HER LAST WISH

Part 2

I had heard the unexpected. It was something that I had heard of only on Doordarshan advertisements. Was it the news that could change my fate? Well, that was not the only struggle I had been though.
     I had been a looser all my life. My grades in school were consistent between forty and fifty percent. Somehow my life half never crossed the threshold of fifty percent. I had prepared for five yearsfor IAS/PCS and I was sure that the IAS is beyond my capacity . However, it took five attempts for my father to realize the same thing. I still wonder how I cleared the prelims and main examination of PCS once, which had added two extra years of hope for my father.
     I had applied for many government jobs and successfully managed to clear a few written exams as well. The most horrifying part of my life was facing an interview - when five pairs of eyes stare at a person as if they are about to post-mortem him, it becomes difficult for the person to even open his mouth.
     At the age of thirty, I realized that I wouldn't be elligible for any government job anymore. My journalist mother helped me to get the job of an Asst. Professor in Sriram College of Arts, Science and Commerce. It was really embarrassing for me that even at the age of thirty, I had to use my mom's reference, and that too for an ad-hoc job. But iI had no other choice.
     Generally, parents are at peace once their kid settles down in his professional life. But my parents were more worried after my appointment, for the next question was - who would marry such a loser?
     An extraordinary profile with fancy details was created on online matchmaking forums. Brahmin boy of height five feet eight inches, fair complexion, smart, age twenty nine, full-time professor at Sriram College, father works in the police department, mother is a senior editor of famous newspaper, own house, et al. I hated most of the above the last line which was bold - No Dowry.
     After readimg this advertisement on Shaadi.com, confronted my mother,"Mom, this ad is full of lies."
       "What lies?" She asked
       "Everything"
       "You don't worry about all these things . Leave it to me." This is how my parents behaved.
      "You mentioned that my complexion is fair. My photo will prove otherwise."
       "That is not a lie!" she protested in a serious tone. Her raised voice silenced me.
     A year passed by, but my age in the matrimony site remained twenty nine. I met almost a dozen girls. A few showed interest in me, but later denied the proposal. Some would ask me to meet , few would talk to me over the phone and we even went to the homes of a few. But each one of them denied eventually .
     Whomesoever I met personally, I would tell them that I was not a rich guy and that I was just an ad hoc assistant professor. That would help them in making their decision, but it wasn't helping my family. I knew the reason, but somehow my parents were denial untill they met Astha.

                          ●●●

"Vijay, please dress up. We are going out for a lunch," my mother instructed me one fine morning while I was lazying around peacefully. My intelligent mind immediately decoded the intention behind this lunch- another girl-seeing program!
       "She is athe daughter of one of my old friends and knows everything about you."
     I was left wondering what was covered in this everything.' Is she aware that I am a hopeless man?' I wanted to ask