"Di is glowing." Annika rolled her eyes hearing her cousin speak in a whispered voice. "Jeeju and Di are a match. They were looking so good in the hawan pictures. Awee! I want someone as handsome and brainy as jeeju."
"Koi na puttar, you will get one when the time asks for it." Kusum smiled caressing her daughter's cheeks. She rubbed her fingers above Annika's hairline where the vermillion was smeared, whilst Annika squeezed her eyes shut controlling the anger bubbling inside her.
"Stop doing that!" Irritated by her mother's effort, Annika swatted her hands and walked away leaving the two alone.
"She is hurt." Her cousin Maya uttered as Annika banged the door with a thud.
"I know." Kusum agreed with hopeful eyes. "She would be in a better position one day. Today she may not be that happy and appreciative regardless of that down the year's lane she would be at peace."
"She isn't happy with this." Maya surmised.
"She would be one day. I and her baba aren't here enemies to get her married to someone as a villain. Shivaay is a nice man. I birthed her after nourishing her for nine months long. And I know what is best for her." Kusum began propelling to her subconscious mind and then explaining to her niece.
"But she is hating you every minute," Maya interjected with a sigh.
"Let her do. As a mother, I had a duty for care and to have a special affection towards my daughter. Today, my shoulder has been bare after fulfilling my responsibility."
Maya nodded her head in understanding.
"Don't mistake me," Kusum started putting her thoughts into words with reluctance. Maya smiled and pressed her shoulders with her palms and nodded her head in affirmative to continue further. "I am a mother figure to you and hold some obligation towards you too. If you love someone never bounce into the future without consulting your parents. No parent will wish to see the heartbreaking life of their flesh. Never do something like your cousin, Annika."
Tearing up slowly with the concern Kusum was showing, Maya smiled. "I wish I had a mother like you. Annika Di is good but she failed to appreciate your point. Anyway, I would never dream of the love when I have a stepmom to look after."
Chuckling dryly with her statement, Kusum kissed her forehead affectionately.
__🖤__
Two weeks later.
For Annika marital bliss was nothing but a unilateral contract she was involved with herself. Their parents wished their children a happy married life and send them off to Shivaay's residence; which was quite far from the University. Soon as he entered the one-bedroom apartment he rushed towards the dresser and tugged his two-wheeler's key.
Then grabbing the calendar and a pen that had its ink drained from his study table, he scribbled some contact details.
"In case of an emergency ring a call to this. If not, don't ever try to connect with me. I don't think you can stay under the same roof as your rapist husband." He sarcastically laughed passing the wrinkled piece of paper.
Annika rolled her eyes as Shivaay spoke with uneasiness and hesitation.
"Your contact details? Do you think I would contact you? Huh?" Annika raised her brows as she murmured the last part to herself. "My foot!"
"No. That's my good friend, Abhay Shenoy."
What surprised Annika was that, true to his words he was out of her reach. He didn't attend college, giving his honeymoon as a reason, nor he came to his flat.
Some nights, after stressful mornings from studies, she cried hugging the pillow closer to her heart wanting some companionship. As the moon rose in the sky, she would do nothing but cry. Cry, thinking about her depressing life and having to hope and trust the way life was leading.
In the mornings she would try rubbing her forehead, hairline which still bore the darkest shade of vermillion, struggling to cover up the only evidence of her being wedded. The wedding chain shivaay had made her wear was somewhere thrown off.
Her mother-in-law phoned her every alternative day and asked if everything was going fine. Having no answers to her enthusiastic questions, she fabricated many events adding Shivaay on day to day basis. With the talks, she got to know that Shivaay, apparently her husband, loved Rajma Chawal with gajar ka halwa as dessert.
All these days, Shivaay's classes were handed down to another professor named Abhay. Annika sometimes did gape if this Abhay was the same as Shivaay's friend.
One fine day sitting in the cafeteria, after her classes, stirring the black coffee occasionally she was blanked out.
Cappuccino had always reminded her of Atharv. So she made an unwritten rule to never have it, which eternally reminisced her of her blissful past.
"I gotta say important stuff." Siri scooted her chair, closer so that her knees itched with Annika's. Annika raised her brows. "I'm not sure if this is true or not. But I gotta tell you this."
"Okay, I guess?"
"Maybe this is gossip. This has been circulating with the hostel students, that Professor Shivaay actually wiped out his students from his followers, on his social media. Also-?"
"Also?" Annika gulped the chunk that instantly formed in her throat.
Siri was surely surprised watching her hostile and lone friend show some interest in the latest issue, that's the professor.
"Abhay sir was speaking to the dean, that Shivaay sir yesterday while coming home met with an accident."
"Accident?" Annika gasped. "Is he fine? Was it too serious?"
"Not sure. Likewise, there are rumours that he is most likely to resign from the University."
As soon as she keenly listened to her friend, Annika grabbed her bags and marched towards the elevator. Siri frowned, seeing her distant friend act like this. Trailing behind her back, Siri struggled to maintain her pace with her timely steps.
"Yes, Annika how can I help you?" Annika stilled and peeked through her eyelashes to look into her alternative professor.
Abhay was bulk and tall, unlike Shivaay. His beard was trimmed and maintained. Wearing aviator glasses, pairing them with a warm shade of orange kurta with black pyjamas he looked dangerously impressive.
While rearranging his books on the desk, he glanced at Annika, who was still fiddling with her slender fingers.
"I heard that he met with an accident. Is that true? If yes, how is he now? Ask him to come back." Not looking straight to meet his eyes, Annika uttered without any interruption.
"Ahhhh!" Abhay rolled his tongue tip around his inner cheeks and nodded in understanding. "So that's you. You shouldn't have behaved that way. Never mind, what do you want me to speak?"
"How is he?"
"Fine. With God's love and grace, he sustained only a few scrapes on his shoulder."
Annika breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay." She continuously tapped her chest, telling herself that this act had nothing to do with her previous outburst. "Heard he will be abandoning his employment."
"The Institute doesn't allow this kind of stuff, I mean relationships. Also he doesn't, uhh leave that."
"Can you please ask him to call his mother at least? I have covered up his absence with some excuses, but aunty Ji is worried."
"Yeah, I will do that."
Walking out of his cubicle Annika found Siri standing with stiffness. Her eyes were glued on eyeing Annika and with her emotions, she knew Siri had heard everything.
Passing, pushing her shoulders Annika stepped ahead. Siri adjusted her badly strap and fastened her pace to reach her.
"Is that true?" Siri asked gulping "I knew you were married but not to him. Is it true?" She stretched her arms and wrapped them around Annika's shoulder, stopping her from moving.
"No. We are divorcing each other in the coming months. Moreover, I would appreciate it if you don't speak of this again. I don't think I will be happy with that." Untangling her arms, Annika gave a bitter grimace, asking her not to cross her limits.
"Please don't jump to conclusions. From my understanding, Sir is happy to go, guy. H would-"
"You aren't his advocate. And I don't need your advice, I can help myself. DON'T INTERFERE WITH MY LIFE."
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Siri mumbled, feeling horrible for crossing her limits. How could she consider a stranger of five months to be her newfound best friend?
Feeling dejected and dreary, Siri walked away leaving Annika behind, who was wondering if she went over the board.
__🖤__
Staring at her reflection, from the sun rays on the metallic surface of the napkin dispensing machine, Annika wondered what would be the aftermath of this marriage. Why not give it a try? She thought.
Rubbing her tear-stricken face with her scarf, she crouched down on the floor allowing herself against the ground. Cupping her cheeks she let out a whimper, hoping that none of the college faculty and students would find her.
"Miss are you okay?" Pressing her lips in straight line, she jacked up her head to face a female cleaning staff.
Nodding her nodding in affirmation, she struggled to control her sobs.
Without any hesitation, the middle age lady sat on the cold tiled floor and patted Annika's shoulder, consoling her. "Whatever happens in life is for something good that is going to happen later in life."
"I," Annika hiccuped wanting to pour her sorrowful life into a stranger, who wouldn't judge her, "I loved a guy. It was mutual. Opposing my family and friends I went ahead even with eloping. The day we were supposed to sign the documents he told that he wasn't that keen on this and wanted to explore it in his professional career. I came back home feeling pained. Months later that a few days ago, my parents found a match for me. I wasn't willing for this but to make my parents happy I agreed with it. A day before the wedding I realised that the man I was marrying was someone I knew. He knew me too."
"Congratulations child. You got a person who you knew. See parents would never expect to see their children in horrible situations."
"There is nothing to congratulate," Annika whispered. "I told him such disastrous and last words, which I regret now. I wish I could erase all these events. I don't want to be married or disappoint my parents."
"Is that why you are crying?"
"No."
"Then?"
"He-"
"Your husband?"
"Uhmm yes. He dropped me at his apartment on the very first day of our marriage and went out. He hasn't returned yet. Furthermore, he got into an accident and I'm scared. He didn't even pick up my calls. It's been twelve days."
"Life is like tissue paper and problems are similar to pebbles. The pebbles are always thrown at certain intervals. It hurts but you need to learn to play with the aftereffects. You should learn to cope with the changes and adapt to them."
Annika bobbed her head, tapping her cheeks with her forefingers.
"I hope you aren't in tears with my dramatic story. Thank you for listening to me."
"That's okay child. I hope you will take wise decisions. I know sir would also need time to get used to it." The lady smiled.
Annika at the spot wondered whether the lady knew the man, she was referring to. Looking at her calm and composed self, Annika slightly doubted that.
Not sure how it turned out. I had this piece draft so updated it sooner.
One quick question, why is Annika that moody? One minute she was snapping at her friend and the next moment burst out crying.
Are her emotions justified?