Marriage Under Construction

2. CARE

'Saath hokar bhi anjaan hain,
Iss ajnabi ki khub pehchaan hai'
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"What is all this Sandhya? I never thought that my daughter will be so unhappy with your son. I thought your son will look after her like a princess. But what is all this?" Manjula spat angrily. She was awaiting this moment for the whole journey and had prepared a while monologue in her daughter's defense.

"Manjula, please have this lime juice first. We can talk about it", Sandhya requested as she entered the living room with a tray containing three glasses of juice.

"No Sandhya. You are our dear friend. So was your husband. I knew Ashok so dearly. 'Your son' which means the most disciplined person ever. I could see his culture in the way he behaved with me. He saved my life. That is the reason I got my daughter married to him. Neither has he spoken to his mother in law or father in law in all these four months. I thought the kids didn't have time for themselves. Let them know each other first. But here your son has denied to talk to my daughter? They stay together but don't talk? What if he beats up my daughter? She's been locked in that prison in an unknown place. Where will she go? And you are asking us to relax" Ravi had his patience lost when Manjula told him the conversation on the phone.

"Relax Ravi. Manjula, not just you, even I thought Avya and Supreeth would make a nice pair. I thought they would like each other. They would enjoy each other's company. I agree I haven't called Avya since three days. I was busy in the harvest season. But Supreeth told me yesterday that everything was fine. So, I kept quite. I know it will take time for them to behave like any normal couple. But still....", Sandhya tried to reason.

"But still your son has got no rights to treat my daughter like the way he does. He treats her like a maid. She had recently got her D&C done. She needs to be taken care of. Her mind needs peace. But your son is hell bent on..." Manjula had lost the control over her anger.

"You have not known my son Manjula. Neither have I known your daughter. They are our children now and before making dirty remarks on them, we shouldn't forget that they are our kids and we as parents should try to resolve their differences. I agree I'm at fault. My son had not gotten over his father's death, and his ex getting married to someone else forcefully. I thought getting him married would bring him out of all this and give him a hope to lead a new life. I think I was wrong now", Sandhya agreed dejectedly.

"His ex? And you didn't find it necessary to tell us Sandhya?" Ravi asked with his nose completely red in anger.

"Neither did you find it important to tell me about Rohit and how you had locked that innocent girl in a room for month and a half. If she hadn't confided in me, I would never know that. That house of yours have been a prison to her and not my son's home in Bengaluru. She atleast goes out to bring stuffs for her house. She isn't treated like a prisoner. I agree my faults but that will not make you both right in any way. If I have made a mistake you two have done it too." Sandhya spat this time making both of them put their head down.

"Fighting over whose child is suffering is not going to lead us anywhere. They are young. They have a career to build, they have a home to be made. Now I realise that they don't have any elderly person on their side to guide them. I'll have to play it now. Anyhow the harvest season is over. Now, I'll make sure they will come on track. I promise you guys that. I know nobody can see their daughter suffer. I'm also someone's daughter and I was also sent to a home that wasn't mine. I had to make it mine. My mother and mother in law were my support. But our Avya, she neither confided anything in you or me. I think these two need me. I'll make sure everything is done right. Our children will be happy. That's my promise. But please instead of blaming others to behave like a typical son in law, I wish you guys had visited them once atleast. They would know someone was there for them, for her", Sandhya spoke and both of them nodded.