Discovery: Day Four

June 27

7:45

They had reached Meher's place in Greater Noida at around six in the evening, falling only a tad bit behind schedule in the end. They weren't mindful of that delay at all in light of the magnitude of revelations it had led to, together with the intensification it had brought about in their bonding. It was blissful enough that they had been spared the onslaught of navigating through peak hour traffic by dashing across Delhi in the nick of time. Inside Meher's living room, however, the absence of what one would have expected to be a marketplace of reminiscences from the past two years appalled the participants. Meher and her partner Utsuk failed to clutch at the nerve of this travesty and the lamp of enthusiasm burning ferociously in their minds dimmed slightly. Not fancying the design of ruminating over the affairs of their day, Vidhi and Akshaya decided to call it an early night shortly after an eerie dinner where conversation comprised mostly of ceramic dishes being clanked upon mercilessly by steel cutlery.

Before their hosts, they hurriedly justified their unceremonious withdrawal to the drain endured from riding out crests and troughs of the journey. They expressed their wish to take advantage of a good night's sleep after two long days of shuffling about on hotel mattresses, which no matter how cushy and comfortable they appear to be, simply cannot match up to the security and soundness of sleep provided by a bed at home. That Vidhi still referred to their apartment as home reassured Meher and Utsuk of her heart's feeling of belonging with them and brought a smile to their faces in anticipation of having a better re-union in the morning. Those anticipations had to face a litmus test early next morning which found Vidhi asleep, curled into her favourite fetal position, while Akshaya had woken up and was immersing herself in the first rays of sunshine that were beginning to grace the living room balcony. Meher had been up for quite some time as well but she was busy with her morning workout and so they had only managed to exchange a quick good morning so far. Akshaya knew there was no way she could avoid a conversation now that Meher was wrapping up her exercises.

"Vidhi's still sleeping?" Meher asked.

"Yeah, she isn't an early bird."

"Oh yes! She has never been one of that kind, used to wake up at half past eleven when she lived here, haha."

"Really? Wow... You and Utsuk are polar opposites to her it seems, how did the three of you keep sane living under one roof?" Akshaya inquired politely.

"It was a struggle, a demonic battle really. We were on a tight leash then budget-wise too, so our twenty-four seven lifestyles weren't very conducive for saving money either, but we got along fine anyhow. The daily arguments and fights we had all look so petty in hindsight, like tiny bumps along the way. It was a good time, no matter what."

"Vidhi sometimes tell me about the tons of fun you've had together, but I don't know much about that part of her life. I would love to hear you and Utsuk reminisce over some memories with me so I can work out a bit of the puzzle that is Vidhi," Akshaya blushed as she looked with hope at Meher's bubbly countenance and spoke.

"For sure Akshaya, that is a great idea, I'm just glad you are interested in whatever we have to say. After the drudgery of last night's dinner, I was worried you had made up your mind not to indulge us in any way," Meher poked nervously, her deep black eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about the awkwardness you faced last night, that was completely our fault, mostly mine actually. It's a bit tough to explain what state of mind we were in because a lot of stuff happened yesterday and a lot of it didn't work out according to plan," Akshaya's dimples dropped suddenly and lost their shape in apology.

"It's fine, totally. I have no intention of barging in on your personal lives like this and you don't owe me any justifications for your behaviour. Everyone has their share of troubles to tackle, don't they?"

"Tell me about it!"

10:30

After that tête-à-tête with Meher, Akshaya had shed some of her inhibitions towards being accepted by Vidhi's closest family and was enjoying the comfort showered upon her by their hosts. She fell onto the inviting couch and glanced through the newspapers while Meher and Utsuk prepared breakfast. In the meantime, Vidhi had lazily tumbled into the living room to stretch herself out and shake off the remnants of sleep that were trying to stop her eyes from looking clearly at the clock. Utsuk carried in a large tray with tea and toast even as Akshaya grinned at Vidhi's brave, yawning fight against the sleep monster. Vidhi was leaning her left shoulder against the wall and had her right elbow folded over her forehead to stop the sunshine from breaching this fortress. Meher joined them in the living room with a casserole of bread slices and a plate full of delicious-looking bacon.

"Time for breakfast!" announced Utsuk, accompanied with a hungry stomach growl.

"Come on, Vidhi, let's get started. I can't wait to pounce on all of this," Akshaya said and clapped her hands jovially.

"That's the sentiment, I think you and I are going to get along really well," Utsuk told Akshaya.

"I don't think Vidhi's senses have woken up properly yet. She's still in the boot up phase, you remember the drill Utsuk, it will take a while." Meher added in a motherly tone and went over to Vidhi to give her a tight, long embrace from behind. Vidhi turned around after a while, rested her head in Meher's breasts and said softly in a pitch that could only be heard by Meher, "I missed you." Meher gently rubbed Vidhi's back and pecked her forehead, "I missed you too." The two held this pose for a minute without uttering a word and then broke apart to walk back hand-in-hand to breakfast.

"Well, why don't we dig in ourselves then Akshaya?" Utsuk asked.

"Absolutely," Akshaya approved as they begun tearing into the bacon.

11:15

"What's the plan for today?" Utsuk shouted over the chaotic clatter of plates and tea cups from the kitchen where he was doing the dishes.

"Well, we need to get moving onward to Manali, that's where we're headed for the next three days. I think if we start in under an hour now, we will be able to make it a little after midnight," Vidhi replied, sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

"Oooohhh, Manali really sounds enchanting. It's one place that has been on our list for ages now, but it simply keeps getting substituted by other, more exotic-sounding ones. Right Meher?"

"I know all about it.. you two never could come to a decision on vacations," sniggered Vidhi before Meher could pitch in.

"Here's an idea: why don't you guys join us for the rest of our trip? It will be fun, Vidhi will get more time to catch up and I'll be able to know you two better!" Akshaya brimmed with energy as she jumped out of her couch to make her mind heard to everyone over the noise, "There's nothing better than a road trip to really bring ourselves out to each other, and, of course, we cannot afford to discount so much amazing food out of the equation, can we Utsuk?"

Akshaya had no sooner finished pitching her plan than Meher sprang with joy and announced "I'm in."

"That was quick," Akshaya chimed, "I imagined it would take a lot more convincing to bring you around. What about you?" she asked, moving forward and turning towards Utsuk in the kitchen.

"There is no way I'm coming in the way of this juggernaut of joy, I'm in," he replied.

"Lovely! Let's move it and get going by noon," Akshaya said elatedly and started working her mind over every bit and piece of the jigsaw that was driving to Manali.

17:00

The party of four had managed to hop on the way by two past noon after relishing a beefy lunch feast at a highway dhaba in Murthal. They were now cruising comfortably past Chandigarh with Meher sporting the wheels and Vidhi in the passenger seat while Akshaya and Utsuk brought up the rear. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's mesmerizing qawwalis had thrust the occupants into a romantic stupor that was setting the perfect tone for the drive and the destination it was leading them to. Both the back seat passengers were vibing to the steady stream of melodious song, but Vidhi seemed to be at peace looking out far ahead at the green hills and the clouds that hovered into them innocently to create bursts of rain. The weather had a blissful ring to it, one that slices the heart open to express its suppressed feelings and stimulates the mind to seek the rush of new adventures. A combination of these elements manufactures a charm that works its magic to erase wrinkles of worry and emotionally enliven the body to not just endure, but to enjoy life. Although they could not have described it the tenderness which they now felt, this was the very charm that Akshaya and Vidhi had sought from this road trip when it began. It mattered not now whether they reached their destination or not, for their journey had brought their lives to discover previously unchartered territories and given a fillip to explore them.

"Akshaya asked me to marry her yesterday," Vidhi said bluntly, letting the cat out of the bag.

"Woaaahhh, that's huge for you two. Congratulations!" Utsuk almost shrieked with happiness.

"Yeah, it is huge, just not in the way I thought it would be," emphasized Akshaya with a slight smile at Vidhi, who reciprocated instantly through her side's rear-view mirror, "it turned out to be a whacking roller-coaster."

"Wait, is this what you meant when you said that not everything worked according to plan?" asked Meher, a fleeting look of triumph drifted through her countenance at having unraveled the mystery.

"Bullseye."

"Can someone fill me in please? Vidhi?" pleaded Utsuk.

"Well, I turned down the proposal."

"Ohh. Okay, and why did you do that?"

"Come on, you know how I feel about marriage, we've discussed this countless times now. It's a patriarchal sham that I cannot participate in."

"I know, I know and I respect that. This is going to sound clichéd, but I felt that nuptials were something you would change your mind about once you had found the right person and were actually facing a proposal from them. It's good to know you proved me wrong."

"I, for one, am glad that you stood by your morals and stuck to your fight Vidhi. This is a testament to the strength of your character," Meher asserted with conviction.

"How are you feeling about this though Akshaya?" Utsuk inquired eagerly.

Placing her hand on Vidhi's shoulder from behind her seat, Akshaya gently said, "What can I say, your girl is a tough nut to crack, she has been making me put in the miles to win her affections from day one."

"Aww," uttered Meher.

"I was shocked initially when she refused and a part of me still is dealing with the shock," Akshaya continued, "but she explained her position to me so carefully and with so much belief that I couldn't help but come around. I can't forget how Vidhi made me realise that it was marriage she was turning down and not me. To make her enter into a relationship she doesn't embrace would mean the end of us."

"That's some real clarity of thought you have there," Utsuk said with admiration, "I would honestly want to kill myself immediately if Meher rejected me like this."

"Hang on, you and Meher aren't married?" Akshaya's mouth was left hanging. Vidhi, Utsuk and Meher glanced at each other for a couple of seconds and then broke into laughter.

"No, honey. Utsuk, and Meher as well to an extent, has the same notions of marriage as I do, so this lovely pair never bothered to propose at all. I guess Utsuk has been waiting for years to see if I would withstand the test of a proposal, haven't you?" Vidhi elaborated.

"I have indeed!" he answered.

"This is quite a discovery for me. Have I been living under a rock while the world has moved on from marriage? Only two days ago we gave lift to an old couple who made it appear to me that I had very progressive thoughts," Akshaya expressed her surprise.

"Not exactly, there are only a handful of people who will agree with our views. I don't think that marriage is integral to enjoying companionship.... it's more of a blunder really to bind yourself to be together forever. The love can eventually fizzle out, you know, so there is no point in forcing two people to remain as companions when the relationship is irretrievably broken. Nevertheless, from my days in family courts, I do realise that a legal contract of marriage is quite important in the present societal set-up as a tool for women against errant men to seek maintenance and some other remedies. Not that this does anything to improve the situation of maritally oppressed women, yet, it is sort of a means to an end," replied Meher.

"I get that and can fathom how patriarchal this entire set-up is, but, and this is the same question I posed to Vidhi, how does this apply to a marriage rooted in a relationship such as ours that is rooted in equality?" Akshaya asked all three of them.

"You can say that it doesn't, I accept that. That leads us to question the very point of having a marriage, why do you need to marry in the first place? Why bother to grab legal recognition when you can simply enjoy the best of your companionship while it lasts and dissolve it mutually whenever you wish to without involving the state. You can definitely expect more privacy in your life if you choose not to embroil the state in your relations," Utsuk pitched in calmly.

Vidhi had listened intently to these thoughts so far and felt a sudden revelation dawn upon her. She wondered about it for a moment and came to a decision that she could not churn it over any longer. Cramped for space in the front, she shifted her seat forward and stepped into the space created at the back. Doing her best to go down on one knee in a moving car, Vidhi looked energetically into her partner's eyes and spoke directly from her heart, "Akshaya, it's nothing as filmy as yours and I don't have a ring or anything, but here goes my proposal to you. I know we agreed to give this more time, but I've come to realise that in this trip and in these conversations, I have discovered love. Love that revolves around you, feeds on your happiness and is blended with the innocence of a mockingbird. Honestly, I can keep going on and write an essay about my love for you, even so, I'll save that for later and get to the crux...will you, Akshaya, like to be my life's companion?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh honey, I don't need more time than a second to give an answer, I love you so, so much."

"By the power vested in me by freedom, good conscience and equity, I am pleased to announce you companions. You may now kiss," beamed Utsuk in a flurry of emotion as the newly anointed couple knotted and coiled themselves into one with a long, clinching spell of kisses.