They all exchanged glances, and the elder called the stall owner. "What is this, boy? Did you think this shop was a lodge? I helped you to set up a stall because you had no work, and now you're doing this?" The elder man who looked like the leader of the people roared, raising his hand to strike him.
"Hello, boss, why are you hitting him?" he interjected, stepping between them.
"Shut up! You look educated, but you have no moral sense!" The elder man snarled, glaring at both of them.
They both stood aghast, looking at each other as if to say, "What did we do?".
"I told you to shut up! Couldn't you find any other place? You both are unmarried? You chose my shed? What do you think you're doing?" the elder fumed.
"Hello, boss, you're misunderstanding. Yesterday, we missed our bus. Last night, some men came in a jeep, similar to yours. Fearing them, I hid the girl, and we both stayed in that room. He locked us in without realising we were there. We've been inside for twelve hours without water. Nothing happened as you're implying. But could you please arrange a vehicle for us? There's no signal here either," he explained earnestly.
one of the young ruffians scoffed. "So what are you saying now? Nothing happened between you two? A handsome young man and a beautiful girl spent twelve hours together, all night, with no one else around, and nothing happened? Even that madman over there wouldn't believe it, let alone us, young man!".
"Stop talking nonsense. Can't you understand what I am saying Don't you have a brain?", He shouted in anger.
The gang of more than 20 men shouted at him in anger and raised their sticks.
" Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is?" he began to challenge, stepping forward, but then stopped. There were twenty-five men, most of them carrying sticks or sickles, and she whispered, "Why are you angry at them?".
"What! Do you know what they're thinking?" he muttered, glancing at her.
"What are they thinking? "she asked, unable to focus
"How the hell am I stuck with a dumb, foolish girl like you?" he thought.
He noticed her dizziness and got worried, and asked the people. "Hey, does anyone have a chocolate or anything? This girl's blood pressure seems to be dropping again. At least some salt, she looks like she's about to collapse," he pleaded, his voice tinged with worry.
"Oh my, is she already fainting? How many months along is she?" one of the elders asked, misunderstanding completely.
"What are you talking about? I don't even know who this girl is; we just met last night!" he exclaimed.
"Oh my, look how these modern youngsters are! They celebrate February 14th and sleep together wherever they find a room," other elder scoffed.
"No, this won't do. Hey, bring that bag!" the main elder commanded. A man went to the vehicle brought a bag containing silk clothes and a sacred thread (thali)(mangalsutra).!" The main elder looked at the other elderly man and told "I will buy another set of things for your daughter, but now these two young people need these, to correct their mistakes. "
"Here, make her wear these clothes and tie the mangalsutra around her neck, and marry her boy!" the elderly leader declared.
"What are you talking about? What planet are you from? Are you even human? Can't you understand what I am saying?" he retorted, disbelief etched on his face.
Those people also got equally angry at his disrespect towards them "What, you dare to talk to our leader in such a manner?" they growled, advancing with their sticks. In her dizzy state, she gripped his hand tightly in fear.
"First things first, do you have any salt?" he urgently asked.
"Why salt now, boy?" they questioned.
"She's dizzy and about to collapse. Please, give me salt or sugar!" he pleaded swallowing his irritation and anger.
One of the men took a packet of salt from the vehicle, mixed it in water, and gave it to the girl. They also offered her a chocolate. After consuming it, she felt a little better after few minites.
"Are you okay now?" he asked, his voice gentle.
"Yes," she replied, looking around and finally noticing the crowd of people surrounding them and their furious demeanour. With her dizziness, she couldn't understand their serious arguments till now. As she is finally able to focus, she turned towards him, who is clenching his fist, controlling his anger and shooting daggers at the folks who look equally angry at them.
"What is all this commotion about?" she asked, bewildered.
"Perfect, you silly girl, we are really landed in serious trouble!" he muttered.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"They all want to marry us off," he explained.
"Marriage?" she gasped, instantly rising from her seat. "What marriage?" she asked, looking at the crowd.
"You tell them, they don't believe me," he said.
"Sir, I don't even know who he is," the girl began to explain.
"Stop it, girl! Do you have no sense, or mortals? You look like a cultured young woman, like Goddess Mahalakshmi. Why are you involved in such immoral acts? What will your parents do if they find out about you like this? Can you imagine the shame they feel? Can they show their faces in society? You young people don't care about anything. All you care about is enjoying. How many months along are you?" one of the angry elders questioned.
At his harsh words, tears filled her eyes, but she had to be strong in this situation. She swallowed her tears and looked at the young man, bewildered.
"You fainted, right? So they're thinking you're pregnant," he whispered to her.
"What?!" she exclaimed, turning to the crowd. "Sir, it's not what you think. I don't even know this man!".
"See, brother? This is what happens. Spending the whole night with strangers.They don't care who they are unless they are man and woman," another sneered, HIS anger flaring again as he advanced towards people.
"Stop, stop!" she pleaded, grabbing the young man's shirt and pulling him back. "Sir, please listen to me." She started to explain again.
Main Elder shook his head in disappointment "Young lady, I'm telling you politely, both of you, please change out of those wet clothes in that room. Then come out. We'll talk later," he instructed.
He looked at the leader and all the folks around hi. he understands how seriously stubborn they are.
"Alright, our clothes are indeed wet," he conceded, going in to change. After he returned, the girl went in. She didn't come out for a long time.
"Hey, how long is she going to take?" they called, knocking on the door from outside.
He didn't know what to do. He feared that if he didn't cooperate, they would surely force a marriage or beat them to death with their sticks. "Oh, what kind of place is this? This wretched bus dropped us in the middle of a forest," he cursed under his breath. Almost an hour passed, and still, she hadn't opened the door. "How will we survive here until the next bus comes? Will they even let us leave?" he worried.
They continued to bang loudly on the door. "Just a little longer, please; I don't know how to wear a saree," she called out.
"Women certainly have their advantages," he mused. "Well, it's for my own good, isn't it? Otherwise, who would tie the mangalsutra to a girl, marrying her, I don't even know," he thought," If she drags it out for another couple of hours, a bus might come, and we can escape".
But those people aren't fools "Hey, call your wife out!" they demanded.
"My wife? I don't even know who that girl is!" he protested.
"Listen, are you going to ask her to come out, or should we break down the door?" they threatened.
"Hello, excuse me! You're going too far!" he retorted. "Do you even know who my father is? If I make one phone call..." He trailed off, remembering there was no signal here.
"oh, then call" one said sarcastically
"There is no signal" he ground his teeth
"Shut up and sit down! This is useless, "one shouted, holding his stick.
"You! I should call the police!" he declared.
"Oh police, In this village, we are the police, we are the leaders! Just listen to what we say," the elder cut him off decisively. "Brother, the girl still isn't coming out," some of the men informed the elder.
"Alright, boy, go get your bride out. She says she doesn't know how to wear a saree. Go help her, tie it or whatever, just bring her out," the elder instructed.
Suddenly, the girl had an idea. "Excuse me, could you please come and help me?" she called out.
Unsure what else to do, he reluctantly went to her. The girl let him inside, then swiftly locked the door. He expected to find her still struggling with her blouse half-nude, but she was elegantly standing, perfectly draped in a saree; even in this situation, he was stuck with her beauty and elegance. he asked in surprised. "What?You are ready? Then why don't you come out?" he asked.
"NO, why come out? If I do, they'll marry us off. That's why I'm sitting here," she explained. "Let's think of something."
"Like what?" he thought and suggested "How about you say that you are married?"
She looked at him like a deer stuck in the headlights, completely shocked and unwilling.
"You don't look or even have any signs of being married, so they won't believe you", He said, studying her from top to bottom.
She looked relieved and said, "How about you say that you are married? Men don't have any signs that they are married, .so they will believe you" . Yes, men don't have mangalsutra like women,soo…it might work.
"Me married! even if they believed that lie, then also they will marry you to me, saying you as my second wife"
'Ugh, second wife'
After a decade of serious thinking, she came up with another idea.
"What if we just say we're not strangers, but brother and sister?" she proposed gently.
"Nonsense! I'm not saying that," he retorted.
"No, please, consider it. Otherwise, they'll definitely make us marry. Do you know how scared I am of their sticks?" she pleaded.
"Oh, so you were scared then, that's why you were dizzy?" he enquired.
"Yes, please, just say you're my elder brother," she begged.
"I will not say I'm your brother. If you have any other ideas, tell me," he stated firmly.
"Why won't you say it? It's easy!" she insisted.
"What's easy? I don't have any sisters, and I don't consider you my sister. Tell me another idea," he declared.
"Why wouldn't you consider it? Do we have any real connection?We are complete strangers. You could just say, 'Sir, This girl is my sister I can not marry her' and they would send us away gracefully," she argued.
"Look, we already told them there's no relation between us, and a complete strangers. If I suddenly say you're my sister now, do you think they'll believe it?"
" Even if they don't believe, they might calm down a bit, right? Meanwhile, we can convince them of something else," she reasoned.
"I am absolutely not saying you're my sister," he firmly replied.
"Why wouldn't you say it? "
"I'm telling you this because you're pushing me to say," he began, his voice taking on a different tone. "I saw you when you boarded the bus. You have such a captivating figure; you're absolutely stunning. Would any man ever see you as a sister? I certainly wouldn't. "
He looked at her lips and continued, "If I were to tell you just one of the thoughts I had about you last night, you'd be more terrified of me than of that whole crowd outside, whom you feared earlier. My thoughts were so intense, potent, so ADULT-rated. So with those thoughts in my mind, I can't call you as sister. So, no 'brother' idea. If you have any other suggestion, let's try it," he declared.
The girl was suddenly stunned by his words. She had always thought he was a good person, that even with the opportunity, he hadn't misbehaved or even tried to touch her, imagining him to be noble. Hearing such words from him now, she was utterly shocked.
"Hey, are you coming out or not?" they shouted, banging on the door again.
His anger flared at their relentless knocking. "Please, calm down and think for a moment," the girl pleaded with him.
"What is there to think? If there were a signal here, they would all know who I am, Who my father is by now, they all would leave silently in fear," he retorted, full of frustration. The girl looked at him with surprise, thinking about his grand words and exaggerated demeanour.
'What ! is he thinking he is a man with a great flashback and family background as king or what!He is feeling he is hero Basha in the Basha movie,' she thought in frustration at his behaviour.
"This isn't the time for that. Please, let's think of what to do now," she urged.
Suddenly, the banging on the door intensified. "Look, there's no escaping this. It seems I'm going to tie the mangalsutra around your neck and marry you. Just take this lightly,ignore that this incident even happend," he said, a strange mix of resignation and defiance in his voice.
"What are you saying?" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Look, now they put me in a fix. I have no other option. Do you?" he asked.
She began to sob . They started trying to break down the door. Annoyed, he opened the door and walked out. She continued to weep. "Hey, what did you do? The girl is crying!" they exclaimed.
"It's not because of me; she's crying because of you all," he retorted.
"Girl, come here! We'll marry you off!" they insisted.
She began to cry even harder. "If you had cried like this earlier and thought about being cultured and moral, you wouldn't have come to this," the elder chided.
"Soon your belly will show. How disgraced will you be without a mangalsutra around your neck then, girl?". The girl's sobs grew even louder.
"Don't cry, don't cry! Hey, young man, come here and tie the mangalsutra!" the elder commanded.
He stood still, unmoving. "Are you going to tie it or not?" they demanded, surrounding him with their sticks. Approaching the girl, he whispered, "Just take it lightly . What else can we do?". And with that, he tied the three knots of the mangalsutra around her neck.
She was stunned at his words, looking at his face, then down at the thread hanging around her neck on her heart.
"Now, boy, put bindi with the Kumkum on her," they instructed.
He took the Kumkum and applied it to her forehead at her bindi .
"not only there put it here, in the hair parting?" one elder instructed.
"There's a sacred stone here, our village deity. Walk around it seven times," they commanded.
"Seven times?" he questioned.
"Yes, seven times, that's right." all elders confirmed. As two of them began to walk around it once, one of the men stopped them.
"Wait, wait, not like that!". One old man took the towel from his own shoulder, draped it over the young man's shoulder, and tied it to the end of the girl's saree.
"How many knots should I tie? Two, I think," he muttered. "No, three. All wedding knots are three," another corrected.
"Really? Just three? Should I put anything inside?" elder asked.
"Coins and rice, throw them in!" someone replied.
"Alright," elder agreed, picking up some paddy from the field, and pulling out some change from his pocket, he tied them into the corner of her saree. This knot was then tied to the young man's towel. "Now, walk," they instructed. He controlled his anger, following their every command.
"Now, both of you sit side by side. Hey, take some photos!" someone ordered. Unsure what to do, one of the old men took pictures with his broken mobile.
"From today, you two are husband and wife. Don't do such foolish things; live happily together. Don't quarrel. By next year, bring a child to show our village deity, take her blessings," the elder leader proclaimed.
She sat there, still weeping. The men milled around for a while. Soon, a bus arrived. they both boarded the bus and sat down. They said nothing, remaining silent.
He felt bad looking at her crying state "Look, it's over now. Just ignore everything, take it lightly" he tried to reassure her.
"What do you mean, 'take it lightly'? You keep saying 'take it lightly,' but would you take this lightly? I certainly cannot!" she cried out, her voice filled with anguish. All the passengers on the bus turned to stare at them.
"Why are you shouting at me?" he snapped, frustrated. "They were the ones who did all this! Why come and yell at me?". Annoyed, the girl stood up beside him and moved to a seat far away. "Fine," he muttered, turning his face away. "Tickets, tickets!" They both disembarked at a nearby bus stop. From there, they boarded different buses, each heading to their respective towns. And so, they went their separate ways.