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Marriage, a Dilemma
by
R.H. Sarah
Chapter 2
Meenaxi came down the hall for dinner, she didn't wanted to meet her mother, because she knew nothing to talk about but marriage and marriage. She sat down on the table and Mrs. Dixit served her first and Meenaxi knew why. Her mother was trying to butter her. After she served her daughter, she sat enthusiastically and said looking at her with all the glitters and sparkling excitement, "So?"
Meenaxi was about to take a bite of her roti, when the questions made her stop half way. Mr. Dixit and Seema too saw it and looked at her for some answer, but she just looked at her mother and said, "So what?
"So its a yes, oh Seema, its a yes, oh look Dixit, its a yes from our daughter. I am going to send her to that Paris Beauty Saloon and I will give her the set, which my mother had given me from her mother and from her, her mother's mother and her, her, her mother's mother's mother. I will... I will look that the decorations are done in a proper manner; we will give the contract to those people, who had done the decorations for my friend's daughter's wedding. No! It should be better than that-"
"Mom", Seema interrupted.
"Keep quiet, don't you know I am making plans, so then we will shop from P.P. Jewellers and also they have got dress materials and also jewellery. We have got so much to do..."
"Mom, whose the groom?" asked Seema and Mr. Dixit stopped halfway through his bite of roti and Meenaxi, whose first bite was still pending, got satisfied with the question and took it. Mrs. Dixit was more in a shock with that question; it seemed to her that somebody had spilled a bucket of water on her daughter's wedding items.
"Whose the groom?" she asked herself and then turned to her husband and asked, "Whose the groom?"
"Me! Arey, you are the mother, the in charge of the daughter's marriage bureau. Why ask me?" Mr. Dixit said taking a piece of roti and cabbage.
"Oh yes, I will go at once and find the best ma, there is one boy, I was thinking of calling him. But, now I will call him and ask him to come over and see Meenaxi", Mrs. Dixit said and she got up from her table, leaving her food unattended as she was just too excited for the marriage that she forgot all about her hunger.
"Mom I don't want to marry", said Meenaxi. Mrs. Dixit turned like a defeated champion and she looked at her with no hope and she joined her hand and came forcefully towards Meenaxi, that she got scared what her mother was doing, it looked like a bull coming to attack the red colour.
"Where we started from, we ended there only. Is there any progress from your decision? Why are you so torturing me this way, why Meenaxi, why?" asked Mrs. Dixit, who had no limits of her agitation and irritation, with her daughter's firm decision of no marriage.
"Mom I don't know, you please have your dinner", said Meenaxi looking meaningfully at her mother and she silently sat down, but didn’t touch her plate, she was still and stubborn like a small kid on the dinning table. Mr. Dixit looked at his wife and then looked at his daughter, "I think Meenaxi, and it’s time at least you should get engaged. We are just asking that much from you".
Mrs. Dixit's eyes pop out and her head started to shake slowly, as she heard all this from her husband, she looked at him and said, "Oh, oh my, oh my God, was that you right now, or am I too sick and tired that I started to hear things from the wrong mouth".
"My dear, its my mouth, I don't know the right mouth or the wrong mouth", replied Mr. Dixt in a cool manner. But it was Meenaxi who was now totally in a bad mood, actually in a moody mood. The entire family stared at her, waiting for an answer. Meenaxi moved her eyes, first to her sister, whose big, white teeth looked out in the similar manner of excitement as the owner herself was. Then she looked at her father, whose face was, as usual calm peaceful, she couldn't find nothing from him. Her eyes travelled in a very slow pace and looked very unwillingly at her mother, whose face showed only one gesture, where she sat nodding up and down forcefully for a yes. She looked at it and made a small defeat less face and nodded her head and said, "Yes".
"Oh my God", screamed Seema, who by now only started to sing marriage songs and Mrs Dixit sat flatly on her chair with her eyes staring at the ceiling, like a tired man, who had put his burden from his shoulder after 20 years. Mr. Dixit smiled at Meenaxi and nodded at her, which showed that he liked her decision.
"But! But I have one condition", said Meenaxi and all the joy making came to a pause and Mrs Dixit became alive from her previous state and became hyperactive and over reacted to her such sentence, "See, see, a condition I don't understand what condition it is, but I don't know when, when".
"Mom, please first hear to my condition and then overreact, "So, my condition is this that, this all thing only after I come back from Sapna's marriage".
There was a pause, a pause, which waited for Mrs. Dixit's reaction and then she looked at her daughter and said, "Oh after Sapna's wedding. Oh no I want your marriage to be before Sapna. I want you to go and give your wedding cards to her, the same way she came over to our place and gave. I want you to do that".
"Mom, please,
its either yes or no", said Meeanxi.
"Ok, ok, ok, yes, done then. I better select a proper groom for our bride. Then
I have to start shopping for the marriage", said Mrs. Dixit getting up from her
place and she was about to walk towards her decided work, Meeanxi again called
her and said, "Mom, remember I am not getting married, only engagement, after
Sapna's marriage".
"Oh doesn't
matter, beta", said Mrs. Dixit and went on with her work.
The week was busy for the entire Dixit family. Mrs Dixit was busy now
preparing the list of boys and making sure that they all on-by-one meet Meenaxi
before she leaves for her best friend's wedding. Seema was busy in her own way,
watching all the marriage films and designing the patterns and copying the
dresses, so that she can wear them all each day for her sister's marriage. Seema
didn't find any difference between marriage and engagement; she felt both the
same in this way that the both ceremonies are attended with eligible boys of her
own age. Mr. Dixit, on the hand, took up his first love again, no, not Mrs Dixit,
but his share calculations of all the papers.
TO reward him, his wife allowed him to subscribe to other newspapers also. Therefore, in short, everyone's happy days were back again, except for Meenaxi's. All the time she packed her bags for her friend's wedding, she only thought her own. She couldn't get her mind off what was happening around in her house, about her marriage. She knew no more reasons for delaying the engagement and she knew one thing, that is, if she gets engaged, her mother will forcefully get her married after two days itself.
"Meena, Meena", Mrs. Dixit called out from the drawing room and Meenaxi came down heavily.
"How's this boy?" asked Mrs. Dixit, showing a photo of a boy.
She shook her
head, making a bad and irritable face "His smile is too wide".
Mrs. Dixit saw the photograph and then looked at her daughter and said, "That
shows that he is such a jolly good fellow".
Meenaxi smiled at her in a negation and Mrs. Dixit nodded and then searched for other photo.
"What about him?" she asked again showing some photo. Meenaxi took a deep breath and said, "Mom do you really think, this is necessary, I mean can you please search for a guy after I come from that marriage".
"After that marriage, but-"
"Please mom".
Mr. Dixit heard this conversation and he came and joined his wife and daughter and said to his daughter, "I think Meena, if you want, we can send you to Mumbai tomorrow to meet your friend before the actual date. You can talk to her and share a few moments of your life".
"Dad! That's what Sapna also wanted, but I didn't tell because I was afraid you both would say no", confessed Meenaxi, but there was a delight on her face, which showed so well.
"But-" said Mrs. Dixit
"No dear, I think she must go. Go Meenaxi pack your bag", said Mr. Dixit pleasantly. As Meenaxi left to her room, Mrs. Dixit looked at her husband with disbelief, "What is your problem, you let her go. How will I do all this searching, now after she comes from the wedding, her colleges will start, she will be all busy in that and then Seema's schools will also start and then how will I ever complete. Oh everything I have to do..." complained Mrs. Dixit hysterically.
Mr. Dixit wrapped his hand around her shoulders and said very patiently, "My dear at times, we have to keep necessary things away for a while, just for the sake of our own children. And I have a feeling that, Meenaxi needs this very much right now. On the other hand, why don't you do your shopping now and then after Meenaxi comes back, you can easily do your handwork in picking an appropriate boy for her".
Mrs. Dixit was delighted with the idea and she nodded. Seema, who too was present with them said rather abruptly, "Who knows mom, Dids may find a guy there, while Sapna gets married, she too may get married along with her, without any engagements and no money spending".
Mrs. Dixit had no limits for her joy at the news, it was the thing, which Mrs. Dixit never thought of and she said to her daughter, "In that case, Seema, since your schools are off, why don't you go with Meenaxi too".
Mrs. Dixit kissed her daughter for such a brilliant suggestion and Mr. Dixit shook his head hopelessly and said, "Here we go again".
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