Free Arranged Love by Parul A Mittal Page A

straight to the point. ‘Deepak’s mother called. She informed us that you are reporting to Deepak and she wanted us to persuade you to change your project.’
    It was my turn to get horrified. I was not even engaged to this guy and his mother was already trying to rule my life. Mom was right. I didn’t understand the complications. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.
    ‘Well, his parents said office arguments could …’ Dad tried to explain but stopped midway. He could tell from the controlled pace of my breathing that I was about to blow my top off. ‘Don’t worry. We assured them that today’s kids are mature enough,’ he retracted.
    ‘And Deepak agrees with us,’ Mom butted in from the kitchen, as she stacked the dirty dishes in the sink. ‘He told his parents that he was not going to let his personal life undermine office work.’
    Fuck Deepak! I thought to myself. He was only trying to save his own ass. He must need a resource for the project desperately.
    ‘Oh! But you must change the project if not the company, once a formal ceremony happens,’ advised Mom, misconstruing my silence for consent. She was back in the dining room cleaning the table.
    ‘I agree with your mom,’ nodded my father. ‘After marriage, you will be the real boss. It will be tough for the poor guy to pretend otherwise at work.’ Dad was back to his usual, jovial self.
    It seemed like a whole family drama had transpired while I had been away at Tanu di’s. My present had been debated and my future nailed, without the need to ask for my opinion. This is why I hated arranged marriages.
    And Neha thought I could fool around with Deep. She had no clue about arranged affairs. There was no question of flirtingwith a prospective suitor. Here, I had barely joined the same office project and the two sets of parents were already advising me on its pros and cons. In all likelihood, mamas and mausis had been informed, and taujis and buas were being called. In a few hours, all living leaves of our combined family trees would be actively deliberating upon what I should wear to office, how I should sit in the cubicle, when I should say yes and when, if at all, say no, and how I should tactfully resist any physical advances from my to-be. If I was to listen to Neha and as much as accidentally brush my hands against this to-be, they will perhaps declare me married, grab the MakeMyTrip homemoon special deal, and start applying for our kids’ play school admissions. Neha was wrong and Tanu di was right. I had to put an end to this story immediately.
    ‘I am not getting married to Deepak,’ I said firmly, without raising my voice. If there was one thing I had learned from Ekta Kapoor’s protagonists, it was to stay calm during these emotional arguments.
    ‘C’mon. Don’t be ridiculous. You can always find another job,’ reprimanded Mom. She had finished wiping the table spotlessly clean and was now reviving her laptop. ‘It’s so hard to enter all the criteria in those forms and narrow down a suitable prospect. Naukri.com has more job listings in IT than the number of twenty something, vegetarian, baniya guys on BharatMatrimony.com .’ My mom might discredit the Internet for spoiling the current generation, but she was certainly tech-savvy.
    ‘I am not getting married to any guy, for the time being,’ I asserted, still keeping my volume down.
    Mom’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. Pa also looked concerned.
    ‘You want to stay unmarried for life,’ scolded Mom, her voice shaking with angst and anger.
    ‘It must be that Tanu’s
lagai bujhai
,’ she cursed. ‘I told you somany times that sinister spinster niece of yours was a bad influence on Suhaani.’ Mom was now directing her fury towards Dad.
    I had more or less planned that I would not tell them about Jay yet, but I couldn’t let Tanu di get it in the neck.
    ‘Tanu di has nothing to do with my decision,’ I denied. This time I was a bit louder. ‘If