So... What Next - Chapter 8

Chapter 7


"What do you think? Should we go ahead and fix the date?" my mom asked as soon as we returned home after dinner.

I knew this question would crop up, and I needed a good reason to ward it off. Both our parents had mentally arranged the union of me and Nandini, and were just waiting for our consent.

"I need some time to decide mom. Give me a few days to think," I replied.

"Come on son. Nandini is a good girl. You will be happy with her. What's the problem? Oh, is it that you are still stuck with that Sapna?" Her tone hardened.

"No, no, no mom," this wasn't the right moment to say yes, "It has nothing to do with Sapna. It's just that I need some more time to set my priorities right."

"Priorities? Ok. As you wish. Let us know soon." When you are losing a debate, use business jargon such as priority, crunch time, paradigm and bottleneck. They save the day on most occasions.

I heaved a sigh of relief as my mom left. I was lying on the bed, thinking of the next step, when my sister entered.

"So you won't marry Nandini. That's fine. She is too good for you anyways. What do you plan to do about Sapna?" She inquired.

"What? Too good for me? She has a boy friend, stupid. They want to get married. That's why I will be refusing this relationship. Now, what do I do about Sapna? I can't stalk her all the time," my mind was confused.

"You don't need to stalk, just talk," she smiled.

"How the hell will I talk if she doesn't want to," I felt lost.

"Fine. If she doesn't talk, make her listen. Let her know what you want. Send her an email. She will read it first thing in the morning, and the contents will revolve around her head the whole day," my sister suggested.

"Ok. But will she talk to me after reading the email?" I was curious.

"No. She won't. She hates you. But you have to show that you love her. And to love her means to love her family as well. Let her read your email, and in the meantime, talk to one of her parents, probably her dad. Moms are very finicky about their daughters. So ignore mom as of now. Try to focus on her dad," she reasoned with the air of a relationship expert.

Perhaps she was right. Even if Sapna still had feelings for me, she might be afraid to admit it 'cause that could mean a big blow for her parents. As her future husband, it was my responsibility to convince her parents too.

Wow. Future husband! The word felt so right.

"Stop dreaming Mr. Romeo. You just have 10 more days. So get up and write the email. And prepare for Mission Dad," she giggled.

"Yeah. You are right," I switched on my computer when a fear struck me, "Hey what if everything fails and she gets married to that guy?"

"In that case, my dear brother," she said, "always remember that life goes on. Time and tide waits for none. Perhaps, there is someone else, someone better, waiting for you. You can break up, but never ever break down."


Chapter 9