Soulmates
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Hiranya Borah
Copyright 2016 Hiranya Borah
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Preface
This is a poetic description in prose form of much anticipated first night of a couple based on pure imagination. However, if any similarity or resemblance of any character of the prose is observed with any living or dead person, it is purely a coincidence only. The description of the society described in the prose may be also far from reality.
Happiness of a married life is standing on few solid pillars. Some of them are faith, love for each other, mutual respect, physical intimacy, mental compatibility, common goals, children, good communication, resilience, financial stability and understanding between each other. I am not mentioning them in any order of importance.
I got inspiration to write this book from my family members, friends, readers and critiques. I am thankful to all of them.
Author
Chapter I: Marriage
Both of them were waiting for that day. For Arunabh, Rini is (was) his first love and for him it was love at first sight. However, in Rini’s case, it was a different story. Initially she said ‘yes’ to the relation because of their family pressure, as according to them, she would never get such a good boy as her life partner. She realised after few days of their formal engagement, her family members were absolutely correct in assessing the quality of Arunabh as a person. She could come to know how much Arunabh was good by heart just after few weeks of their first meeting. A few weeks after their first meeting, Rini was formally engaged with Arunabh in presence of their parents and relatives from both sides.
But after few days of engagement, Arunabh unilaterally severed the engagement with her when he came to know that there had been an understanding between the two fathers for some financial transactions over the engagement. Arunabh first fought with his own father and told him that he was going to cancel his marriage with Rini. On the same day, he blasted Rini’s father over phone. He categorically told Rini’s father that he is not a material for sale. As the marriage was arranged on the basis of an understanding of some financial transactions, he had no alternative but to cancel the marriage. Rini’s father, Prabir Choudhury tried to explain under what circumstances the understanding was arrived at, but in vain. Arunabh snapped the phone line.
For Prabir Choudhury, it was a bolt from the blue. The dejected father, being a high blood pressure patient, sat on the floor to avoid an unexpected fall. The receiver of the phone was kept hanging by the poor father. He was looking to the ceiling fan vaguely and tried to find out where he went wrong. Though Arunabh’s father had not demanded anything for their only son’s marriage, he offered to repay the education loan of Arunabh which was taken for his MBA after coming to know the fact that Arunabh’s father had to pay a huge amount for their daughter’s marriage two years back.
Arunabh was a crusader of anti-dowry campaign in India. Arunabh’s stand on dowry got a severe jolt when he came to know that his father agreed to take the loan amount which was taken for his studies. To defend his own position, Arunabh’s father told him that he demanded nothing and only on insistence of Choudhury, he agreed to his offer. This infuriated Arunabh so much that he lost his temper and blasted the old person (Rini’s father). He used such a language in his conversation with Rini’s father, which he never uttered (those words) to a person of his father’s age in his 27 years of life. After cooling down, he felt very bad about his own behaviour.
When Rini saw his father sitting on the floor, looking vaguely to the moving ceiling fan and the receiver of the phone was hanging, she was really worried. She shook his father by holding his shoulders and asked what had happened. Choudhury looked at his daughter, touched her head and started weeping like a little boy. Then, after some time, he said to her daughter, ‘We are going to lose best boy in the world as your husband! It is because of my fault! I treated a diamond with an ordinary stone!’Then he hugged his daughter and said, ‘Pardon me my sweetheart, I have spoiled your life!’
In the mean time, her mother also came to room and started crying without knowing any reason. Rini was also about to cry but composed herself and asked her father, ‘Tell me what had happened? Who was on the line? What he actually said?’
After two to three minutes, composing himself little bit, Choudhury told his wife and daughter, ‘You are aware that Arunabh was dead against of taking dowry which was already told me by his father. However, I came to know through a common acquaintance that the father of Arunabh is in debt after his daughter’s marriage. Further, he has an education loan of Rs. 5 Lakh which has to be paid in next five years. As Arunabh was dead against of taking dowry, his father did not want to take the amount. But on my insistence, he agreed to take the amount. Arunabh came to know about the understanding from his mother. Unlike a normal lady, she is also very much against dowry. Then both son and mother first fought with his father and decided to sever the engagement and marry another girl who is good but not able to give dowry. Now tell me, did I not the enemy of daughter’s fortune!’He started again weeping like a school boy.
Rini is a soft spoken beautiful girl. At the first meeting, she thought Arunabh is also an ordinary boy with a decent job with a good monthly salary. He is little bit talkative and on the very first day he told Rini that if she is a shopping maniac, she will be disappointed as he is a miser (others say, economic in his own words). Probably he is also suffering from a rare psychological disorder of Chrometophobia (fear for having more money; very rare in the world). If she wants to work after their marriage, it is perfectly alright; but he will never insist her to work. As desire for more money leads to unhappy life, one should content with money one has. Now after correlating with his earlier talk, she realized, Arunabh is not an ordinary boy, as she had earlier thought. At that moment for the first time in her life, she felt something for Arunabh. Later on, she understood that actually she started loving that talkative boy. Suddenly, she felt that she was becoming possessive about Arunabh. Then she took an unexpected and risky decision to become his wife only or otherwise remain unmarried.
Next day, without telling his father, Rini went to Arunabh’s office to discuss the matter which was unexpected from a girl like Rini who happened to be a very shy girl. On seeing Rini in his office, he was surprised and felt little uncomfortable. He had already realized he should not be that harsh with the old man. But seeing Rini, he thought he was going to get a return blast from her. Therefore, he told Rini, ‘I am sorry, I should have been little polite while talking to your father in conveying my feeling and decision. Would you join me in the cafeteria as the office may not be a good place to discuss personal matters?’ He was apparently very calm and composed in communicating with Rini
Rini was surprised to see his calmness. Rini followed him to the cafeteria and all along she was thinking how to start the discussion.
‘I know, your father must be upset the way I talked. But honestly, I was also very upset with both of our fathers, how they can think that I am saleable product!’With same calmness Arunabh told Rini justifying his outburst.
‘I understand your state of mind during the period when you talked with my father. I understand he might be selfish and arrogant to offer the money to your father; but, will you try to understand the mental condition of a father of a marriageable girl, who does not want to lose a good boy. He can go up to any extent, good or bad; as his sole aim to rope a good boy for his daughte
r.’
Arunabh kept mum for a while then he started laughing loudly. Rini could not understand how to react to his laugh as she could not find any reason why he was laughing. Arunabh enjoyed her perplexed face and told calmly, ‘You must be thinking, why I am laughing. Have I gone mad? No, I have not gone mad, at least of now. I am laughing because, for the first in my life, a beautiful girl has certified me as a good boy; that too twice!’
However, his laugh could not make her smile. They kept mum for few minutes. Then Rini asked, ‘Can you forgive my father for that?’
Arunabh thought for a while and then asked, ‘After using so much harsh words, I have to apologize to him. So far marriage is concerned; I can consider it afresh, if those terms and conditions are removed permanently.’
After taking a pause he told again, ‘Further, I shall consider that, if and only if you dump your grumpy face and give me a beautiful smile.’
Rini understood Arunabh still liked her. She was little bit relaxed and without any thought a smile surfaced on her face. She asked, ‘Though I am not fully relaxed, I am trying to smile; can you consider now?’
‘Please show me your, left hand.’ Arunabh asked Rini to show her engagement ring. Rini was still wearing her engagement ring.
‘My ring is still in your hand and I am also still wearing your ring. So we have not broken our engagement so far. Do you want to break it now?’ Arunabh told his decision with a teasing voice. Rini could not stop her tears.
‘Hey, do not cry now. People may think I had done something wrong to you and I may be thrashed.’ He teased her again.
The shy girl did an unthinkable thing for the first time in her life; in full public view, she got up from her chair and hugged Arunabh. While hugging she whispered, ‘Promise me, you will never leave me till my death!’
Realizing that everyone in the cafeteria was looking at her, she became very nervous and went back to her seat. Her face was flushed.
For next few minutes nobody talked. To ease the situation, Arunabh ordered two cups of coffee. ‘I do not take coffee!’ Rini, with a meek voice, told.
‘You have to take today, whether you like or not. It is my first gift to you!’Arunabh told. Having no alternative she agreed to take coffee, for the first time in her life.
After taking coffee, escorting out of his office Arunabh told Rini, ‘Tell your parent to be relaxed. But you may be interested to know, why I have U turned my decision, subject to my conditions of course. Right now I am not telling you. But I promise you, I shall tell you if we get marry in near future. Now go home in a relaxed mood and inform your parent about my U turn. Do not forget to convey my apology to your father for my harsh words.’
His decision, U turn in his words, did not make Arunabh’s father very happy. He was very much annoyed with his son. But Arunabh’s mother was happy to bring Rini as her daughter in law, despite of the hiccup.
On the other hand, as soon as Rini broke the news that Arunabh had agreed to marry Rini with the condition that no financial transaction would take place, all the family members zoomed with happiness. Respect for Arunabh enhanced further in the eyes of the in laws.
Finally, marriage of Arunabh and Rini was solemnized on the designated date in presence of all the family members of both sides.