Gambling goes right

As he walked out of his car to recieve me, i took a ton full of oxygen preparing my mind for what laid ahead. We barely had anything to talk about on our first day of courtship. Or perhaps, we had so much that it was better to keep silent than to calculate what to start with. I couldn’t help myself thinking how a blind date works. First date with your arranged-by-family fiancé, usually takes a lot of research and help from an experienced elder sister. But since i didn’t had the latter and googling “things to talk about on first date” skipped my mind, i was nervous as hell.

Having a meal in front of us didnt help. We could talk about food, but we had more important issues to be settled first. When both of us didnt touch our food and i was done playing ice hockey in my virgin mojito, he finally took the initiative to ask if i was happy or even okay with what our family has decided. I wasn’t sure back then, frankly. I felt as if they were murdering me and there was very little i could do. I could have said no to this guy in front of me, only to know that there would be another one having this same conversation next week. My aim was to find someone who respected women and who really knew how to party. (In a city like jaipur, the two qualities didnt go hand in hand).

But then talk happened. And when that happened, it never stopped. Within an hour, i realized i was in for a treat…for a lifetime.

When he dropped me home that night, i remember my heart yelling to spend a little more time with him. As he tried to say something, silent words escaped like hollow bubbles. I looked at him as his eyes whispered sweet promises to me. Only when our eyes had finished talking, he said, “bye” and drove  away.

Arranged marriage takes atleast a hundred people’s leap of faith. Its a gamble that one plays. If it turns out right, you gracefully climb the ladder of life. If not, i blame the families for rolling the dice. They say, in India, its not a marriage of two people, but of two families. Three years into my marriage, i can say they are somewhat right. It was a roller coaster ride moving into another house and with another family. But with my husband by my side, i came out still sane. He respects my decision, my actions, my freedom and my thoughts. To top it up, often we are seen on weekends partying like there’s no tomorrow.