Arranged
marriage - where love happens after marriage or does it?
Ishan, a NRI
from Dallas, Texas visits his home country, India and gets entangled in his
parents’ plan to get him married. Sonali is a simple girl from a small town
called Meerut and has no desire to leave India. However, she reluctantly agrees
to marry Ishan. But when she settles with him in a foreign country, she is
completely lost and homesick.
Will Sonali
find love in a conventionally arranged marriage?
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Excerpt
Ishan Suri was getting weary of his parents’ desire to get
him married. They had been pestering him ever since he came to New Delhi for a
month long trip. Having accumulated a number of vacation days, he’d decided to
spend quality time with his parents. But he was second-guessing his decision now.
Ishan wanted to get out of this rut and made arrangements to
meet his college friend, Ajay, for the evening. Dressed in his denim shorts and
short-sleeved light-blue shirt, he waited outside a hip restaurant in Noida.
Ishan had arrived at the exact time and invariably looked at his watch every
five minutes. He was getting impatient but he knew that Ajay must be caught up
in the endlessly growing Delhi traffic. The city’s traffic had worsened from
when he used to live there, and it was nearly unrecognizable.
Ishan sighed as he finally spotted Ajay and went ahead to hug
him.
“Hey, sorry, buddy, that it took so long,” said Ajay.
Patting his back, Ishan said, “Not to worry, I know how bad
the traffic is. Let’s go inside and talk.”
They were seated comfortably at the bar by a young waiter.
Ajay was impatient to get the drinks started. He called out to the bartender,
“Two rum on the rocks, please.”
Ishan raised his hand. “Oh, no. I will just have a beer.”
“Really? But you used to have rum all the time?” Ajay said,
rubbing his chin.
Ishan grinned. “Not any more. I have not had hard liquor in a
long time.”
“You have become a chui-mui after going to America,” Ajay
laughed.
After a couple of drinks, Ishan felt lighter and more cheery.
He hadn’t seen Ajay in about five years, and they both relived their boisterous
engineering college days. Ajay had been married for four years now and informed
Ishan that he and his wife were expecting a baby in five months.
“Wow, you are a family man now!” said Ishan.
“You say it like it is a bad thing?” Ajay questioned, “How
about you? When are you taking the plunge?”
Ishan frowned. “Not you also! That’s all my parents have been
talking about since I came from Dallas. I am only thirty-two; it’s not like I’m
past marriageable age! Would someone please give me a break?”
Ajay placed his hand on Ishan’s shoulder. “Chill, I’m not
going to force anything on you.” He paused. “However, my mother mentioned the
other day that one of her relatives is looking for a prospective groom for
their daughter. Let me give you her name and number in case you change your
mind.”
Ajay took out a blue pen and wrote down the details on a
napkin that he grabbed from the bar. He quickly then put it in Ishan’s shirt
pocket. Ajay tapped on it slightly so it wouldn’t fall off, securing the paper
in Ishan’s pocket.
Ishan was about to throw it away but Ajay pulled his hand
lightly. “Come on, let it stay there for few minutes. It’s not like it’ll
magically get you married.” He laughed.
Ishan joined in the laughter. It reminded him of how they
would tease each other about every possible girl in college days. It seemed
like nothing had changed since then.
They stayed at the restaurant way late into the night, almost
until it was time to close. “We should go buddy before he throws us out,” said
Ajay, pointing at the waiter, who was standing to the side.
Ishan nodded. They hugged again and finally left the
restaurant. Ishan drove home and crashed onto his bed; he had had too much to
drink that night.
This is book
two of Mr. Imperfect series. This series is about three friends (Nikki, Sonali
and Maya) who live in Dallas, Texas and how their lives intersect with each
other.
Author bio
Aditi Chopra
was born in India and now lives in Texas with her family. She is passionate
about writing and helping others succeed. Aditi writes NRI (Non Resident
Indian) fiction and non-fiction books.
She has
found her creative bone in fiction writing. Her fiction stories are rooted in
Indian tradition and yet very modern. You might see a glimpse of Bollywood in
her stories and will definitely enjoy the emotional ride.
Author links
Website: http://www.aditichopra.com/
Facebook
Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aditi-Chopra/102096966554629
