SCENTED-MEMORIES
SCENTED-MEMORIES
(In south Kerala there
was a system of arrangement for meeting between bride and groom before marriage
enabling to select their life partners at the bride’s house in presence of
parents and guests. The spinster who is under the marriage proposal
will see the boy during this occasion and serve tea and snacks to the boy and
the guests. If the boy and girl conform mutual acceptance to their parents then
the further wedding process will be taken place. Below narrated is the
nervousness of a18-year-old girl who faced such a meeting to select her future
partner long years ago)
Today Lathika tuned her
memory to thirty-nine years back bridal meeting as to the selection of her
husband Sudarsan. She laughed lonely and recollected the nervousness faced on
the occasion when her husband stepped in with the marriage proposal. Now that
pattern is changing its dimensions slowly over time. Whatever the case, it is
not a forgettable event that has fragrance at this moment also and coming as
ripples even years after years.
Lathika was born as the last daughter of a mother in a family of five. She was not very beautiful, but fair to see. She was born because the couple did not think on those days as to family planning assuming the concept of us two and ours two. Since the mother looked after the family duties responsibly, the father looked after the business to run the family. She was the child of two brothers and sisters who were born before her. They always considered her as a child and anything got will be divided only after giving her a share. The elders were at the forefront of education and were studied according to their father's wishes. Now they all got married and became families.
Lathika also reached the age of marriage. The mother, father, and siblings found brokers (Dallal) at their respective levels and handed them over to look for a groom to Lathika. Many of the suggestions came. Confirmation went on for a variety of reasons, alcoholics, the unemployed, the homeless, the bad guys, all left. Lathika assumed, not a bit of rush, family members sign their social obligation to hooking up me with somebody, let them do as they please. Anyway, after graduation, I will become like my sister. Oh, not everyone lives the same way I live. Since she studied in the Women's College, there were no guys to make love and to share the eyes. When leaving home reaches college and vice versa was the life routine.
The eldest brother had
just arrived home. He was saying a lot with his father. “Dallal Raman who
promised to bring the guy to see Lathika won’t come today and in his
place, another guy will be brought to see her. He is a good looking and a
decent job holder, unlike the guy who booked earlier. The boy's son
- in - laws say he knows our place. It is said to come in the evening. She
should be prepared and we have to buy some snacks and milk for tea”. Having
said that, he went somewhere.
Lathika's heart has been
pounding ever since she heard this. How many guys have come and gone? They were
all served with tea and biscuits. Now my heart beats so much only when someone
says they are coming. The one who said will come or not. How do I approach him
with this insight? The sun shone pink in the sky and spread the carpet for
dusk.
“Girl, aren't you taking
a bath? It's four o'clock. Didn't our father tell you that a boy would come to
see you today at five o'clock?” Mother asked. Mom, I don't want a
wedding, let it be for a long time. The degree exam is the next one, let me
write it peacefully, Lathika told to escape for a shot. Tell it to your father,
or why you're upset, we sent the two of you before. You have been young so far
because you stay here otherwise you will be with a baby now, her mother said.
It was as if some waves
were flowing into her body. I 'm going to stand in front of a man who is coming
to marry me. Gods and goddesses, protect me. Looks like I don't have brave now
like ever before. But with a heartbeat, she took a bath and got ready to greet
the man. She touched and smell the clothes taken for wearing with a smile on
the face. For the first time in her life, she stared at her own body in the
mirror. She looked at her hands, fingers, noticed ups and downs, and
shocked. She stroked her cheeks and vaguely murmured one by one.
Mom where is Lathika.
The elder sister screamed as she ran inside the house. She will be seen
somewhere, mother told. Sister, I am here, said Lathika. Well, where are all
your clothes, I will dress you. When her sister rubbed her fingers while wearing
the Sari (a type of cloth), she realized for the first time that touch has also
a pleasure. Sister, you wear the cloth without teasing me, please. Oh well, now
you feel the tickling, it is not far to feel it more, you see, this time your
wedding is firm. She looked down at the dress with a newly wedded girl’s
shyness. But again, and again she was looking out the window at the person who
was coming out to see her.
She heard talk and
footsteps on the sidewalk. Her body began to shake. The heart began to beat
faster than before. The strength of the arms decreases so does the weight of
the body, the condition in which the legs have to be raised to walk. No tongue
to speak and no words to speak, speech trembles. Total upset by
wavering feelings.
“They reached”, her
sister told. The mother ran to the kitchen. Lathika fell down
half-consciously in the chair. Girl, they're there, what are you doing there;
try to bring tea and snacks. “The boy seemed okay”, she could hear the sister
telling her mother. Sister my hands are shaking and I can't walk. “That's it.
You just have to pay the attention”.
All the courage was leaking as she moved with the tea on the tray in his hand. They are all, you have to be careful to walk upright, do not step on the Sari, it will loosen and then be a good show - sister commented. You shut, sister, will you please serve this tea to them, and I shall stay here as I am not feeling good. Mother got angry and told, “go and do girl keeping your shy aside”.
Meditated on all the
Gods, mustering up courage she received the tea tray in trembling hand from
mother. She moved slowly with the utmost care and approached the threshold.
Dellal uttered and pointed “the boy sitting center is the guy, give him first”.
Unknowingly, she looked at the young man in the direction he was pointing and
suddenly looked down at the floor. The invisible magnetic field surged, and the
boy could not take his eyes off her, and as he took the teapot, the boy
whispered to her, "listen, you are Okay." Half shivering, she smiled
inner and walked back to her room. She stared at the young man through the
window gap by keeping herself out of his sight. She murmured, just
the person I expected. What power to those eyes. Only the eyes of a loving
person have the power to conquer the spouse's mind. She thought, what he told
okay, me, or the tea? At the threshold, the father and the sister
talk to him and the guests. He was giving a clear answer to each one.
When they rose to leave, the man who had come with the boy said, "The boy likes the girl; let you know the detail latter." Lathika's heart blossomed and her castles skyrocketed. She knew the love pain on that day when he moves away. She felt that a part of her heart was stolen by him. She could not sleep that night, but rode with the young man to everywhere until dawn, as the princess of the dream world. Today's is the jubilee year of her marriage. She memorized the sweet and sour of the past years but altogether was the sweetness.
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