The next morning came with news that should have brought excitement, but instead, it left my heart heavier than ever. From the boy's side, a message came he had agreed to marry me. Just like that, one text changed the direction of my life.
I sat silently in the corner of our living room, watching my mother speak with her sister over the phone. Her tone was calmer now, almost hopeful. She told my aunt that the boy's family didn’t want anything from us no dowry, no gifts, nothing. In our culture, it’s a tradition for the bride’s side to gift a gold chain or some jewelry to the groom as a sign of respect and good will. But this boy… he didn’t want that. According to them, “We are not interested in anything material.”
At first, it felt like a relief.
As a middle-class girl, I’ve grown up watching my parents stretch every rupee for us saving, sacrificing, and silently putting our needs above their own. So, when my mother looked at me with tearful eyes, asking, Will you say yes to this proposal? I knew what I had to do.
I nodded.
Not because I was in love.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcp7q9WzHVE
Not because I saw a bright future.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Xy7uwqfrW
But because for once it felt like my parents wouldn't have to bend or break to get me married.
In my heart, I knew I was compromising.
I knew that I was walking into something not entirely out of choice, but out of responsibility. But at that moment, it felt like the only thing I could do for my family, for my mother, for our respect.
I had heard a little more about the boy’s family too. His father was known to be strict, someone who believed in discipline and traditions. His mother was the opposite sweet and soft-spoken, the kind of woman who knew how to keep a home warm. And then there were his two younger brothers, both unmarried and still studying.
So here I was… about to marry the eldest son of the house.
With that came responsibilities not just of a wife, but of a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, a caretaker. I wasn’t just marrying a man; I was marrying into a family, into a role, into an entire system I barely knew.
All my life, I had dreamed of marrying someone’s younger son the one with fewer responsibilities, more freedom, and perhaps, more romance. But dreams are strange things. Sometimes they glow bright and feel close enough to touch, and sometimes, they vanish just when you reach out your hand.
Destiny clearly had a different story in mind for me.
A story I hadn’t chosen, but one I now had to live.
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