Marriage love

Her heart skipped a beat.

She’d been married to this man for the past 3 years.

It was an arranged marriage. A simple, sweet happy married life followed. Happiness has no definitions. She was a simple woman, had no major ambitions or dreams. She just wanted a peaceful and a problem-free married life, which she pretty much got.

Every year they celebrated their wedding anniversary by inviting their common friends over. He always praised her cooking and her caring nature in front of everyone. He was proud to have a wife like her. They were very compatible, liked the same cuisine, same movies, same songs, same holiday destinations and even the same colors.

They never argued or disagreed. Life was smooth. After 2 years of marriage, she gave birth to a beautiful daughter. That changed their lives. They kept awake for their little bundle of joy, to change her diapers, to feed her, to see her grow-up, every minute, every second.

She had never really loved her husband. Neither did he make an attempt to make her fall in love with him. He respected her and cared for her, but love never happened.

They took the baby for evening strolls, in parks, on the beach and every where else. The baby in the pram, they walked hand in hand like a love-struck couple. Gradually the small girl started muttering small words like ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’. She learnt to walk, fall and run. She became their world.

Then one day something happened. The kid was in her father’s arms while he was talking to an old friend who was passing by. He introduced the friend to his wife saying, ‘Meet my wife Anjali’.

Anjali muttered an indifferent ‘Hi’, indifferent because she had just discovered something very different about her husband and about her kid, about their relationship.

Anjali was looking at her daughter, like a child. Observing every minute detail, every minute movement of her hands, her little fingers, her soft skin, her cute lips, her sweet smile as and when, her small eyes… everything. The kid was studying her father’s face as intently as her mother was studying hers.

Her cute little fingers traced her father’s lips, eyes, eyelashes, eyebrows, ears, cheeks… she was smiling… she felt her father’s cheek on her little-pink palms, they raced across his face… she threw her arms around her father while the father hugged her back, amidst his conversation.

Anjali was trying to record each and every movement of this little moment that she saw, forever in her memory. A stray tear rolled down her cheek. For the first time she had felt love, although through her daughter’s heart. She felt complete. She smiled. The mixed emotion overwhelmed her.

When they were walking back, Anjali held her husband’s hand, like everyday. But today it was different, and her husband also felt something was different. He didn’t know what though. Their hands caressed passionately. He looked at her and smiled.

Her heart skipped a beat.