I had been dating Abhay for a while when my mother found out about my boyfriend. We were not telling at home because we wanted to be sure of our relationship first.
One day, my parents came home with a rishta for me. They wanted me to meet this boy and see if I liked him. I absolutely refused to meet him because I was already happily committed and had no plans to even meet anyone else. My parents, ignorant of the truth, really pushed me to meet him because they really liked the boy.
I called up Abhay and told him that I wanted to tell my parents about him. He was against the idea because he did not want to get married immediately since he was just starting out in his career. He wasn’t a fan of me going and meeting this random boy either. We had a huge fight and could not find a middle ground. This issue continued for a couple more days. By this time, I was emotionally exhausted from all the pressure from both sides and broke down in tears. I wasn’t weeping or crying silently, I was bawling. I thought I was home alone so I let myself have that emotional breakdown. What I did not know was that my mother was home as well.
‘What is wrong? Why are you crying so much?’ she said as soon as she rushed into the room.
‘Nothing. I’m just exhausted, nobody ever understands my situation’ I screamed.
She hugged me and let me cry for a little while. When I was done, she calmly asked me again. I couldn’t (and didn’t) want to lie to her or hide it from her. I told her that I was with someone already and that’s why I did not want to get married right now. She said nothing during this time. Once I was done confiding, all she said was, ‘Ask Abhay to come meet me tomorrow’.
I told him what had happened. Resigned, he promised to be at my place by 6 pm the next day. And there he was, on time, dressed formally. I was extremely impressed, and to be honest, a little more in love with him. He seemed extremely nervous, just as much as I was. We entered my house together and my mom was already waiting for us. They said their hellos and started talking. It was very awkward initially and she seemed very reserved. This put him on the edge as well. She started questioning him about his work, his family and about us. It seemed like a job interview, one with a very temperamental boss. I left them alone for a few minutes so that they could talk without my presence making them more awkward. I was really scared that my mom wouldn’t like him.
When I returned a few minutes later, he had completely charmed her. I could not believe it. My normally poised and composed mother was laughing her heart out at his jokes. After that, the three of us spent a couple of hours together. When he left, my mother seemed satisfied. When I asked her if she liked him, all she said was that ‘he’s a good guy’. This answer got me nowhere.
Later that night, when my father, my mother and I were sitting together, she told my father ‘Listen, if she’s saying she’s not ready for marriage, we should respect her decision and not force her to do so. After all, it is her life.’ The relief I felt in that moment was palpable.
For now, I’m not worried at all. My mom’s on my side, Abhay and I are happy and everything is great. Let’s see what the future has in store for us!
*Names changed to protect privacy.
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