Marriage For Convenience (completed)

Chapter 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~Raj~~~~~~~~~~ My life sucks Officially sucks. Okay I might sound like a drama queen oops scratch the queen part and add king when I am travelling in BMW A class and still cursing my life but that’s the way it is. I am doomed and my life SUCKS, S.U.C.K.S. in capital letters I can’t believe it they are making me do this. What the bloody hell? They made me study, sent me to US for higher education  For what? Not for my progressive future or so that I could carry on the family business well… So that I am the suitable prospect enough to marry a beautiful girl.. Shit!!! Holy s**t!!!! Who does arrange marriages these days? And more than that they are black mailing me to do it. My granny with her deathbed My mom with her puppy dog pleading eyes My dad begging at the cost of his mothers life including the threat that the project, my baby that I had been working on for a year, something my whole career depends upon would be doomed, of course his words laced with honey. They think I am scared Or I have agreed F##king NO I am Raichand Malhotra Most eligible bachelor’ as per the broker or i***t that I nick named him as stated as.. Always a winner be it a bet, a competition or a business tender Not to forget winner of the heart of my love Samantha… Samantha Richards the blonde whose gray mesmerizing eyes made me fall into her deeper.. With milky white skin I swear when she’d walk on the roads of India, people would turn around and drool Indian people and their obsession with fair foreigners The way she talks all confident with lot of enthusiasm, always speaking about sparkling future and successful career, not like Indian girls who start their lives dreaming about their prince charming, feeding their babies and nursing their parents. She is different. She is wonderful and I.. I lo.. really like her And that’s exactly the reason that this trip to whatever place they call Mathura sucks. My aunt was all about praises for the girl, she is homely, caring, religious, loaded with moral values and yet she is very beautiful and down to earth. “Down to earth” Bullshit! How else do they expect a girl to born and brought up in a small backward village of India. Obvious to her environment she’d be down, so low that her thoughts, her ideas and views would be equally low; she can never think big and would stick to me like a plague, always dependent on me. And what do I do if she is beautiful? I am not supposed to tag her along everywhere and tell people’ Hey guys look at me, my wife is beautiful so respect me, give me the project blah blah blah… I have decided and that is final. I would look at the girl, talk to her in private as per so called traditions and ask her to say NO to them or give me the liberty to deny the marriage. I know a girl being denied by a prospect turns out to be a nightmare for the girl with relatives talking and parents cursing at her and her inadequacy. So if she rejects me to her parents that’ll be great otherwise I’ll gladly do the honors and take next flight to New York. Game over, wedding cancelled.. Maybe by then I can convince Samantha to marry me. She is my official girlfriend but whenever I talk about marriage she gets nervous and unsettled. She blames it on her parents broken marriage and needs time.  Well I have already given her almost a year and I guess I can bargain another year from my parents being heart broken and hurt due to the rejection or disappointed since I rejected the girl and whooom’ win-win I throw my imaginary fist in the air as I shuffle uncomfortable between my mother and my aunt, my uncle and dad driving through the crooked roads from Agra to Mathura. Seeing the nasty roads and dirty paths I did not know whether to cry for my misfortune for being born in India or thank the Lords to have given me opportunity to go abroad and experience a heavenly life there… I preferred to give my head a break from the nasty thoughts rummaging in my mind and take a short even though it would be uncomfortable between my two mother figures but still better than getting tortured by their advices, “Bow down to the feet of elders, Indian villagers love that” “Talk to everyone politely, avoid using too much English, most of them wont understand” “Don’t try and be frank with the girl, this is India, not Aaamerica*way they spell America as if it is a small Indian village* Comb you hair before you get down from the car” “You can however ask the girl what you want to but keep the other I mean*coughs* coughs*”Tick tock clock, mouse ran up the clock” “Mom Don’t start with rhymes” I shouted  her habit of covering her goof ups with rhymes “I understood. Give me a break” saying I closed my eyes pretending or trying to sleep whatever helps me out of the situation. It might be drool coming out of my mouth, trust me I wasn’t having lusty dreams about Samantha, its only jet lag, couldn’t sleep much because my granny wanted to see me dressed as a groom as soon as possible and wanted the good news so the very next day of my visit to India I am having a bumpy ride.. Well the reason I was out of my drooling slumber was loud ringing of ”Om Jai Jagdish hare” blaring form my uncle, my dad’s sibling phone. I had the strongest urge to point him that this was an Aarti tone and restricted for certain times in a day. God they would keep anything that is spiritual or religious. But I kept my thoughts to myself. They say it’s better if you do not comment on religion and I like a coward pick the safe way out. ‘Pairipenna[greeting] mom” my uncle greeted on the new iphone11, I guess it was granny. “Yes, yes, okay, okay. I will take the address from him. Okay bye, take care” was the conversation that I picked but failed to understand a bit. I wouldn’t have bothered either until he opened his mouth making the floor sink below my feet Okay okay the seat of the car; it was just a quote! Don’t kill me. Right not the floor car seat but still ‘this was so not happening’ “Mom has selected another beautiful girl from Bharatpur which is near Mathura only around two hours drive form there. She said incase Raichand is not happy with the girl at Mathura; you can take him there. Again she has shortlisted few more in Delhi incase the one we are going to meet doesn’t work out.” I folded my hands around my chest and sank further into the seat packed between my mom and aunt pulling my sunshades back to my eyes blocking everything around and reminding myself “Raj you are doomed” ``````` I almost tripped when I got down from my white sedan not bothering to help my mom and aunt to alight down. I was too irritated. The wedding that I had planned to escape was following me like a wizard and there was nothing I could do about it than being meat oops groom on display to be chosen by set of brides.  I am not exaggerating okay.  Have you been dressed in full sleeve green kurta  and a pyjama in this heat to be displayed to others? You'd have known my plight. So keep your judgments to yourself. Immediately mocking me my inner aka my duplicate aka my conscience or my imaginary inner self comes around caressing my face making me want to flicker him away   Even though the choice to pick the bride rests on me but still. Do I get to choose? Because if I had a choice I would have definitely announced Samantha as my choice but We Indian and our customs and traditions… They are going to be death of me. I chuckled at my own thoughts. Had I worded them to Sam aka Samantha she would have spanked me and commented ‘Drama queen’ “You seem to be smiling even though you haven’t seen the girl” my uncle commented as he put his hand on my shoulder “That eager for the wedding.” “You bet” I fake smiled. I had finally designated a plan and my silence would help me progress with it. And it worked because my uncle laughed heartily before patting me harshly on my shoulders. “What’s so funny?” my aunt asked while my uncle pushed her away “Just man to man” and joined my dad for the conversation I wonder what they were conspiring. ````````  Well being treated as the next prime minister of the country or a would-be son in law of the family is the same, especially in India. And I enjoyed every bit of it. Free cokies, snacks, pastries and not to forget the old granny of the family who is sitting in the corner staring at you as if you were a piece of meat. Whatever well I did enjoy being pampered for once for the plan I had in mind was amazing and am sure I can easily back out of the wedding asap or at least till my baby aka my project is over and I am big. Then I won’t need my father’s sponsorship or influences, it will be all me and myself global business leader and a multi millionaire but till then games on. ```````` I need to define beauty in true sense I’d rather click a picture of the girl standing in front of me dressed in all white with a multicolor veil hanging on her shoulders, tiny golden balls that were attached to the end of her veil that she was fiddling and playing with her fingers, the crinkling of her bangles while she did that were like a rhythm of some happy song which were back dropped by the small trinkets of the golden and pink anklets that she wore for she was moving her toes in circles nervous of something. Obviously she is nervous you moron’ I scolded myself, she is an Indian, correction small town Indian girl and you are the supposed to groom who is supposed to see her, meet her and then judge her and then express your views with a mere Yes or No and decide her fate, Shit! I cursed myself for the plan I had in my mind to evoke the wedding or have my future with Samantha but as we have heard multiple numbers of times that we have to be self centered for few occasions in life. ”Hi’ I muttered softly and she jumped in air. When she turned around to look at me, the world turned into a stand still. My my she is beautiful” I held the whistle that was about to leave my lips Her wide doe shaped brown eyes spoke volumes as they complimented her wheatish complexion. Her perfect hourglass figure would give both Hollywood and Bollywood female lead stars run for money and as she threw her veil that she was fiddling with down to her waist. That was when I realized how beautiful a girl looks in an Indian traditional outfit for her flawless beauty was something to die and drool for… But sorry I am taken”I warned myself. Then composing herself immediately, a little conscious for she tried and I mean it she tried to smile, nervous that she was she greeted me in hindi “Namaste” her eyes still dropped to the floor not ready to look at me. “Hi..oops na..mas...te’ I f##king stammered for the first time in my life. I don’t know if this nervousness is contagious because in f##king hell I have never been nervous not when I gave my first stage performance, nor when I proposed my first girlfriend, hell not even when I was about to lose my virginity but this shy girl made me stammer and before I could utter a word she is continuously blabbering “IdontwanttomarryIwanttostudyif you say NO iwillbesaved” she said in one go. All I could decipher was say no. “Hold on. Hold on” I interrupted whereon she was still on playing with her veil and muttering continuously ”youcansaveme.” “STOP”I finally, yelled. “Ssshhhh….” She widened her eyes and the prominent brown of her eye turned darker “What are you doing?” she scolded, her nervousness long gone. “What?” I was confused beyond par. I did not know whether to stare back at the beautiful Asian face. Okay stop judging guys beauty is to admire and she is here all decked up to be admired by me. “Are you at all listening to me?” she huffed. “Umm… sorry..” I apologized for god knows why “but only if you take sufficient breaks in between your sentences I can better understand what you imply to say.” She scrunched her eyebrows distastefully pouting for a nano second. Oh s**t! “Can you understand English?” I asked politely. Probably like few other village Indians she wasn’t very good with the language.  “Excuse me” she was loud this time and I swear  I f#cking flinched. Who wouldn’t? When you know there are almost eighteen eager ears, nine pair of ears to be precise all trying to hear and what we two are talking. “I told you I am studying medical” she folded her hands across her chest pouting her big b**bs and I gulped my own saliva trying to look at her face directly because you know a boner is not exactly people would like to see when you are going to visit a girl for your so called arrange marriage. “Ah!” I sighed in relief “You can speak English too.” “God you are even listening to me?” she asked frustrated now. ‘I am studying M.E.D.IC.A.L. I want to be a doctor. Of course I know English.” She clarified with not a single clue that she’d been speaking that fast for not me being able to understand. No you were staring at her beautiful figure so you did not concentrate on her speech, my inner conscience debated but as usual ignoring the big intellect lecture from him I slapped him down. “Good. You are doing medical. White suits you.” I managed to speak My inner almost clapped at my stupid conversation ‘white suits you’ he repeated. “See I am sorry.” The girl almost begged, “I cannot marry you” “Lovely.” I rubbed my palms excitedly “Neither can I’ “What?” it was her turn to be confused now. And I smiled.  Finally, I was leading. “I said I cannot marry you either.” I clarified. If she looked beautiful earlier now with that excited twinkle in her eyes and that broad careless smile on her face, she looked like an angel descended form heavens. “Good then” she waved her hand carelessly  “so go and tell them you did not like me.” “Well sorry that’s not the plan.” I smirked at her. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she asked, “Then, what is your plan?” “Well you are supposed to tell them that you didn’t like me and call off the wedding or engagement whatever.” I smiled innocent. “Wow look outside the window” she said in a serious tone and I followed “The cows are flying” And then I realized she was mocking, “I deny the wedding and let heavens fall on me. No way mister” she lifted her neck arrogantly folding her hands on her oh no! chest again. “Focus concentrate” I commanded myself avoiding the popping of two big b**bs. “You have to do it yourself and keep me away from it.” She commanded now. “Yeah! That’s simple for you to say.” I objected. “Of course I am a girl I cannot say No, it you the dominant XY chromosomes of the society can say No. I will be doomed if I do so. My step….” she halted her track of words and if I say that didn’t intrigue me I’d be lying because I did want to know what she was about to say and stopped. However since I was not going to marry her anyways, I let the matter slip and added honestly “See even I cannot deny the wedding because they have list of other girls eager to take me as their groom.’ She giggled uncontrollably speaking through hysterics “so you are on auction?’ Of course her question was to mock me. “Listen it isn’t funny anymore I am on a fix. But I do have a plan if you are interested?” I asked seriously and her expressions changed. “Plan?” she was trying to process what I intend to say. “No.” but before I could add she denied immediately. “See at least consider it’s a win- win situation for us. We both want to avoid this marriage thing and then we both are unable to convince our elders.” I explained but she took it as an insult  “Thanks for judging” she stated bitterly. “Sorry I did not intend to hurt you but.” A knock at the door and a loud cough was the cue that our time was over and I had to rush. I have to take quick decisions. I removed my mobile from my pocket “give me your number.” I ordered. What?” she was not comfortable however sharing her number. “Please we do not have time. I will call you and explain.” I hurried. “But… umm…” the hesitation was evident. “Come on’ I shouted now “you have to trust me. We have no other choice” and reluctant with baited breath she gave in. I could feel or even hear her heart beat as she narrated each and every number carefully. “Now I will give you a missed call and you can store mine.” I said and she still was in the adrenaline as if she had committed a crime. “It ends with 501 okay.” I said so that she recognizes mine from other missed calls if she had any which I seriously doubt. The way she reacted at me asking her number it was clear that her phone number was off limits. And the nervous girl in white was back. She simply nodded in answer. I was debating whether I liked the nervous and shy one more or the feisty one more. But she was really worth. Had I not had Sam in my life I would have honestly considered her. Too bad for her I like Samantha and desire to marry her one day. Yes I am an arrogant, self obsessed bast@rd, shoot me! “Hey sonny” my uncle called and I immediately reciprocated “Coming” and was about to leave when I realized that I had forgotten something. I might have walked few steps to go back to the living room when I stalled and turned around to see that two round dark brown were staring at my back and I did see the red on her cheeks when I turned around, you’ll be surprised to learn that I found it cute. ‘I am Raichand but friends call me Raj.’ I forwarded my hand for a shake. She was so lost in my words that she failed to notice my extended hand. “Friends?” she murmured asked. I pushed my hand forward “Call me Raj.” She blushed again and after taking a lot of time she too extended her hand Parijaat” she shivered at my touch and pulled her hand back as if the touch was burning her. I smiled at the reaction I was causing smirking at her. And when I was about to turn she straightened her back and said confidently “Pari for friends.” I smiled “Pari it is then. ” I mumbled to myself.