Yeh Moh Moh ke Dhaage!
Part 1:
Sitting in the middle of the bed, Ishita found herself twisting the end of her pallu nervously. She realized that she was indeed nervous but more than nervous, she was scared. Her nuptial night!
Suhaag raat! The word itself sent a shiver down her spine. She had never ever imagined marrying somebody else other than him. She had never thought of that possibility in life. He had been her first crush, her boyfriend in college and after their studies, they had been meeting secretly in the hope and the belief that one day they would be married.
But there she was, sitting in the middle of a king size bed covered with petals of roses, the whole bedroom decorated with scented candles and...waiting for her husband, a complete stranger with whom she had taken vows and had pledged, only hours ago, commitment towards each other for an entire life.
An entire life with a man she knew nothing about, a man who had liked her on their first meet whereas she had not even bothered to look at him closely. How she had hoped that he would not like her and would refuse the proposal but she was doomed. His family loved her and the Iyers loved him and there was no valid reason for not accepting the proposal, was there?
Images of their memories together flashed in front of her eyes, her talking with him in the phone endlessly at night, his whispering of sweet nothings in her ears which made her blush, their secret rendez-vous at the beach or at the movies...
Ishita found her eyes watered and she immediately wiped them away before they spilled on her cheeks. Ishita closed her eyes, frustration getting to her and turning her angry, angry generated towards herself. Why didn't she execute what she had threatened to do?
The answer was crystal clear. She loved her parents more than him. She wanted to be a great daughter, to live up to her parents' expectations but what about him? Didn't she owe him anything? They had been together for so many years for heaven sake!
The bitter truth again slapped her on her face. She was a coward! Yes! Only cowardice would explain why she didn't put into execution what she had promised him she would do? Her mind went to their conversation on the phone before everything went out of her control.
It was all her fault. She had not been able to stop it. Wasn't she the one who had promised him that she would be his and would do whatever she could to stop the marriage. "I will elope if needed but this wedding is not happening, bas!"
Empty vessels make the most noise and that's what she was and what she felt about herself. She was an empty vessel and... a coward. And now it was over. It was good in a way, wasn't it? She simply didn't deserve him if she couldn't fight for them and, may be, they were not meant to be, she reasoned to make herself feel better about it.
The tears were stinging her eyes, the lump in her throat was thick and painful and the need to burst it out was becoming as vital as breathing and that's what she did. She let everything out and asked for his forgiveness in her heart and said a silent prayer to God!
Murugan! Give me strength and help me to help myself in this new life! She knew there was no turning back now.
Ishita was still letting out her anguish when a tap on the door compelled her to get a grip of herself and to put up a straight face.
"Bhabhi! You are looking so beautiful! No wonder my brother loved you the minute he set his eyes on you."
Ishita forced a small smile to twitch her lips and watched her sister in law who dropped herself beside her."I have been waiting for your husband since two hours in the hope that I will block the door and will manage to loot some money from him but he is still not here." She complained with a funny face and then she turned and laughed aloud.
"I can't wait anymore bhabhi. Meri haalat bari kharaab hain. My feet are aching as if I have run a marathon and my eyelids are closing by themselves. I have never prayed that much in all my life! Holy cow! From four in the morning till six! Unbelievable! I need my bed now."
A genuine small laugh escaped Ishita's lips for the first time.
"But you don't hit the bed ok even if you are tired. Today you have to stay awake all night and keep my brother awake too," she continued sheepishly and the smile vanished instantly from Ishita's face.
"This is the most important night in a married girl's life and the most memorable too where pain and pleasure are mixed together to give you one of the most unforgettable sensations, if you know what I am talking about. Well...you won't know...you have to experience it to know."
Ishita looked away and she laughed."Feeling shy? You can, in fact, you should, It is believed that a blushing and shy woman is one of the best turn ons for men!"
Ishita gasped and felt the blood icing in her veins. Her crazy, yes that's what she was, crazy and unbelievably shameless, sister in law, went about sharing her experiences about what turn men on and off as if they were some remote controlled robots with buttons and vices not humans made of flesh and bones.
"You can ask me anything. I mean if you have any doubt and yes! Before I leave, one last advice. I know you are very tensed. We all were but believe me the more you will be all stiff, the more it will hurt."
What was wrong with that girl? Ishita was flabbergasted! Was there something called tact and diplomacy coupled with a pinch of discretion and a little thought about respect for one's privacy in her? Were all the family members the same or was she the only museum piece? Ishita wondered with shock.
"I am a medical student and I know these things," Ishita put in tentatively, in the hope that she would stop her train finally but...
"I know, but bhabhi darling, you know all these on paper, theory as you say but I am talking about the practical side of things and my experience weighs more than your knowledge." She said winking at Ishita and grinning at her.
It was futile discussing with her, Ishita realized. She surrendered with a sigh and waited patiently for that craziness to leave before she lost her sanity. Ishita heaved a sigh of relief when she finally stood, ready to leave.
"And one more thing. Drink three quarter of that milk..."
"Huh?" Ishita looked at her with a confused look. Wasn't that milk for the groom? As if reading her mind, she immediately offered a "logical" explanation.
"Arrey that's the trick. You will need more strength than my brother on the first night. Men are insatiable in bed and my brother is no less."
Ishita had started to feel nauseous and her head was throbbing inside by that time and she immediately rushed to lock the door as soon as her sister in law left. She stood with her back to the door, a hand on her heaving chest. Once calm, she went to sit on the bed, her eyes glued on the door.
Let the unsatiable man comes and knocks at the door. I will open when I feel like it and will show him the couch! Ishita told herself. It was true that everything was against her the moment that proposal came her way but not anymore. Ishita still remembered how she had tried to dissuade his mother two days before the meeting.
***
Walking behind her mother as the old lady went about doing her house chores, her "not wanting to marry yet" and "being still too young" were going in deaf ears! And Ishita had to change the tactic.
"Amma! Why so far? Won't you miss me?" She asked with a miserable face.
"Of course! All parents miss their daughters when they marry off but that's part and parcel of life."
Emotional blackmailing failing miserably, she tried again.
"I wonder why are these people so desperate to marry their son? Who knows he may be mentally retarded or have a bad reputation in that big city and that's why...?"
"Ishu! As far as I know you are neither mentally retarded not have a bad reputation here, in this small town. Then why are we keen to marry you off ?"
The mother and daughter looked at each other. Madhu Iyer meant business and Ishita grimaced.
"It is not everyday that good proposals come by. They are well off people. The boy has a good job and..."
"Then I am sure he is as ugly as a toad! Otherwise he wouldn't be looking for simple girl from small town..."
"Ishu stop it. He is a handsome man! Anyway what's in looks? Look at me and your Appa. He is so dark and I am so fair but still we make a good couple and we are married for 25 years!
"Amma please! My Appa is a handsome man and there is no man like him anymore."
"But this boy is a gem, Ishu. Her mother is a good friend of mine and she had a heart of gold. His dad is a great man too. My daughter will be the happiest daughter in law with such doting in laws.
"I am not marrying his parents but him, Amma!"
Ishita looked at her mother broodingly who in turn stroke her hair and gave her a smile.
"We have your best interest at heart Ishu. And didn't you want to do your M.D.S? Well He doesn't mind your continuing your studies, in fact he is insisting that you do it. This tells a lot about the man Ishu. He cares for your dream and aspirations to become a pediatric dentist and wants to fulfill it."
"But Amma! What about our customs, traditions..."
Her excuses were sounding vain with each passing seconds and Ishita knew it.
"Accha! Weren't you the one who turned your cousin's advocate when she wanted to marry that Gujarati boy? No excuses ok! They are coming on Saturday and you are meeting them, period."
Ishita sulked and turned away only to be grabbed back by her mother.
"You will like him as soon as you set your eyes on him. Believe me young girl, hero se kam nahin lagta."
She laughed and Ishita stuck her tongue out.
"Yes I am sure. But naam zaroor villain ka lagta hain! Yucks! What a name!"
Madhu Iyer laughed aloud in response and shook her head and exclaimed, before leaving an annoyed Ishita,"You are crazy! Silly girl!"
***
Yes! That's what she was! CRAZY! And he better be prepared to deal with the craziness called Ishita Vishwanathan Iyer...oops she realized that she was no longer going to be called thus. She flinched with a grimace! She would now be known as his wife and would have his name attached to hers.
A strange feeling gripped Ishita. So much had changed in her life.
She had been brought up by highly principled and traditionally-rooted parents and like them, she believed in and respected the sacred vows of marriage. The moment she had walked around the sacred fire, he had tied that mangalsutra around her neck and he had filled her parted forehead with vermillion, she knew that a new beginning had started for her with her past wiped off her life but...
The man who was going to share her life now, should deserve that place and even though he legally had it, he would have to work through her heart to secure that place.
Ishita sat on the bed, her eyes fixed on the door.
The "balaa" who had come in her life and disrupted its flow should be prepared to face her now!
Let me see of what mettle are you made up of, Mr Raman Kumar Bhalla! She muttered and grimaced again.
It would take her some time before getting used to that "Kharoos" name. Ishita Raman Kumar Bhalla! She muttered and made a face! From a Tamil Brahmin to a Punjabi! Life had indeed moved at a dazzling speed for her.
To be continued...
Edited by omshreejaanu - 8 years ago
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