Love after Marriage (2 page)

They discussed whether Deepak was going to stay for a few weeks, and Deepak responded that he was here for five weeks this time. Sashank was very happy and suggested that he should rest and enjoy his stay.

Deepak nodded. “Haan, bhaiya, this trip is all rest and relaxation for me. We have another project ready, and we will start on it after I get back, probably early next year.” After a few minutes, Deepak enquired about Kaki and Lakshmi.

“Everybody is fine, and they are excited. Kaki and Lakshmi have been talking about cooking your favorite dishes; Lakshmi, as usual, is excited for chocolates from you.” Sashank smiled. “She’ll never change, and she still behaves like a child when it comes to chocolates.”

Deepak smiled and looked forward to seeing them all. He looked around as they drove – the noise, the smell and sounds and honking of vehicles – and the crowds on the roads took him back to the days when he lived in Mumbai. He missed this in the US!

They arrived at Sashank’s residence. Tropical winter had arrived in November, and the temperatures were a little cooler in the evenings and early mornings, but the air was humid. Deepak got out of the car and took a deep breath, smelling the air. He was so happy to come back to the house where he grew up. He looked around and tried to identify some neighbors and said to himself, “I wonder if it is the same neighbors?” He sighed. “Everything looks the same. I am so glad to be here.”

It was past 11 p.m. Deepak and Sashank walked in with the luggage; Kaki
and Lakshmi waited eagerly to receive Deepak. Deepak touched their feet and enquired about them. In a few minutes, Akash arrived from satsangh and greeted Deepak.

“Ha, Akash bhaiya, how are you?” asked Deepak, hugging his brother.

“Deepak, how are you and how was the journey?”

“I am doing well.”

Then Akash looked at Kaki and Lakshmi aunty. “Kaki and Lakshmi aunty, it is late. Deepak and I will have dinner together; both of you please retire for the night.”

“It’s all right, Akash. Deepak beta is here; I can help warm up the food,” responded Kaki.

It was late in the night, and Deepak wondered why Akash had not had his dinner yet.

“Haan, I tried to explain to him several times, it is not good for his health to have such late dinners but…” said Sashank.

“Bhaiya, please…” Akash pleaded with him not to say anything.

Akash helped Deepak with his luggage. “Deepak, I will wait for you. Let’s have dinner together; please come back soon.”

Deepak agreed and left to freshen up.

“Sashank bhaiya, I will keep Deepak company, and we will have dinner together. You can retire for the night,” Akash said.

“All right, tomorrow is Sunday, and I will catch up with Deepak then. Both of you eat well.” Sashank patted Akash’s shoulder and left for his room.

A wooden Deco-Lam table with six chairs sat just opposite the kitchen. Kaki
and Lakshmi got the food and table ready for dinner. The stainless plates, watis and glasses for water were arranged for each of them. Kaki brought the dal, a vegetable curry, chutney, chapathi, and rice to the table. Akash again asked both the ladies to go rest for the night while he and Deepak took care of the rest; Kaki and Lakshmi agreed and left for the night.

Meanwhile Deepak was fresh and wore a comfortable cotton kurta pyjama and joined Akash at the dining table; both brothers had a casual conversation during dinner.

After a few bites, Deepak said, “Ooh, this is so tasty! It has been so long since I ate such good food.”

“What do you do for food, Deepak?”

“It depends; most times I cook a simple meal or go out to a restaurant. I don’t always eat Indian food.” He smiled. “I eat Chinese, Italian, and Thai also, bhaiya.”

“Hopefully all is vegetarian,” stated Akash with a smile.

“Of course, only vegetarian,” replied Deepak and smiled back.

“Okay, eat well. Kaki and Lakshmi aunty are very good cooks. If you need any special items, just ask them, and they will be happy to make them for you.”

Both brothers relaxed in the family room after dinner, catching up on a few topics.

Akash sighed. “I am glad you came, Deepak. It is too lonely sometimes with just the two of us. Acha, tomorrow is Sunday, and we are home. Let’s catch up tomorrow. I am tired and want to go to bed.”

Deepak was tired from his long international journey too, and both brothers retired for the night.

~ ~ ~

Deepak’s visit to India this time had a purpose. Of course he wanted to spend time with his brothers, especially Sashank bhaiya. Secondly, he had met a girl, Karen Foster, who had worked with him on the recent project. Deepak, being the lead on this project, was very appreciative of her dedication, her engagement and willingness to work. She was a mature and disciplined individual, and Deepak admired her and started to show some interest in her. Deepak knew nothing more of her other than her employment in his company. Of course, he was apprehensive of the cultural differences but wanted to get to know her better. However, before he could take the next step, he wanted to discuss this with his brother, Sashank bhaiya. Sashank had done so much for Deepak and Akash; Deepak would not dare do anything to cause distress to his brother. He was also confident that Sashank cared for Deepak’s happiness, so if Deepak decided to pursue his relationship with Karen, Sashank probably would not object.

However, there were different plans going on in India for Deepak.

Chapter 1

Introduction to Verma and Gupta Families

Introduction to Verma Family

Mr. Kishen and Mrs. Madhuri Verma and their four children (all boys) were a happy upper middle class family living in Mumbai. Satish was the older son, Sashank their second son, then Akash and Deepak.

Mrs. Madhuri Verma died when Deepak was three years old. Satish, the oldest son, was twenty-three years of age when their mother passed away. Since all the other boys were young, especially Deepak, Satish was married to Nirmala with a hope that Nirmala would assist Kishen Verma with the house and the younger siblings. Although still employed, Kishen Verma assisted Nirmala as much as he could with the household work. Satish was studying for his MBA, and soon after his MBA program, he was able to secure a decent job in a company in the outskirts of Mumbai. Nirmala appeared to be a very docile woman, but as soon as Satish started working, she started ill-treating the family members. Since Satish left early and returned late, he was unaware of the things happening at home.

Mr. Kishen Verma was treated like a servant, doing most of the work at home, with Sashank helping him when possible. This continued for a couple of years until Mr. Verma couldn’t take it anymore. Sashank was twenty-two years old and graduated with a master’s degree. He was very unhappy to see the behavior of his sister-in-law towards them. Deepak was very young, and Nirmala never provided the nurturing he needed. Satish and Nirmala started their own family and had their daughter, Purvi. Unfortunately Satish was blindfolded to all the events at home; even if he became aware to a few incidents, he chose to remain quiet to avoid ill-feelings. Kishen Verma bore all the troubles in silence, but Sashank was bold and confronted his brother a few times. This led to major misunderstandings and arguments between the brothers.

Sashank managed all the finances after Kishen Verma’s retirement. Nirmala was not happy, and she picked a fight with her father-in-law. The argument was very intense, and Kishen Verma suffered a major heart attack and passed away that night. Sashank and the younger siblings were a witness to this incident, and this left an indelible mark in their hearts. At an opportune time when Satish left on a business trip, Nirmala kicked Sashank, Akash and Deepak out of the house. Satish was told later that his younger brothers left the house without informing Nirmala after they fought with her. Satish was annoyed at his brothers for misbehaving with their sister-in-law; he made no attempts to find their whereabouts.

After this incident, Sashank moved to his parents’ house with his younger brothers. He appeared for bank exams and secured a bank job. Since his father had left some money, he hired Indumathi (Kaki) to take care of them for cooking and other household work. In a couple of years, Lakshmi aunty was hired to help Kaki with the housework. Over time, Sashank advanced in his job at State Bank of India and very soon became an officer.

All the experiences with Nirmala left a scar in each of these brothers’ hearts, wounds that probably never healed. Sashank’s primary goal in life was to educate Akash and Deepak and get them settled in life. He never got married and was forty-nine years old. Akash and Deepak felt very secure with Sashank; he was a fatherly figure to both of them. They had a very high regard for him, and Kaki and Lakshmi became a family to these brothers.

Akash graduated in accounting and started working, but he continued to stay with his brother, Sashank. Over time, Akash became very introverted and diverted his attention towards spiritualism. His favorite pastime was to attend satsanghs (spiritual gatherings) or read spiritual books, and he never showed any interest in getting married. He was thirty-five years old.

Deepak grew up into a very handsome, six foot tall, very loving and affectionate individual. He was very aware of the sacrifices made by Sashank to get him and Akash educated. Deepak was very attached to Sashank, and Sashank always treated him as his child. Deepak graduated in engineering and decided to come to the US to obtain his master’s degree, and continued to stay in the US. Deepak was very simple and believed that both Indian and Western cultures had a lot to offer, and never forgot the importance of a family or traditions. He secured a job with a good company in California, got his green card, and eventually became a naturalized citizen of the US.

Deepak was thirty years old and started thinking of a life partner. Of course, with the ‘bad’ experiences with Nirmala, his older sister-in-law, he cared less for arranged marriages; he believed ‘love marriages’ were more successful when it came to compatibility between partners. Although the topic of his marriage had come up in his telephone conversations with Sashank, he plainly refused or ignored the topic because he wanted to find a life partner for himself.

~ ~ ~

Introduction to Gupta Family

Mr. Prashant Gupta was a colleague of Sashank Verma at State Bank of India. Prashant and Sashank had been very good friends for several years. Prashant’s wife passed away in a car accident when their daughter, Roshni, was five years old. Since then Prashant had been a mother and a father to Roshni and raised her. Prashant was fifty-two years old and had health problems. Prashant did a decent job upbringing Roshni, and she was very close to her father…he was more a friend to her than a father.

As time passed, Roshni grew up into a very beautiful girl, five foot five inches tall, with long hair. She was brought up traditionally and was very loving and affectionate. She was very outspoken and honest – one of those women who thought well before speaking and always made rational decisions and judgments. After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering, she worked for a computer firm in Mumbai. She was twenty-eight years old. Professionally, Roshni was well settled with a decent job and compensation. She was well respected by her colleagues and friends alike. One quality that separated her from others was her maturity and simplicity.

In addition to her job, Roshni was involved in charity work, one such charity was an orphanage that was managed by Ms. Kusum Dixit, who was a very good friend of the Guptas. Roshni was very close to Kusum Dixit and always addressed her as ‘didi’ (older sister). Kusum was forty-five years old and never got married. Kusum was a frequent visitor to the Gupta residence and treated Prashant as her older brother.

Prashant Gupta was aware of the troubles Sashank and his brothers had gone through because of the older brother and his wife, and he was always very supportive of Sashank and his family.

Sashank had watched Roshni grow up into a very responsible individual. He always felt that Roshni would be a good match for Deepak if he ever expressed interest in marriage. Over time, Prashant also developed similar feelings to propose Roshni for Deepak. However, since Deepak was in the US, Prashant had no idea what type of a person Deepak was, or if he was interested in getting married, especially since Sashank and Akash remained single.

Both sides had some inhibitions, and nobody took any initiative to proceed.

~ ~ ~

During one of the most recent telephone conversations, Deepak expressed his interest in marriage in preparation for his conversation regarding Karen; however, Sashank had a different idea – he became excited and approached Prashant for Roshni. Since Prashant knew of the family, he agreed to this proposal after discussing it with Roshni. Prashant assured his daughter that a meeting would be arranged so Deepak and Roshni could meet before they proceeded.

Although Roshni honored Sashank uncle and her father, she had a desire to talk to Deepak before the wedding was finalized. She wanted to understand Deepak’s expectations of a ‘wife’ and his views on marriage. On the other hand, Sashank was confident that his little brother Deepak, whom he had treated as his son, would never go against his wishes; he firmly believed that since Roshni was educated, good looking and from a family he knew, there was no reason for Deepak to disagree.

Unfortunately he had no idea of Deepak’s views on marriage.

Several assumptions were made on both sides, and it was all planned out by Sashank and Prashant; the biggest ‘unknown’ was Deepak’s approval. Deepak had no idea that his marriage was being discussed in India and that Sashank had made a promise to his friend Prashant.

Chapter 2

Marriage Proposal for Deepak

Deepak woke up early to the sound of birds chirping near his window and the beautiful Indian divine chanting in a temple near his house. He tossed in the bed, covering his ears with the sheet to avoid any disturbance from the sounds around, but could not sleep. He could not avoid the jet lag and eventually decided to get up. Sashank and Akash were asleep, so without disturbing them, he went downstairs to the kitchen to make chai.