Episode 34

‘Shan feels you are not a workaholic anymore. Which probably isn’t true. You are a workaholic.’, I tell him, very calmly.

‘Sorry?’

‘Yep. Shan spoke to me today, your parents have been talking to him about me. He told me he supports me because you have changed after meeting me that you are not a workaholic these days.’

‘I was never a workaholic’

Yep. That is what a workaholic would say.

‘That is anyways beside the point. You also have no clue on prioritization.’

‘Sorry?’

‘We watched a movie, which I have seen at least ten times already. I was reciting the dialogs.’

‘Yeah.’, he says with a smile as to what he thought about that.

‘You couldn’t bring up this topic all that time?’

‘Sorry?’

Grrrrr. What the hell?

‘You are about to leave now right?’

‘Yeah?’

‘You tell me your parents want to meet mine now?’

‘Yeah, it was just FYI. I have no plans of letting them all meet until they are much more settled.’

‘Huh?’

‘You have to tell your dad and I am not sure how that is going to go, at least you have your mother’s support. But let’s say he doesn’t like the idea for whatever reason, then he needs convincing, besides, I am not sure if my parents want to meet yours to bungle this up or to get things going. So I am just telling you. I can stall, we have time.’

Ohhhhh. My mouth actually forms an ‘O’. I freaked for a minute there.

He He. Okay. I am calm now.

‘So you have to tell your dad.’

‘I… Well.. Okay’

Or I should stage a scenario where he finds it out himself and all I have to do is give an explanation. That seems easier.

‘I think your dad will be fine though. He liked me a lot.’, Karthik goes on.

‘You know that how?’

‘He told me so, several times.’

Does he sound smug?

‘Did your parents like me? I know they don’t like me now, but at that time?’

‘They were happy that I had agreed’

Okay. How warm and loving.

‘Priya?’

‘Yeah? Wait, I still don’t get why you agreed to marry me. I did not speak well with you, neither did you try. What were you thinking?’

‘I was under huge pressure from my parents. I couldn’t think of a reason to say no to you, so I thought, why not’.

I look up at him. It sounded like he wasn’t entirely telling me the truth. Well, truth could have been worse, so I can continue in this world without burdening myself with it.

‘Words every girl wants to hear’

Karthik chuckles.

‘I also want to hear about your group meet thing..’

‘Yeah, I think it is going to be good. More people. Friends and friends of friends and few strangers have all confirmed. I am kind of excited.’

‘Cool. I am going to be living at work for a couple more days… I will be there for the event though’

‘Okay, not workaholic!’

‘So, when will you talk to your dad?’, he says ignoring my jibe.

‘I will drop by tomorrow or day after. Maybe we should go hang out in front of his office building and hope he sees us and confronts us.’

Karthik laughs.

‘You are never going to grow up completely are you?’

‘What are you talking about?’, I ask, mock-ignorant.

He kisses the top of my head.

‘Bye Pri. Be careful Pri.’, he says when I squeeze his hand with my injured one and wince in the process.

I go to the bed room.

‘All good?’, Anitha asks.

‘Yup’, I smile.

‘You guys are the least likely couple I have ever known.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You are quirky, but very likeable, he is refined and I don’t know intense and scary at times. You don’t know most of the time what you are doing, he knows and plans and is very thoughtful. You are so trusting, open and generous, he is reserved when it comes to anything a little more than acquaintance, picky and choosy. I have no idea how you two get along. But you are actually together and it seems to work’

‘Really? You think so?’

She just nods.

‘Well, I can’t speak for him, but I am completely myself with him. I have come to learn that at the end of the day, he will be there for me. I would do almost anything for him. He also seems to understand without effort’

‘Oh my god, so gushyyy’, she jokes.

‘You make fun of me, let’s see about you and Naren’, I say.

Anitha’s face loses the smile she was wearing. Trouble?

‘Anitha?’

‘I don’t think we are working out.’

Oh no.

‘You want to talk about it?’

She shakes her head.

‘Few months back, if I had known you and if this had happened, I would have advised you that all is well, that, you should try. But now, after knowing what it is and what it feels like, I am going to tell you that you are the best person to judge whether it works or not, because you are the one involved. I.. I know I am Naren’s friend. But I am also yours. So, if you tell me it isn’t working, for whatever reason, I will support you. I will also be there for Naren if and when he needs me. But before you do anything, just be sure… okay?’

She nods.

‘So you decided the menu for the meet?’

‘Yup. I have my friend’s friend helping me. I am going to make samosas and try making pani puri, he is going to make some cake-type thing and we are going to buy soft drinks and stuff.’

‘He?’

‘Yup. He is a chef. From next time, we need to collect some entry fee, do you have any idea how much all this cost?’

‘We will split it with whoever is willing. We’l see about the next time? Or you can sell the refreshments, instead of just serving it up, kind of like Ishitha’s stall’.

Anitha talks about other arrangements for the meet. We watch some funny videos on YouTube and then sleep.

************************************************************************************

‘Priya, do you want more pakodas?’, my dad asks. I was in the training, which got over earlier, so I decided to come meet my parents and if the timing is right, tell my father about Karthik.

My mother had made pakodas which she makes from left-over rice and it is always yummy and I always ate a lot more than I should.

 ‘Definitlely’, he dumps those he had in his plate to mine to go get more for himself. My mom is making them fresh, so she is still frying away.

‘So, the first meet is tomorrow?’, my mom comes into the living room with a huge plate of pakodas. How much left-over rice was there?

‘Nooo, it’s the second!’

‘Really? I don’t think I heard about the first one.’, my dad tries to remember.

‘Ummm.. Well.. I didn’t tell you about the first one really.’

‘Why? Why didn’t you?’, my mom asks.

‘I don’t know, just wanted to see how it works out first I guess. Not that it has like launched and taken off, but you know….’

‘Be careful anyways, I don’t think I am comfortable with you doing all this. Who knows what kind of people turn out for these things.’, my dad goes on.

‘It’s fine dad’

‘Is Naren and all involved in this too?’, my dad knew Naren from college days. He was an overprotective parent and made it a point to know every person I knew and had all their phone numbers with him too.

‘Yes, of course’, I tell a white lie.

‘Be careful though. Be sensible.’, he advises.

Right. ‘Yeah sure dad. I will be’. I will try for sure.

‘These days, all this online stuff.. People probably don’t know it can be misused’.

Nope. WE all know how it can be misused.

I just smile at him reassuringly.

‘It’s fine, let her do something. She is doing it in her apartment complex’s place. It will be safe’, my mother says.

‘Yup. It is very safe.  There is security and everything.’, one guy, but still, it could calm my dad.

‘Well, maybe we will drop by sometime and see for ourselves?’, he goes on.

I knew this was coming.

‘Yup, sure dad’

This time my mother goes into the kitchen, I follow her.

‘What is it?’, she asks me.

‘I want to tell dad’

‘Tell him? Tell him what?’

‘You know, about Karthik, unless you have already told him?’, I panic. I have known my mother not to be a great secret-keeper, she told everything to my dad.

‘No, I haven’t told him, I have to explain how I came to know and that would have been a disaster.’

Yup, definitely.

‘Please tell him. Everytime you say you are busy, he keeps asking me why you are so busy.’

Ugh. I can’t use that excuse anymore, can I?

‘But, I don’t know, he has just accepted that you are really living away from home.’

‘Mom, should I tell him or not?’

‘You have to at some point, so if you want to tell him now, you should. But, why do you want to tell him now?’

I sigh. ‘A very long story’.

My mother shakes her head. ‘Doesn’t sound like a good story’

I shake my head now. Sometimes I feel I have my mom’s body language. That isn’t a good epiphany.

My mother points at two cups of coffee she has been making and I pick them up and head to the living room.

I hand one cup to my dad.

‘You should stay for dinner, call your friends too’, growing up my dad was always finding ways to meet my friends and when he did, it would be an interrogation.

‘They will be busy dad’, I tell him.

‘How do you know? You didn’t even ask..’

‘Okay, I have something to tell you’

‘Yeah? What is it Priya ma?’, he asks, very sweetly. Shit. I feel my palms and other cutaneous areas sweat.

‘Ummm.. Well… I…’

I look at mom. She has her face blank.

‘I.. Okay… This is..’

‘What is it Priya? Last time you were trying to tell me something and was unable to, you were asking me to come to meet your school principal because you refused to take a Physics test as you didn’t like some chapter?’.

Shit.

‘Dad… I…’

My dad begins to say something but my mom interrupts.

‘Let her say it’

I take a deep breath.

‘You know Karthik right?’

Of course he knows Karthik.

‘Why? Has he been bothering you?’

‘Ummm. No.. We kind of accidentally met a few months back and.. well… we are… okay. We have decided that we want to get married now.’

There. I said it. Shit. But I said, we decided we want to get married. What if my dad wanted us to get married as soon as possible.

‘What?’

‘Ya.. I mean..’

‘I thought you didn’t want to marry him. You stopped the engagement. He is such a good boy, but you stopped the engagement.’

‘Umm… I…..’

‘I don’t understand’, he says and looks at my mom. I look at my mom because I don’t know how to make him understand.

‘Well, they met later accidentally, like she said, and I think they fell in love. She is telling you that she not just likes the guy we chose for her, but she actually loves him’

Wow. My mother always knows what to say and how to say it.

My dad visibly looks like he is trying to process this.

‘Priya, I liked Karthik a lot. He was a sure-footed guy’, okay, couldn’t agree more and he still is.

‘But, we were the ones to stop the wedding, I don’t think it will go well if we approach them again. They might not like you or us anymore.’

Ohhhh. I didn’t think that my father would think in that angle. I look at my mother and it looks like she might have been worrying about it too.

‘Karthik has told about us to his parents too. I don’t think it will be a problem’, I tell him.

‘Priya, I think sometimes your hasty decisions bite you back always. This is one of those times. I don’t think this is going to go well. Karthik, well, Karthik I can see is good. But I am worried the kind of life you would have with his family… He is an only son. I don’t want you to start your life with all that negativity.’

What does one say to that?

‘No dad. It will be fine. I assure you, Karthik will take care of it.’

My dad though looks at my mom.

‘You knew?’

My mom nods.

‘And?’

‘They like each other. I saw them. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know we cannot say no.’

I didn’t know that is how she felt. That she cannot say no. Okay, technically, their saying no wouldn’t matter, I would end up convincing them. But still.

I observe while my mom and dad look at each other. I wasn’t expecting drama because quite obviously my parents like Karthik a little too much and seems to have no issues with this.

‘I need to meet with Karthik.’

‘Sure dad. After the meet, the day after tomorrow, I will bring him…’

‘No Priya. I want to meet him alone.’

What? No way. That cannot be good for Karthik and I would go crazy playing the innumerable possible scenarios in my head.

‘Dad, no, I mean, Mom, this cannot…’

‘Priya, you told us what you want. Now we have to do what we have to do.’, my mother uses her this-is-final-you-can-scream-till-you-rupture-your-larynx voice.

Crap. Who would have predicted this outcome?

‘Now, you will stay, have dinner with us’, my dad goes on.

‘Ummmm… I….’

‘Priya, we selected Karthik for you as much as you did. I am glad that you like him, I just wish it was five months ago and not now’.

‘I….’

‘If you want me to understand and support you, you will do it by being here and helping us understand’

‘Okay’

So rest of the time I stayed there I tried to act as if nothing significant took place today here. My father asked me very off-handedly and not trying not to sound intrusive about Karthik. I try to sound like we had a very platonic friendship kind of relationship. I mean in my mind that is the best way to play things.

We sit down for dinner and this is how it goes.

‘Priya, can you pass the chutney?’

‘Okay’

‘So how did you accidentally meet again?’

I try not to spew the water I have been drinking.

‘Well, I was giving a treat to Anitha, Naren, Vivek and Aditya. I saw him at the restaurant we went to.’

‘Isn’t that the time your cousin said he saw you?’, my mother asks. She always had a sharp memory.

I nod. Of course we met at a “restaurant”.

Then we eat silently for some time. I try to divert them.

‘So, then how is he? What is he upto these days?’

‘Yes, he is fine. He is busy with work, you know what, he got this award at work…’

‘Oh really?’

‘Yep, It was this huge thing, in a five star hotel and great food…’, and then I stop myself, what am I doing? Why am I volunteering all this information?

‘Oh, so you went for that?’ , my father asks this to me but looks at my mother and there is some heavy communicating going on there.

‘Ummm.. yeah, I mean, he asked me to. I was there like for just some half hour…’

I am a frog. I will die by wagging my chin.

‘Is that your whatsapp profile picture? In that saree? You said it was your work party.’

Shit.

‘No no, that was from my work party’

Both my parents are very unconvinced.

‘So, what is this? Movie kind love? You would die for each other type?’, my father asks.

‘Ummm.. No.. I wouldn’t die for him..’, I mean, I wouldn’t. That is just stupid.

‘Okay, so what is it that made you change your mind?’, my mother asks.

How do I get myself into these situations? Just how?

Are parents supposed to ask all this? Does this happen to everyone?

‘Ummm… I don’t know.. We just kind of… clicked?’

‘Really? Why didn’t that happen before?’, my father sticking to his theme of why oh why couldn’t I have decided this before.

‘It just didn’t happen before….’, lame, but true.

I keep silent and try not to provoke or indulge them. But the rest of the dinner goes on in similar fashion.

I go to kitchen to help my mother and also bracing myself for what she is going to say.

‘It’s okay Priya. Your father is just shocked.’, she tells me in the same tone that she said to put those dishes into the sink.

‘He wans to meet Karthik alone. Why do you think?’

‘I think he is worried about Karthik’s parents. His father and mother are very straight-forward people who were very affected when the engagement was broken. He probably wants to assess if Karthik can convince them or do the right thing if he cannot.’

Ohhh. Really?

‘Right thing?’

‘Support you and not ask you to put up with things because you are in a way the source of the problem?’

‘Umm… ya, of course he will, he doesn’t think I am the source of the problem…’

‘Priya, he is an only son. He is everything for his parents, just like you are for us.’

I can only get the general idea of what that statement could mean.

We leave the kitchen, I say bye.

‘Day after tomorrow. Ask Karthik to be here okay?’, my dad reminds me.

‘Okay’

‘Okay, day after I am meeting your father. What time should I pick you up?’, Karthik asks me, over phone. He is at work. I am heading home with a box of food for Anitha (although four people can have a hearty dinner from the box) after convincing my father that he needn’t drop me home.

‘No. You are meeting my father. I am going to be here silently getting a stroke because of excessive nervous activity.’

Karthik remains silent for the longest time.

‘Shit’, is what I hear muttered on the other side, followed by an even lower ‘Fuck’. Okay, he needs another minute.

‘Okay. I will meet him then.’

‘Yeah okay.’

I hear another muttered ‘Shit’.

I had to laugh.

‘Yup, this is funny for you’

‘No, it isn’t. Just your reaction.’

‘I am coming over tonight’, he says. Yayy.

‘It is night’

‘I mean, later tonight’

‘Okay. You want dinner?’

‘You cooked or cooking?’

‘Mom sent a box’

‘Yeah, okay.’

Mean!

'See ya then'.