His parents came in first. I have seen them when they were deeply disappointed by his marriage and gave away curses to me for making it happen. They came in crying and grabbed my hand as I opened the door.
“How are they?”
“They will be fine” I assured them and made them sit in the sofa, still wondering why I said “will be” in place of “are.”
Soon the other set of parents came in and they were very depressed to say anything. They went straight to their in laws and grabbed their hands. They were in discussions how they had been cruel to their children. I saw people who had lived all life as caste fanatics forgetting that when their dear ones’ lives are in danger. After all what is more important than one’s life?
Professor received a call from the organizers and he stood up to receive it.
“How are my kids?”
“………..”
“No serious injuries right”
“……….”
“Can I talk to them?”
“………”
“Thank you.”
He turned to us with a smile in the tear dried face. “They are fine. Only some minor injuries. They travelled on the last seat in the bus.”
“When will they come back” I was very eager to know.
“They should be able to take the flight in a couple of days. Once they are relived from the shock.”
I took the revealed parents to his flat, which had two big photos of the respective family members hung together so as to be seen as one photo. I checked for the groceries and asked them if they need anything for which the answer was negative. I left the flat promising to update them as soon as I hear from their children.
Every research in our lab was passed for the next two days. I took the parents to every temple and mosque they wanted to visit. I stood out and watched the two families accepting all Gods that can bring their children home. Finally they understood that religion is just the path to the same place, which can be achieved if we dissolve our differences and be united by love.
The couple came back from France after 2 days and the whole campus was filled with happiness for their arrival. We stood in the Bengaluru airport for them to arrive. My Prof kept a hand in my shoulder and signaled me to stay with him as the parents moved before us to the receiving bay. I understood him. We started discussing how the celebrations should be and he promised to screen the recent Superstar flick in the amphitheatre as my friend was a big fan. They arrived waving their hands towards us.
Their parents went to hug them but the couple pushed them away to come and hug us.
“We are fine. Just minor bruises. By the way, why are they here?”
“Hey! They are your parents. They were worried for your safety.” I looked at them in disbelief.
“Oh! So only now they came to know that we are their kids.”
“Come on. Don’t make a scene now. They have forgot all about caste and religion when your safety was in question”
“You won’t understand our pain man. It’s not just religion or caste; it’s their pride that stopped them from accepting us. What if this didn’t happen? They would have lived all life with the grudge”
“Yes son. You are right. We thought taking a decision against our wish was a big mistake. A mistake I could never accept from a son who has always obeyed me. I thought it’s all her influence. She became an easy target of all my anger being a girl of different caste and religion. But not any more, not after realizing that this heart however hidden inside a hard case, prays for the safety of the very person it dislikes the most. Yes all these days I prayed for her as much as I did for you to her god as much I did to mine” his dad broke into tears after this and reached the shoulders of her dad.
My friend’s wife was in tears now and grabbed her husband’s hand and her mom came near, “I understand how bad we have been to you two. I thought you made a big mistake when you loved him as I believed you cannot cope up with the differences in the customs followed in his family. We have never said a word against your wish all your life but marriage wasn’t a small thing to accept easily. We didn’t accept only because we thought you can’t lead a long happy life with so many differences. I now know that we were wrong. We are old and spent all our lives following these customs for so long that we required a big blow to realize it was stupid. But we can’t live any more without you.”
She extended her hands to her girl whom my friend pushed front so that they can have the long wished for hug. I went near him and said to his ears, “Some rules and barriers are taught to us for a very long time and it takes time to break them.” And his mom hugged him and her daughter in law.
My Prof and I saw a big family reunion and I said loudly, “This is the time you all should be together.”
When everyone looked puzzled, I turned to look his wife and asked “Have you told him?”
“No, we didn’t have the candle light dinner.”
“What’s better than this?” I pulled my Prof into the Cuddle and we again stood again like Team India after T20 win with his wife in the middle.
She said the big news and everyone in the cuddle were moved to tears, smiles and hugs that the whole airport looked at us.
That night while watching Superstar’s flick, my Prof called me to his table and said, “I never thought that I need a family. Research was everything for me. But today thanks to you I feel like my own daughter is pregnant and eagerly awaiting the arrival of my grandchild.”
“Sorry to ask you, why didn’t you get married?”
He smiled, “I couldn’t. She was in India and I was studying in MIT. She was waiting for me for many years after which her family forced her into marriage. Well that was long. I don’t remember any of it now. Life just goes on and we slowly forget things that we don’t get reminded of.”
I expected this from him as he had lived most part of his life in US of A and had come here to start his own lab. I filled his drink and took a coke for me. “I know you haven’t forgotten her. I know that you have something she gave you.” I said with a smile.
“You creep. How did you know?” he gave a small knock in my head and took out an old smudged paper from his purse.
I couldn’t read anything except the word “LOVE” in it. He smiled and closed his eyes. “I don’t remember what is written in it or any of the incidents that happened. We didn’t exchange photos and occasional phone calls I did were too costly for an intern . Then I lost touch, to know a year later that she got married. Well that was sure to happen. I moved on. But I didn’t have anyone back here to make me enter the wed lock, so remained single”
He filled his drink and kept his hand in my cheeks, “I know you are in Love too. But I won’t ask you about it. Don’t lose it as I did.”
I smiled and came back to my room with a heart filled with her thoughts.
Next day I woke up with a huge work load. Mom called me when I was busy in the lab.
“Yes”
“How are you?”
“Fine”
“Busy?”
“No. Tell”
“Why didn’t you come?”
“I had work.”
“They asked for you”
“Who?”
“Her parents.”
“What?”
“….”
The call went blank which is usual in my lab, thanks to the mobile network's global reach. I was in midway of an experiment to walk out and talk. Whatever it is, it should wait for an hour.
“How are they?”
“They will be fine” I assured them and made them sit in the sofa, still wondering why I said “will be” in place of “are.”
Soon the other set of parents came in and they were very depressed to say anything. They went straight to their in laws and grabbed their hands. They were in discussions how they had been cruel to their children. I saw people who had lived all life as caste fanatics forgetting that when their dear ones’ lives are in danger. After all what is more important than one’s life?
Professor received a call from the organizers and he stood up to receive it.
“How are my kids?”
“………..”
“No serious injuries right”
“……….”
“Can I talk to them?”
“………”
“Thank you.”
He turned to us with a smile in the tear dried face. “They are fine. Only some minor injuries. They travelled on the last seat in the bus.”
“When will they come back” I was very eager to know.
“They should be able to take the flight in a couple of days. Once they are relived from the shock.”
I took the revealed parents to his flat, which had two big photos of the respective family members hung together so as to be seen as one photo. I checked for the groceries and asked them if they need anything for which the answer was negative. I left the flat promising to update them as soon as I hear from their children.
Every research in our lab was passed for the next two days. I took the parents to every temple and mosque they wanted to visit. I stood out and watched the two families accepting all Gods that can bring their children home. Finally they understood that religion is just the path to the same place, which can be achieved if we dissolve our differences and be united by love.
The couple came back from France after 2 days and the whole campus was filled with happiness for their arrival. We stood in the Bengaluru airport for them to arrive. My Prof kept a hand in my shoulder and signaled me to stay with him as the parents moved before us to the receiving bay. I understood him. We started discussing how the celebrations should be and he promised to screen the recent Superstar flick in the amphitheatre as my friend was a big fan. They arrived waving their hands towards us.
Their parents went to hug them but the couple pushed them away to come and hug us.
“We are fine. Just minor bruises. By the way, why are they here?”
“Hey! They are your parents. They were worried for your safety.” I looked at them in disbelief.
“Oh! So only now they came to know that we are their kids.”
“Come on. Don’t make a scene now. They have forgot all about caste and religion when your safety was in question”
“You won’t understand our pain man. It’s not just religion or caste; it’s their pride that stopped them from accepting us. What if this didn’t happen? They would have lived all life with the grudge”
“Yes son. You are right. We thought taking a decision against our wish was a big mistake. A mistake I could never accept from a son who has always obeyed me. I thought it’s all her influence. She became an easy target of all my anger being a girl of different caste and religion. But not any more, not after realizing that this heart however hidden inside a hard case, prays for the safety of the very person it dislikes the most. Yes all these days I prayed for her as much as I did for you to her god as much I did to mine” his dad broke into tears after this and reached the shoulders of her dad.
My friend’s wife was in tears now and grabbed her husband’s hand and her mom came near, “I understand how bad we have been to you two. I thought you made a big mistake when you loved him as I believed you cannot cope up with the differences in the customs followed in his family. We have never said a word against your wish all your life but marriage wasn’t a small thing to accept easily. We didn’t accept only because we thought you can’t lead a long happy life with so many differences. I now know that we were wrong. We are old and spent all our lives following these customs for so long that we required a big blow to realize it was stupid. But we can’t live any more without you.”
She extended her hands to her girl whom my friend pushed front so that they can have the long wished for hug. I went near him and said to his ears, “Some rules and barriers are taught to us for a very long time and it takes time to break them.” And his mom hugged him and her daughter in law.
My Prof and I saw a big family reunion and I said loudly, “This is the time you all should be together.”
When everyone looked puzzled, I turned to look his wife and asked “Have you told him?”
“No, we didn’t have the candle light dinner.”
“What’s better than this?” I pulled my Prof into the Cuddle and we again stood again like Team India after T20 win with his wife in the middle.
She said the big news and everyone in the cuddle were moved to tears, smiles and hugs that the whole airport looked at us.
That night while watching Superstar’s flick, my Prof called me to his table and said, “I never thought that I need a family. Research was everything for me. But today thanks to you I feel like my own daughter is pregnant and eagerly awaiting the arrival of my grandchild.”
“Sorry to ask you, why didn’t you get married?”
He smiled, “I couldn’t. She was in India and I was studying in MIT. She was waiting for me for many years after which her family forced her into marriage. Well that was long. I don’t remember any of it now. Life just goes on and we slowly forget things that we don’t get reminded of.”
I expected this from him as he had lived most part of his life in US of A and had come here to start his own lab. I filled his drink and took a coke for me. “I know you haven’t forgotten her. I know that you have something she gave you.” I said with a smile.
“You creep. How did you know?” he gave a small knock in my head and took out an old smudged paper from his purse.
I couldn’t read anything except the word “LOVE” in it. He smiled and closed his eyes. “I don’t remember what is written in it or any of the incidents that happened. We didn’t exchange photos and occasional phone calls I did were too costly for an intern . Then I lost touch, to know a year later that she got married. Well that was sure to happen. I moved on. But I didn’t have anyone back here to make me enter the wed lock, so remained single”
He filled his drink and kept his hand in my cheeks, “I know you are in Love too. But I won’t ask you about it. Don’t lose it as I did.”
I smiled and came back to my room with a heart filled with her thoughts.
Next day I woke up with a huge work load. Mom called me when I was busy in the lab.
“Yes”
“How are you?”
“Fine”
“Busy?”
“No. Tell”
“Why didn’t you come?”
“I had work.”
“They asked for you”
“Who?”
“Her parents.”
“What?”
“….”
The call went blank which is usual in my lab, thanks to the mobile network's global reach. I was in midway of an experiment to walk out and talk. Whatever it is, it should wait for an hour.
and we shd wait for 24 hrs :)
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