Dark by Juhi Meshram
wearedarshatha
20:00
I was just half awake when a voice encroached my peaceful morning. It
was my mother’s, it took me a minute to figure it out.
Next! I grabbed my half fallen blanket, covered my face and tried to
sleep. But, the noises did not let me. This time, they were more than one. I
stepped down the bed finally, and crossed that distance till living room which
seemed to be a mile away. We had some guests and maa was talking to them, or I can
say screaming with them. I rubbed my eyes to clear the picture and there I saw;
maa, masi, masa
and two others. I greeted them, all of them, but they kind of ignored me amid
their serious discussion. That day I realised that you might be the best son or
you are home for just 3 days or you were a scholar all your life, you will just
be ignored if there is a serious conversation going on. And when I say serious,
it is not about the cold war between India and China or about the monsoon in
Delhi, it was about a neighbour’s wedding. I stood there thinking for a while
and then went straight towards the washroom. The voices were so clear from
there, thanks to our compact 2BHK apartment. I chose to hear them.
“You won’t believe Meenu, I told his mother straight that how she could
agree for this marriage. She just walked away, couldn’t say a word.” Maa said to masi.
“I think there is something wrong with Anup. He is MBA, earns lakhs per
month, is good looking, then why this girl? There must be something we don’t
know.” masi
replied.
“Yes, she is not even rich.”
said masa.
This much was enough to tense me. I was suddenly breathing heavily. I had come
home for a week for Anup’s wedding. He is not just a neighbour but my childhood
friend. We were similar. Went to same school, graduated from same college, I
went Bangalore to pursue career in IT while he post graduated with MBA. Last
night I was busy celebrating with Anup and other friends. But this morning
snatched my hangover. I knew what they were talking about, why they were
talking so and why they did not like Anup’s wife. But I prayed not to hear
those exact words. But they continued.
“She is an MBA too, they were batch mates…” said an unknown voice.
“But she is too dark, couldn’t you see. There must be other girls in
his batch”, I heard maa.
“Yes, you know I couldn’t even get her face, she just camouflaged with
the lights”, said masi.
For the next few minutes, all I could hear were laughs. I couldn’t take
anymore. They kept on saying when I joined the room, this time without caring
about being ignored.
“So you people are talking about Priya”, I sat beside maa. All the faces stared me for a
while and then maa
said, “Anup is your best friend, couldn’t you tell him to find a good
girlfriend.” And the laughs continued. “And why do you people think she is not
a good girl?”, I added.
“This generation is so blind about relationships, Raghu think about his
kids they will be dark too.” Masi
replied to me. “So what masi,
even your children are dark, because masa
is, does it make any difference to their personality?”, and I crossed the line
for them. “Beta, I
am a man, head of the family but a woman… needs to be pretty.” said masa.
“So it is not about kids, then what? About being a girl. So, Priya is
MBA earns equally like Anup, she has mentally supported Anup when he was down
after uncle’s death, and they make a good duo with their compatibility. They
have taken responsibilities of both the family way before the marriage and
haven’t failed yet. She is better in fact best choice for Anup for she loves
him and he reciprocates”, I took a deep breath. “Love lasts for days, but there
are other things too, how would he manage with her, I mean how he would love
her?” said masa.
“Are you talking about sex?” I replied, to which maa frowned but I did not stop, “Let
it be a private topic for them.” “But what about family status, you don’t know
how her mother is going to answer people.” said masi.
“Which people? Whom should she answer? People like you? Maa? People like us?”
There was a silence. No! They
did not get my words. It is just that… they faced the mirror and stood staring to
what they are.
