Chapter 2

Simran was the happiest person on the day of her wedding.She had known Rahul for 6 months and felt as if she had found her Raj. Rahul used to pamper her with gifts, cards and faxes, as she was living in another country. He had his own educational institute was doing good business. His institute was new and so was their relationship, but he made it a point to give Simran all the time she deserved. He had told her that he was lucky to have her in his life and had always wanted a partner like her.

When she set foot in his home she was amazed to see so many people as guests. Only a few were friends but maximum were just relatives. First cousins, second cousins, maternal cousins, paternal cousins. Oh! There were so many and her back started hurting just touching everyone's feet. It was a typical village set up. People sat on the floor to eat. The kitchen was common where all the family members sat together on the floor and ate. The mother in law made the rotis on a 'chullah' (a small earthen stove) and the daughter in laws helped in serving the dishes and washing the dishes that too sitting on the floor, under a tap, and using the ashes of the chullah to scrub the dishes.

Everything was new to Simran. She had never seen such a kitchen, only in movies. At her place they had a modern Italian kitchen with dishwashers and washing machine, and servants. Here everything was done by hand. There were servants but to maintain the big garden and farms around the huge house. The servants were not allowed to enter inside the house and especially the kitchen. There were bathrooms and toilets but those too outside the house. Small temples were in all four directions of the house. The women were supposed to keep their heads covered at all times and jeans and skirts were a complete no! The men were treated like Gods from heaven. They were served first. They were given chairs to sit and the women dared not sit next to their own husbands. Various fasts were kept for their long lives. It amazed Simran, to see that heading towards the 21st century these people still lived in the 18th. But Rahul was always there to support her and be by her side always. He was the most loving person. Whenever Simran found something difficult he would always guide her and be her pillar of strength. He converted one small room ,next to his bedroom, into a bathroom for her, so that Simran didn't have to go outside. He heard a lot of flack from his elders but he was stubborn . He always made sure he got what he wanted. He invented fake meetings just so that he could take her out of the house without upsetting any one. Luckily for Simran her mother in law Kavita Rai, though a strict personality, never was tough on Simran initially. She knew that Simran was not used to this sort of living and taught her with utter patience. So when Rahul took her out of the village to Delhi, though she was displeased, she never said anything.

Going to Delhi would mean a break from household chores, and having fun eating burgers and pizzas. Simran craved for them and Rahul knew that exactly. They would spend time together shopping and visiting new places and making love to the fullest. Going back home would always be depressing as Simran would miss the carefree world of wearing jeans, eating pizza, and getting to be with Rahul. She secretly prayed that someday Rahul shift his business to Delhi so that they could live away from the crowd.

Within two years of their marriage , Simran was pregnant. She was really happy that day, She was dreaming the whole day that when Rahul came back from office that evening he would be so happy that he would pick her up in his arms and kiss her passionately and pamper her. But all her dreams were washed away because when she broke the news he was disappointed. He didn't show any enthusiasm. All he said was an OH? No hug, no kiss, no congratulation. Simran was heartbroken. Why was Rahul not happy? Didn't he want this baby? When she asked him if something was wrong he said nothing. Suddenly she couldn't understand this person. Who was he? Why was he changed ? The following months Rahul's nature was more aggressive. He fought on little things, he swore on every sentence. He refused to be intimate. Moreover he sent Simran to her parents house saying that she would feel better with them and if the delivery took place in Delhi or abroad he wouldn't mind it. Mrs. Rai didn't want Simran to go to her parent's place. She wanted her grandchild to be born at her place. Rahul didn't want Simran staying in the village. There was a heated argument between mother and son and when Simran said she wanted her delivery in a good hospital and not in a dirty village one , Mr. Gyaan Chand Rai (Rahul's father), gave the permission to Simran to go. Simran left for London in her 5th month to be with her parents. She missed Rahul the most. Especially when the baby kicked for the first time. She wanted that Rahul also experience it but Rahul was not there. He stopped calling frequently and would call only on Sundays, saying that the ISD costs were too high. During her Seventh month Mr. Kapoor noticed that Simran was missing Rahul a lot, so he took the decision that the baby would take birth in India. He wanted that Rahul should be there when the baby was born. Mrs. Kapoor and Simran were put on a flight back to India and the rest of the months were spent in their Delhi house. During her 36th week, Simran went for her final ultrasound and found out that the baby was due any moment. There was a complication and that she would require a c-section. Mrs. Kapoor was scared now. She was alone and she wanted that at least Rahul and Simran' s dad be there. She got Simran admitted and made calls to Rahul and Mr. Kapoor to come over to Delhi. Simran was in such severe pain due to the induced labour pains, that it was difficult for her to even bear it. When Rahul arrived she broke down and he held her hand and kissed her forehead. At that moment Simran felt that all her pain had gone. She was keeping a brave front in front of her mother lest she get a nervous break down. But now that Rahul was here she was tension free. She gave birth to healthy baby boy and Mrs. Rai was the happiest person on earth that day. She always wanted a grandson and that day she was a proud grandmother. The baby was named Avi. He was so cute and chubby with jet black hair and eyes just like Simran. When Simran took him in her arms for the first time she felt a sense of pride and the first thought that came to her mind was " did I produce such a beautiful thing?" There were celebrations in both the Rai and Kapoor households. Mr. Rai had kept a big feast in the village after 40 days and the Rai house was bustling with guests. As per tradition Simran was supposed to touch every elder's feet and do Pooja sitting on the floor. Everyone forgot that she had a Cesarian and was in pain. The doctor had advised bed rest but who would listen? Mrs. Rai was more concerned with the rituals than with Simran. By the end of the day Simran was in pain and started crying in her bedroom. When Rahul came in he asked her what had happened and she said that she was in pain. He gave her medicine but instead of sympathising said that this is the culture and she had to follow it. The following years Simran got busy with raising Avi. She would be busy all day with Avi and the kitchen. By the time she came to her room at night Rahul would have already fallen asleep. She sensed that Rahul was going away from her. He would talk less and fight over petty issues. If Avi fell sick it was Simran's fault. If the clothes weren't ironed he would get pissed. He would make Avi sleep in between them. They hardly ever kissed. Even if she tried he would turn his head away. Sex was not more than 5 minutes. He always had an excuse, that someone will come or not now. He started going on meetings alone. He wouldn't take her along with him. "Avi can't miss school and mummy will create an issue" was always a reason. Simran was frustrated and angry most of the time. The laughter which played along her lips was gone and a frown had taken its place. She was bored of the monotonous life. More over she couldn't raise her own child according to herself. She had to follow the directions of her mother in law. She made excuses to go to London. She would call up her dad secretly and ask him to make up some reason so that her in laws would give her permission to go. 10 years passed a way this way. The once so beautiful and perfect girl was now an overweight woman with chapped hands and feet. She had dark circles under her eyes. Once a fashion pro was now a "behenji" in Salwar kameez.