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Ritika slowly opened the door, her shoulders slumped already dreading our hearts. She looked at me sadly as she shook her head.
Another rejection... Looks like nobody wanted to marry me. The only option that remained for me seemed like jumping off from a bridge as Mrs. Saluja had suggested. It might have looked really silly for anyone out of the subcontinent, even I had the same thoughts before this happened to me. I always thought, 'did they really do that? Like being that bitchy and asshole-ish?' But now I knew the answer, these things existed in India. It was typical Indian belief that a girl should be a virgin when she's married if she was associated with any other guy before marriage, she gets labeled as a characterless, immoral slut. And once any girl is given that designation, no one would want to marry her. The very narrow mindedness of some parts of Indian society, I know. And it was just in recent years that even love marriage was treated equally as an arranged marriage. Else, there were only arranged marriages while love marriage was frowned upon...
Ritika walked out of the room, leaving me with my friends. It was very obvious on my face, I had lost all hopes and was numb as day one. I knew it very well, I was slowly losing it. I don't know for how long I could go on like this. I was fighting for something I no longer could see. Knowing that I could never achieve any of my dreams, yet I continued to hold on, just for my parents.
"Rynah, everything is going to alright. Everything will be fine," Prerna placed her hand over my shoulder trying to comfort me.
"Yeah, you are a strong fighter. You cannot lose hope like this!" Anjali agreed, slightly squeezing my hand again.
"Nothing is going to be okay... I just know it, the most will be me getting married, for the sake of my family... Andhewill go on as if nothing has happened," I gritted the last words through my teeth. The mere thought ofhisname made me angry.
"He?Who is that, Rynah? What are you hiding from us?" Prerna asked.
"Yeah, you never told us about what exactly happened..." Anjali added thoughtfully. I don't know if it was the anger or depression or sadness or what, but at the moment some courageous person's spirit possessed me and made me blurt out everything. The girls looked shocked and their disbelief only increased as they heard line after line that left my mouth. I tried not to cry but then I couldn't tolerate it anymore and burst out into tears.
Anjali pulled me into a gentle embrace as she and Prerna tried to calm me down.
"We will go to the police, get the media and get you justice," Anjali's voice held anger.
"Yeah, and we will make sure they will pay for it," Prerna added.
I withdrew to look at them through teary eyes, still sniffling, "I love you both very much but you are going to do no such thing."
"What?"
"Why?" Both of them asked in surprised voices.
I looked at them seriously, before putting forth my thoughts, "when he held me, hostage, it was clear that they were no saints. In fact, they would be much better villains than the ones in the movies. So, when we do accuse them of what they did to me, it's obvious that they will naturally deny the claim. They will make the ends meet, or not even care to look up, knowing people always cause rumors about people like them to gain attention..."
I could see that they were absorbing all the facts I was listing, making me continue, "it would just make my parents more stressed than they already are. It would just broadcast my name on the TV telling everyone what happened with me, making the chances of me getting married even lower than it already is... Not even effecting anything in their usual lives. This must be something that happened every other day to them, and I am pretty much sure they are perfectly well versed in handling such situations."
The smile on my lips was a bitter one. Understanding dawned on their faces knowing where I was coming from.
"Rynah?" The door opened a little, letting my dad peep in.
He looked at my company and asked, "come out for a second, will you?"
I nodded before following him outside. He walked into the dining room and sat down, making me mirror his action.
His stance was defeated causing anxiety to engulf me. I subconsciously started playing with the hem of my tunic top.
"What is it, Daddy?" I asked looking at him hesitate. He looked at me before sighing, "Rynah, I don't know how to break this to you, my child... The last hope that I had, went away today...
"Apparently, someone has been spreading around the rumors and whoever had sent a proposal, withdrew it... Except for..."
He became silent all of a sudden and looked away making me more anxious.
"Except for?" I asked hesitantly.
Looking at my dad who couldn't see me in the eye, my mom placed her hands over my shoulder.
"Rynah, trust me. He is a really sweet guy and will give you everything that you deserve. And he is the only one who hasn't withdrawn his proposal to marry you, no matter the rumors. And if he still accepts to marry you, we shall get all the preparations done within two days. That way, no one will poison his mind too. He was the only eligible proposal anyway. So, I guess we haven't lost a lot. Though we had hoped for more, for you—" I cut my mom's blabbering which she always did whenever she was nervous, asking, "who is he?"
She either ignored or didn't hear me as she continued, "I and your father shall go to him tomorrow and accept the proposal. Time shouldn't be wasted in good deeds—" I cut her off for the second time asking her the same question, "who is that person, mom?" Though I already had a sinking feeling in my heart.
Both of my parents fell quiet, not having enough courage to disclose it to me.
"Who is it?" I asked as the first tear fell from my eyes, rolling down my cheek even before I heard his name.
