Ep11. Religious Differences

Meera was lying on the couch in the living room looking straight at the ceiling, blinking her eyes while waiting for Abhinav, her father. It was now eleven pm, but still; he was not yet at home. She yawned and decided to retire on her bed when she heard the sound of a car, and a few minutes later, Abhinav entered the living room.

Meera quickly stood back on her feet. “Dad, I want to talk to you. Can you spare ten minutes, please?” She asked politely.

“I am tired. Let’s shift this conversation tomorrow,” He said and attempts to walk away when Meera spoke again.

“Dad, it’s really important! Please, just ten minutes.” She said again.

“Fine, meet me in my study after fifteen minutes,” He said and disappeared into his room while Meera felt a heavy rock on her chest and for the faintest second, she almost dropped the idea of confessing about Aahil’s religion.

But her legs dragged her to the study room exactly fifteen minutes later. “Calm down, Meera. Be brave, you can do this. He is your father. He will not eat you alive.” Meera repeatedly chanted while standing outside the study room, and she softly knocks on the door.

“Come in.” A rough voice invited Meera in and she slowly entered into the study and took a seat across from him.

“What’s the matter that needs my attention?” Abhinav asked looking attentively at her.

“I want to talk about the guy I am intending to marry,” Meera said, looking down at her lap.

“Okay, what about him? I am all ears.” He said, maintaining his gaze on Meera.

“His… His name is……” Before Meera could complete her sentence, Abhinav interrupted her.

“Why are you stammering? Come on, say.” He encouraged her to speak.

“Dad, his name is Aahil, and he is Muslim,” Meera said and squeezed her eyes shut while Abhinav was shocked with her confession and didn’t know how to react to this news.

“You are in a relationship with a Muslim guy? Are you out of your mind? You know we do not approve of such relationships, and still!!!” He screeched, slamming his fist on the wooden desk and walked around his desk to reach Meera, and she stood back on her feet looking at him with fearful eyes.

“How could you, Meera?” He growled in her face and she gulped. “A guy from a different religion! Are you in your senses?”

“I know, dad, I am sorry!! But I love him. Please meet him for once and then come to any conclusion. Please, he is perfect for me.” She pleaded, folding her hands before him. “Please dad, I beg you.”

Abhinav was seething with anger while Meera continued to speak. She reached out her hand and clutched his hand. “I know I led you down, but please, dad. I promise you won’t regret my choice. Maybe we have religious differences, but if you keep it aside for once, he is a perfect man.”

Abhinav yanked her hand away and rubbed his face, walking back and forth in the room and Meera pressed her lips watching him, waiting for his decision. “Just go back to your room! I’ll think about it and give my decision tomorrow.” Abhinav said in a gruff voice and cold sweat appeared on Meera’s forehead.

She walked to exit, defeated, but stopped at the door, turning to him. “Please trust my choice, dad.” She said while Abhinav glared at her and she walked out, closing the door behind her back. Her heart was pounding loudly, and she rubbed her chest to calm herself and walked back to her room.

Abhinav was boiling in anger walking back and forth in his study and he reached the small bar in his study, pouring whiskey into his glass. The news was disturbing for him and he knew that this relationship could tarnish his decades-old reputation in a blink of an eye. He lit his cigar with a glass of whiskey in his other hand and stood by the window to clear his mind when he came up with a clever strategy. He took out his phone from his pant pocket and dialled a number.

“Hello, Mr Shekhawat. Sorry for disturbing you at this late hour, but I wanted to give you a piece of good news. My daughter is ready for this marriage. Let’s have dinner together at our residence to discuss our project together, and marriage of course.” Abhinav said to Mr Shekhawat and ended the call.

***

The next morning,

“And we have reached!!” Aman parked the car in front of Alina’s small house and all three of them sighed in relief.

“Finally, after long ten hours. God, I am so tired.” Alina stretched her arms in the back seat of the car and they stepped out. “Guys, stay here. Let me go in first and talk to Ammi (mother). I’ll call you guys inside.” Alina said, and Aman rolled his eyes.

“Why can’t we go inside right now with you? We are going inside with you!” Aman declared stubbornly and opened the door of the back seat to grab his backpack.

“What’s your problem, Aman? Let me go in first. Why are you being so difficult?” Alina shrieked and Aman opened his mouth to reply, but Aahil interrupted between them.

“Aman, let her go in first. Why are you guys making this an issue? Alina, give me a call if you feel your mom will be uncomfortable with my presence, okay? I will book a room in a nearby hotel.” Aahil said calmly.

“And let your Ammi know that I’ll leave with him too,” Aman said, leaning at the car’s door.

“No one is going anywhere. Stay here. I will call you inside, and Aman, stop giving me a warning every time I do something which you do not approve of.” Alina shrieked with her arms across her chest and turned to go inside the house while Aman and Aahil waited outside when Aahil received Meera’s call.

“Hey, love!” Aahil picked her call.

“Hey! Have u reached?” Meera asked.

“Yeah, we have arrived just ten minutes back,” Aahil said. “I wanted to stay in a hotel but Aman didn’t agree and I don’t want them to fight….” Before he could complete it, Meera cut him off.

“I told everything to dad!” She said and there was a long silence before Aahil spoke again. “How he reacted to the news?”

“Of course, he was not thrilled with this news, but he did not scold or shout like he usually does. He just asked me to set up your meeting with him and…. I am so happy, I feel like someone has removed a rock from my chest!!”

“Meera, Stop there!! This all is so weird. We planned to get married three years later because we both wanted to establish our career first, but suddenly I am standing here in your city and coming to your house to talk to your parents about our marriage. Your dad, even after knowing that I belong to another religion, is ready to meet me and also he is positive. Everything is so sudden and so smooth, there is not even one per cent of the problems which we had thought of before. Don’t you feel weird?” Aahil asked while he walked a few steps away from Aman, who was busy on his phone.

Meera exhaled deeply. “Listen Aahil, they are my parents. I know them better than you and if everything is going so smoothly, what’s your problem? We wanted everything to go smoothly, Right? Why are you having doubts about their intentions?” She said while Aahil shook his head. “I am their daughter. Maybe they are strict with me and Piya, but like every parent wants their children happy, and I am sure that our parents want the same for us.”

“You aren’t understanding what I am trying to say!! Anyway, it’s my gut feeling. They are your parents, that’s why you are not ready to listen to anything against them, but I am sure there is something we are missing out on. But still, I want to be proven wrong this time.” Aahil said.

“You have successfully ruined my mood now. Congratulations and bye!!” Meera snapped and ended the call. Aahil looked at the blank screen of his phone and groaned.

***

“Ammi!!" Alina called as she walked in through the main door but received no response. She walked inside further and shouted again.

“I am in the kitchen!” Alina’s mother, Sabina replied.

Alina quickly dropped her backpack on the couch and walked into the kitchen. She hugged her mother from behind and sat on the kitchen countertop where Sabina was slicing onions for the salad.

“Where is Aman? Did you come alone?” Sabina asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“No, they are outside. I wanted to talk to you about something so I came in first.” Alina said, pressing her lips while her mother’s focus shifted to Alina

“What is it?” Sabina asked knitting her eyebrows.

“Ammi, Aahil is also with us!” Alina said gazing at her mother.

“I know, you have already told me that he is going to stay with us for three-four days. So what?” She asked and continued to slice onion in perfect rings.

“Ammi, the thing is, please don’t insult him like you did the last time.” Alina requested and Sabina rolled her eyes.

“Oh, really! You are my mother or I am your mother? I will do what I feel is right, so stop dictating to me, and I don’t understand what you guys see in him. He is poor, and he is trying to take advantage of you and Aman. He is after Aman’s money, I can see that clearly but you both are so dumb.” Sabina criticized Aahil.

“Ammi, Aman treats him like his own brother and I also like him, he is a wonderful friend of mine, always ready to help me. If I can trust anyone after Aman, it’s him. The last time you insulted Aahil, Aman was so angry that he said in my face that he will break up with me if he encounters any such event again. They are childhood buddies and are inseparable. Please! Don’t do anything stupid which might result in harming my relationship with Aman. Treat Aahil like you treat Aman.” Alina said and slipped down from the kitchen countertop.

“Why should I treat him like I treat Aman? Aahil is not going to be my son-in-law!!” Sabina snorted and Alina groaned in frustration.

“Just for once in this life, please agree to what I am saying!” Alina folded her hand before Sabrina and the latter rolled her eyes. “Okay, now, I am calling them inside. Please be good,”

***

“Why are you looking so upset?” Piya asked as she sat on the bed next to Meera.

“I don’t understand what is Aahil’s problem? Dad agreed to meet him even after knowing that he was Muslim. He calmly said that he wants to see what kind of guy he is, like looks, nature, etc. but Aahil, he still doubts dad’s intention.” Meera gave an annoyed look. “I mean come on, he is dad, my dad, why he will try to play any game with me? If he wanted me to cut off my relationship with Aahil, he would have said it in my face. We both know how straightforward he is!!” Meera said but Piya did not answer.

“What? why are you so quiet? Say something!” Meera said and Piya stared at her for a few seconds, before speaking her mind.

“Di, I think Aahil is right!” She said, and Meera frowned at her statement. “Please, listen to me. We both know how our parents are! They do nothing before calculating profit. I don’t know why dad is so calm knowing about Aahil and why agreed to meet him without creating any fuss, and that’s what exactly raising questions in my mind.” Piya paused while Meera was conflicted now.

“Di, I just want you to not trust them completely. They don’t love us and you know this better than me.” Piya’s statement made Meera speechless but just then, Meera’s phone buzzed on the side table flashing a message from Aahil.

“Okay, I am sorry for whatever I said. Everything is going on smoothly and I should be happy about this. Now, please don’t be angry. I am here in your city for the first time. Will you not show me around?”

Meera smiled and replied, “Okay, take some rest and I’ll be there in like two hours, and then we will go out. Is Alina’s mom behaving nicely with you?”

Aahil: Yeah, she is talking to me politely for the very first time and we are having lunch right now. God, it’s so yummy.

Meera smiled, typing a reply. “Okay then, enjoy your yummy food. I’ll see you later. Bye, love you.”

***

Present Day,

“She was so happy that she failed to notice that everything was falling into places smoothly, and that was the first sign that something was wrong. She neglected to consider why the matters on which she spent sleepless nights were suddenly disappearing without any great effort!!” Heena said, smiling bitterly, and the ascetic pressed his lips.