2 States: The Story of My Marriage Read online

  ‘Yes, initially we had a big shock. But Krish lived in Chennai for six months. Once we knew him, we were OK,’ Ananya’s mother said in her naturally stern voice.

  ‘What OK? You must be jumping with joy inside. Where will you find such a qualified boy like him?’ my mother said. I prayed Ananya’s mother wouldn’t bite at the bait. Of course, she did.

  ‘Actually, we do get qualified boys. Tamils value education a lot. All her uncles are engineers or doctors. Ananya had many matches from the USA.’

  ‘Yeah, but they must be all dark boys. Were there any as fair as Krish? Looks-wise you cannot match Punjabis,’ my mother said, without any apparent viciousness in her voice. I almost choked on the spaghetti in my mouth.

  ‘Mom, they changed dessert today,’ I coughed, ‘do you like bread pudding?’

  ‘And my brothers are also doing well,’ my mother said. ‘Ask Ananya what a wedding she has attended. They gave a Santro to the groom. You may have landed my son, but it doesn’t mean he has no value.’

  Ananya imitated a stunned goldfish while I shook my head to deny responsibility for that statement.

  ‘We haven’t trapped anyone,’ Ananya’s mother said finally. ‘He used to keep coming to our house. We are decent people so we couldn’t say no.’

  ‘Mom,’ Ananya said.

  ‘Why should I be quiet and get falsely accused? We haven’t trapped anyone. Aren’t we suffering? We all know Krish’s father is against this. Our relatives will ask. Still we are accepting it,’ Ananya’s mother said.

  ‘What are you accepting? You don’t even deserve my boy,’ my mother said, her voice nice and loud.

  ‘Please don’t shout. We are educated people,’ Ananya’s father said.

  ‘Are you saying we are not educated?’ my mother challenged.

  ‘He meant “we” as in all of us, right, uncle? We are all educated,’ I hastily put in.

  ‘Will you continue to take their side and clap while your mother gets insulted?’ my mother asked.

  ‘No mom,’ I said, wondering if I had taken sides. ‘I won’t.’

  Ananya’s family spoke to each other in Tamil. Uncle looked especially distressed as he took short, jerky breaths.

  ‘My father is not well. We will go back to our room,’ Ananya said.

  I looked at him in alarm.

  ‘Krish, we will see you later,’ Ananya added.

  ‘Mom,’ I said in protest after they left.

  ‘What? Is there bread pudding? Let’s get some,’ she said.

  My mother and I came back to our room. She pretended nothing had happened.

  ‘How does this remote work? I want to watch my serial,’ she said.

  ‘Mom, you could have behaved better there,’ I said.

  My mother didn’t answer in words. She responded in nuclear weapons. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  ‘Oh please,’ I said.

  My mother didn’t respond. She switched to her favourite soap where a son was throwing his old parents out of his house. She cried along with the TV parents, correlating their situation to hers. Yeah right, she was staying in Park Hyatt and ate four kinds of ice-creams and bread pudding for dessert. But, of course, all sons are villains playing into the hands of their wives.

  ‘We can’t have a conversation if you watch this stupid serial,’ I said.

  ‘This is not stupid. This is hundred percent reality,’ she retorted.

  I switched off the TV. My mother folded her hands. ‘Please have mercy on me,’ she said, ‘don’t subject me to this.’

  The doorbell rang. I opened the door. Ananya stood there, her face equally wreathed in tears. When estrogen attacks you on all sides, there is not much you can do.

  ‘What happened?’ I said.

  ‘Dad’s chest is hurting,’ Ananya said, fighting back her sobs.

  ‘Should I call a doctor?’ I said.

  ‘No, he is fine now. But something else can help.’

  ‘What?’ I said.

  ‘Is your mom inside? Can I talk to her?’ she said.

  ‘Sure.’ I stepped back.

  Ananya came in and told my mother who was sitting on the bed, ‘Aunty, I think you should apologise to my parents.’

  ‘Yes it is always my fault,’ my mother mocked, looking at me for support.

  ‘Aunty, please don’t generalise. We spent four hours in Panjim today buying gifts for you. My parents did whatever Krish asked us to do.’

  ‘What?’ my mother said.

  ‘Aunty, you have insulted them. They have not trapped anyone. They were dead against Krish to begin with. And now they have accepted him, they’d like some dignity.’

  ‘I am not. . . .’ my mother started to talk.

  ‘OK, enough,’ I said.

  Both the women turned to me.

  ‘Get your parents here,’ I said, ‘let’s talk this straight. Everyone has hurt everyone.’

  ‘No Krish, today my parents didn’t do anything,’ Ananya said.

  My mother went into the bathroom.

  ‘Ananya, try and understand,’ I whispered. ‘You push my mother into a corner, it will get worse. Let’s make it a mutual apology.’ I walked Ananya to the door.

  ‘I don’t like this,’ Ananya said at the door.

  ‘Bring everyone here, please,’ I said.

  I came back into the room. My mother had washed her face.

  ‘I’ve called all of them here. Let’s have a frank talk,’ I said.

  She kept quiet.

  ‘What’s up, mom? Say something,’ I said. I wanted my mother to vent out before Ananya arrived with her parents.

  ‘You saw Ananya? Have you seen any girl talk to her mother-in-law like that?’ my mother demanded.

  ‘She is a little feminist type, I admit,’ I said.

  ‘She is telling me to apologise. Can you imagine Minti talking to Duke’s mother like that?’

  ‘She is different. She is confident, independent and intelligent. But she is caring and sensitive too.’

  ‘She is too intelligent to be a good daughter-in-law.’

  I had no clue how to respond to that, but I had to calm her. ‘She isn’t that intelligent, mom,’ I assured her. ‘She did economics, but I beat her in that subject.’

  ‘We don’t have bahus in Punjabis like that, no matter how high-profile. We keep them straight,’ my mother said.

  ‘So we will too,’ I said, to pacify her.

  ‘She is out of control.’

  ‘Mom, she is with her parents here. But I am marrying only her; once she comes to our house, we can control her. You only say, no, that South Indians are docile and scared,’ I said whatever my mother needed to hear.

  ‘I don’t want my daughter-in-law to raise her voice or answer me back. She has to be under my thumb.’

  ‘Fine, make her toe the line’ I said, ‘but be normal now.’

  ‘I heard that,’ Ananya said, her face red. Ananya stood there with her parents. Damn, I hadn’t shut the door after Ananya left.

  ‘Ananya? I didn’t realise you were here,’ I said.

  ‘And I didn’t realise what I was doing. So, I will be taught to toe the line after marriage. Well done, Krish, it’s not just your mother, it is you as well,’ Ananya said.

  ‘Ananya, I. . . .’ Both women stared at me with tear-ready eyes, ready to shoot their ultimate emotional laser weapon.

  Ananya’s father tapped his wife’s shoulder, signalling departure.

  ‘I told my parents your mother will apologise. But you guys are making bigger plans,’ Ananya said and walked out of the room with her parents.

  I ran out and caught up with Ananya. ‘Wait, where are you going?’

  ‘We’re done,’ she said, her words firm despite the wobbly voice.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘It’s over,’ Ananya clarified, ‘between you and me.’

  ‘Are you breaking up with me? What? Ananya, are you crazy? I was manipulating her so she’d calm down.’