DREAD of the DREAM

Dreams – No one knows the exact reason behind how you get them. Some say that they are just the reflection of some real life incidents stored somewhere at the back of your mind. I don’t second that because I had many weird dreams which I can’t relate to real life. And yesterday, I had the weirdest dream of my life. It scared the pants off me. I have died many a times in my dreams but never felt so scared. This dream was more dreadful than any of those deaths. Death frees you from the bondage but this one clutches you tightly in its deadly claws. I felt helpless. No one was there to help me. Even my parents alienated me. While writing it out here I can still feel the dread of the dream.

I was happy for my friends who were going to get married within a year. They even used to ask me about my marriage plans. And my reply used to be – “Baba, I have just finished my studies. I don’t have any plans to marry for next couple of years at least.”

In this 21st century where children do have their say in the matters concerning their life, something very unusual happened to me. That day, I got a call from my parents who said – “Beta, be ready by evening. Today is your MARRIAGE.”
“Woahhhhhhhhhhhh”, the first sound I made after hearing it.
I was shocked. “Is this a surprise package for me from my parents? When did they do all the arrangements? Why didn’t they keep me in the loop? Is the girl they chose for me beautiful?” such questions thronged my mind.
“Maine to kabhi us ladki ko dekha hi nahin. Aur apne mujhe use kabhi dikhaya bhi nahin!!“, I uttered.
“We don’t want to hear any questions from you. Just be ready by evening.”, my parents replied.
“Aap suno to sahi. Main aapki pasand ki ladki se shaadi kar loonga par mujhe 2 saal to aazad rehne do.”, I pleaded.
“No more arguments. Our decision is final.”
And when they were about to hang up the phone, I asked in low voice – “Achcha ladki ke ghar ka pata to de do.”
They hung up the phone after giving me her address.

“Saala doston ko 2 saal tak bola tha ki shaadi nahin karunga. Woh baat bhi jhoothi ho gayi. I don’t care – baat jhoothi ho gayi to ho gayi but saala mujhe 2 saal to chen se jeene do”, I contemplated.

Saari umra hum mar mar ke jee liye,
Ek pal to ab humein jeene do jeene do.
Give me some sunshine, Give me some rain.
Give me another chance, I wanna grow up once again..

I went hurriedly to that girl’s house who I was about to marry. Their house was a two-storey building. I asked about the girl from someone at the entrance. “She is upstairs in a room right to the stairs.”, someone replied.
I reached upstairs after being properly guided. When I was about to enter the room right to the stairs, I saw the backside of a lady folding a bunch of clothes strewn on the bed.
She was wearing a pink gown with a ribbon tied at the backside. She had lots of red-colored bangles in her hand.
“Hey bhagvan, aage se bhi dikhne mein sahi ho!!”, I prayed to God.
I nervously knocked at the door. She quickly turned around but her hair did not float in the air as she had already tied them into a beautiful bun.
She was good looking but not close to the one I ever dreamt of. She had the looks of a newly married woman. She had lovely red lipstick on her lips with big jhumkas(earrings) hanging from her earlobes. A red long bindi on her forehead was looking pretty beautiful.
“Who are you?”, she asked me.
This was the second non-electric shock I got that day.
“Saala, isne bhi aaj tak mujhe nahin dekha. Yeh ho kya raha hai??”, I thought.
“Tumhara hone waala PATI“, I replied in desperation.
“Hmmmm…”, she murmured and started advancing towards me.
She wore a weird smile on her face as if she got the BAKRA she was searching all her life.
I got a bit tensed anticipating her next move. She stood next to me and raised her right hand to the level of my head.
“Height to apan donon ki lagbhag barabar hai“, she said after matching our heights.
I calmed down a bit and smiled faintly.
“Haan woh to hai.” I replied lowering down my head in consent.
She kept staring at me through her kohl-ladened eyes. I was feeling discomforted because of her stare.
“Main yeh shaadi nahin kar sakta.“, I somehow uttered.
She did not say a word for a minute. Instead, she brought her face close to my face.
And then on my neck, around three or four times, she kissed gently.
I felt as if some lightning struck me and I went numb and dumb.
I looked at her for a few seconds and she too kept looking back at me.
My brain went blank. (Even now I am unable to recall what I might be thinking then. I can just feel the wave those pecks created and which plunged into my body.)
I could not stand her look and went away without uttering a single more word.
When I was on my way home, I could not decipher what those pecks did to me. At that instant, the feeling I had was of a mixed sort. It was like a person laughing and crying at the same time. I was almost ready to marry her but still kept thinking, “Shaadi to main usse kar loonga but yaar 2 saal tak shaadi postpone nahin ho sakti kya?”
And that was the point when somewhere the song started playing:
“Bandh Gaya Patta Dekho Ban Gaya Kutta,
Bandh Ishq Ka Patta Dekho Ban Gaya Kutta.”

P.S. 1. Song of the Day – “Bahut pyaar karte hain tumko sanam” from Sajan.
P.S. 2. All characters in this post are purely fictitious. Any resemblance to dead or alive is purely coincidental.