Page 11 of Always With You

“Look, she’s coming for dinner tomorrow along with her parents. I expect you to be there. If in case you don’t show up, then I will know what your answer is, and I will call up my lawyer to draft the papers.” His no-nonsense gaze tells me it’s futile to even try to convince him.

“I will be there,” I say through gritted teeth.

“I’m trusting you, Son.”

The rest of the lunch goes in silence, as we give each other a cold shoulder, each trying to hold his ground. But with the kind of stipulation Grandpa has imposed, I doubt I will have my way. I know him enough to know that nothing can sway him once he makes up his mind.

After the meal, I bid him goodbye and then slip into my car.Hearing the roar of the engine, I pull out of the parking spot, pressing my foot on the accelerator. I speed up to the exit without any destination in mind.I am pissed and don’t know where I am heading to. ThoughI should go back to the office, I need to drive and clear my head.I need to find a way out of this shit,as I don’t intend to live the rest of my life in some sham of a marriage.

Chapter 4

Alisha

We got done with dinner half an hour back and are sitting on the couch in our living room. Mom has her feet tucked under her, holding a teacup, while Dad is sitting next to her, reading his newspaper. As I sit opposite them, I ruminate on how to break the news. I don’t know what to say that will make my decision more bearable for them to accept. However, I don’t fool myself and know well that no words will lessen the impact it will have on them. There is no doubt they will be shattered. Damn, some situations are indeed so difficult that you are at a loss for words.This is not the time for philosophy. I need to get this ordeal over and done with.

I struggle with my thoughts a little longer and then blurt out without any preamble. “I have accepted to marry Mr Seth’s grandson.”

There is radio silence for a moment. Both have sat upright by now and are staring at me with wide eyes, mouth agape. I feel the jitters, scared about their reaction to this piece of news. They keep looking at me with a blank expression for a full minute after which Dad speaks.

“Youwhat?” His voice remains levelled, but he blinks quickly and hard, still staring at me as he sets down the newspaper next to him.

He for sure is taken aback by my words. Mom looks at me with disbelief as her hands start shaking.

“Marriage?” she whispers when the words finally register.

I don’t have the guts to utter a word and merely nod my head. The teacup falls from Mom’s hand and shatters on the floor, the pieces depicting the state of our minds and hearts at the moment.

Dad’s eyes turn to her, and the next moment, he squats down in front of her and grabs her hands in his.

“Rishi, she can’t marry that guy.” Mom’s voice is shaking with worry.

“I know, Sweetheart, I promise I won’t let it happen,” he assures her, and she looks at him with hopeful eyes.

She cups his cheek with a hand. “I trust you to protect our daughter.”

“Mom, I have made up my mind and nothing will change it,” I say, but my voice lacks conviction.

Dad turns to me. Rising to his feet, he sits back on the couch next to Mom. She is panting a bit and looking at me with harrowed eyes and is quivering by now. He wraps his arms around her shoulders. “You won’t do any such thing.” He looks at me with resolute eyes.

“Dad, I want you to respect my choice like you have always done. Please understand, this is what I want.”

I am not sure where this marriage will lead me, but I do know that all I will ever need in life is already there in my heart, thanks to my parents. Everything I have and everything I am, I owe to them. I know I cannot repay them with anything for what they have done for me. Still, I am willing to give this marriage a try to bring a solution to their problems. They have gone through a lot of struggle and pain, so now I have made a promise to myself that I won’t let it all go in vain. I want to do justice for every time they have believed in me.

Dad presses his lips together in a thin line. “It’s my fault that this is coming to you.”

“Dad, you are forgetting an important aspect that you took the loan for me. This is not your fault,” I point out, the pain on his face making me wince.

“In a way it is. I should have saved enough money to fulfil your dreams,” Dad mumbles and looks at me. “As parents, we are supposed to protect you, but here we are, the ones pushing you into hell.”

“Please don’t blame yourself. You have raised me with all the love and comfort in the world. This isn’t your fault,” I say firmly. “This is my decision.”

“Do you know that he is a Casanova, and every time, he is seen with a different woman? Is that the kind of life partner you want to spend the rest of your life with?” Mom challenges me.

I feel like the ground underneath me is falling away. Unfortunately, it looks like finding true love is not written in my fate, and sooner or later, I will have to accept this bitter truth. Dad must have seen the horror on my face because he gives me a pleading look to consider my decision.

I put on a brave face despite the pounding in my heart. “People change.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” This time, it’s Dad who raises the question.

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