Not all that glitters...

“Congratulations, Veena!” cried Siddhi & Priya. Veena faked a bridal blush and then burst out laughing with her best friends. She had just accepted a marriage proposal from Siddharth, a very young and suave investment banker who worked for a reputed firm in India. They would soon get engaged and in a few months married too.

Being a very independent & modern girl, Veena was not sure of the entire arranged marriage process. She hated it when her parents put up her profile on matrimonial sites, abhorred meeting strangers who would ask her weird questions and disliked how her private life would be discussed openly by her relatives. She was tired of telling nosey aunties to mind their own business and re-assuring her married friends that she was “okay” with being single.

With no expectations, she met Siddharth a few months back through a matrimonial site. She was pleasantly surprised. He seemed well read & travelled, had a sense of humor, had studied in an Ivy League B-School and earned pretty well too. He also seemed like a person who had principles and told her many stories on how his family respected women. On paper, he matched all her requirements. There were no sparks when they spoke, but then she thought that sparks may be overrated. Modern relationships are based on mutual understanding & adjustments and not on some childish fantasies. They had started talking on phone every day and also met every weekend. He believed dining in style apparently, so would always take her to the fanciest restaurants. He even booked a private yacht on the high seas one night to surprise her. Impressive right?

Veena was extremely confused. Yes, she enjoyed being courted by Siddharth and going to these amazing places. But, something was wrong… He was too good to be true. Last night, he told her his parents were pressurizing him for an answer and that he had said yes. So now the ball was in her court. “Veena, he’s a catch! Don’t let him go. You’ll not get anyone better than Siddharth!” said her friends. She was always the ‘giving one’ in all her past relationships, so she convinced herself that it was time for her to sit back and enjoy the attention. So, after a deep breath, she said yes too.

The next few days were absolutely crazy! Her parents had already started planning, her relatives were all calling and congratulating her and her friends were sending her inspiration pictures for her engagement saree. She was very overwhelmed but Siddharth would just joke saying “Don’t you girls dream about this since childhood? It’s finally happening Veena. I am your Prince Charming. So quit over thinking.”

3 days before the engagement party, she overheard her father talking to his mother about selling their flat in Bangalore. Her father had always wanted to move to Bangalore after retirement. So why is he selling it? When she confronted him, he was very evasive and didn’t give a straight answer. So she asked her mom next. After a lot of persuasion, she finally buckled. She told her that Siddharth’s family wanted her parents to gift him an Audi Q7. A car worth 72 lacs! She couldn’t believe what she heard. She was furious at his parents for even suggesting it. She was sure Siddharth didn’t know about this or he would have definitely reprimanded them for asking anything from her parents. He was an uber modern and principled man, wasn’t he?

That night, when she called him up, he was telling her about the new watch he bought from Switzerland last week. She was just waiting for the right time to bring up the “your parents asked mine for dowry” topic. And finally, just before hanging up, she did. There was utter silence on the other side when she told him what transpired. She wanted him to say something but there was no sound. He then cleared his throat and said, “Veena, that’s between our parents. Let’s not get involved. And as my wife you will use the car too right? If your parents don’t have a problem, why are you meddling in it? This is the last time we speak about it. Leave all this and enjoy marrying a guy like me! After all, you are the lucky one.” This time there was silence from the other side. Veena just hung up.

What the hell had happened! Did he just justify dowry? With that one conversation she realized that behind the mask of a modern and principled man, he had a rather ugly regressive face. She was also disgusted at the ease in his voice when he called her lucky.

Yes, her parents would be concerned about her future and how she would live on her own.

Yes, she was hitting 31 in a few days and would be the only unmarried one when all her friends were married & had kids.

Yes, her broken marriage would be the hottest gossip topic among her relatives for another year.

Yes, she would have to spend many more lonely nights...

But, this had to end. Because she just realized – Not all that glitters is gold.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

Divya Krishna describes herself as an iron butterfly. While she leads a hectic professional life, she makes sure she finds enough time to explore her various passions. When she's not reading or travelling the world, you will find her baking delicious yummies.

This is her first story and she is determined for it to not be the last :)