The Letter

It’s funny how a piece of paper can change the course of things. What is it in paper, that makes it so powerful, so binding. Our memories fade with time. We forget our own words as well, our thoughts, things so personal to us. But once something is written down on paper, it can stay till eternity.

It was one such paper, that changed her as well. 1980, it was a different time back then. There were no love stories back then, or at least not for everyone. Matches were not made in heaven, but arranged in barber’s shop. Between old friends, colleagues, relatives and associates - perfect matches were found, found by parents. And yet she dreamed, she dared to dream of a love story.

She knew her father was picky about who he would give his only daughter to. She knew he wanted more for her, a better life. She knew he would do anything to make sure she was happy. And that’s what she wanted, to be happy.

Her father had been so happy when she was born. Finally, a daughter, after 4 sons. He had distributed sweets to the whole village. Gone from house to house, handing out boxes. But that was 22 years ago now.

To be the Village head’s daughter meant that nobody in the whole village was deemed worthy of her. Her brother’s friend, her uncle’s colleague, her sister-in-law’s brother… so many were rejected, because they were not perfect enough for her, rejected by her father.

She was the only girl in her village, to have a college degree. A college topper, who had dreamed of becoming a doctor once, but settled for being educated. Settled because there were no medical colleges in the closest cities and staying in hostel was not an option for her.

So she dreamed of opportunities, to give her children those opportunities, that she could not have. Her father understood her, after all she was his favourite child. So he looked for a city man, someone who would take her to a place where she could have the life she deserved.

And then he came, the perfect man — educated, sincere, quiet, reasonable, mature, stable, everything her father needed in the man for his daughter. Son of her father’s old friend, friend who had joined the army and was now settled in the city . The marriage was fixed, for a date 4 months later.

For those 4 months, the whole house was in a state of chaos and celebration. From her 4 elder brothers and sisters-in-law to their 11 kids, everyone loved her. Everyone wanted a perfect day for her. Everyone was sad that she would be leaving and everyone wanted happiness for her.

She had not talked to the man that she was going to marry, but she had seen him on the day the marriage was fixed. He was a tall man, 6 feet and fair. He had those kind eyes, the ones that calm your soul when you look into them. He was older than her, by almost 6 years, so she was a little scared as well, scared that he would think of her as immature, a child.

She tried not to think about how things would be, after marriage. How her husband would be? How her new house would be? Would her in laws be kind to her? What would be expected of her? Would her husband like her? Would he find faults in her? She tried not to think, but every night, her mind would still wonder about all this.

Two months before the wedding, the invitations were printed and sent out to all the relatives. A month before the wedding, her dress, her clothes and the things that she would take with her were ready. A week before the wedding, the relatives started arriving.

And then, four days before the wedding, the letter came, the letter addressed to her. It only had a few lines and no signature or return address. It was posted from a post office from her future husband’s city.

“The man you are planning to marry loves me and I love him. We plan to elope before your wedding day. Please break off the wedding, for it will only cause you grievance. I do not wish you any harm and so I am warning you in advance. Break off the marriage, for you will never find happiness with him”

Something inside her changed that day, she didn’t really know what it was. But she also knew that she could not marry a man who was in love with someone else. She could not do that to him or to herself.

She took the letter to her father, she did not know what else to do. He read the letter twice, checked the envelope for an address, then read it again. She saw horror on his face, and a tear in his eyes. In that moment, she knew, it didn’t matter how she felt, she would do anything to make her father happy.

Next day, early morning, her father left for the city. That day she couldn’t eat anything. It was almost late in the evening when her father returned. He took her to a separate room and told her that he had gone to meet her future husband. He had gone to enquire about the letter. And her husband-to-be had reassured him that he did not know anything about it. He reassured her father, that he very much intended to marry his daughter.

All preparations were resumed after that. More relatives came in, food was being prepared in bulk. House smelled of flowers and sweets. But something was different now.

It was funny how a piece of paper had changed something, something deep inside of her. She didn’t feel like the same women that she was the previous day. She didn’t feel like a child anymore.