Part 3: High on Life (Chapter 2)

He was happy to have found Kusum. She occupied almost all his thoughts now. His studies suffered like never before.

Kusum had found a friend too. She could talk to someone about the problems of her life, actually problem. There was this one single but all absorbing problem of her life. Her marriage!!

She was taurmented by the reasons and pressure to get married. Meeting prospective suitors were torturous. To meet a stranger and evaluate through small talk the compatebility for a life time realation was killing. The drama aound caste and horoscope in educated families was obnoxious. The fact that she was very happy being single and had no wish to get married, made the need to bend backwards to get married all the more painful.

She always ended by sharing her feelings with Sameer a lot mainly because she came to drink whenever she was upset. Her friends told her that getting drunk and being tipsy will help her feel better about a sitaution which she could not reclaim anyway. Personally she did not like drinking; it was like blinking your eyes when confronted by a monster. Also she absolutely dreaded puking. But ofcoarse she has started using it to get rid of the suitors she did not like…..

Sameer felt honored being her confidant, he tried help her by rationalizing and simplifying her ordeal. He always tried to convince her to talk to her parents rather then getting this worked up. Each time Kusum used to loose her cool “Are you crazy? Dad says my marriage is his biggest responsibility and mom tells me how important it’s to have a companion in life.” “It does not matter what I want and when. I am already getting old and all good suitable guys are getting married to others.”

Sameer loved to talk to her, though she was for most part a girl entangled in herself. The pathos of want and need continued… where she wanted to kae her parents happy but needed her independence.

They met relguarly now mostly outside the bar as his responsibilities increased after the manager was fired. He was the new intrim manager till a new one got appointed.

She again came to the coffee shop in a bad mood that Sunday morning, so he tried to talk again about what was bothering her. ”May be you want to get married but just not go the arranged married route”. “what?” she snapped. “How else do you get married?” she asked.

He realized she was too mad to appreciate his tangential thought but still decided to speak his mind, “fall in love.”

“And how do you fall in love? Go to forum each evening with a begger’s bowl. Ah sameer! You are so immature” she said shaking her head in disappointment.

“Hunh!! Why am I immature?” he was offended. “just because I study? Well I actually worked before returning to school, you know that right?” he blasted and added after a pause “ and I am only an year younger to you.”

It was her chance to frreak out now.”How do you know my age?” She was furious. “Mam, you flash your ID each time you buy drinks. One more reason for not to drink I say.” He concluded galantly like he has scored against her.

She now wanted to change the topic. “You were happy working with your father. Why did you feel the need to study? You hardly study now, being manager out here.”

“Ahhh… I wanted to study and gain knowledge, there is so much to learn you know.” She continued to look at him, waiting for the answer, the real one. He paused, he struggled and then said quitly “They wanted me to get married.”