The Rule Breakers

by Preeti Shenoy

  Veda had carried a thick blanket outside and she covered Vidya with it as well. They huddled together, shivering a little as the cool mountain air hit their faces.

  ‘What happened, didi?’ asked Vidya.

  She instinctively knew when her sister was troubled. They had always confided in each other about everything that was on their minds.

  ‘I met Suraj again at lunch break,’ Veda said.

  ‘Hmm. And are you worried that Papa will find out?’ Vidya asked.

  ‘Umm, I don’t know. I know that I don’t want to start something that I will regret later,’ Veda replied.

  ‘Come on, didi! You are acting like he kissed you and now you don’t know what to do. What is wrong in talking to a boy, tell me? Is it such a big crime?’ Vidya asked.

  ‘No, Vidya. You know that Papa and Ma are proceeding with my marriage. I am just too aware of that.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So, is it right to continue talking to Suraj?’ Veda asked.

  ‘Tell me something—are you hiding the fact of these marriage plans from him?’

  ‘No, of course not. I told him today. I explained my situation to him.’

  ‘And what did he say?’

  ‘He said he hoped we could be friends,’ Veda said.

  ‘Then what is wrong, didi? You are not hiding things from him. You have been upfront. I think you should make the best of this. It’s not as if you will continue seeing him once you are married. You should spend time with him if it makes you happy! You shouldn’t be consumed by guilt over this,’ Vidya said.

  Veda wished she could be as certain as Vidya. Vidya was strong-willed and spoke her mind.

  ‘I enjoy his company,’ Veda admitted.

  ‘You know what, I will cover for you any time you want to meet him,’ Vidya said.

  She felt that Veda deserved to have some harmless fun. She knew that her sister was looking for assurance, and she was more than happy to give it.

  Over the next few weeks, Suraj and Veda met every single day during lunch break at college. They just couldn’t stay away from each other. The more they spoke to each other, the more they had to talk about. They never got tired of each other’s company. Veda discovered that, when she spoke to Suraj, she laughed easily. It was almost as if all the worries and stress that she felt vanished. Suraj said that he felt the same way.

  ‘Your laughter is so infectious, Veda. I don’t remember the last time I laughed like this,’ he told her.

  Everyone in college thought that they were a couple. It was only Suraj and Veda who knew the desperation of a friendship with an end clearly in sight. It intensified their need for each other.

  One day, Suraj asked Veda if she wanted to go for a picnic.

  ‘I know a beautiful spot near Vishnuprayag River. I used to go there with my father to fish,’ he said.

  ‘I would love to, Suraj. But what if we are caught?’ Veda asked.

  ‘How will we be caught? Meet me some place where you will not be spotted, and we can drive down,’ Suraj said.

  ‘You drive?’ Veda asked, surprised.

  ‘Of course! I have driven since I was sixteen. My father taught me. See, I even have a driving licence,’ he said, as he opened his wallet and showed it to her.

  She looked at it, impressed.

  ‘How will you get a vehicle?’ she asked.

  ‘I can get a car for a day, Veda. A friend owns a travel agency. They rent out cars. I will rent one from him, and I will say I don’t want a driver,’ Suraj said.

  ‘Hmm . . . I am not sure, Suraj. Let me think about it,’ said Veda.

  ‘Sometimes, you shouldn’t think. You should just say yes,’ Suraj said, smiling.

  It was hard to resist him when he looked like that. Veda smiled back at him.

  ‘Okay, I will let you know soon,’ she said.

  ‘Soon? How soon? I can’t wait for “soon”. “Soon”, come soon,’ he said, and they both laughed.

  When she spoke to Vidya about it, her sister danced around.

  ‘Go, didi! Go. I will cover for you,’ she said.

  ‘I want to, Vidya! But how? What will I tell Ma and Papa?’ she asked.

  ‘Didi, just say it is a study tour and it is compulsory. If you don’t go, they will have to write a letter of explanation. That will make them agree,’ Vidya said.

  When Veda asked for permission to go on the ‘study tour’, her palms were cold with nervousness. She was certain that her father would catch her out in her lie. But to her surprise, he was more than happy to let her go. Now that the prospective groom’s relatives had approved of Veda, she was in Rajinder’s good books.

  ‘Okay, beti. If it is compulsory, then you have to go. Take some money from Ma,’ said Rajinder.

  Veda could not believe how easy it had been.

  When she got back after spending the day with Suraj, her faced glowed with happiness. Vidya looked at her sister and smiled. She was happy that she had urged Veda to go ahead and helped plan the whole thing.

  ‘What happened? Did you—did you guys kiss?’ Vidya later asked her sister, long after everybody had slept.

  ‘Of course not! We just sat at the spot where his father used to take him fishing. He had brought a picnic basket with food and cool drinks, and a nice mat. Oh, Vidya—I thought I would die of happiness! I can’t tell you how happy I am. We just talked and talked and talked! It was wonderful,’ said Veda.

  ‘I am so happy for you, didi. You deserve all the happiness in the world,’ said Vidya, as she reached out for her sister’s hand and squeezed it.

  Vidya wanted her sister to have as much joy as possible. She knew that once her marriage was finalised, this friendship with Suraj would have to be sacrificed.

  Chapter 5

  October 1995

  Joshimath

  Veda’s closeness with Suraj continued to grow. They discovered they could meet on weekends if they came up with plausible excuses. Vidya was only too happy to cover for Veda. She went along with Veda on some days, telling their parents that they were going to the Narsingh temple. Vidya would then go to a friend’s place for a couple of hours, and Veda would meet Suraj. They realised that if they trekked into the mountains, there were many isolated places where they could spend a few hours alone in each other’s company. They knew that they were risking a lot, and were extremely careful while choosing their meeting spots.

  ‘Don’t you ever feel like kissing him? How is it that you guys have not even held hands?’ Vidya asked Veda one day.

  ‘Come on Veda, we are just friends. We cannot be anything more than that,’ Veda asserted. Their relationship was not like most other people’s, she told Vidya.

  ‘If I were you, I would have slept with him by now,’ Vidya said. Veda was shocked at that statement.

  Did Vidya mean it?

  ‘Listen, even if you have a crush on someone, don’t just get into anything without knowing the guy first, okay?’ said Veda.

  ‘Didi, I was only joking. Don’t be so serious about everything!’ Vidya brushed away her concerns.

  It was a month later that Bhuwan, his parents, and the same set of people that had visited them earlier came to Joshimath to ‘officially see’ Veda.

  Padma Devi had shown her son Veda’s matrimonial bio-data, which had been sent by her parents. ‘She is a very nice girl. Shyama chachi and all of them have met the family, and they speak highly of her. They say she is pretty and very homely,’ Padma Devi had told him.

  Bhuwan had reluctantly agreed to meet the girl. His marriage had been a topic of conversation for a year now. When he had agreed for the ‘process’ to start, his mother had gone into a tizzy, arranging meetings with prospective girls. Bhuwan hadn’t liked any of them and had turned all of them down. He was sure that this one would be no different. But till he agreed to meet whoever it was that his mother had now lined up, he knew she wouldn’t leave him alone. She had been pestering him incessantly for the last two weeks. Fed up with her constant nagging, h
e had taken a few days’ leave from work. They had flown from Pune to Delhi, and then driven down to Joshimath, where they checked into a hotel. They were to meet the girl’s family the next morning, a task that Bhuwan was not looking forward to. He hated rejecting girl after girl. But he hadn’t met a single one with whom he could have even a half-decent conversation.

  He couldn’t tell anything much about this girl from her matrimonial bio-data—they were all tailored to show off the girl in the best possible light. In the morning, he went through the motions, and dressed smartly for the occasion. Padma Devi smiled at him approvingly, happy that he had agreed to meet the girl.

  For this visit, Veda was once again wearing a saree, a different one this time. Vidya too had to wear a saree, as her parents said that this was an important occasion. They also ensured that Vaishali, Vandana and Animesh were dressed in their finest clothes. When the entourage from Bhuwan’s side arrived at their gate, Veda’s parents, and a couple of aunts who had joined them for the occasion, greeted them like they were royalty.

  ‘I am surprised Papa hasn’t arranged for elephants to garland them,’ quipped Vidya, as they watched their arrival from the window.

  ‘Welcome, welcome,’ Rajinder was saying, joining his palms in greeting.

  Veda grimaced. ‘God, I hate this,’ she said.

  ‘I know, didi. It will be over soon,’ Vidya comforted her.

  After the customary pleasantries were exchanged, Veda was summoned to serve the snacks. After that, Veda and Bhuwan were told that they could speak in private.

  ‘Go, beti. Take him to your room and you both can talk there,’ said Rajinder.

  ‘Yes, yes, please go. They will have a lot to talk about,’ commented one of the aunts, and all the others laughed like it was the greatest joke in the world.

  It was the most awkward thing Veda had ever experienced. She wished the earth would open up and swallow her. She did not want to meet him alone, and she had no idea what to say to him. But she had to be the dutiful daughter, so she led him to her room.

  As soon as they were alone, Veda sat on the bed. She pointed to her study chair for him to sit on.

  ‘It’s lovely to meet you Veda,’ he said, smiling at her. His face radiated warmth and he looked like he was genuinely happy to meet her. He had a dimple in his left cheek, and it added to his pleasant demeanour. Veda noticed his long, oval face, his one-day-old stubble, his short, wavy hair, and his perfect teeth. She decided that though he wasn’t strikingly handsome, he wasn’t unattractive at all. This was the first time since he had arrived that she was looking at him properly.

  ‘Nice to meet you too,’ she replied.

  ‘So, I guess we know something about each other, at least the bits we put in our respective matrimonial bio-datas,’ he said.

  Veda looked puzzled.

  ‘You must have read my matrimonial bio-data, right?’ asked Bhuwan.

  ‘What? No, I only know your name and that you work in Pune. They didn’t tell me anything else about you.’

  ‘Oh! But I know all about you. They sent me your matrimonial bio-data: your interests, hobbies, everything. Your academic performance is admirable,’ he said.

  ‘Oh! Thanks. I didn’t even know they had made one for me. They never told me about it,’ said Veda.

  ‘So, let’s set that right straightaway, shall we? Is there anything you would like to ask me?’ Bhuwan asked.

  If Bhuwan was feeling as awkward as she was, he wasn’t showing it at all, Veda thought. He was acting as though this was the most natural thing in the world. Veda wondered what she should ask him and decided to start with what she thought would be a ‘basic’ question. She asked him what his academic qualifications were. She was impressed when he told her that he had done an MBA and was working in a multinational at the mid-management level.

  Then she asked him about his hobbies. He said that he loved to trek and that he enjoyed taking photos.

  He asked her what she liked to read. She told him about her favourite books.

  He had, to her surprise, read Daphne du Maurier.

  ‘Oh my God—you are the first person I have met who has read her books!’ she exclaimed.

  ‘Well, I must admit, I have read only one—Rebecca. And that too, because I watched the movie. It’s an old movie, I think, made in 1969 or so. I watched it only because one of my closest friends, Vikki, insisted that I do. He is a filmmaker—or at least wants to be one—and he talked a lot about it.’

  ‘Still, it’s a start,’ said Veda.

  They talked about the differences between the book and the movie. She asked him if he had enjoyed the movie, and he replied that, to his surprise, he had, even though he had watched it just to please his friend.

  Then he asked her something that she hadn’t been expecting at all.

  ‘So, ummm . . . any boyfriends?’ he questioned.

  ‘What? No. No,’ she replied a bit too quickly, a little outraged.

  ‘Sorry. Just so that we are clear. Because in case you have someone, we need not, you know, proceed with this,’ said Bhuwan, his tone almost apologetic.

  Veda thought about Suraj. Was he her boyfriend? How could you call someone your boyfriend, just because you had spent a lot of time with him for a few weeks? They had made it clear, over and over, in their conversations, that they were just friends and nothing more. She thought about the picnics, the secret meetings, the conversations at lunch break, and all the other times they had met. They had discussed it often.

  ‘I know, I know—we can never be anything more than friends,’ Suraj had said, each time she brought it up. Veda felt she had been bringing up the topic more to assure herself, than for him. Suraj definitely was just her friend, she decided.

  ‘No, no boyfriends,’ she said, firmly this time.

  ‘Alright then, I guess we should go out before they call for us,’ he said, as he stood up.

  When they emerged and stepped into the drawing room, everyone looked at them expectantly. It was as though they had to make a decision right there.

  ‘So beta, what do you think of our Veda?’ Rajinder asked.

  Veda wished she could disappear. She looked down, feeling embarrassed, awkward and self-conscious. How could her father ask him such a thing? What if he did not like her?

  Everyone turned to look at Bhuwan.

  ‘Your daughter is lovely, and well . . . if she likes me too, then I guess I am lucky,’ he said.

  Veda looked up, stunned. It had not even occurred to her that she, too, would have a choice in this matter. It had not occurred to her that she had to like the guy too. Could she refuse to marry this guy?

  ‘Of course, she likes you! From our side, consider it final!’ said Rajinder.

  ‘Wonderful, wonderful!’ said Bhuwan’s father.

  ‘So we will consult the pandit and fix an auspicious date then. Their horoscopes anyway are a perfect match,’ said Padma Devi.

  Veda’s mother nodded. Veda did not miss the look of gratitude and overwhelming relief, mingled with joy, on both her parents’ faces.

  Veda had also got her answer. She simply had no choice. The decision had already been made for her.

  Five days later, the date of their marriage was fixed. Padma Devi had called from Pune to say that the pandit had given them a choice of three dates. The first was within forty days, the second date was eight months later, and the third was ten months later.

  Padma Devi said that she was keen on an early marriage. She was afraid that Bhuwan would change his mind, though she did not mention this.

  ‘Why delay a good thing? I would like it as early as possible,’ she said on the phone.

  Rajinder was over the moon. They had demanded no dowry. They were happy to leave all the wedding arrangements to him. He agreed quickly to the earliest date.

  Veda was to get married to Bhuwan in forty days.

  Chapter 6

  November 1995

  Joshimath

  Veda did not know what to
do anymore. Her life felt like a runaway train hurtling at full speed to an unknown destination. It was moving faster than she could run after it.

  ‘Forty days? Really, Ma? How?’ she had asked her mother, as they stood in the kitchen.

  Rajinder had announced the date of the marriage casually, like it was not a big deal, and then had left home, as he needed to start making arrangements.

  ‘There is a lot to be done and there is no time to be wasted,’ he had said, as he hurried out.

  ‘What about my college? I am in my final year and I have to get my degree,’ said Veda, her voice full of dismay.

  ‘Veda beti, we are your parents. Don’t you think we will consider what is best for you? We have thought about all that. You can complete the rest of your college in Pune,’ Kamala assured her daughter.

  ‘What? How? You mean I have to shift to Pune as soon as I get married?’ Veda asked, horrified. She hadn’t thought out the details of what her marriage meant, and it was all slowly sinking in now.

  ‘Yeh lo! Do you not know how it is? Have you heard of any bride staying back at her parents’ place after the wedding? Your new home is now in Pune. Your father-in-law has said that he can get you into one of the finest colleges there. He knows the Dean,’ her mother said, as she expertly kneaded the dough for rotis.

  ‘But . . . but, it will be in the middle of the academic year,’ Veda said. She still couldn’t believe that it would all be as simple as her mother made it sound. Her mother could not be aware of what it meant to transfer from one college to another in the final year, she thought.

  ‘Your father has spoken to them. They said you can get your marks transferred,’ her mother reassured her.

  ‘Marks? You mean credits?’

  ‘Yes, yes—same thing,’ her mother waved her hand impatiently. ‘You can get it all shifted there. They said that it is a better college too. So you see, it’s all okay. Don’t worry so much, Veda. You leave the worrying to us. After all, it is we who have to make the wedding arrangements.’