"

Manik : "There is a land, which my mom had mortgaged. It is the only token from her maternal family, so she didn't want to sell it. I will be able to free that land from debt. Fab5 wanted to do something big with our band. Also they all have families to take care and they all have issues which can be solved with money. All their lives will be settled."

Nandu was silent for sometime.

Manik : "Are you upset about it? You don't have to tell anything about it?"

Nandu : "Nothing like that. I was just thinking. You say you don't believe in love. But you agreed to marry me, because of your love for your mom and your friends. But I am happy, for whatever reason I get to spend time with you."

Nandu : "Someday you will meet a girl, who will make you believe in love.(In her mind, how I wish it would have been me. But I am not in a position to do that now.)"

Nandu : "I will pray to Aiyappa to send someone like that in your life who can make you fall in love with her. You have to experience it to believe in it."

Manik didn't respond to it.

Nandu : "Oh I got it. I used both the words you don't believe in, in the same sentence."

Nandu : " But I am a little selfish. I will ask God to keep that application on hold till I die. I want you with me till then."

Nandu : "But If you fall in love before I die, you are free to go. I won't force you to stay with me."

Manik : "Why do you always talk about dying?"

Nandu : "Because that's the truth. I know I won't survive for long."

Manik : "If you would have taken your medicines regularly, you wouldn't have been in this situation now. Why were you not taking them? Don't tell me that it tastes bad, I know that isn't the reason."

Nandu : "When my dad and mom died in the accident, I was with them. I helplessly saw them dying right in front of my eyes. Since then, I had nightmares about the accident every night. It was as though I was living that incident every day. I felt it was better to die, so I stoped taking medicines. I was just waiting for death till I met you. Then it became a habit."

Manik : "Didn't you think about your grandad and your friend? They are always worried for you."

Nandu : "I thought about them. Initially I did take my medicines too, but it didn't seem to make any difference. So I stopped. Moreover, Daddu is very old, don't know how long he will live. Navya has her parents with her. Her parents are looking for a groom for her, once she gets married she will get busy in her own life. What will I do without them?"

Nandu : "And you. You were ready to stay with me since it was for a short time. If it was for a longer time, would you have stayed with me?"

Manik didn't have an answer to that. He didn't feel like saying no to her. If he said a yes, he wouldn't have been speaking the truth.

Nandini : "I don't have it in me to see everyone going away from me. Isn't it better that I leave the world before they leave me behind?"

They continued to talk for sometime.

Nandu : "Why don't you believe in God?"

Manik : "Mom was a big devotee of God, but what did she get? Her family abondoned her because she eloped on her wedding day to get married to her lover. Her husband left her in the middle of nowhere. I don't even know the reason why he left. Mom never told me. May be she didn't want me to hate him more. My mom underwent lot of difficulties to take care of me."

Manik : "She was hoping that her family and husband would come to her sooner or later. Nothing of that kind happened. The only correspondence she got from her family was the property paper of that land transferred to her name. It wasn't because they cared for her. It was because she was entitled to get a share of the property by law. She held onto it dearly till she needed money for my education. Her husband never bothered to look back."

Manik : "When mom fell sick, after knowing her longing to meet her family and husband, I approached them but they didn't even bother to come and see her. I prayed for her well being, but it was of no use. My mom was the only family I had, even she left me. It was my friends who stood by me then."

Nandini held his hand and tried to comfort him.

Nandini : "Sorry to know that your mother suffered so much. But in all her struggle, she had you, a loving and caring son, beside her."

They continued to talk and had probably discussed everything that day.