'SWEET DREAMS 1 (Completed) info about SD2 on new thread-98 - Page 5

3. Decisions

"Dad! She wants to come with me."

"Hmmm...does she?" His father's furrowed brows knotted together for a few seconds, then his face lit up with an amused grin. "So our Amrit's daughter has a backbone. I like that!"

"What? Do you already know her family?"

"Yes, her father is a close friend."

"Friend? And you let me...?" Stranger or friend, anybody and everybody was fair game for Shiv Ahuja. But then, was Rishabh any better?

His father shrugged. "So it'd seem we have a problem on our hands or, rather, you do. I wouldn't care either way, though if you stay married, it would make life much easier for me."

"I didn't expect any sympathy from you." Rishabh felt quite alone in his quandary.

"Ha! Wonder why she suggested that? Perhaps she wishes to emigrate, or better still, she has fallen in love with you," Shiv said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Rishabh looked doubtfully at him. "I don't think so, but she does have a point."

"Again, if I were you, son, I wouldn't hurry into anything. She has given you a way out and is not demanding much in return. Think it over, the final decision is yours."

***

Rishabh thought it over.

He thought while gazing out the window of his old room at a landscape that had become unrecognizable in the few years he had been on his own.

Madhu came out of the bathroom looking young and fresh in a maroon sari with a yellow border, coloring deeply when she found him staring at her. "Is there something wrong with the way I look?" she asked. "Should I change?"

Smiling, he said, "No, that color becomes you." Then, as though he had uttered something terrible, he turned abruptly and left the room.

Later, they went over to her parent's place, where there were rituals, rituals, rituals...empty, meaningless rituals. And crowds, laughter, silly inane banter.

It all helped him think; the chaos gave him space.

It was weird; like he was an outsider at his own wedding party. Her folks were nice people; indeed, they were a neat, little, happy family. Though Madhu was her parent's only offspring, she made up for the numbers with close friends and cousins. And she was quite popular, what with the way everybody thronged to her. She sparkled, she glowed, and she blushed, playing her part well. It was as though he were watching a movie in slow motion. No one could have suspected.

He felt a nudge on his side. "What happened, jiju?" A young girl stood next to him, his wife's cousin he presumed. "Haven't you had enough of di's beauty that you have eyes for nobody else?"

He smiled. If only they knew the truth. But he wasn't going to spoil their fun; they were all but innocent spectators at the grandest sham of the decade.

If she could put on a front, so could he. He joined in the festivities. The celebrations were in his honor and for his benefit, so why not? It was unlikely he would ever tie the knot again. He enjoyed all the attention, to be treated like a king.

"Son? Is it okay if I call you beta?" his father-in-law asked Rishabh; he had kind eyes.

Rishabh looked over to his wife"what an odd-sounding word"and she mouthed a silent, "Please." Then she smiled, her eyelashes drifting down in shy discomposure, carrying on as though it was one of the happiest days of her life.

"Of course! Zaroor! Think of me as your son, Daddyji!" Rishabh reached down to touch his feet, but his father-in-law embraced him. Rishabh thought he saw tears in the man's eyes.

He had made his decision.

4: Frontiers

"He has agreed! Oh, Mama, he has agreed!"

The happiness and relief was so immense for Madhu that she wanted to jump up, grab her mother, and do a little dance around the room like she had done on the day she had won her first trophy at school. The gamble had paid off; she had bought herself some time.

Time during which she could maybe... She regarded herself critically in the mirror.

What could this other woman possess that she didn't? People had extolled on her beauty ever since she had been a babe in her mother's arms, or so she had been told. And she didn't exactly hate the way she looked"if it wasn't for that tiny black mole, which made its presence known above the right side of her generous mouth. Her mama called it her beauty spot; one that would protect her from the evil eye. But it was the least of her concerns.

Madhu watched as her mother folded her clothes into an enormous suitcase. She handed her the maroon sari; it had become her favorite though she personally didn't care much for the color combination.

Mama was feeling forlorn, yet putting on a brave face for Madhu's sake. She knew she would cry when she bid her good-bye, but those tears would be shed in happiness. What would  her mother have done if she knew this was but a gigantic deception?

Madhu couldn't bring herself to imagine how heart-broken the woman would be when she found out their one-in-a-million son-in-law had no intention of keeping up with his promises.

"These airline carriers allow for such limited baggage," Devyani lamented, shaking her head as she packed what she could into her daughter's already overstuffed luggage. "I have put in some pickles, spices and sweetmeats, household things are now available there as well, so I've heard. Ask damaadji, he seems like such a nice boy. You are happy, aren't you, my child?"

Madhu smiled. If only she knew. "Yes, Mama, I'm very happy. Yes, he'll take care of everything."

***

In Rishabh's favor, he appeared to be making a fair effort, and for that, Madhu was grateful.

"Don't worry, your daughter is my wife now. I'll take good care of her." Rishabh sounded sincere as he reassured her father who appeared to be struggling with the idea of letting her go; she was so very close to him.

Though she didn't feel like weeping that day, somehow the tears flowed unabated"of betrayal and regret, more for her father that his dreams would soon be shattered.

She was caught in a panic as they waited at the airport departure lounge as they waited for their flight to the U.S. All of a sudden, she didn't want to leave with this stranger. The whole family had gathered to bid her goodbye. She listened quietly to all the good-natured advice, but let most of it float over her head.

"I've heard over there everything is available on credit; don't get carried away," her father said.

"Don't wander off anywhere alone. Always have your husband with you," this from her mother. "Cook his favorite foods and listen to what he says. Be an obedient wife."

And the usual conspiratorial aside from her mother's annoying sister, "Don't rush to have kids, wait for a couple of years. It is of primary importance to make sure your husband stays hooked. You cannot trust these men." That one was unnecessary.

Rishabh was having a tough time though, not taking very well to the constant ribbing from her male cousins, and she really didn't feel like stopping them.

But then he took his frustration out on her. "You better take those off," he said curtly, indicating her thick gold bangles, "unless you want to miss the flight."

And then later as she gazed at another new bride whose face was proof enough of her happiness, he startled her by putting an arm around her shoulders. He also grazed her forehead with his lips, which she thought was uncalled for. This sparked a lot of uneasy loud whispers.

"He lives abroad, that's why."

She flushed with anger and a yet unknown turmoil as he grinned, mocking her, conveying a warning in not so many words.

It was distressing; perhaps she should have accepted his initial offer?

Later in the huge 747 as she struggled in economy (Rishabh had refused her father's gift of business class seats) to crouch as far away from a lanky middle-aged man with a particularly vile breath, he came to her rescue and exchanged seats.

"I guess I should sit next to you since we are legally married, aren't we?" His blunt sarcasm made her chest hurt.

Then he chuckled when she started chanting the Hanuman Chalisa under her breath. "You would have to repeat that at least a million times before we are on solid ground again."

"But I hate flying!" She looked terrified as she wiped her sticky palms on her long kurta. The only flight she remembered being on had landed almost as soon as it had taken off.

"The chances of us crashing are as remote as you climbing Mt. Everest, unless you really want to," he said with a sympathetic smile.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well...I happen to know this plane inside and out. It's something I do!" he answered, a glint of pride in his eyes.

She was intrigued, and the rest of the journey was spent in her getting a free lesson on the intricate mechanics of a jumbo 747. Her fears flew away as he eulogized the virtues of its engines as if they were the most wonderful creatures in the world. It had her wishing fervently that one day she would be the subject of his incredibly intense passion. But that scenario was far from likely she thought with a disconsolate smile on her beautiful face.

Her only solace being that he seemed to find inanimate objects much more interesting than living ones. There appeared to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Tbc

PS: The story has just begun to warm up. Please like and comment. Will post more soon.