43 | The One With The Graduation

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April 2020,

Mumbai, India.

"I'll answer that call." Lakshmi says wiping her hands as she comes out from the kitchen to answer the ringing phone. "Sit down, Devi."

"Yeah, sit down Devi!" Shyaam laughs as Devi sits on the sofa again.

"It must be those Reddy family from Jubilee Hills." Devi says.

"Are they those people who rejected you because of bhabhi and bhaisaab's intercaste marriage?"

"That was the Rao family from Hyderabad." Devi says. She leans forward and talks in a hushed voice. "Some families have the weirdest reasons for rejecting a woman. Sometimes it's because she's too educated, or under educated. And they believe in utterly nonsensical theories! If her breasts are big then she'll be an unfaithful wife. If her breasts are too small, then she'll be infertile."

"Did someone reject you for-"

"Yeah. This weird orthodox family came to see me. They rejected me because I had smaller breasts! The groom's mother told me this to my face. Tell me, what does the size of my breast have to do with a marriage?" Devi exclaims. Shyaam raises his eyebrows in surprise. "I spilled the cup of chai on that woman's head. Amma was flabbergasted. I'm sure these people who are talking to Amma have a stupid reason too."

They both watch Lakshmi put the phone down.

"What did they say?"

"They said you might over dominate everyone in the house and create chaos, because your second toe was longer than your first toe." Lakshmi sighs and walks into the kitchen.

"See! Utterly nonsensical theories!" Devi shrugs.

"Psst." He whispers and leans closer to Devi. "I'm naturally attracted to dominating women."

Devi blushes. "Okay it's time you went. You came here to give the nuts your father brought at Dubai right? Now that you have given them to us, skiddadle!"

"Hey! Is this how you chase the family's youngest son-in-law?" Shyaam asks as Devi drags him to the door.

"No! You chase him with the broom from the kitchen." Devi says smiling. "Seriously, stop visiting me very often!"

"Fine! I'll leave! Just give me a kiss, na." Shyaam says. Devi looks around and hears the grinder's sound come from the kitchen. She inches closer and wraps her arms around his neck. She smiles seeing him straighten his tee-shirt and adjusting his messy hair. She takes a step closer and blushes when she realizes there was no gap between their chests.

She closes her eyes and brings her face forward to kiss him. And that's when the phone rings again.

"Maybe another time." He says, walking out. "See you soon, babe!"

"Devi get the phone! I'm a bit busy here." Lakshmi tells from the kitchen.

Devi quickly moves away from him and goes to answer the phone.

"I hope it's not another family calling to point their finger at you! I'm sick and tired of hearing-" Laksmi's voice emerges from the kitchen.

"Shhhh-" Devi says and her face becomes bright. "Hang on, I'll call you on Whatsapp, Akka!"

"Is that Shree?" Lakshmi asks as Devi keeps the phone and rushes to get her mobile. Devi brings the phone and sits on the sofa. Lakshmi sits beside her.

"Hi akka!" Devi waves as Shree's video appears. "Is Madhu there?"

"She's asleep. It's 6 AM here." Shree says. "I call you again when she wakes-"

"How is Madhu. Are you giving her the honey I sent through Madhav?" Lakshmi asks. "Don't forget to make the shampoo paste with that amla and mailanchi. Grind them properly."

"Okay- okay. I'll do that." Shree says excitedly. "Amma, Devi I called to tell you-"

"Also are you getting enough sleep? Madhav said you sleep for only four hours-"

"Amma, she's trying to tell us something." Devi says.

"Okay, so I got my final year results from the university."

"You passed all the subjects, right?" Lakshmi asks.

"Obviously!" Devi says.

"Yes, and not only did I pass them all. I am graduating with first class honours!"

"Oh my goodness! That's amazing!"

"Here's more good news. I'm getting the gold medal for Best Performance In The Arts Faculty!"

"Oh that's amazing, Shree!" Lakshmi exclaims in surprise. "When's the graduation?"

"Two months from today." Shree says.

"When are you coming back?" Devi asks. "I kinda miss you and Madhu. Madhu more actually."

"Within a week after the graduation." She says. "There's a lot of packing to be done. Especially when there's a lot of Madhu's things to be packed. Olivera and her boyfriend said they'd help me. Let's see."


* * * * *

June 2020,

Lewisham, United Kingdom.

"Oi!" Madhav whispers as he sat on Shree's dressing table. He was wearing a black shirt that matched his black pants. "Oi, Shree!"

"Hmm?" She asks as she straightens the pleats of her sari. She was wearing a beautiful dark blue sari with a silver border. Her hair was tied to a sleek ponytail.

"This sari looks good on you...." Madhav says, pushing his glasses up his nose and trails off.

"But?" Shree completes as she continues to adjust the pleats.

"But I guess you can wear something else like a nice long dress or a-"

"Madhav, I'm graduating from a very prestigious university and I am giving a speech in front of so many dignitaries. I really want to wear something that defines my culture as well as my country."

"Fair point!" Madhav shrugs. He notices the faint lines on her stomach from the side of her sari. "Those lines, are they-?"

"Stretch marks. There was a lot a few months before Madhu was born. It looked like the skin was being pulled until it looked like my skin would tear off. It eventually started to fade away and this is all what remains. That's a few of the unpleasant things about pregnancy. It completely changes your body." She says as she looks at the lines that spread across her stomach. "These lines won't be visible when I wear the cloak. So how do I look? Especially the lipstick?"

"You look beautiful, chellam." Madhav says, getting off the dresser. "Do you know what else would look good with you?"

Shree shakes her head. She turns and sees him holding a big bouquet of red tulips.

"These." He says. "49 red tulips for the most beautiful lady in the world."

"Oh, my goodness!" She says in surprise, as she takes the bouquet from him. "It's starting to become heavier. Thank you so much, Maddy. I love this!"

"And-and-I l-l-love -" Madhav says coming closer to Shree. He looks into her eyes and takes a sharp breath. "-that you love these flowers."

She smiles and presses a kiss to his cheek. "You're welcome friend."


* * * * *


The graduation ceremony happened in the auditorium at the  Queen Mary University of London. The degrees were conferred by the vice chancellor.  And now, Shree, valedictorian of her class, who received the gold medal for best performance in her faculty stood in front of the podium. She cleared her throat.

"Good evening, dear vice chancellor, dignitaries, lecturers, fellow graduates, friends and family." She started and looked at the crowd that was listening intently to her. "I am thrilled to be awarded with the gold medal for best performance in the Arts Faculty along with the esteemed first class honours. Congratulations to all my friends and batchmates who have performed well, not just in academics, but in sports and extracurricular activities as well. I am happy for all of you and I am proud of all of you. Never follow anyone else's path, unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path that may get out of the woods. Be the hero and the heroine of your life. Graduation is not the end. It's the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. It's the beginning of many more wonderful achievements that are yet to come."

She smiles and sees Madhav seated in the crowd with Madhu in his lap. Madhu was wearing a blue frock. Madhav had neatly braided her hair into two pigtails. Lakshmi and Devi were seated near him. "It's the time to celebrate all the hard work, tears and sacrifices that lead to this joyous moment of our lives. It's time to thank all the people who guided us, motivated us and led us to this moment. I take this opportunity to thank the people who guided and motivated me. In three years, I faced numerous obstacles alongside important milestones in my life. At this moment I like to thank many people. First of all, to my late father Colonel Venkat Prasad, who would have been delighted to be here. Thank you for your blessings and for being my guardian angel. I also want to thank my mother Mrs. Lakshmi Prasad and my parents in law Mr. RK Ramakrishna and Mrs. Yashoda Ramakrishna for their unending support given at all times. To my lecturers, I'd like to say that I am grateful for being taught by the best set of lecturers this university had to offer. To my best friends, without your friendship, my time as an undergraduate would have been the most tedious and dreary."

She takes a deep breath and looks at Madhav.

"At this time, I would also like to thank another important person. I come from a country were a woman's dreams are considered null and nonexistent after she is married. Our society projects a culture wherein girls are expected to look after and have no "personal" goals and dreams after marriage. Over the years, marriage has been projected as the only lifelong goal for us. The system has become so strong that it has convinced our society to believe that every woman want's to be a and has no right of expectations from her own life where the household stuff becomes mandatory for her. Girls are never taught to have dreams and goals after marriage. In such a society, if you find a man who will let you chase your dreams then you are the most luckiest in the entire planet."

"I like to thank my husband, my best buddy Mr. Madhav Ramakrishna, When I got the scholarship to study here in the United Kingdom, he was glad and excited. He let me chase after my dreams, even though I would be living 7000 kilometers away for 3 full years. He supported me and helped me in every way he could. It's said that there is a wife behind every successful man. I say that behind every successful married woman stands a proud husband for sure. Thank you for all the love, the support, and the encouragement. Thank you for flying from Mumbai to Lewisham regularly. Thank you for all the great things you did when you came here. I can never forget the times you made me a glass of Horlicks whenever I woke up early in the morning or stay up late to revise for exams. I can never forget how you tucked me in to bed every time I fell asleep on my study table. I can never forget how you adamantly did all the household chores and looked after our daughter so that I could focus on my studies. I am a lucky wife to have been blessed with a husband like you. I love you so much, Madhav." 


 To be continued....


Stay in touch! I'll see you soon with Chapter 44!

Keep the votes and the comments flowing!

Also let me know,

-What did you like about this chapter?

-How do you like the story so far?

-Women get rejected by prospective grooms for the most absurd reasons. Do you agree? Have you come across an instance like that?

-What are your thoughts of women pursuing their dreams after marriage? It's a problem faced in India along with several other Asian countries.

-What will happen next now that Shree has openly confessed her love for Madhav?


Announcement

First of all, HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY to all the wonderful people who have been reading this. Thank you for the comments, votes and the love that you have been showering on this story and the characters. 

Also Happy Eid Ul Adha too! May Allah grant you a harmonious and prosperous life!

From now onwards, there will be only one update per week. This is because I am super busy during the weekdays with an ongoing internship. I'll try my best to make the upcoming chapters worth the wait ;)

I may publish two chapters within the same week if I get more time for myself. ;)

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