Love Story

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I first met her 17 years ago.

Our parents had contacted each other after going through a newspaper advertisement in a matrimonial section. It was four years since I had completed my MBBS and had got into a well-paid government job. Apparently, these are the basic qualifications needed to earn the title of “eligible” bachelor in the matrimonial sections. Luckily, my future in – laws also agreed to this basic premise, and the two families, after a lot of meetings, decided that time was ripe for the “boy” and the “girl” to meet and approve each other.

We met over some snacks and a bottle of cold drink, witnessed by two and half sets of families. I did not take any time to show my eager approval, and my future wife was too shocked at the turn of events for a negative response.

We got married a year and half later, while she was still studying towards completing her graduation. Aadya came into existence a few months after my wife’s graduation, and Shaivi arrived in time to celebrate both her and my post-graduate status. I continued with my job, while she acquired one post after another in line with her professional status.

We had our moments as well as our differences. Surprisingly, we were able to respect our differences and were able to make them the pivot for new steps. We went ahead with life. The children unwittingly followed us, and became part of our journey. Along the line, the girls kept visiting new places, kept meeting new friends, kept facing new challenges, and understood that their life is unique. They have friends in more geographical locations than most of the people they know of. They struggled to maintain old relationships while acquiring new ones all the time. We graduated from being their care-providers to being their guardian and friend. Our relationship status changed with every change in place, and we kept celebrating every aspect of our lives. Somewhere along this path, we realized that our family is actually a close-knit group of friends.

       Love came to me slowly – it crept up to me when I was not looking, and engulfed me completely. I cannot define a moment when I actually transitioned from being “not-in-love” to being “in love”. I never fell in love. I am still floating in the clouds. The cloud is all around me and has slowly transformed itself in a shower of glowing rainbows. The glow is just a part of my life now.

    Yes, I am in love.

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