Marry Me, Stranger

by Novoneel Chakraborty

  ‘Obviously I don’t remember the exact date, but I guess it was a couple of weeks back. And I thought whenever we’ll do it for the first time, we would do it on top of a car,’ Danny said.

  ‘On top of a car?’ Rivanah giggled.

  ‘It was a fantasy of mine. Why, don’t you have one?’

  ‘Umm,’ Rivanah thought and said, ‘Maybe making love blindfolded.’

  ‘Ahan, we shall do that soon.’ Danny stole a kiss from her forehead.

  There was silence. And in that silence their own selves told them a lot about the other.

  ‘I love you Danny,’ she whispered.

  ‘I love you too,’ he gasped kissing her cheeks.

  ‘I never knew I would say these words to someone else as well.’

  Danny gave her an inquiring look.

  ‘I told you about Ekansh. ButI never told you I loved him with all my heart. I never thought I would be in love again.’

  There was silence.

  ‘Do you want to ask me anything?’ she asked.

  ‘Do you love me Rivanah?’ Danny said turning and taking her face in his hand as if she was an infant.

  ‘A lot and that’s why I’m scared of things going wrong.’

  ‘God forbid if something does go wrong, will you regret this night we had?’

  ‘Never.’

  ‘Nor will I and so we have nothing to be scared of. I know it’s difficult to predict the future but what I can promise is I will leave no stone unturned to be by your side.’

  ‘I want to believe you Danny. I really do, but when you lose a person whom you once loved with all your heart and soul to something as cheap as adultery, then an important part of you simply stops believing in love. Everything that comes after heartbreak doesn’t seem worth it anymore.’ A pause later, she asked looking into his eyes, ‘Do you think I’m the most beautiful person you have ever met?’

  ‘I think you are the only one who makes me believe that everything is beautiful.’

  She smiled, proud of her choice this time.

  ‘What will you say,’ Danny brought his face so close to hers that his lips brushed hers as he talked, ‘If I tell you that no temptation can ever snatch you from me?’

  Rivanah touched his face with her fingers and said softly, ‘I’ll believe you but there are so many things we have to fight.’

  ‘Life itself is a fight. But the point is: are you willing to take it on for us?’

  Rivanah nodded and said, ‘I’m willing to otherwise I wouldn’t have been lying here naked in your arms.’

  Sleeping in his fragrance she discovered a new hope.

  Late into the night, they woke up with a start as they heard their car honking loudly. Danny jumped down naked and found a chewing gum pasted on the horn. As Rivanah joined him covering her privates with her hands, they took a round of the car to see if everything was okay. She noticed all their clothes had been arranged neatly on the bonnet of the car to form a smiley.

  ‘Must be some jerk,’ Danny said.

  ‘Must be.’ Rivanah looked around trying to spot the obvious someone who could have followed her to Tiger Point. Danny quickly wore his jeans and was about to go ahead to look when Rivanah stopped him saying, ‘Forget it.’

  21

  ‘I won’t be able to come next Saturday so it’ll be a holiday for you all,’ Rivanah told the kids in Hindi.

  ‘But when I’m back, I’ll take a test. I want you all to write A to Z without looking at the books so prepare well. There will be a special treat in store for those who complete the test successfully. Understood?’ There was collective yes from the ten beaming kids.

  Rivanah was scheduled to fly to Kolkata the following Friday. On Wednesday morning, she received a phone call from inspector Kamble who told her that she would have to appear in court to identify the two rapists in front of the judge. She felt relieved to know that her face would be hidden from the rapists and the media as per her request. The next day she did what was asked of her. Since it wasn’t a high profile case, there was not much media present anyway. The court was nothing like what she saw in films. Things went smoother and quicker than her expectation. The judge announced the date on which it would relay the final verdict. The date was a month and half away. While returning back to her office in an autorickshaw she realized that the meter in the autorickshaw seemed tampered with. According to the new meter rates of autorickshaws in Mumbai, for every one kilometre 11.33 rupees would be charged after the initial one and a half kilometres for 17 rupees. This had happened many a times before but she had given the extra fare without any qualm. But that day when she was about to get down from the autorickshaw, she noticed the meter showed three rupees extra. Rivanah immediately barked out at the auto driver. More than the driver, she surprised herself. As her voice ascended, a traffic policeman joined them and asked her to pay three rupees less. Walking into her office, she understood it wasn’t about those three rupees but about taking a stand on a matter. Sitting in her cubicle, she drank some water wondering if it was only because of the stranger that she got to know a side of her which was alien to her before. For someone who would pay extra money to avoid any kind of a tussle, she fought for a mere three rupees? For someone whose social conscience was restricted to a Facebook post, she actually stood up so that a girl could get justice? Rivanah was sure even her parents who knew her so well would not believe it. Just like teaching the poor kids made her more compassionate, this minor incident with the auto driver made her realize there’s more substance in her than she initially thought.

  She typed a message for the stranger:

  It’s been long. I think we should meet now.

  Come back from Kolkata and we’ll meet, the stranger replied.

  Was there anything in her life the stranger wasn’t aware of? The stranger did seem a little scary at times but till now he had been harmless. Maybe because till now she had listened to whatever she was asked to do. This relationship—or whatever it was that she shared with this unknown person—had its own troughs and crests but if someone asked her now, Rivanah would say she was happy the person was there for her. He knew all her weaknesses but like a true friend kept it a secret. At least till now.

  The next morning Danny dropped her off at the airport. They hugged for a good two minutes before they waved each other goodbye. It was a matter of one week. She would have cried if it was her first relationship but by now she had prepared herself for separation. It was important because that was the only immunity she could have for herself against any possible heartache. Attraction depletes itself with indulgence contrary to attachment. What started as an intense physical attraction in the case of Danny had, over time, transformed into an attachment. Danny Abraham was not only her love interest anymore but an emotional cover against the disaster named Ekansh Tripathi that happened to her once upon a time. For the world she had forgotten Ekansh long back, but for her she would always remember him. The good thing was that she was at least out of the denial phase or she thought.

  Once in Kolkata, she saw that the arrangement for Mou’s marriage, Rivanah’s cousin, was going on with aplomb. All the relatives were stationed at her Pishi’s place in Behala. There was a tent that had been put up at the terrace where the entire family’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner was being prepared for the past two days before the marriage. Rivanah was happy to meet most of her cousins but talking to them, she realized she couldn’t connect to them anymore. They were what she was before she went to Mumbai to work. They had only seen the world that was provided to them by their affluent parents and not the world that was for real. Hence their biased and myopic conclusions about everything under the sun which they were always ready to throw at everyone as the truth irked Rivanah all the more. She somehow tried to mix in and wished time passed soon so that she could go back to Mumbai to work, to teach the kids, to be with Danny, and most importantly to be herself.

  One by one, the rituals were conducted—from ‘ayiburow bhaat’ to ‘gaye holud�
�� till the evening arrived when the marriage was supposed to take place. Rivanah had a spat with her mother who wanted her to wear a heavy Banarasi saree and put on proper make-up.

  ‘I’m not the bride mumma. I don’t need to look good,’ she said.

  ‘I don’t know what has gone into you ever since you started working. Earlier you used to pester me for all this.’

  ‘People grow up mumma. We think these superficial things make us happy when in fact they don’t.’

  The duel went on for half an hour after which Rivanah was emotionally blackmailed to wear not only the Banarasi saree but also heavy jewellery and make-up. Her mother seemed overjoyed when her father said she was looking even better than her mother in her hay days.

  The borjatri came with the groom and were welcomed wholeheartedly by the girl’s side. Rivanah kept her distance from her cousins who were making up silly plans of embarrassing the young men accompanying the groom simply because she found the whole exercise disgustingly silly. In no time she was feeling completely out of place. It was while sipping Pepsi standing alone by a pillar in the corner that she noticed a particular guy aiming his mobile phone at her. The moment their eyes met, he moved the phone away. She understood he was clicking her or maybe videotaping her without her permission. She didn’t know the guy which only meant he had to be from the groom’s side. She avoided him and went to be by Mou’s side. The same guy was there too aiming his phone at her. She excused herself from Mou and went straight towards the guy.

  ‘Any problem?’ she asked.

  ‘That doesn’t sound like a Bengali name to me,’ the guy said. Rivanah honestly didn’t anticipate such a smooth response from a guy who looked studious in a boring way from a distance. Standing a couple of inches taller than her, Rivanah observed, the guy was clean shaved except for a tiny dot of hair under his lower lip. He was wearing a suit and had very short but spiked hair. He adjusted his rimless specs as he talked and spoke with a slight American accent too. Overall, he looked suave and very corporate.

  ‘Is that how you show your admiration for a girl? Using your phone’s camera?’ There was a hint of flirtatiousness in her voice that could have aroused any guy instantly.

  ‘The phone is going to be with me all night, not you. So I thought...’

  Rivanah blushed slightly at the comment and said, ‘But it is indecent to click a girl without her permission.’

  The guy took a few seconds, came closer and showing her his phone, deleted the five pictures he had clicked of hers. Rivanah was impressed.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said with a smile.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Rivanah said without making anything obvious.

  ‘Thank you. This guilty guy would appreciate it if the gorgeous girl let’s him know of a proper way of admiring her?’

  ‘Why is it so necessary to do that?’ she teased maintaining a straight face.

  ‘The necessity is a guy thing,’ he said maintaining the naughtiness.

  ‘Does the admirer have a name?’ she asked.

  ‘Abhiraj Mukherjee,’ he said bringing forward his hand.

  ‘Rivanah Bannerjee,’ she said shaking his hand.

  ‘Oh no!’ he quipped looking at his hand; astonished. Rivanah shrugged at him inquiringly.

  ‘I may melt anytime now,’ he clarified.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You are so hot!’

  ‘Shut up!’

  She blushed, he giggled. They walked up to the dining place where a large buffet had been arranged. She took a plate and a spoon for herself. He was close behind as he noticed her put some salad on her plate.

  ‘Are you single?’ he said picking the same salad as her.

  ‘How does it matter?’ She turned back for a trice and proceeded to take a scoop of mixed vegetables on her plate.

  ‘It’s not that I’m afraid of competition but it will help me to know if I need to prepare for one or not.’ He put a little amount of the mixed vegetables on his plate too.

  ‘Your questions are always direct but your answers are always twisted,’ she said and skipped the Shahi Paneer, taking the Malai Kofta instead.

  ‘Glad to know you’ve been noticing me as well,’ he said skipping the paneer and choosing the Kofta as well.

  Once they were done filling their plates, he repeated himself, ‘Are you single?’

  ‘Maybe,’ she said with such a teasing smile that Abhiraj could feel a tickle in his loins.

  Rivanah enjoyed the rest of the marriage ceremony with Abhiraj by her side. He didn’t waste a single moment to blatantly put forward a cheesy line appreciating her beauty. She asked him to stop every time he did so but somewhere inside she was enjoying the appreciation too. Ekansh used to do that in the beginning but with Danny she missed it. The latter was the quiet, caring lover to whom flattery didn’t come naturally. By the end of the night, Abhiraj asked her for her phone number but Rivanah didn’t show any interest in sharing it.

  The reception was scheduled two days later in north Kolkata where the groom’s family was based. Right after the ‘phera jatra’ where the bride was officially taken away by the groom to his place, everyone started dispersing from Mou’s place. Once home, Rivanah finally felt relieved. But it didn’t last long since in the evening her mother asked her to dress up once again.

  ‘What for mumma?’ She sounded irked.

  ‘Some guests are coming for dinner. I don’t want you to look like a depression patient.’

  She had to doll up once again against her wishes. Her parents were happy when they noticed her helping her mother prepare dinner. It was her father who opened the door when the guests arrived. They were made comfortable on the couch while Mr Bannerjee called out to his wife and daughter.

  ‘They have come,’ he said.

  Mrs Bannerjee welcomed them with folded hands and a warm smile.

  She was followed by Rivanah who put up a pretence. Her fake smile suddenly vanished when she saw Abhiraj sitting on the couch with a sly smile.

  ‘This is Mr and Mrs Mukherjee,’ she heard her father say. ‘And this is Abhiraj; their only child. He worked with Microsoft for three years in the US and has now come back to India. He is a topper from NIT, Ranchi.’

  She already knew all this about him since their banter at the marriage hall a night before. But the way her father took pride in relaying someone else’s son’s resume told Rivanah the obvious—Abhiraj was his probable son-in-law.

  ‘Remember I told you about Shantu uncle?’ Mr Bannerjee asked Rivanah. ‘This is him. It was such a pleasant coincidence to meet his family at Mou’s marriage.’

  Now it was all clear: Shantu Mukherjee and her father had studied together in college. A month after her graduation, he had asked for Rivanah’s hand for his son. She had not met them then. And now meeting them at Mou’s marriage, Shantu uncle must have pushed the marriage proposal again. Or was it her father this time? Rivanah greeted Mr and Mrs Mukherjee and said a soft ‘Hi’ to Abhiraj. Within minutes her mother started telling everyone how her daughter was doing a great social service back in Mumbai by teaching poor kids along with her job at an MNC.

  ‘Our daughter believes that working in an MNC is not everything. Sometimes one needs to live for others too. She has been a compassionate soul right from the time she was a kid,’ her mother said smiling at everyone present there one by one.

  ‘Commendable!’ Abhiraj’s father said.

  ‘Do you want to study further or...’ Abhiraj’s mother asked.

  ‘She’ll do a BMA,’ her mother shot back.

  ‘BMA?’ Abhiraj’s father frowned.

  ‘She means MBA,’ Rivanah said. ‘I may pursue an MBA but haven’t decided yet.’

  To mitigate the awkwardness Rivanah excused herself to the kitchen and brought water for the guests.

  ‘Come let me show you around our house,’ her father said to the guests. The elders stood up and followed him. It was the grand old Indian plan of leaving the boy and the girl alone to talk, Rivanah thought w
ith locked jaws. The more she said she wouldn’t marry, the more they didn’t let go of any opportunity to get her married. She saw Abhiraj beaming from ear to ear as if he had just been declared the winner of Kaun Banega Crorepati without going through any questions.

  ‘I can’t get married to you,’ she said.

  ‘Ouch! Why?’

  ‘I love someone else.’

  ‘But you were single till last night.’

  ‘I said maybe.’

  ‘Maybe means you are single.’

  ‘Maybe means I could be single or committed as well.’

  Abhiraj was silent for some time. He looked genuinely hurt. Then suddenly he turned cheerful.

  ‘It doesn’t matter really. Even I have a girlfriend.’

  ‘You do?’ Rivanah hoped she didn’t sound too surprised.

  ‘Yeah, back in the US. We are only sexually compatible but not emotionally.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘It means she likes me in bed but otherwise she thinks I’m a loser and I think she is a bitch.’

  Rivanah made an offensive face and said, ‘Anyway, the point is we can’t get married. So please tell your parents that. I’ll tell mine.’

  ‘Hmm. By the way what’s his name?’ he said.

  ‘Did I ask your girlfriend’s name?’

  ‘Sulagna Mitra.’

  Rivanah looked at him intently for a moment and said, ‘Danny Abraham.’

  Abhiraj broke into a smile.

  ‘What?’ she said.

  ‘I’m sure your parents won’t allow it.’

  ‘Allow what?’

  ‘For you to become Mrs Abraham. Come on, I know Bong parents. When it comes to emotional blackmail, nobody can beat them. So this Danny Abraham won’t be yours.’

  ‘You have some audacity.’ Rivanah sounded stern.

  ‘To state a fact I only need a mouth and not any audacity. That’s the truth and I’m sure you know it.’

  Rivanah knew her parents would never allow her to marry Danny. The fact that they had arranged the Mukherjee’s visit was a signal enough what they thought of Danny and her after their Mumbai visit.