Entwined Lives

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Gapo didn't sleep the entire night. The very thought of a single meeting deciding lives seemed tumultuous. He was up even before the earliest bird, dressed up in one of his smartest clothes and left from the orphanage for Ms.Mytla's village.

He reached well before the decided time, 10am, at 8. He felt that since the meeting had high stakes, it demanded some more preparation or at least some more time with Ms.Mytla before both their destinies were decided forever.

He had never been to Ms.Mytla's village before and thus, had not a clue of her house's whereabouts. The plan was to anyway, find the house on his own. He knew that the house was about one of the closest to where the bus drops off. Narrowed to around 20 houses, his next clue was that it would have a pink,green,yellow and orange rangoli outside the door. Continuing to note houses and refer his observations to Ms.Mytla's given directions, he finally found the potential house. Only wanting to meet Ms.Mytla for then, he peered through every window and through the third window hissed to a reading Ms.Mytla.

Gapo found the motivation and optimism he had lost, from Ms.Mytla. As planned, he stood at her house's door sharp at 10 confident as a hunting lion.

He knocked, twice, was welcomed inside and given a seat by two very surprised looking parents. What was a well dressed young man doing at a house of a farmer?

***

Various thoughts were running through their minds, but prominently only one that they found hard to consider, as one young man, who looked like he was well-to-do stood outside the door.

'Yes?'

'Good morning, Aunty, Uncle. My name is Gapo, Mytla's classmate. I was wondering if I could talk to you.'

'Alright.Come in. What about?'

Gapo sat down on a stool glad that they asked him to for or else his terribly nervous body language would have been revealed.

'Its about Mytla.'

'What about her?'

He could see a room occupied by three people. Ms.Mytla, her mother and father. The brothers had taken the responsibility of tending to the crops that day, leaving behind the older, hopefully more merciful elders of that home.

It was an odd, unusual encounter for all of them. It was not everyday that a young smart man knocked on a socially unpopular group of peoples' door asking for their daughter in marriage. In what awkward represents in a moment, the four of them sat in the hall silently going back over events that trailed to that particular one.

It had become quite transparent. Mytla's parents had not for sure decided they weren't going to clasp their daughter's hand in her lover's hand and bless them for a happy life together. He looked smart, gentlemanly. A proposal from a such young man would be proud worthy. But other than the young man himself, who seemed to set a favorable first impression, they were yet to ask about his social status, the father's financial societal rank which was most crucial.

Gapo's parents died when he was 8 years old. His mother at the time was pregnant, a full nine months. It was on the delivery bed that her 28 year old and her infant's fragile life left. That tragic news made Gapo's father 's heart, that used to beat for his Mrs., stop beating for his Mrs. Younger Gapo was immediately adopted by his mother's sister and her husband. 2 years after being taken care of by them, he walked away; tried to survive on his own living off streets just skimming the edges. And soon enough he was taken in by social workers and who kept him warm under a shelter, in a noble cause that had begun demanding notice - hungry homeless orphan children.

'Uncle, Aunty , I want to marry your daughter.'

'What do you want to do in life?'

'Uncle software engineer.'

'What does your father do?'

'Aunty my father and mother, both are dead. They died when I was 8 years old. And since then, I have been in an orphanage.'

'Oh. So you don't even have any relative?'

' Not that I know of.'

'What is your caste?'

'Um.. ah.. I think it is Reddy.'

' Reddy?! Being a Reddy you want to marry my daughter?! A Gowda?! How did you even think you could or that we would let you?! You untouchable. My daughter wouldn't have known you were a Reddy and that's why she wanted to marry you too. Now forget it. My daughter has higher standards - she is educated, and will marry someone who also has some standards! Get out of my house before I have to burn something more that you have touched! Get out!' Ms.Mytla's mother freaked out.

Ms.Mytla who was already in tears, had started sobbing. She hadn't known that Gapo was a Reddy. And now, she didn't know if that changed anything for her and if that made her see Gapo any differently. It didn't. He was still Gapo. The Gapo who had loved her, supported her, given her confidence and motivation when she couldn't find any, making of her bleak looking future. He was him, the boy who she loved, in front of whom she had stripped her soul naked. He knew her and she knew him like no one ever could. And that's it, she thought. She walked up to her mother and flung a palm across her face.