“I haven’t seen him that way,” said Sandhya, a little surprised.
“And that means,” said Roopa, “you aren’t impressed either.”
While Sandhya kept mum, Janaki cribbed all along. Roopa for her part prayed that Pathrudu would ask the moon for a dowry, and kept her fingers crossed.
~~~~~~
“They Okayed Roopa, without dowry at that,” said Ramaiah, as he came home the next evening, as though soliciting a ‘yes’ from Roopa.
“Roopa, think again,” pleaded Janaki. “One shouldn’t shun fortune when it beckons on its own.”
“Why not look for another match?” Roopa sounded pleading.
“But why reject this one,” Ramaiah seemed persuasive.
“I’ve nothing against him,” Roopa said as a matter of fact. “But I’m not enthused either.”
“Don’t be hasty, think again,” pleaded Janaki. “We all feel it’s a fine match, and you know that we wish you well.”
“No, he’s not my man,” said Roopa wishing that they spared her.
“Maybe, he’s a simpleton,” said Ramaiah, who seemed to have read his daughter’s mind, “but do realize he’s young and has a long way to go.”
‘If something isn’t presentable at its ninety per cent, it wouldn’t be much different either at cent per cent,’ thought Roopa but to buy time she said. ‘Give me time to think.’
However, after dinner, Ramaiah went up to a brooding Roopa in the verandah.
“If you’re not interested in this match, so be it, but if I don’t show you life as I’ve seen it,
I might be failing you,” he said in all earnestness. “Matrimony is a vague hope nursed by the young minds. If marriages are made in heaven, I’m sure the gods would take the realities of life into account. In marriage, it’s only after consummation that couples come to appreciate the true meaning of married life.
In spite of its infinite possibilities, life has its own limitations. As you would realize, mostly it is situational in its reach and breach. As one incident doesn’t encompass life, ardency is not the only opportunity that marriage affords women. As you could guess, maternity is gift-wrapped by heaven for married women. Marriage is so much more than a private affair of the spouses. Know it’s an extension of the family that ushers in a new family. Gratification in marriage is multifaceted as well as multi sourced, like the success of a child can obliterate a lifetime of parental failures. Believe me; a couple could feel that their life was worth living just for the sake of that moment.
In the good old days, alliances were struck based on parental preferences. One might even say prejudices. Inclinations of the children didn’t count; when married, they were too young to have a mind of their own anyway. I know times have changed, and I’m not holding a brief for the bygone era any more. However, I guess neither the new waves have washed any wisdom ashore.