iya and I met over a cup of coffee the next day. Her eyes seemed puffy and I could tell she had not slept very well after the disaster last night’s dinner with Dilip Uncle turned out to be.
Taking a sip of her cappuccino, she said, ‘After I reached home, I had a long, heated discussion with Mom. I told her that it was impossible for me to marry Nikhil as I had already devoted my life to you. But she did not take this very well. She kept on reminding me how Dilip Uncle had helped us out in crucial times and how we were obliged to him for having restored our lives back to normal.’
‘But that is emotional blackmail, Riya,’ I told her, trying to make her realize that her mother was trying to use her vulnerability to her advantage.
‘I know that, Aditya. But she being my mother is right in her own way. All she is doing is looking out for us and making sure we are okay. I told her that even though I was grateful to Dilip Uncle for having helped us in times of need, it did not mean that I was going to repay him back for his kindness by pledging my own life in marriage to his son.’
Riya wiped away the tears from her eyes and continued, ‘Mom would not hear a word of what I had to say and kept telling me that my priorities lied elsewhere. That angered me to no end. It’s not that because I am in a relationship with you, I love my parents and my brother any less? I don’t know where elders get such vague ideas from and why they turn up thinking we don’t care for them enough when in a relationship.’
‘Listen now, you don’t need to cry over such a petty thing. You know I love you and nothing in this world can change that,’ I said trying to comfort her.
She gave me a weak smile and thanked me softly, saying how she would be utterly lost without me. I chuckled and told her she would do just fine. After paying the bill, we left for our respective offices.
As the days passed, we saw lesser of each other as her Mom made sure to keep a close watch on her. We could not talk to each other as freely as we did before since her mother’s overbearing shadow kept looming large over her head.
One evening, when her mother was away from the house, she gave me a call on the sly.
‘Aditya, I have missed you so much. My mother has been trying her best to convince me to marry Nikhil. But I have put my foot down. The thing that hurts me the most is that she keeps on reminding me how I need to look out for my brother. Her twisted logic is that because Uncle has helped secure my brother admission in college, we are indebted to him forever. I so wished he would not have helped us in the first place. At least I would not be standing at such difficult crossroads today. Every act of his kindness is like a loan whose interest rate shoots up by the second.’
‘I know that it is difficult for you to make a decision given the circumstances you are in,’ I said to her on the phone.
‘It’s not just that, Adi. Every time I tell my Mom that I want to get married to you instead of Nikhil, she reminds me how you will not be able to fend for me, given that you are just starting out
now in life, let alone support our family when the time will come. But money is not everything in life, right? There are other things that one can care about as well,’ explained Riya.
‘So what are your views on Nikhil? Do you find him good looking?’ I said trying to ease the situation. But it did not help much.
‘Please, Aditya. Looks is not the only thing that is desirable in another person. And why should I be bothered about his looks when I have eyes only for you? I love you, Aditya. I can’t love anyone else. This never-ending saga seems like it is testing my love for you. On the one hand, I can’t go against my family. There is no one to look after them, no one to care of them besides me. I have already lost my father. I can’t afford to lose my mother as well. But on the other hand, I love you so deeply. Even the thought of parting from you is unimaginable,’ said Riya.
‘So why keep these thoughts if they cause you such pain? Just drive them away and think about how, very soon, we are going to be reconciled together,’ I told her in an assured tone, even though our future together looked hazy at the moment.
‘Why is it that most of the times, a girl chooses her lover over her parents? In most cases, she runs away from home and get settled without thinking once about the shame it will cause her parents. At this particular junction, I am facing the same dilemma. I feel so helpless, Aditya. I am burdened with so many responsibilities and no one can deal with it except me. I need to take a decision fast. I think Mom is back. I will give you a call tomorrow,’ said Riya hurriedly and hung up the phone.
I reluctantly went to bed after our conversation was cut short by her mother’s entry. But sleep evaded me. All through our conversation, Riya sounded a little lost to me. I kept wondering what decision she would eventually end up making. Will she decide to be with me or will she go with the decision made by her mother? I pushed the thoughts away from my mind and tried to get some sleep.