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Aditya's Pov

"Are you serious?" I deadpanned, containing the urge to glare at the grown-ups.

Unfazed by my inflaming scowl, they continued eyeing me in curiosity as if I was not their son but a mummy reincarnated.

"Do you even realize this is the eleventh girl I am meeting this month?" I snarled in annoyance while my mother sat leisurely on the sofa. The slight shake of her head revealed how done she was with my blowups.

I sulked when the shake of her head didn't cease, "Kya hai."

"If for a second you had not used your overactive brain before rejecting the girls we previously met, you wouldn't have been stuck in this situation, Aditya."

Mom sighed in disbelief. The wrath rippling within her was demonstrated through the speed with which she was chopping the vegetables. The knife resumed to move supersonically over the already chopped coriander and there I knew, not only the coriander leaves but my hopes for a rescue were on the verge of dying.

My Poor Vegetables.

My sympathy towards the vegetables momentarily halted as I deciphered her words, "What did you say? I rejected them?" I gasped, pointing my index finger toward myself,

"Three girls did reject me. Me!"

I corrected her notion.

Such Ill-Taste women who couldn't even appreciate this rare beauty.

"The reason for your rejection is still unknown Adi bhai, so you might have blubbered some gibberish to them, resulting in their rejection of you," Kunal smirked sauntering inside the living room before plopping his useless bum on the sofa.

As if my mother was any less, the Almighty has graced with his divine presence as well.

"Bilkul sahi kaha, Kunal." Mom acquiesced causing offense to ripple up in every single nerve of my body.

"Yaar, Mumma!" I whined, hopelessly peering at my mother. Kunal snickered which I regally ignored.

"How come I am at fault when all these three girls wanted their husband to be either an NRI, a government employee, or a KMP in an MNC?" I remarked, reminiscing the bits of conversation I had with them. Kunal's empathetic eyes found me while Mom being Mom was still unfazed.

"Unfortunately, my profession fell in none of these and they had a reason to reject me." I emphasized on the last word.

Not only women these days, but us men are rejected too.

If women are subjected to a list of eligible qualities as per societal expectations, we men are equally stuck in the same ruckus.

Fortunately, my answer satisfied them allowing me to relish a few minutes of silence in their presence. However, the quietude was soon interrupted by Mom's intrusion.

How wrong was I to assume that they were going to leave this conversation right here?

"If you didn't reject all, then surely you did reject seven others." She reminded and I wanted nothing but to teleport myself into the land of peace and silence.

"Reason?" She massaged her temples demurely, her tone imperious when I stood there, helpless and hopeless.

Kunal's chuckle followed thereafter, having the time of his life witnessing my condition.

Sighing at the direction of the conversation, I braced myself up for the upcoming explanation,

"Two girls were already in a relationship and were being forced by their parents. One was so melodramatic that she wanted nothing but free attention. What was she, A Queen?"

The one who will win my and my family's hearts will be my Queen. Not this melodramatic fellow.

Kunal kept eyeing me keenly, certainly enjoying all the mirch-masala, "The fourth one seemed like a forged copy, pretending to be the Sati Savitri from the '60s era while her actions and body movements told otherwise. Two were the flagbearers of feminism without the least understanding of it. She even got pissed with the fact that I started drinking my coffee first without waiting for her to have a sip. That was insane."

Taking a sip of water to calm my parched throat, I resumed, "Oh, and the last one, she was out of the world." I snorted at her mention, "A breathing, walking, talking price machine. She was obsessed with the stupid materialistic things and their rate cards. Throughout the whole conversation, she was like,

Hey, have you seen that new car's ad? It screams luxury, just like my personality. Just 60 lakhs. What say?;

Our wedding budget shouldn't be less than 1 crore. It's the standard these days. After all, your family earns well enough..right?;

I prefer only branded clothes, roadside shops are trash.

Paris or Maldives? Where will you take me on the honeymoon?

Damn, the list is endless." I groaned, already on the verge of pulling my hair.

Mom and Kunal gaped at me astonished, still struggling to comprehend my justification.

"So, I hope I did nothing wrong in refusing and rejecting all these girls who would bring nothing but thunderstorms and destruction into our lives. I want peace, Mom." I ended softly, taking a seat beside her.

Calmly, I voiced, "I cannot get into a marriage when I am unable to foresee that woman in my life. A little practicality is all I need Mom to convince myself of an alliance."

Mom smiled faintly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. My lips pulled upward, relieved that she finally understood my dilemma.

"It's okay beta." She ensconced my hand with hers, "Such things happen but that doesn't mean every girl will be like this." She patted my cheeks tenderly,

"Maybe the next girl we are meeting at six in the evening will suit your expectations." She hurled the news and I blinked my eyes furiously at the newfound piece of information.

Oh Boy. How wrong was I?

"Chalo chalo bhai. Jaldi utho ab." Kunal nudged my shaken form, his chest vibrating with his suppressed chuckles, "Dad and Isha will be coming home in a few minutes to leave for the girl's house." My eyes jerked open realizing what just happened but before I could take action they were out of my sight.

I canopied my face in my palms, brooding at the supposed meeting I would be having with candidate number 11. How could I assume that I would be able to spend the rest of the day in peace?

************

After an eventful morning, I half-heartedly got ready to leave for candidate number 11, Kirti's house.

Reaching the destination, and after some formal greetings, we all sat in the living room with discussions varying from our hobbies to our jobs, our likes, and our future plans.

Following the exchange of customary tea and snacks, Kirti and I were sent to a separate room so that we could personally interact with each other.

For the briefest seconds, I observed her. To be honest, she was beautiful, independent, and everything a man would look for in his prospective spouse.

Still, comfort and ease of communication were the most important aspects I looked for in my wife.

To cut off the deafening silence I finally started with a polite smile,

"Hey."

"Hi." She smiled courteously.

"How are you?" The infamous silence-cutting question.

"I am fine. You?" She wrung her fingers together, matching her gaze.

"I am fine as well, thank you." Awkwardness filled the air before I navigated the discussions toward her job and career.

A momentary silence transpired after which she filled me about her educational background and career expectations.

However, the quietness was interrupted by her voice.

"Uhm," She hesitated a bit. I smiled faintly, prompting her to go ahead.

"If you don't mind, can I ask why did you leave the firm that you were previously working in?" She peered at me in curiosity, "It was quite a reputed firm. The pay would have been satisfactory as well." Her lips lifted in a relaxed smile, unlike me.

Camouflaging the discomfort at the question, I explained to her all the reasons for my inclination towards freelancing and my decision to quit my job.

"You love your autonomy and freedom to work, so you could have also joined your father's business." She suggested, "Through that you would have received your stable income and the freedom as you desire. Why take such a risk of freelancing?" She mulled, "Like, didn't you fear if this didn't work out?"

I weighed my words, struggling to identify what I should say and what to skip. Giving up on the idea of fabricating my answers, I let my heart rule my words,

"I could have joined my father and brother in our family business, but as much as I value independence, I value my passion as well which has always been software programming." My eyes gleamed with pride recollecting the day when I grabbed my first freelancing project,

"And as far as stability of income is concerned, I am earning pretty decently. Although the initial six months were quite challenging as I was free most of the time. But with time, I have managed to gain some good contacts, and by God's grace, my work is flourishing with each passing day. I agree, there are days of uncertainty but I am optimistic about my skills and work."

Seemingly, my answer didn't convince her, which later was reflected in her lack of response and monosyllabic answers to every question I asked.

Hence, after we wrapped up our discussion, we left her home considering our families asked us to take some time before reaching any conclusion.

Although I knew I was not at all convinced of this alliance, primarily for two reasons;

Number 1, I wasn't able to imagine her as my spouse in the near future for reasons unknown.

Number 2, She was way too apprehensive of my career and my choice of freelancing despite knowing I earned well enough to give her a satisfactory standard of living.

For the latter reason, my assumption proved right as after two days, much to my family's displeasure, there had been a brand new addition to the number of girls who had rejected me. The count which earlier was three had now been replaced by a four.

We were informed that she wanted someone who either was posted on a government job, had a well-flourished family business, or was an NRI.

Fortunately, I didn't fit any of these criteria.

As a life partner, I want someone who not only shows trust in me but in my caliber and passion as well.

I might not have years of experience, but I do have a long vision.

I might not earn lakhs per month, but I do earn enough to fulfill all her relevant demands.

And if a woman couldn't see it through my words and explanation, then she's not the one for me, nor I am the one for her.

Though, I don't blame her for the rejection. It was natural and understandable. No grudges intended.

Because I believe your non-selection in any job interview doesn't mean you are unfit for the position and won't be hired elsewhere, rather, it simply indicates that your abilities and the requirements of the employer didn't match. You will surely get selected where your skills and talents will suit the company's needs.

Similarly, someone rejecting me, or me rejecting someone doesn't imply any issues in either one of us. It's just an indication of people having varied expectations and perspectives towards life, that couldn't be forced upon each other.

Perhaps, I was not the one for her, neither she was the one for me.

****************

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