Kiss of Union

KISS OF UNION

It’s been a long time, of complete 26 years, when Mehar and Raj got married. They had celebrated their silver jubilee not with the public gathering, with any pomp or any show but they observed it watching their wedding video that was filmed exactly 26 years ago. 

Mehar still remembered the first, passionate kiss she received from her husband on the following morning of her wedding night. It was purely a first kiss. Indian marriages are proof of it, if the girl is not involved in dating or courtship before her marriage, and the marriage of this couple is a typical example of arranged one. Love marriage wasn’t a kind of her-choice, although Jessy, her elder sister had had her love marriage. So, clearly, Jessy had experienced the kiss-scene before she got married.

Infact, Mehar had accompanied Jesssy, twice, on her date, at iconic United Coffee House, Connaught Place, New Delhi. She hung out with the love birds, especially for the greed of just a fabulous meal. Going with Jessy doesn’t mean for Mehar that she will follow her elder sister’s route of love marriage. It was just an outing for her.

Moreover, Mehar was an unromantic adolescent and was reluctant to take the risk of love marriage in her life. She preferred to get married as per her parents choice.

She was neither excited nor longed for the night of love. The idea of physical intimacy on her first night had made her nervous. The stories, in her knowledge that she had heard about her relations, that began with an intimate kiss and ended with the coition brought her a pre-wedding anxiety. 

Mehar disliked the coital act, almost with a stranger, although Raj was now the man-of-her-life. A legal groom. But, her tender heart really needed time to accept the sexual involvement in this new relationship. To Mehar, it was the wildness to satisfy the sexual needs without thinking about the emotions of an innocent bride who had left her parents’ house, but should surrender her virginity on this traditional love night. But, it is a significant ritual in the life of a newly married couple and she had to follow it like any other Indian bride.

Her nervousness of the first night prevailed even in the midst of the romantic ambience of the room of the newlyweds that was being created with the rose petals, jasmine-scented candles and soft warming lights. Raj tried to break the ice with a romantic conversation~

“You are gorgeous. I was in love with you at first sight.” Raj complimented Mehar's seductive looks.

“Thank you.” replied Mehar with her charming, blushing smile.

“It sounds like a romantic, Bollywood-movie’s dialogue” said Mehar who was a movie buff and always admired romantic movies but had had its practical experience, then.

After few minutes, In order to comfort her shy wife Raj also offered her the lacy, satiny dark blue short pajamas- 

“Dear, would you like to get changed into these pajamas?” 

“No, I would wear the golden nightgown.” replied Mehar with her demure, beautiful smile while opting for the long, 2-piece, satiny, fancy nighty that she had shopped with Jessy from a prominent women's clothing store in Connaught Place, and added she would wear the former on the following day.

Then Raj assisted her radiant wife to take out the pins out of the bun in her hair.

And then, with the observation of her wife’s still nervous mood, the gentle Raj didn’t try even to steal a kiss from her, following which the couple slept at 3:30 am and woke up at 5:00am when Mehar’s mother-in-law, Smt Shakuntla Devi, knocked at the door because, she needed to pass water in the only one, but attached toilet of her son’s two bedrooms rental flat. And, as she left the room after she peed, Raj bolted the door again followed by an attempt but, with a firm mindset, this time, to kiss her gorgeous bride that lasted till 3 secs.

Raj’s first kiss transported Mehar to the actual land of marriage…..

The new beginning of the newlyweds was like any other new couple who had to follow the golden rules of happy matrimony. They had traveled so far and celebrated 26 years of marriage with togetherness. The lovely couple saw many ups and downs. They struggled together. They had battled many fights in life.They won it and lost it too. They loved each other again after their fights. But in all situations, they had oneness.

In the initial days of her marriage, Mehar didn’t know how to cook. Just a few days before her marriage, she learnt to cook delicious, nutritious Chana Dal from her mother. But it didn't bother Raj, with her unskilled cooking. Instead, he had welcomed her with the tasty treats, preparing Cauliflower or potato stuffed flatbread for his beautiful, academically-professionally-literate-but-culinary-unskilled-wife. On weekdays, also, Mehar felt completely pampered. 

“What should we have for a meal today?” the cute couple asked each other while planning the meal.

“Pindi chana and Puri” they proposed and decided, instantly.

“And, I’ll make it. Don’t worry, darling!” offered the devoted husband of Mehar . 

“Yes!” exclaimed Mehar in excitement with her raised hands, happy gesture.

“Wow! so beautiful and delicious, darling” Mehar complimented after she tasted the spicy, tempting dish that was garnished with coriander leaves, a lemon wedge and few onion rings by her dear husband.

“How did you give the perfect dark brown color to its curry, my handsome?” asked Mehar curiously.

“Simple. Boiled the chanas in tea decoction.” said Raj, revealing the inherited secret of his late father’s recipe in his childhood.

The recipe inspired Mehar so much that she made up her mind to try many, more recipes in the following days and showed her willingness with a demand of a cookbook by a renowned, indian author, in those days of no-internet, no-Google-search, and Raj had agreed to it.

In her demeanor, Mehar had a good taste and was very confident about the choices she made in her life, casually or formally. Raj could have had his own personal choices, but Mehar's man never let her know about it. Indeed he had shown interest in her kind-of-things and never let his likings dominate hers. He respected her decisions, gave her a space and valued oneness, rather than me or mine-ness. 

“Happy Anniversary” said a lovely couple to each other.