A Sunday Meet

The Sunday breakfast routine was the father's idea to stay connected with family & make up for the time missed over the week. On one such afternoon, the daughter broke the news of her accepting a job offer in London & relocating there for a couple of years. The parents were happy about their daughter's career progression & sad at the same time that she would leave soon. The chatter at the dining table ran into the details of the work profile & elements around it.

The daughter hesitated & looked towards Bhabhi, who sat across the dining table. Bhabhi smiled warmly & nodded, 'Go ahead'. The daughter shared the details of her housing. The news of their daughter moving in with her college days boyfriend wasn't easy on the parents. To add on, he was a widower & had a daughter. The parents were furious & hurled remarks at their beloved daughter. The daughter reasoned for taking up a job with frequent international travel & not staying in the city for over a decade. Finally, it dawned on the parents. They had much to digest & left the dining table without further comments.

Once the parents left, the daughter looked towards her elder brother & Bhabhi. The couple assured that the parents would need time to turn around. On the other side of the city, a similar conversation occurred. The parents were pleased that the son was willing to venture into remarrying, he would have a companion & their granddaughter would have a mother. However, the parents' reactions regarding the stay agreement at both places were consistent.

The following weekend, the duo met at a brewery to catch up & plan the next course of action. The chilled beer cooled the couple's heated heads & the buzz seemed to help. Rayansh's aunt sounded, "Bhabhi is confident they will turn around. I'm not so sure. How about yours?" Ayra's father replied, "That's what my elder sister said to me! I have absolutely no idea of what's running on their mind." She voiced, "Only time can tell." He expressed, "I can't believe that even in our mid-thirties, we are seeking our parents' permission. I can't decide if we are being stupid or courageous." She giggled & munched on spicy chicken tikka. He expressed, "It is turning out to be more difficult than I anticipated." She smiled, "Doing the right thing always is." She continued, "My worry is if this is our parent's response, I wonder how your in-laws would react?" He scratched his head, "I don't know. We'll figure out something. Let us take baby steps; we will cross that bridge when it comes."

At both houses, the next few weeks passed with mostly silence & awkward conversations. Parents went through a lot of deliberation & anxiety. The elder child & their spouse took on a mission to relentlessly coax the respective parents in both houses. The parents wanted their child's happiness & protect them at the same time. Eventually, both sets of parents agreed. Now, it was the turn of his parents-in-law. The conversation with his parents-in-law was complicated & discomfiting. He left them to think over it, for it was a serious proposal to understand.

A couple of months passed & it was a status quo. The duo decided to bring all the parents, siblings & their spouses together for a meetup. The stress of the meeting took a toll on the couple, he suffered from hyperacidity & she battled acne. No one knew what to say, do or expect from the meetup. That Sunday evening was going to be epic in all their lives. Amidst the tension, two people were unaffected by the family drama. Ayra & Rayansh only cared about being able to play with each other & pampered by the grandparents on a Sunday.

On that epic Sunday, Ayra was ecstatic that all her grandparents & aunt's family arrived in the morning. Ayra was the apple of their eyes & she was surprised that instead of paying attention to her, everyone seemed to be talking among themselves. The elders encouraged Ayra & cousin to play along. As the day set in, the atmosphere got tense. When the calling bell rang, Ayra rushed to the door to greet Rayansh. The kids ran to the balcony to play, unaware of the situation. The adults were well acquainted as they had met at Ayra & Rayansh's play dates & school events. The adults exchanged pleasantries & all eyes were on Rayansh's aunt, the new fish.

Rayansh's aunt felt her heart racing & shortness of breath. Bhabhi pressed her hand & assured, "Calm down; it will go smoothly." She turned towards Bhabhi & forced a smile. While he seemed calm, her feet were sweaty & hands cold. She had handled several high-profile clients in messy & sticky situations, but this was something else. She excused herself & walked into the bathroom. She looked at a pale version of herself in the mirror & prayed that she would not retch. She took deep breaths & calmed herself. When she returned to the living room, Ayra's aunt & her Bhabhi were serving chai. She helped in serving snacks & joined the group.

Time seemed to be at a standstill & silencing was deafening. The only form of sound was from the kids playing on the balcony. Ayra's father felt a fresh pang of acid release in his belly, yet he broke the silence. He spoke smoothly & everyone listened with rapt attention. She breathed slowly & thought, 'Now, that's a good sales pitch.' The parents were hesitant to speak & looked at each other in confusion. Rayansh's aunt communicated, "We understand this situation is hard for each of the parents here. We do not intend to hurt anyone. We could get married right away, but that would be forcing this marriage on Ayra. We want to be sure that she can adapt & cope. We will not take this forward without all of your blessings."

Rayansh's parents, Ayra's aunt & uncle unanimously articulated that they would support the couple. Now all eyes were on three sets of parents. Ayra's aunt nudged her parents; the parents communicated their concerns & advice to the couple. Rayansh's grandparents did the same. Though the parents did not say in words, 'You have our blessings.' their expressions revealed it. However, the parents-in-law had not uttered a word.

Rayansh's aunt walked up & kneeled in front of them. She held the parent's hands in hers & expressed, "Rayansh was born with infancy illness. We struggled day & night to care for him. I was on six months sabbatical to help Bhabhi with Rayansh. It took a couple of years for him to become normal. Even today, when Rayansh gets hurt or falls sick, I worry & lose sleep. Ayra's mother was your only child. I cannot even imagine what you had to go through." The parents now looked into her eyes. She continued, "I understand that our plans have caused unimaginable turmoil in your minds & hearts. I do not intend to wipe out, replace or take your daughter's place. I will never be able to fill that space. All I am asking is an opportunity to make space of my own in your hearts & family. Can you please let me be a part of your lives?"

The parent's eyes teared up & were at a loss for words. The father ran his hand over her head & conveyed, "You are just like her." The mother rose from the sofa & walked into her daughter's bedroom. While everyone froze, across the room, the couple's eyes met & hearts sank to their feet. The mother returned to the living room, applied kumkum on Rayansh's aunt's forehead, kissed her forehead & enunciated amidst the tears, "What took you so long?" Rayansh's aunt's anxiety gushed as happy tears with a smile. She stated, "We have to ask Ayra too." The parents were confused, "What & why?"

Ayra came running at her father's call & she dragged the boys along with her. Ayra wondered what was so important that her play was interrupted. Ayra's father asked her opinion on relocating & that Rayansh's aunt would live with them. Ayra was excited, but her concern was if Rayansh would join them. Rayansh's mother explained that he would not be able to travel to London as weather conditions do not suit him. Ayra's face turned sad & looked at Rayansh. Rayansh expressed, "We can be friends from far too. Just like how I talk to my aunty on a video call." Ayra turned to her father, "Can we call Rayansh daily?" The father nodded & grinned. Ayra was happy with the video call plan & articulated, "Okay, Papa. Let's go to London. Now, can we go back to playing?" Everyone laughed at the innocence & unanimous happy decision.

A lot of happy tears & hugs followed among the adults. The happy couple excused themselves to fetch sweets. In the kitchen, he voiced, "I was so surprised at Rayansh's answer." She revealed, similar to him preparing Ayra, Bhabhi had been preparing Rayansh for a while. As he pulled out trays & placed plates on them, she heated the refrigerated jalebis in the microwave. While the microwave did its job, she asked, "What if any of the parents or Ayra had said, 'no'? All these sweets would have been a waste." He whacked her head, "Only you could say something of this sort."

Take Away: Acceptance of reality & the courage to venture into unchartered territory seems impossible. Yet, it is the only path for the one who pursues what the heart wants.

P.S: The story is a sequel to "Time For That Drink".