Shanak FF~ Incurable Insanity~Prologue, ch 1 Pg1

Prologue

Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage

Ambrose Bierce

This tale is an attempt to prove the reverse or at least give it a chance..😉😳

Her heart fluttered when she heard the sound of the key turn in the lock..

She quickly adjusted her maroon silk saree with the yellow border, the one that had caught his eye and waited eagerly for his footsteps...

1-2-3-4-5-6-7...yes exactly seven steps before he stopped, hesitated for a few seconds then removed his shoes one by one and neatly arranged them on the shoe rack side by side.

She smiled, he had been mindful of taking his shoes off everyday now;

I am not used to it but I will if you want me to. It's probably a good thing to do anyway..

He walked into the hall towards his favorite chair, he never sat on the settee beside her.

As he settled down, he would pick up the TV remote and without looking at her would say in his smooth baritone;

She would shake her head, still looking down, though out of the corner of her eye she liked to steal glances at his feet, they were nice to look at; clean with well manicured nails...then realizing that he was not looking at her she would vocalize in the negative.

He probably didn't hear her, he probably really didn't care.

Thanks for reading the Prologue and showing quite a bit of interest and curiosity...

Khanak Sharma was a blushing bride, practically a newlywed, locked up in this glittering cage for almost a month..29 days to be exact...an object of envy for her friends and family.

29 days ago she had signed her name besides his on the marriage certificate. She had gone through all the miscellaneous ceremonies associated with the typical grand Indian wedding; the engagement, the mehendi, the sangeet, the Haldi and the grand finale (her father had spared no expense); until finally her betrothed had staked his claim by placing the sindoor on her forehead and tying the sacred thread around her neck..and she had quietly and blissfully followed him around the sacred fire carefully listening to and reciting the saath pheras in her mind.

She was the very beautiful and accomplished daughter of Amrit and Devyani Sharma, the apple of their eye, and they had left no stone unturned in raising their only daughter in the best way they possibly could.

All their friends and family were surprised for not only had Khanak been provided with a very good education; she held an MBA from a leading institution but her parents had made sure that she was adept in all other various things which a traditional well bred Indian girl is desired to be skilled in. So nobody marveled when marriage proposals came pouring in from all directions.

But the Sharma's were choosy, they wanted only the best for their golden child...and they did get it; or so they surmised.

The idea of giving their daughter's hand in marriage to the well accomplished son of the most well known family in Chandigarh was beyond their wildest imagination. It was wilder because they hadn't gone in search of it...it had come and landed in their lap.

Shaan, the youngest and most eligible of the Ahuja clan was 27, a fresh Aerospace Masters grad from Cal tech the premier Engineering Institute located in Los Angeles county of United States, California, who had already bagged a plum job as an engineer in the Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena; near sunny LA.

My son makes interplanetary spacecraft..he's the man of the future; had become the proud and frequent chant of Mr Shiv Ahuja, who for some weird reason seemed to be trying to paint his son in the most rosy of tones even though he really didn't need to; for as soon as Ruchi saw her future husband's likeness she lost her heart and there was no question of a retrieval.

~~~

Chai?

Huh? ..yes please, with just a pinch of sugar (now what was that?) Thanks!

He took the cup from her hands, careful not to touch her fingers.

Khanak closed her eyes, she could now repeat every movement, every word by rote, he was a creature of habit, and... she was bored.

What was supposed to be the most exciting time of every young woman's life had turned out to be the worst..well not really; he wasn't mean, rather he was the perfect gentleman, too perfect!

The bombshell had dropped on their wedding night...

He had walked into the room late as she sat there, a shy bride in all her wedding finery waiting nervous, yet at the same time excited; to meet the man she had hardly spoken to or looked at..what would he say or talk about or do?

She had heard a lot of stories about what to expect ( her friends had prepared her well,) and some personal experiences but she wanted her's to be special, unique; and it was...

He had sat down in front of her, and taking her hand in his had said very gently, as if to tone down the trauma;

I bet that you are one of the most beautiful brides in the world but, I'm sorry to say I cannot make love to you. There's someone else...

She wasn't sure she heard him right. She looked at him puzzled as he lay down on the bed and turned away from her.

Is that it? A plain and blunt dismissal of her dreams, her life? Was that all?

When I saw your face

I lost my heart

But when I saw you

I lost my soul..