Love after Marriage

by Chandra, Bhagya

  Roshni hugged Sashank and Kusum, and congratulated them. The newly married couple touched Kaki’s feet and took her blessings. As planned, everybody visited the temple for blessings, the priest performed a small pooja, and later Roshni welcomed Kusum more traditionally and completed the formality of doing arati; Kusum was asked to step her right foot first and she did. Sashank presented her with bracelets, a gift and a symbolic token of accepting her as a daughter-in-law in the house.

  Roshni remembered the time she was given the bracelets, and her eyes became moist. She took a deep breath and sighed. Everything is over. It is futile to think about it.

  Everything with Sashank’s wedding went well, very simple and decent.

  ~ ~ ~

  Deepak called that evening to congratulate Sashank and Kusum. Kaki picked up the phone, and Deepak asked to speak with Sashank bhaiya.

  “Hello, Deepak.”

  “Congratulations, bhaiya, Kaki mentioned that all went well this morning. I am so happy for you.”

  “Thank you, Deepak, you know…if not for Roshni, this would not have been possible.”

  “I know, bhaiya. So what are your plans after the reception?”

  “Both of us have taken off next week. You know, as per family tradition, we have to go to Vaishno Devi for darshan. I think we will take this trip.”

  Deepak remembered his and Roshni’s trip not too long ago and their conversations. After being quiet for a few seconds, he continued, “I’m glad both of you decided to make that trip. It will be a good way to get away for a few days. Is Kusum bhabhi around? Can I talk to her as well?”

  Deepak talked with Kusum bhabhi and congratulated her. They had a casual conversation for some time, and then he asked for Roshni.

  Kusum called out, “Roshni, Deepak is on the phone. He wants to talk to you.”

  “Me? I don’t think so. He wanted to talk to both of you,” replied Roshni.

  Deepak overheard this. “Bhabhi, please tell her I want to talk to her.”

  “Roshni, Deepak says he wants to talk to you.”

  Roshni picked up the phone. “Hello.”

  “Hello, Roshni, did you believe I would only talk to bhaiya and bhabhi!”

  “Yes, we talked about this last week.”

  “What will it take for me to demonstrate to you that I want to talk to you too?” Deepak asked very politely.

  “Nothing, our conversations are very minimal always.”

  This is going to change now, Roshni, my darling. Just wait and watch how I win you back! he thought to himself.

  “So tell me, Roshni, how everything went?” Deepak asked her.

  “Sashank bhaiya just gave you all the details; what more do you want to know?”

  “I want to know from you. Come on, tell me. I am eagerly waiting to hear from you.”

  Roshni gave him all the details of the wedding, the planned reception and their proposed trip to Vaishno Devi. Deepak enjoyed her conversation. He asked questions in between and waited for her response, and they had a good time talking to each other. It was noticeable Roshni also was very pleased that Sashank bhaiya was married.

  Deepak and Roshni talked for over thirty minutes.

  “I think I talked too long; shall I hang up now?”

  “Why?” asked Deepak. He enjoyed talking to her.

  “We talked for too long, and it is not a good idea. What if…” she paused, “your girlfriend observed this, she would not like it.”

  Deepak just nodded his head. He knew there was no girlfriend, but he took this opportunity to clarify this with Roshni. “Roshni, there is no girlfriend here. I mean, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  “You said so last time.”

  “No, you mistook me. If Sashank bhaiya had agreed and if I was not married to you, I would have pursued my relationship, but now, since our marriage…I…” He paused.

  “It does not matter to me, Deepak. You are still free to choose whoever you want to live with. I mean…find a partner you like,” Roshni replied.

  “Roshni, did you hear what I just said? I never had and never will have any other relationship,” he emphasized in a raised tone.

  Roshni remained quiet.

  “Roshni…I just want you to understand me, please. I feel like I’m repeating this to you over and over.”

  Roshni choked. Deepak had touched her sensitive side, and he became quiet too. After a few moments, she said, “I am going to hang up, Deepak.”

  “Roshni, please…” he requested.

  Given the circumstances, it was better to let go! Deepak was being extremely cautious dealing with her. Both of them said ‘bye’ to each other and hung up.

  Roshni took a deep breath and blew air out of her mouth, glad it was over. However, thoughts of her long talk with Deepak lingered.

  Deepak felt relieved. Since his return to the US, this was the first time he’d talked to her for so long. He enjoyed the conversation, and he could not wait to talk to her again.

  ~ ~ ~

  It was Sunday, and everyone was ready to leave for the reception, which was held in a hotel. Kusum wore a silk brocade sari, and Roshni wore a traditional lehenga choli with a dupatta. Akash and Sashank were dressed in kurta pyjamas with a scarf. Kaki was dressed in a silk sari. At the reception, Sashank introduced Kusum to his friends. It was a jubilant occasion. There was light music playing in the background, men and women were dressed colorfully, and kids were running around. The caterers did a wonderful job serving the guests. The steaming dishes spread enticing aromas. Laddus, burfis and gulab jamun – wow! Guests had a variety of choices for food, and it felt the occasion was not complete until chai was served.

  The reception went well, and everybody returned home feeling satisfied. They were all seated in the family room discussing the events while Roshni went to her room to her babuji’s picture, and with teary eyes, she said, “Thank you, Babuji. Thank you for your support and guidance through this.” She wept for a few minutes. “I am working hard to keep my promise, Babuji. Sashank bhaiya is married, and now I will focus on Akash bhaiya.”

  Back in their room, Sashank was talking to Kusum. “Kusum, please pay attention to Roshni. She is still shattered after her babuji’s death, and with Deepak in the US, she feels lonely. Akash, Kaki and Lakshmi and I have been trying our best to keep her engaged, but there are times she goes away to her room without informing anybody. There have been a few occasions I have seen her by her babuji’s picture and crying. This girl has had so much impact on us and our family; I do not know what I would do without her. She is my daughter, and I hope you will treat her the same.”

  Kusum came to Sashank and held his hand. “Please don’t worry. I know her well, and I am also aware she is missing her babuji. Roshni was very close to him; they were more like friends to each other. I agree; she is our daughter, and I will take care of her,” she said.

  Sashank was relieved to hear this.

  Kusum continued, “I will take care of Akash as well. You don’t have to worry about him.”

  This was a great assurance for Sashank from his wife, and they made plans to visit Vaishno Devi as per family tradition.

  ~ ~ ~

  Deepak called again, and Roshni picked up the phone this time, and they talked about the reception.

  Roshni was amazed at how frequently Deepak was calling. She wondered if all this excitement would continue now that Sashank bhaiya’s wedding was over.

  “Roshni, I know everything would have gone well. Since you coordinated it, there was no doubt in my mind.”

  Roshni was flattered but did not react. She was silent for a few seconds.

  “Roshni, how come you are so quiet all of a sudden? I almost felt you hung up.”

  “Sometimes it is good to listen and not say anything.”

  “I hear Sashank bhaiya and bhabhi are going to Vaishno Devi in a couple of days.”

  “Yes, I asked them to stay longer or go away on a short honeymoon.”

  Deepak was happy and sa
d. He wished he had done that with Roshni, taken her away on a honeymoon and spent time with her. He wished he understood her better, and how he wished she was with him and all that happened between them never happened. These thoughts kept him busy for a few seconds, and he was quiet.

  “Okay, bye, Deepak, and take care,” she said abruptly. She’d mistaken Deepak’s silence.

  “Oh, hold on, Roshni. What is the matter?”

  “Since you were quiet, I figured we were done talking,” she responded.

  “Roshni, you…”

  He never hung up when she was quiet. He was tempted to give this rationale, but as she’d mentioned, it was better to listen sometimes…he learned this lesson from her!

  Deepak tried to talk to her, but she gave short answers or tried to cut him off. It had become a question and answer session, and he did not want to force her. They decided to hang up.

  Deepak was always ecstatic to talk to Roshni and felt cheerful after his telephone conversations. He was in a good mood and people around him began to notice this. Although he was busy with project work, he never procrastinated to call Roshni.

  Chapter 14

  Deepak’s surprise visit to India on Business

  It had been over a month since Sashank and Kusum were married. Sashank tried to be a good husband to Kusum, and Kusum tried to be a good wife, good older daughter-in-law, and a motherly figure to Roshni and Akash. There was joy and happiness around.

  Deepak, although busy with his approaching deadline, which was a week away, never missed calling India at least once a week and talking to Roshni for a few minutes.

  Roshni led a project with a team of five individuals, and the design review for the prototype was scheduled for the second week of June. She and her team worked late hours, sometimes into weekends, to get this design and testing completed. Sanjay, her college friend, was on the same team. Work on this project progressed well. Roshni was very good technically, in addition she was a very good project manager, and she was sought after for any project at her firm. Everybody enjoyed working with her and had great respect and regard for her.

  Nobody around Roshni was able to gauge the emotional trauma she was going through. She behaved perfectly normal outside but was going through a major internal struggle. Sashank and Akash were very close to her, and she herself had never lived with so many people and had become close to everyone.

  Roshni thought of various options to move out of this house, move away from this family so nobody suspected her, and she wanted it to be a smooth transition for everybody.

  Should she find a job outside of Mumbai for a year and then return once the dust settled in the Vermas’ house? Should she ask her director, Gupta ji, to transfer her out of Mumbai for a few months, and then later she could come back to the same firm in Mumbai. With several options available, she settled on approaching Gupta ji the first week of June.

  Although Sashank and others made attempts to convince her, Roshni was adamant not to sell or rent out Babuji’s house, for she needed a place to live after December 14th. She hired a young couple to clean the house once a week, and she took this opportunity to visit Babuji’s house, her house, and spend time alone with her childhood memories. This gave her a lot of solace.

  ~ ~ ~

  While Roshni was occupied with thoughts of moving, Deepak was thinking of options to win Roshni back. The project implementation was due on the 6th of June, which was a Friday.

  Deepak’s boss called him into his office and updated him regarding a possible trip to Bangalore, India, in mid-June to attend a conference as a speaker for their technology and software. Since Deepak was busy, they agreed to discuss the details after the project implementation, lest this distract Deepak.

  Deepak’s joy knew no bounds; he was very delighted. He instantly wanted to call Roshni and inform her but decided to wait until he had more details. He became busy with the implementation plans…testing and verification.

  Deepak’s project was implemented on the 6th of June. The implementation went very smoothly with no major hiccups, and his team and colleagues were very pleased with the outcome. He was a very efficient team leader. Soon after this implementation, Deepak’s boss gave him all the details regarding the upcoming trip to India. A company in Bangalore had sponsored this event to update Indian IT companies regarding new technologies and software. Deepak’s company chose Deepak to speak and train the IT professionals at this conference.

  Deepak asked his boss for a couple of extra days to spend time with his wife and family, and his boss agreed. This was a great opportunity for Deepak to combine business and personal time together, especially since he was looking for opportunities to visit India sooner than December 14th, to spend time with Roshni.

  He discussed this with Vivek and Vaishali, and agreed to keep this a secret to surprise Roshni and his family. Deepak was euphoric as he made all the arrangements for the trip. He had to be in Bangalore from the 16th through the 19th of June, which was a Thursday. He planned to spend a couple of days before and after with Roshni and his family.

  Meanwhile, Gupta ji, Roshni’s boss and director, wanted her to attend a conference in Bangalore for a week in mid-June. She was informed that a couple of speakers were coming from the US to train them on the new software. She agreed; this would give her a chance to explore opportunities in Bangalore for IT professionals. Gupta ji also mentioned to Roshni that she may have to transfer to Bangalore for a few months because their company was collaborating with a firm in Bangalore on a project. This was certainly a great opportunity for her to move out of Mumbai, and she was relieved.

  Roshni talked about the conference to Sashank, Kusum and Akash at the dining table. Sashank was initially concerned and unsure if Roshni should travel alone, but Roshni talked him into agreeing. The conference was from June 16th through the 19th; she decided to fly there one day prior and return on the last day of the conference.

  ~ ~ ~

  Deepak arrived in Mumbai in the late afternoon on the 13th, to everyone’s surprise. He touched Sashank bhaiya’s and Kusum bhabhi’s feet. Deepak was happy to meet his bhabhi for the first time, and Kaki and Lakshmi were happy to see him. He hoped to see Roshni, but she was nowhere to be seen. Kusum bhabhi suspected his curiosity and informed him that Roshni’s entire team was busy with the design of the prototype and that she would be home late, and Deepak was disappointed.

  Kusum and Sashank wanted to inform Roshni of Deepak’s arrival, but Deepak asked them not to; he wanted to surprise her. Deepak had already noticed remarkable changes in Sashank bhaiya and everybody around. The house was bubbling with positive energy!

  Deepak took his luggage to his room, which was now occupied by Roshni. He was pleasantly surprised at how well she had decorated the room; he felt her presence everywhere. A scented lamp emitted a wonderful aroma that spread in the room. The delicately designed bedspread, matching pillows, linen table covers, sheer curtains, and the walls hung with beautiful paintings – everything in that room spoke volumes of her taste and personality. He spotted Roshni’s babuji’s picture on the table and went closer and paid his respects to him.

  Deepak had a wash, but couldn’t find a towel. He opened the closet to look for one. He found Roshni’s clothes in perfect order, well folded and well sorted out. He could not stop smiling to himself and admired her perfection everywhere.

  Deepak had brought gifts for everybody, so he decided to unpack the suitcase and distribute them. Of course, the first people to receive theirs were Kusum bhabhi and Sashank bhaiya, followed by Kaki and Lakshmi and then Akash.

  The entire family was together; they talked, laughed and had a good time. Deepak constantly looked towards the door, expecting Roshni. It was 8 p.m., and she was not home. Everybody else but Deepak had dinner; he wanted to wait for Roshni. It was 8:30 p.m., and he became anxious for Roshni to arrive.

  He questioned Sashank bhaiya and Kusum bhabhi about her safety: Did she come home alone, or did somebody drop her at the house? Should
somebody go to fetch her?

  Sashank bhaiya retired to his room, and a few minutes later, Kusum bhabhi and Akash bhaiya went to their rooms. Deepak also went upstairs to his room and became impatient. He was very worried about Roshni when finally he heard the sound of a rickshaw in front of the house. It was 8:45 p.m., and he peeped through the window. Roshni was home.

  Roshni was very tired. She’d had a long day at work, and she rang the doorbell and waited for someone to open the door.

  Kusum yelled from her room, “Deepak, I think it is Roshni. Do you want to open the door?”

  “Yes, bhabhi.”

  He rushed to the door. Meanwhile, Roshni had already rung the bell a couple of times and wondered why nobody was opening the door. She massaged her neck and turned towards the street when she heard the door open. She turned around; Deepak was in front of her, smiling at her. She was startled. She stood there looking at him in disbelief!

  “Hi!”

  “Hi!” She stared at him in utter dismay. She turned around to make sure she was at the right house.

  Deepak smiled at her and moved forward. He held her hand and brought her in.

  She was still in a state of shock. Is this Deepak? What is he doing here? When did he come? How come nobody told me? Several questions rushed through her mind.

  Kusum and Sashank came out of their room and saw the expressions on both Deepak’s and Roshni’s faces and could not stop smiling. Roshni walked in. She could not believe it was Deepak in front of her. Similarly, Deepak was so overwhelmed with emotions after seeing Roshni; both of them stood without any movement, staring at each other.

  “Look at them, staring at each other as strangers. Deepak, go give her a hug,” Kusum broke the silence.

  Deepak looked around at his bhabhi and towards Roshni. He smiled and hugged her, hugged her tight with both arms around her, and whispered into her ear, “Roshni, how are you? Gosh, it is so good to see you.” He was happy to see her, and he meant it by his action.