Short Stories Collection

Along Came Love

She was just an average young girl. Like 20 million others in India. Born in a loving middle-class family, with normal pretty looks, average intelligence, a genuine heart, and big dreams. Lofty aspirations fueled by movies and novels. Especially that of her future husband or boyfriend. All she wanted was a tall, dark, brooding, rich yet loving, possessive guy for herself. Nothing that can be termed as asking for much, if you ask her. But blame it on her deeply ingrained middle-class values or lack of opportunities, the boyfriend phase never came in her life. She directly graduated to the matrimonial phase. And true to their word and ambitions, her parents swiftly found her a 'suitable and nice boy' as soon as she was of age.

And he was something she never thought she would ever end up with. Too sweet. Too understanding. Too accommodating. Too joyful. He would not get angry at anything, would call her all the time and try and smile off her insolent behavior. Not an atom of his personality matched the description of her dream man which she had grown up dreaming about. The Mills and Boons kind. And to top that, they could not be more different than a stub of chalk and a piece of cheese. She was a dreamer, he was ever so practical for all practical purposes. She had a bit of temper, he must be one of most good-natured guy that had ever walked on earth. She stressed out easily, he was a laid-back soul. And that made her wonder what made him say yes to his alliance. For the life of her, the reason escaped her understanding. She, of course, had said yes because her mother had taken a fancy, not the passing kind of fancy mind it, for this decent-looking sweet-tempered software engineer with hefty pay package from the same caste for her only daughter.

And the daughter in question could not conjure up any reason valid enough to stop this alliance from happening even though she looked all over with a bloody magnifying glass.

Unable to find any substantial fault with him, the kind that could make her parents doubt their decision, in their two-month-long courtship, which was totally via phone and home delivery florist services owing to his job commitments in another city, she resigned herself to fate. And to him. For life. They got married with aplomb. He with a genuine smile and she with a tight one. She still could not figure out why she could not like him like she was expected to, as she should. Maybe because he was a poster boy every Indian parent dream of for their daughters and she, on the other hand, had abhorred clichés all her life. A willful creative person, her mind was always inclined towards the road less taken. And he was anything but. Not to forget, he was nowhere close to her Mr. Darcy. But what was the use of thinking all this now, she thought. She was legally married to Mr. Goody Two Shoes. Mrs. Goody Two Shoes now for life, she cringed in her heart. But determined not to bring any disrepute to her family or even to his for that matter, and absolutely no grief to her loving parents, she dutifully stepped into his house as a new bride.

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Tired after innumerable post-wedding rituals and games, and a lot of teasing from his relatives and lot of warding off of the evil eye by his doting mother, they were left alone for the night in a decorated wedding chamber, which was his room. At present, he lived in Bangalore though, away from his family, for his job. She was supposed to accompany him there after their honeymoon trip.

"Ummmm...this is my room," he tried to kill the heavy silence in the room.

"It's nice," she checked it out from the corner of her eyes, trying not to show much interest.

"You want to sleep?" he asked after a few seconds, his eyes gradually darkening with desire.

Her head snapped in his direction. "About that," she spoke in an unyielding tone "I need time to.... get ...ummm... physical with you".