Falling In Love

Chapter - 1

India - Kolkata(The city of Joy)

The bus is crowded and I have been holding the hand hold grip with one hand and my tote blue bag in another. It's hot as usual since it's the month of May and the bus has hardly moved in the past half an hour due to traffic. I know I will be late again if the traffic does not melt away soon and I am mentally thinking how will I  answer my lateness to my boss. Yes I shall tell the truth that it was the traffic which delayed me and as usual Dhanraj Sir will take this as an excuse and lecture me on my time management skills as I should leave home with extra time assuming there will be traffic. However the point is moot because no matter how much early I leave for office I can never judge how long traffic I will face, so I guess I should better start inventing a new excuse and in which way shall I apologize today.

As I am thinking about the explanations I have to give today, the bus starts moving again and I feel a bit of hope that I might make it on time. After ten minutes I reach the Mayfair road and another five minutes walking will lead me to my office. Though I am sticky with my sweat and feeling dehydrated I eagerly look forward to this five minute walk since it allows me to channelize all my thoughts in a coherent way.

I am walking on the footpath and trying to give a pep talk to myself as to why my getting married is a good thing and not a crisis. This thought has taken a place in my mind and no matter how much I try I cringe whenever I think of my wedding day. It's not that I don't want to get married; it's the monetary aspect of a wedding that has stolen my sleep for the past couple of months. Being a daughter from a family with six siblings and a monthly income which hardly feeds a family of nine in a month baring other necessities, no wonder I felt like Cinderella after presuming of falling in love with Rohit whose father was an acquaintance of my father, thinking my prince charming will cherish and in my case hopefully provide me and my family with financial assistance.

Yes! It does sound barbaric and shrewd of me that I chose to accept Rohit's love proposal for a part reason of gaining additional familial and financial support. But since last month there has been no illusion left in my mind that I am no Cinderella because my assumed prince charming has been indirectly avoiding to share the burden of the wedding expenses and is strongly advocating for a prolific wedding so that my family's dignity and integrity is not questioned at my new home after marriage.

It's only two months left and the situation in my house is one of mourning instead of happiness since no one has a clue how the wedding will take place when there is hardly any money. My parents are already neck deep in loans and there is no scope to get any kind of financial help from any of our relatives or acquaintances. Such a paradox life is, it has only been few months when I was so happy imagining my happily ever after once I tie the knot with my so called assumed love of my life and now I am thinking how to avoid the upcoming nuptials as the wedding is hanging over my head like a noose around my neck. My loving fiance is no longer a beloved fiance as he is becoming more and more an obligation to me because of my once naive error on assuming that I have fallen in love which hypothetically is true since it seems I am falling down towards my doom since the past few weeks.

I smile bitterly at the irony of my life and reach my office. "Sumi", I hear my colleague Tia call my name as soon as I reach my desk. "No don't", "Let me guess there was traffic right?" I give an answer with a long sigh and see the watch and find I am late by five minutes and I have nothing to say because I am feeling morose and at the end of my sanity and without adding anything I take my place to my assigned work station.

"Sumi boss needs you in his office now", Tia shouts from her cubicle. I know what's coming since working for the past three years with Dhanraj Sir has made me accustomed to his quirks and bossiness. Him requiring my presence early morning means a work of personal nature as I am not only a PA of his PA but a glorified house keeper also.

"Good morning dear!" Dhanraj Sir welcomes me into his office with sugar coating his mouth and I mentally prepare myself of another chore, like delivering his clothes for dry cleaning, making spa appointments for his self professed sweet sixteen buxom wife or taking his dogs for a walk in the park.