CH 15 || Ready To Get Hitched?

Dhruv

******

I was having breakfast when my phone beeped indicating a message. When I opened it I found grandpa's message. He had sent the address where I have to go during lunch to meet some Mr. Awasthi and his daughter whose name I don't even remember.

This time there is no escape as grandpa is so determined that if I will not attend the lunch he will bring them to my office. I have to think of something before grandpa makes me ruin someone's life.

With that thought running in my mind, I completed my breakfast and got ready in my normal clothes which were neither too fancy and also not too bad. I don't have a wish to impress those people grandpa is making me meet today.

I don't have a wish to impress those people grandpa is making me meet today

As I went out Chatterjee uncle was already waiting for me outside the car. "Good Morning Sir."

"Good Morning Chatterjee Uncle and how many times do I have to tell you that please call me Dhruv. You are elder than me and I would like you to call me by my name."

"But how can I?"

"Chatterjee Uncle, even Rana Uncle used to call me by my name. Please, I will be very happy if you do the same." He was reluctant but I made him agree to my wish.

He drove us to my office and I went inside. I went inside my cabin and started to look at the new project details. Niharika sent me the reports of the project prepared by her. I had meetings back to back starting from 9 a.m till 12 p.m.

I had to speak for 3 hours continuously. After the last meeting, I went back to my cabin followed by Niharika. Niharika and discussed the pros and cons of the project and then after a while she said,

"Why don't you take a vacation for a while?"

"Vacation? For what?"

"You have been working tirelessly these days and the last you were not in office was when you went to India for your sister's marriage but you worked from home at that time. You haven't taken a leave ever since you have started this company."

"Thanks for your concern my dear friend but I don't want to go on a vacation. Moreover, I need to work this much to take this company to greater heights."

Smiling at me she replied, "As you wish Mr.CEO" and went to her cabin. After a few minutes, my phone rang. I frowned at the caller id but with no choice, I had to pick up.

"Where are you?" Grandpa asked.

"In office."

"Don't tell me you are going to bail on me."

"No grandpa, I was in a meeting a while ago and will be there soon."

"Okay, come fast. They have come already." He said and hung up the call.

I was thinking how much desperate Mr.Awasthi was to marry off her daughter that he came there at 12:30 and talking about grandpa, I know he must have reached there at noon in excitement.

But I will have to burst the bubble of his excitement as I have left with no choice. I know I will be named as the worst grandson for doing that but it's still better than ruining someone's life.

I took my blazer which was hanged on my chair and went out informing Niharika to cancel the meetings scheduled between 1 to 3 p.m. She gave a curious glance at me and I mouthed 'grandpa' and she understood what was going to happen so she showed me a thumbs up.

I told Chatterjee Uncle the address and he drove me there. I went inside and found grandpa sitting with a man who looked in his 50s and a girl in her early 20's.

Grandpa saw me and waved at me. Smiling at him I went towards the table. I sat down and grandpa introduced me to Mr.Shivam Awasthi and his daughter Vishakha Awasthi. To be honest, Vishakha didn't look like the girl I have thought of her to be.

She was very decent and sweet and if I would have been normal, I might have given chance to this alliance but I can't.

Grandpa and Mr.Awasthi left us alone for a bit and grandpa winked at me before going. Seriously this old man was all ready to embarrass me.

"Sorry about that," I said to Vishakha.

"It's totally fine. He is very nice and funny too."

"So what do you do for a living? Grandpa didn't tell me anything about you."

"Oh, but he told me you know about me."

"Did he?" I asked and then I remembered he sent me the details of her which I ignored.

"it's fine. I am a painter."

"Oh." Another painter. Wow, Grandpa, you did it deliberately. He knew there is something between me and paintings and that's why he chose her for me this time. Little did he know what keeps me bind to paintings.

Our discussion started and we talked but only about paintings.

"Wow! I had no idea that you know so much about it. Your grandpa told me that you have a liking for it but I was not aware that you this much knowledge about it."

"Yeah, I like to read about it in my free time. Little knowledge doesn't hurt."

"Oh come on we this knowledge you have become a professional painter."

We were comfortable talking to each other and that's when I thought that I should tell her that I am not ok with this alliance at all.

"Vishakha, I need to tell you something."

"yes?"

"I don't want to get married to you."

"Oh! Is there someone in your life?" I could see that she was hurt by my straight confession but also I don't like beating around the bushes.

"No, there isn't." But there is someone else in my heart I wanted to say it too but refrained.

"So is there any problem with me?"

"No, no. Please don't think like that, there is nothing wrong with you. The problem is with me. I can't marry, neither you nor anyone else." I replied in one breath.

Adding further I said, "And please don't ask me the reason as I don't think I will be able to tell you."

Our table was filled with silence for a while and I wanted her to speak. I would not mind if she would slap me for rejecting her after all, she had every right to be pissed at me. I rejected her first and didn't tell her the reason which was enough for her to hate me but she did something unexpected.

Breathing a sigh of relief she said, "Thank God."

"I was thinking that you will say yes to this marriage and trust me I was hoping for you to reject me. God finally heard me and fulfilled my raindrop wish."

Wait! Did she say raindrop wish?

"Raindrop wish?" Curiosity was at its peak to know how she knows about it and that's when she told me that she heard it from a friend and it was the same wish Mrs.Acharya mentioned.

"Does it work?"

"It does if you make you wish from your heart." I still can't believe that it was true. All of it sounded like a plot of a fairy tale.

Even if the wishes of others are fulfilled, my wish will never be fulfilled even if I have asked for it from the heart.

We had our lunch and was waiting for our elders to come back but instead of them, we received a text that mentioned that they both have left. It was all planned as Vishakha didn't bring her car so I was left with no choice instead of dropping her home. She was very reluctant but that's the least I could do and it was no harm in leaving her at her home.

I drove her to her apartment and when she was about to get out of the car I asked, "How will you handle your dad?"

"It's very easy. All I have to do is tell him that we both were incompatible so we declined the proposal."

"I am sorry if I...." Cutting me off in mid she said,

"Dhruv it's fine. He is my dad and I can handle him very easily. You will be shocked to know that it's my 15 proposals I have declined."

"Really?" I asked in astonishment.

"Yes, my dad wants me to settle down but I am not ready. You were 15. I managed to reject the proposals every damn time but this time it was you who rejected me and I am so happy." she squealed in excitement I couldn't stop myself from chuckling.

"What's so good in me rejecting. It's the same both the ways, either you reject me or I reject you."

"No, it isn't. I had a deal with my father. I want to open my own art gallery. He said I can do it after marriage but I want to settle well in my career before that. Dad was adamant at his decision and so was I, and he proposed a deal that if the guy, which was you will reject me then he will not pressurize me for marriage."

"Wow! Lucky you."

"Lucky me," she said.

I was curious about one more thing so without any delay I said, "You looked hurt when I told you that I didn't want to marry you."

Laughing at me she said, "Of course I will be hurt. Till now only I got to reject proposals, you were the first guy who rejected me so I had the right to be hurt for a bit."

She got out of the car after bidding goodbye to me. I went back to the office and worked for an hour or two. The weather was not nice today as well. I don't know what's wrong with the weather in London these days.

I left my office at the usual time and reached home. I was preparing dinner for myself when my phone rang. I looked at the caller id and saw it was grandpa. I was sure he called me to get the updates of my and Vishaka's meeting. I was in a dilemma, whether I should pick up the phone or not, but I knew even if I don't pick up the call he will get to know what happened so I picked it up.

"Hi, grandpa."

"Hello son, so how was the date?" That was not a date grandpa, I wanted to say but couldn't as I was not ready to listen to his lecture on the topic move on.

"It was fine."

"So, did you like her? You are ready for this alliance right?"

"Grandpa, hold on. Did Vishakha or her dad called you?"

"No, why?" It means grandpa doesn't know yet and it's better if he hears the truth from Awasthis only.

"They will tell you my answer. Grandpa, I need to go, someone is at the door." Without even waiting for his reply I cut the call. I had to lie to him but it's better this way only.

After dinner, I painted for a while, well I tried to. All my efforts were going down the hill but I have pledged that I will learn to paint one day. I went to sleep at midnight.

I got up before the alarm went off, went out for jogging after following my morning routine. As I was searching for my phone in my pocket to listen to some songs, I realized that I left it at home and had only brought my headphones with me.

I thought to jog without listening to songs today and after 30 minutes, I went back home. Going inside the house, I picked up my phone which I left on the table of my living room. I found 143 missed calls from every important person in my life. WHAT THE HELL!

The highest number of missed calls were from my little one followed by grandpa. I was about to call her when my phone beeped with a message which was from an unknown number.

Check today's newspaper as soon as you read my message.

----Vishakha.

The moment I saw the headline in the newspaper I was shocked to the core.

READY TO GET HITCHED? The headlines stated, with my and Vishakha's picture below it.