Page 97 of 12 Years
‘We can’t. Have you lost your mind, Saket?’
‘Why? What’s so crazy about wanting to marry the love of your life?’
‘For one, my mom is waiting downstairs. And two, you’re not ready to get married again, that too so soon. You’re doing this just to somehow make things work.’
‘I can’t lose you, Payal.’
She looked at me, and yet more tears rolled down her cheeks. Gently, I wiped the tears with my hands. She shook her head.
‘What?’
‘It won’t work.’
‘What won’t work?’
‘This.’ She gestured at the space between us. ‘You and I need to accept it. Maybe they’re right. We were just a phase for each other.’
‘A phase?’
‘The older-guy thing for me. The younger-girl thing for you. It was exciting. But ultimately, it wasn’t meant to last.’
‘Whose words are these? Yours? Your parents’? Or that friend of yours?’
‘Akanksha.’
‘Did she say all this?’
‘She’s not wrong, is she? The age difference matters. Twelve years, Saket. I was four when you went to college.’
‘You can’t put it like that.’
‘Then there’s my community. And the fact that you’re divorced. And that you showed up drunk …’
‘Can we just forget that day?’
‘If only it were that simple, Saket. I can’t completely go against my parents. They’ll really do something to themselves if I choose you.’
‘And yet, you were with me for a year.’
‘I wasn’t thinking ahead, about the consequences.’
‘Where is that old Payal? I miss that Payal. The one who didn’t overthink and lived in the moment.’
‘That Payal is growing up. She had to.’
I looked at her and saw both love and sadness in her eyes. I hugged her. She didn’t resist it, but she didn’t hug me back either. I checked the time—we had three more minutes.
‘It’s quite simple now, Payal. I’m ready to get married. So is Parimal. It’s your choice,’ I said, letting go of her.
‘It’s not just my choice. I have to consider my family.’
‘Yes, being with me means going against them for a while. But in the end, it’s still your choice, Payal.’
When she didn’t respond, I continued, ‘We’ll win them over, babe. I’m a comic. I’ll eventually make them laugh, and this whole crazy phase will seem like a joke.’
‘Saket, you don’t get it,’ Payal said firmly. ‘This isn’t a joke. My entire extended family, Parimal’s extended family, they all think that Parimal and I are the perfect match. If I go against all of them, do you realize the shame my parents will face? Jains can be brutal. My parents will be ostracized.’
Okay, this isn’t going well, Saket Khurana.
