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“Roshni, what are you talking about? Me getting married at this age?”
“So what, bhaiya? There are many reasons one gets married
. In this case, it is the company. As one gets older, one begins to feel very lonely and depressed. I have seen this with you and also with Kusum didi. All your friends are married with children, and they have other priorities, so you don’t socialize with them. You need a friend, a companion, and somebody you feel like sharing time with and talking to. What is wrong with this?”
“I agree, but what will people, I mean society, think? How will they react?”
Roshni continued to justify it. “Bhaiya, will they come to spend time with you when you feel lonely? No! Will they take care of you if you fall sick? No, right? Then why worry about them. If you are interested in her, I think you should approach her and ask if she is interested too. If you both agree, I think you should get married.”
Sashank saw a point in what Roshni said. He shrugged his shoulders and thanked Roshni, saying that he would think about Roshni’s suggestion, and went to his room. Roshni certainly gave Sashank a lot to think about.
Roshni was pleased she’d discussed this with Sashank. This was not possible when she’d first got married; he certainly had begun to accept and was more flexible to adapting to changes around him.
~ ~ ~
The next day was Saturday. Everybody relaxed because of the holiday. Akash asked Roshni if she could accompany him to a satsangh, and Roshni agreed to keep him company. At this time, Roshni came closer to Sashank bhaiya and reminded him about Kusum. She encouraged him to talk to Kusum again, and Sashank agreed.
After lunch, Sashank met with Kusum at her house. They talked at length, and finally, Sashank opened up the topic of their marriage. Kusum was a little embarrassed at first but became very casual, and both of them talked a lot. Finally they agreed that they liked each other, they enjoyed each other’s company, so they should get married. Both of them were extremely happy about the decision. He informed Kusum that he would discuss this with Roshni and Akash, and if she needed to discuss this with any of her family, she should. Kusum never had any close relatives who really cared for her, so she agreed to discuss this with Roshni. Sashank agreed and left.
Sashank came home, and he appeared to be very calm and happy. He called Roshni to his room and updated Roshni on his conversation with Kusum and their decision to get married.
Roshni was euphoric. She could not contain her excitement and hugged bhaiya. “I am so happy for you, bhaiya. This is such great news. Can I tell Akash bhaiya? Shall we invite Kusum didi for dinner tonight?”
Roshni ran to Akash’s room. She was so excited, she had to inform Akash of Sashank bhaiya’s decision. They hugged each other, and Akash went to Sashank’s room and congratulated him.
Meanwhile Roshni called Kaki, Rahim chacha and Lakshmi to the family room. All of them were curious to find out why Roshni was so jubilant. She called Sashank and Akash as well. Once everyone was assembled, she asked Sashank to make the announcement. Sashank was a little embarrassed at first but informed everybody of his decision to marry Kusum. He also informed them that Kusum was interested. Smiles appeared on everybody’s lips. Kaki and Lakshmi had tears of joy – they had seen the suffering these two brothers underwent, and this was a great satisfaction for them to see Sashank settle down. Sashank further told everybody that if not for Roshni, he would not have made this decision.
He looked at Roshni again. “Roshni bete, you are truly a blessing for all of us. Things have changed so much since you came here. Look at us; see how joyful we all are. Thank you.” He went closer to her, hugged her, and kissed her on the forehead, a sincere gratitude in his eyes.
“If you all agree, I want to invite Kusum for dinner this evening, and if she needs to talk with Roshni, she can. What do you all say?” He looked at everybody for their consent.
“Why ask? Please invite her,” was the unified response he got.
Sashank invited Kusum for dinner, and he also updated her that everybody at home was informed. Kusum arrived and was welcomed into the family. Kusum talked to Roshni, and Roshni hugged her. She thanked didi for agreeing to marry Sashank bhaiya. Kusum and Roshni talked for some time privately in her room, and then they joined the others for dinner.
~ ~ ~
The next day, everyone was reminiscing about the news from the previous evening. Sashank, Roshni and Akash discussed the wedding. Sashank expressed his desire to have a simple registered marriage. Roshni respected his decision but convinced him to have a reception so he could introduce Kusum to his friends, and Sashank agreed to this idea.
Sashank and Kusum discussed a few possible dates and decided on April 14th, which was a Friday, and agreed for a reception on April 16th, Sunday afternoon, at a restaurant. April 14th was about two weeks from now, and there was lot of excitement in the house. Roshni made a list of items to be purchased, arrangements to be made, and Akash helped her with all these preparations.
It had been a few weeks since Deepak had called. Sashank was concerned and also wanted to inform Deepak of his decision to marry Kusum. Sashank asked Roshni to call him. Roshni wanted to convey this news to Deepak so she called, but Deepak was not home. Roshni left the following message for Deepak:
“Hello, Deepak, this is Roshni. Pardon me for calling. Since you have not called in a while, Sashank bhaiya was worried and wanted to talk to you. If possible, please call him.”
She hesitated, wondering if she should inform him of Sashank bhaiya’s marriage, but decided to tell him. “Secondly, I thought of sharing this news, Sashank bhaiya is getting married on April 14th with Kusum didi. If possible, please talk to Sashank bhaiya. Hope all is well with you. Bye!” She hung up the phone.
~ ~ ~
Deepak arrived home late. It was past midnight. He was busy and spent long hours at work. He came home tired and saw the answering machine flashing that there was a message. He preferred to freshen up first, and then he was hungry, so he looked for food in the refrigerator. There was none left over; he had been busy with work and hadn’t been grocery shopping in a while, and it showed around the house.
Hmm, time to go grocery shopping, he thought and decided to have some cereal with milk – a savior at that time!
He took the bowl of cereal and sat on the sofa, flipping channels on the TV. As he ate, he listened to the voice mail. The moment he listened to Roshni’s voice, he got excited and reduced the TV volume, listening to the entire message, and his happiness knew no limits.
“Sashank bhaiya is getting married. Unbelievable!”
Excitement, happiness, joy, and consolation – tears of joy came to his eyes. He thought of Roshni. “Thank you, Roshni, this is such wonderful news. Oh my God! You are something, Roshni. You did it. You coaxed bhaiya to get married, thank you!”
