After completing my studies abroad, I decided to move to Delhi. Start afresh and make my own life. My parents completely supported my decision and knew that I would do them proud. I had applied for a few jobs while I was still in Australia, but nothing had come through. So with the savings I had, I booked a ticket and just moved. Luckily, I had family friends in Delhi who were more than willing to let me stay at their place for however long I needed to – truly, they were a blessing. They had two daughters who were younger than me, and provided me with the sense of family I needed.
After a few weeks, I landed my first I interview at the marketing firm I had been dying to join. I met with a team of seniors and put my best foot forward. I returned that night hopeful that something bright was on the horizon. I was right. Two weeks later, I got an email stating that I had been shortlisted for the position and should come in later in the week to discuss formalities.
That’s when I met Rajvir. He was head of Accounts at the firm and had a way about him that made my heart flutter just a bit.
A few months of my job went by and things started going really well. I was promoted within weeks and earning good money, enough to even start looking for my own place. I started saving up and meeting with brokers to see what kind of properties were available on rent. Prices seemed a bit steep, and being from out of town I didn’t really know the market too well. Rajvir overheard me discussing this at work with a few colleagues and offered to help and come along with me to some viewings I had planned for the coming weekend.
He was great help and it was nice spending time with him out of the office. We had our first kiss that weekend and I found my house! It was perfect. Actually, Rajvir had found it as one of his friends was a broker.
We began spending more and more time together and it felt only natural to start dating. He was intrigued about the time I had spent abroad and loved listening to my stories. I was so happy to have such a close connection to someone, considering I hadn’t made that many new friends in Delhi yet.
As time went by, we realised we were spending almost all our time together, and he suggested we move in together. I had never done something like this before and didn’t know if I was ready, but he convinced me. Old-time traditions were a thing of the past, he said, and if we were to spend the rest of our lives together, then living together should be the first logical step. That swayed me, of course – I realised just how serious he was about me. Especially since we hadn’t even slept with each other yet.
After a month of living together, I came home to a find the place adorned with petals and Rajvir standing there at the door of the bedroom, beckoning me inside. I giggled and followed him in, awestruck by the effort he’d made for me.
“Priya, it’s been almost a year since we’ve been together. And I have been patient and never pressured you. But tonight is the night – let’s take our relationship to the next level,” he said.
A chill went down my spine at his words. We had never really talked about this as I had made it abundantly clear to him that I was saving myself for marriage. I laughed a little, hoping to shake it off, and gave him a big kiss and began to walk away. He persisted and got me on to the bed, wanting to amp things up. I let it go on for a while and we engaged in some light foreplay, but he just seemed so determined that I decided to stop before things got out of hand. He seemed irritated, more so than I had ever seen him be before.
We went to sleep that night cuddling like we always did, but our usual closeness didn’t seem to be there.
Days passed and we continued in our usual pattern, but Rajvir had changed. Something in him had become cold. He was aloof with me and began to spend more and more time away from the apartment. He began ignoring me completely at work and coming home drunk at night. This went on for a couple of months before I finally decided to ask him what was up and why he was acting this way. He replied saying that he had shown all signs of commitment to me and that I was not doing the same by refusing to sleep with him. That he had even indicated to his parents that he wanted to marry me, but he was now having second thoughts because of what had happened that night, that it had somehow lessened his feelings for me.
I was pretty distraught and we got into a fight that left me in tears, begging him to stay as he walked out of the door to go stay with his friends for a while. It was a long weekend, so I wouldn’t be seeing him at work for a few days either.
I was alone that weekend. Completely. Being in his company, I had barely bothered to make friends in the city, let alone those that would come to my rescue on a rainy day. I thought about things and convinced myself that I was making a mountain out of a molehill. So many girls would kill to have a guy as modern as mine, and one who was so genuine and true about his commitment to me. Why was I making his life miserable for some obsolete belief, anyway?
I went to him on work first thing Monday morning and told him exactly what was on my mind and that I had realised I was just being silly and that he should come home.
That night I returned the favour. I decorated the house with petals and candles and slipped into a negligee and stood by the bedroom door with a bottle of champagne. On his face there was that smile, that look of wonder and that feeling of love that I felt we had lost from our relationship.
We got into bed and I took a deep breath as he took my virginity. “You’re the one, you’re perfect, I love you, I want to marry you.” These were all the things I could hear being whispered into my ear as he finished inside me – making us one and making me feel complete and loved. Why had I been so stupid before?
The love returned to our relationship and it was as though that phase of distance had never happened. Weeks went by and we continued to revel in this new kind of happiness, taking every opportunity to enjoy our newfound pastime.
We were watching a movie one night and I wasn’t paying much attention to it. I suddenly had a strange thought – I was late. Confused and paranoid, I put my mind and self to rest and forgot about it.
One week later, still no period. I decided enough was enough and I bought a test on my way home from work. It was positive. We were pregnant!
I couldn’t help being slightly overjoyed at the thought of motherhood. Okay, we weren’t married yet, but with the love and commitment Rajvir had already shown, I knew telling him would be easy.
Just as I had predicted, he too was thrilled with the news and kissed my belly. He even told me he was going to go home that weekend to tell his parents the news and that we should get married.
Everything was coming together. He left early on Friday from work to pack and catch his train.
When I got home, all his things were gone. I checked the cupboards the drawers – they were all empty.
I called him straightaway, only to find his cell had been disconnected. I had never actually met his parents, so I couldn’t call them either. I called his friends, only for them to laugh and call me terrible names. I went to back to work on Monday only to find he had quit unexpectedly.
I was three months pregnant and alone.
I finally decided to confide in a colleague of mine when she found me crying in the bathroom.
She sat me down, and explained Rajvir was married and had two kids. His wife lived in his hometown and he had come to Delhi for this job. She knew all this because before I had started working here he’d had an affair with another colleague who was a friend of hers, and that girl had found out the truth and left. She too had been told she was the one, perfect and the girl he was going to marry.
He had played me and left me pregnant and alone.
I know these stories don’t always have happy endings, but mine does. I chose to have my baby. He is 10 months old, healthy and the most important man in my life today. My employers gave me time off and told me I would have a job for me waiting when I came back – that turned into another promotion. My parents are now proud grandparents and I will always walk with my head held high, even if all of this happened just because I was tricked by some fucking jerk.
* Names changed to protect privacy.
Image: Shutterstock
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