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Mila tha ek ajnabee Mujhe zindagi ke safar me..
Dasha sat by the bedroom window awaiting the arrival of her husband, a fairly new acquaintance added to the chaos that was her life.
Glancing at the dainty wristwatch adorned on her hands, her henna clad hands, the intricate design was now faint, withering away, the only clear remnants were the letters engraved in extra thick font.
Arjun. Her husband.
Dasha had been an only child. All major minor life decisions of hers were taken by her parents, her father to be precise. Right from choosing a major in college till the day she got married. A marriage she never wanted. Opting for a PhD was what she wanted, which unfortunately was the exact opposite of her father's wish.
What exactly are you going to reap from this useless degree? That too environmental science?
She recalled her father's exact words when she had proposed the idea of pursuing higher education. She never argued. She convinced herself that it was the end. The five years she spent studying, learning the beauty of her now favorite subject was all over.
Her father's words were always the final statement over any discussion, arguments or decisions. Not even her mother interfered. Not that her words had much value. They were often unheard. Not a complaint was ever voiced.
Dasha had lived a monotonous, unarguably plain life for 24 years. She had hoped that would change some day. But the change that happened was something she wasn't ready for.
A myriad of functions later, Dasha was married. To Arjun. A major serving in the army.
Arjun. Smart. Handsome. Also completely unapproachable. His brooding persona scared Dasha, not an ounce of friendliness. Just like her father. But this was different. The relation in which they were bound was holy, and rather complex.
Their wedding took place in the pristine garden behind Arjun's ancestral home in the presence of very few important guests. Dasha's family had wanted a proper big fat wedding for their only daughter but eventually they gave in to Arjun's request of performing a simple, uncomplicated function.
Dasha, on the other hand was relieved knowing there won't be as many desi aunties to face. Having to pass through her relatives scrutiny was not what she wanted on her special day.
After marriage, the couple had moved into the army quarters estate which overlooked lush green meadows and valleys of Himachal Pradesh. Their home was a simple one storey bungalow with a terrace that was now transformed into a garden by Dasha herself . Little pots of flowering plants now occupied a large area of the terrace.
A particularly chilly gust of wind bought Dasha out of her dream. Closing the window, she went towards the living room and switched on the T.V were nothing interesting enough to keep her awake was playing.
It was almost past midnight when she heard shuffling of the door knob which hinted at Arjun's arrival.
She lazily looked at him and noticed how he took off his wristwatch, placed his keys on the coffee table and walked towards the kitchen, probably to fetch some water. He didn't bother acknowledging her presence. Not even a glance at his wife. She knew he'd already had his dinner at the canteen and would now directly head for bed. She switched off all the lights and headed towards the bedroom.
" How was your day?", Dasha asked him eager to know what kept him busy up till midnight.
" I had a long day Dasha, just training and a whole lot of stuff. Then the boys at the base camp requested me to have dinner at the canteen with them, so I couldn't show up earlier. I'm sorry, I should've informed beforehand. I'll have the leftovers for breakfast" he assured so she won't fret over food being wasted.
Dasha looked at him and smiled. She wanted to continue the conversation, keep talking but saw how tired Arjun appeared.
" Also, there's this party that we're supposed to attend tomorrow. You'll come, right?", he asked bringing her out of reverie.
She anyways had no reason to deny his offer, besides this only meant that she'd get to spend more time with her said husband and his acquaintances, perhaps socialise a bit.
As far she knew, all his friends and social circle were fairly good people. She quickly nodded her head in a yes, smiling at him, far too excited to attend her first ever party as an adult. She'd never been to a proper 'grownups' party, the only parties that she'd attended were birthday parties, that too only if they were of some family members or their kids. Plain boring. So to say the least, little miss dasha was excited.
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Just a lil sneak peak into the lives of the main characters. I'd be super grateful if y'all could give your valuable feedback.
