Chapter 26: Chapter 26

We have reached our home. My Aunt comes to the gate all excited to welcome us. We wash up our hands and legs for hygiene and let ourselves inside. I am actually moody now. Sanjay says he has to take care of a few arrangements at the temple and so excuses himself.

My Aunt and Uncle run a grocery shop which is a part of our home. For a while, I am at the shop attending to customers.

"Please pack me one kilogram of Toor Dal." Listening to that, I place the book I am reading on the table nearby and start to pack the same. She continues, "I am Ramya. You are Sanjay's wife right?"

"Yes, I am Sandhya. Sanjay's wife."

She snatches the pack which is still in my hand rudely, throws a hundred rupee note onto the floor, turns her back towards me, and says, "I don't know why you deserve to be his wife. If I hadn't broken up with him, I would have been in your place right now. Keep the change. I don't even want to look at you."

What was that? What the hell was that? This is disturbing me a lot! I have never felt jealousy to this severe depths to date. Is this how jealousy feels? I want to hold Ramya's collar and shout 'I and Sanjay love each other. You will not enter between us.'

The day finishes, and slowly does the night fall. Sanjay unaware of all this enters the room. With a broad pleasant smile, he greets "Hello me Wifie! Did you like the time spent at my home? Tomorrow evening, we will walk through the pleasant fields and relax!"

Sanjay POV:

Sorry for leaving you alone Sandhya. I was making preparations for the proposal I will be making tomorrow. I am very excited! I have invited Sindhu, Ganapathi Uncle, Vanaja Aunty, Nikki, Rekha, and Ram to witness our special moment.

"Sandhya, Are you all right? Why are your eyes red?" I am quite sure she has cried.

"Nothing! I want to sleep."

"Sandhya. I'm sure you cried. I can sense that. What happened?"

Sandhya is furiously walking towards our bed, hurriedly falls into it, pulls over the bed sheets only to cover up her face.

" It's hot summer. Why would you need that thick blanket?" She wants to hide something from me.

I have waited for a whole minute. No voice heard.

Rudeness. She isn't a rude person. Sindhu mentioned Sandhya's behavior when she is angry or upset. Sandhya does not speak up, nor does she complain. She does not even shout, scold, fight, punish or create dramas. She just stops speaking. JUST STOPS SPEAKING! And, the next day morning she will be fine!

I go lie beside her on the bed and give her a warm friendly hug.

"What are you doing? Leave me alone. I need time, I don't want you to get close to me already."

"You are sad. You are angry. You are upset. You are irritated."

"Just leave me alone."

"I am your husband. How do you think I can leave you alone when I know you need a companion to stay by your side and console you? If Sindhu, would she not stay by your side? If your mother was here, would she not let you cry by her shoulder? You probably are missing them and that is why your mood is this bad. While you miss your old family, get used to your new family. Get used to our way of showing love."

"I don't want to speak anything Sanjay!"

"And hence, you are not giving me a chance to console you with words. At least let me give my warm support with this friendly hug. Is it so uncomfortable?"

"It isn't. I am not good at speaking emotions."

"Calm down! Just feel the warmth in my company. We don't need words to feel better with each other." She lets me hug her. I wait for zero movements from her to ensure she is fast asleep. I move down the blanket from her face. She is beautiful! My sleeping beauty. Sandhya, tomorrow your family will be here, so you won't be moody like today. I will see you smiling the whole tomorrow! Get ready for the awaiting happiness!"

The next day morning, Sandhya's POV

"Sanju, what are you guys doing? We have to leave." Aunty shouts at the top of her voice.

Sanju? He is sweetly called Sanju! Nice.

"Sandy, shall we leave?" I heard Sanjay's voice saying so.

"Sandy? Me?"

I will call you Sandy and you will call me Sanju. See, even our names make the best rhyming words pair. I give back a forceful smile.

"This light green saree with algae green highlighting rangoli border is simply simple and beautiful. You are a natural beauty! I am so much falling for you."

I smile sincerely at that, but I am still disturbed by what Ramya said yesterday. Sanjay holds my hand and walks me out.

We have reached the temple. I fold my hands into a Namaste in front of God's Idol. A sequence of very disturbing thoughts run through my mind and I plead God to release me from this pain. I don't even have the stability of mind to offer some prayers to God. All I think about is 'Sanjay!'

Sanjay, did you and Ramya date? Did you guys break up? Is that why you came back to me? Was I only an alternative choice to you after your break up with Ramya? Is Sindhu simply assuming that you secretly loved me for three years, tried hard to settle your carrier, and then came to ask my hand? Does she know that for sure? Does she have proves? Did I feel unnecessary pride and pleasure for being secretly loved by a good man for three long years? Did I unnecessarily feel delighted for getting to win the same lover like my husband? About our present, I have no insecurities or doubts. But, what exactly happened in those past three years? Did you have another woman in your life? I am ok with that too, but it has to completely be an erased past. It has to affect our present and future in zero ways.

The first time I was fooled that I misunderstood you to have taken my picture secretly. But, it turned out to be true. Even then, whatever I believed was false. But still, I was happy that the most eligible bachelor for this generation has fallen in love with me and I got to be the luckiest woman on earth to be his dear wife. These are false facts. My happiness is false.

The second thing I have been proud of is that you kept loving only me till this date. Am I a fool in thinking so? Did you keep me waiting for you and wanting you, while you were in a relationship with another woman? Were my emotions being played with? Did you just like my smile and capture it on your phone? Is it just my smile that you liked? Is it not the complete me you loved? Was that why you were able to date another girl? Did you not love me all this while?

I and Sindhu believed that you manipulate your love into an arranged marriage so as to easily win my hand. I even started a cute revenge drama just to test how much you love me, just to check how well you will take care of me throughout our life. I wanted to do everything I would have done if our marriage was completely a love marriage. You happen to pass all the tests, but you are a liar! You never loved me, for me to think you manipulate your love to an arranged marriage!

God, I already love him. I can afford to be the silly myself because I wholeheartedly loved him. I can't give up on him. Nor can I forgive for all the lies he said to me. Neither can I hold on to him, nor can I let him go. I am stuck between love and confusion!

A few drops of tears hang upon the edge of my eyes. I wipe them off before anyone observes them. As I open my eyes, a surprised me see Sanjay kneeling down on his knees and every single person close to my heart are happy to witness this moment. He is holding a red rose with eyes sparkling out of excitement. Again those dimples occupy a significant portion of his cheeks projecting on a heart pouncing smile on his face. "I LOVE YOU SANDHYA"

He wants to continue his proposal, but I break it down. I cry hard. I don't give him the chance to continue his speech. "You lier. You didn't love me for a long time. You only liked my smile, captured it secretly, and then dated that Ramya. Flirt! I feel cheated! I feel offensive! Today you might sincerely love me, but such love needs honesty. You should have said everything about your past relationships so that on a day like this I don't feel cheap and disgusted! I hate you Sanjay! You cheat! You flirt! I hate you!"

Weeping more and more, I cover my face out of disgust and softly say "It's ok if you have flirted with me. But you can't cheat me by lying that I am the only woman in the whole of your life. You can't let my pride brighten up over this false statement. Don't you know honesty is the most important aspect of any relationship? How could you lie to Sindhu that you secretly loved me for three years and then married me?"

Sanjay stands up "Sandhya, stop crying. I can't see you this way. I am not understanding a word! What are you speaking about?"

"Ramya did say that you guys broke up and that's why I am being your wife today. She insulted me as if I stole her position. I feel so cheap about myself. Was I just an alternative option for you? Even that is fine, but again I assumed every single fact the wrong way. Sindhu happened to understand that you have been loving me for three years and I blindly believed that. I didn't even verify if that fact happens to be true or not! I again got cheated. I again got fooled. Why do you do this to me Sanjay."

Everyone standing here with us, they are shocked, totally shocked! Sindhu also has no moment. Mom comes near me and hugs me. She tries to console me! Mom has never hugged me to date! This feels so warm, her love is so heartwarming. Why did she not give me this kind of love until I am hurt?

Dad joins "Dear daughter. I have never seen you crying this hard. I can't stand this. Your sadness is killing me, dear! Did I make the wrong decision about marrying you with Sanjay? Did he hurt you? Are you not happy? Do you want to come back to daddy?"

"I reply, Sanjay is a good person paapa! Just that I am going mad, I don't even know why I being like this!"

"Don't cry dear! Sanjay isn't that kind of person. There is definitely a misunderstanding." consoles mom.

"Mom, every fact that made me happy turns out to be a lie. I always considered myself unspecial and boring. Sanjay's arrival in my life made me feel special, valuable, and lovable. But, everything is a lie. I should never have gotten out of my sacred introvert shell and let him hurt me this bad!"

I walk out, away from everybody. I sit on the steps, lie my face onto the sidewall and continue my weeping. Sindhu comes and sits beside me. She places her hand on my shoulder. My face which is leaning on the wall now lies on her shoulder.

I hear dad say "The best gift I could ever give to Sandhya is her little sister Sindhu. No one else in our family could understand Sandhya this well. It is only Sindhu who is capable of matching Sandhya's complicated life! Only after Sindhu and Siddharth's arrival to our life could I see Sandhya smiling. I and Vanaja as parents always feel the void Siddhu left for us. Sindhu didn't let Sandhya feel that. "

Mom adds, "None of us have to worry about Sandhya as long as Sindhu is by her side!"

"Sindhu, I am madly in love with him. Ask him to speak out all the truths and apologize. Ask him to make a promise to me that he will always be honest with me. I will let all this slide."

"I'm with you in this Sandhya. I didn't assume that Sanjay loved you for three years. He himself said that, and I believed that. Even now I believe all his words. I will collect proves and show you the truths if you want to see them."

"Sindhu, I do trust him. Just ask him to confidently say that whatever Ramya said is a lie, I will blindly believe him. But, please don't leave me in this confusion about what are facts and what are falses! I want to punish myself to have created this fuss in a temple."

"Akka, stop blaming yourself"

"He probably has not cheated me! He would not cheat me! I did feel his sincere love. How could I declare he cheated me? I should only have questioned him in private. I insulted him. I should have somehow controlled myself. I shouldn't have created all this drama! I'm sorry. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."

"After all, we are humans! We might aim to be perfect, be we just can't be perfect. Look at me! Akka, look at me."

I wipe my tears and look at her. She continues, "Everything will be explained!"

Thanks for choosing this story. Please vote and comment as you like my works!