And the rain begins.
You may sign now!
Vandana’s hand was shaking as she held the pen to sign that pale white piece of paper staring blankly at her. Sweat drops on her forehead were a clear sign of her mental state at that time.
And the marriage is ended, bam!, announced the officer as Vandana scribbled her pen over the signature box on the paper.
6 years of marriage with Sumeet, ended within 6 minutes. Just a few papers, a few signatures, and it's done.
It was obviously going to happen. Sumeet and Vandana never knew each other fundamentally or even saw each other before marriage. It was an arranged marriage made up of some long relative hierarchy.
Sitting alone at her home, Vandana remembered the time Summet came with his family to see her before the marriage.
The environment was really happy and jolly. Both parties seemed excited to see and know the other one. Just like any normally arranged marriage meetings, Vandana brought in some tea and samosas along with a modest smile on her face as Sumeet gazed at her beauty unblinkingly. This was the first time they saw each other, you know these arranged marriages, right?
*Sumeet’s parent's mind goes on a ride.*
Girl is fair, slim, and beautiful. Check!
Also, looks pretty sanskaari. Will help in household chores. Check!
No track record of previous boyfriends or anything. This means she does not have a loose character. Check!
*Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, Vandana’s parents are involved in their own daydream.*
The boy looks pretty handsome and dresses well. Check!
He has a government job. Good job security. Check!
Own house and farms in the village. Means a Stable Future. Check!
As both the parties check their lists in their minds, the fate of Vandana and Sumeet is decided. Both parties agree to contribute 75,000 each and have a grand wedding celebration on the coming fortnight.
No matter how different people are, once they start living together, they come along anyway. Some days and a few awkward nights(If you know what I mean) passes by, and Vandana and Sumeet finally get a bit comfortable after their marriage. They go out to movies sometimes, holding hands all along the time. Forehead kisses and bear hugs are a normal thing now after a hard day. Everything seems so good, like a story, no one wants to see the end of.
Beep! Beep!
The doorbell rings, breaking Vandana’s daydream in between. She comes back to the present moment, the truth, they are divorced now. She reaches out to the door and finds Sumeet standing there.
Vandana: “Come in. Why are you standing out there..”
Sumeet: ”No, it’s okay. I just came by to drop some clothes you left at home. Here.”
Vandana: “Okay. Come, at least have some snacks and tea!”
Sumeet(shrugging): “No, it's fine. I will take off now.”
The door bangs and shatters something deep inside both of them.
All those shared moments, the times when they fed each other with their hands, the hugs, the kisses, the cuddly nights, the time they spent together in afternoons binge-watching their favorite Netflix shows wrapped together in a blanket like a burrito, all of that ended with that simple bang of the door.
They will probably never see each other again. Tears roll down her eyes as she holds the piece of clothes Sumeet left with her. Sumeet does not lift his head all the way to his home, maybe trying to hide his tears from the world.
The rains of sorrow and despair have drained them now and washed away the happiness they had in their lives.
We will continue this series in the next episode where you will get to know the reason they broke up and a big twist that might turn things around for them again and the harsh realities of arranged marriages in India. Stay tuned for the next episodes!
Rajat Upadhyay
Michael Scott and Chandler Bing Fanatic
The author of this post is turning into an emotional fool as he is getting older.
