My grandparents love story!

 "How did you both meet Aaji (grandmother)?", I asked my Aaji, my dadi, as I came to know that my grandparents had a love marriage. I was in my teens, understanding what love really was, and exploring how things were.

"We met at our college. We both had come from nearby places and were staying at hostels for completing our graduation", Aaji said.

"Wow, a campus couple at that time? You were a bold woman, Aaji", I exclaimed.

"Bold and all I don't know. But I was keen on studying Science. Also, I loved playing tennis. Your Aba (grandfather) and I were mixed doubles partners. He was doing Arts. We met during our matches, and we practiced together, obviously with other classmates. We had a group of close friends", the conversation was getting interesting...

Just then my Aba came in, "Give me some tea", he said. Of course, it was more like an order than a request.

Aaji quickly got up and brewed the tea.

"How is this a love marriage?", I thought. "They must've been courageous to tell their parents in that era about their love affair. They must've argued so that they could be together. But where's the love gone? I never witnessed any romance brewing between them, it's just the tea that brews. I know they are old now, but romance doesn't always mean holding hands or being lovey-dovey, right? Why have they become impassive towards each other?", I thought to myself.

"They have gone through a lot in life. Struggles with a transferable job, work pressure, and shifting houses with children. Changing their schools, adjusting to new surroundings each time. They had their share of ups and downs, but why did the love vanish?", I pondered.

After exams, we used to go to my Mom's place, that's my Nainihal. My Aaji and Aba, my mom's parents, used to wait for us to visit every summer vacation.

Love and marriage conversations with my dad's mother were fresh in my mind, so I asked this Aaji of mine, her story.

"How did you both get married Aaji?", I asked.

"Why are you suddenly interested in my story dear?", Aaji smiled.

"Nothing, just curious", I replied.

"Ours was a conservative time dear. We had arranged marriages, where they visited girl's house, watched her walk, asked her to thread the needle, if she was educated then asked her to read the newspaper. My parents were no more, so my elder brother and his wife were the seniors in our house. They finalised whom I should get married to. And your Aba had come to see me, and we both agreed on what our elders decided. That's our story, nothing special about it", Aaji said, patting my head.

"Ohh!", I sighed

"Were you expecting some movie-like dramatic tale?", Aaji laughed as she glanced at my slumped face.

"Not that I expected any drama. But when I see both of you, I always thought that you had a love marriage. The way you take care of each other. You don't have to express anything in words, Aba comes to know from your body language what you want to say. He brings aboli and jasmine gajras for you always. He takes you to eat your favourite pav-bhaji on a random Sunday, isn't it like a date? Or gets icecreams for you whenever. You plan outings to near and far places together. He glimpses at your apple red cheeks and knows you are angry. He takes the trouble to make you happy again. You cook his favourite dishes. You help him with anything and everything. This all is so romantic Aaji. You show so much love and respect to each other. You are the hardcore romantics. You never complain about little things that go wrong......", I wanted to say more but Aaji interrupted.

"My, my, look at you. Are you a detective or a spy? You are keeping an eye on us, are you?", Aaji said as she grinned.

"Beta, I don't know about romance, it's all hyped because of the movies. And ours was a black-and-white era. Nowadays, they kiss or hug in public. For us, holding hands was also a brave move. It's not about love marriage or arranged ones either. Once you accept someone to be your partner in this journey of life, you should hold his hand forever. You should trust him and also make yourself infallible of his faith. It's a mutual understanding beta. We have to live together so why should we fight over petty things? Why can't we appreciate small things instead? If he gets gajra for me, why can't I show that I cherish his gesture? Shouldn't I acknowledge it instead of taking it for granted? If I cook his favourite food, he should atleast let me know how it was. These little things add up to become what you call love. Love or romance is nothing greater than this", Aaji patted my head once again.

"Ahh! They are the real romantics. Loving someone when you are young is easy, but to love someone after getting old needs patience I guess", I murmured to myself.

The real romantics cherish each other's feelings throughout. There could be reasons for people to change, but shouldn't we try harder to hold on to them if we really value them?

#Fiction.

PC : NicePNG

AUTHOR'S NOTE: You never lose by loving, you always lose by holding back ~ Barbara De Angelis.

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