“Umm…well,” Rohit started.  He had no idea what to say. 

            “More coffee?” Sanjana chimed in. 

            “Sure,” Rohit replied.  Sanjana poured him another cup of coffee.  Rohit took a sip, grateful for the distraction. 

            “So you went to college. Did many girls in your village have the chance to go as well?” Rohit asked.

            Sanjana shook her head.  He already knew the answer before he’d even asked. 

            “That would make you one of the most educated girls of Samodhpur, right?” Rohit said lightly. 

            Sanjana looked up at him and smiled slightly.  Rohit stared into her eyes, but she quickly looked away.  

            “I hated school when I was younger.  I never thought I’d become a doctor, but my mom told me that a doctor was a noble occupation, so I became one for her.” Rohit explained. 

            “It is.” Sanjana agreed.  Rohit stared at Sanjana for a moment.  He couldn’t help but grin.  Something about having her approval made him unexpectedly happy inside. 

            “So you used to dance? Not anymore?” Rohit said, trying to get her to reveal more about herself. 

            Sanjana shook her head, looking down. 

            “Why not?” Rohit asked bluntly. 

            “Bua moved to America.” Sanjana said quietly. 

            “You could’ve learned from someone else.” Rohit suggested. 

            Sanjana paused as if she was thinking how to answer him. 

            “No one else would teach me.” She said.

            “Why not?” Rohit asked, a little surprised. 

            Sanjana smiled a little and looked back down at her cup.  She bit her lip before looking back up at Rohit, her smile still in place. 

            “I was a troublemaker.” She revealed. 

            Rohit laughed.  He couldn’t imagine Sanjana, as shy as she was, being a troublemaker even as a child. 

            “My mom used to dance, classical dance like you. I guess it was popular in the villages.  When my brother and I were little and we got into a lot of trouble.  She’d threaten to punish us making us learn dance and perform for the neighborhood.  Naturally, we were very well-behaved children after that.” Rohit said, grinning. 

            Sanjana let out a small laugh.  She smiled and quickly looked down.  Rohit found her nuances very intriguing.  He could tell that she held herself back in social interactions.  He wondered if she was actually a more extroverted person, who was only shy around strangers.  He had a strange feeling that this wasn’t the real Sanjana. 

            “Sanjana,” Rohit said, taking a sip of his coffee, “why are you so shy?”

            Sanjana looked at him questioningly.  She didn’t know how to answer his question.  Rohit frowned. Sanjana looked uncomfortable again. 

            “Sorry, Sanjana. I shouldn’t have asked.” Rohit said. 

            “What a lovely house you have, Meenakshi!” Sudhir’s voice boisterously declared as he and Meenakshi made their way back to the living room. 

            “Hi, kids.  What did we miss?” Meenakshi asked, smiling widely. 

            “Nothing at all, Aunty.” Rohit said. 

            Sudhir took a seat beside his son. 

            “What?  Didn’t you two talk?” He asked. 

            “Of course, just about hobbies and stuff.” Rohit said, giving Sanjana a sly look. 

            “But surely you two had something in common, right?” Meenakshi asked, a little worried. 

            Rohit looked at her curiously.  It suddenly dawned on him.  This was a set up! 

            “Dad, can I talk to you?” Rohit suddenly stood up. 

            “What’s the matter, son?” Sudhir asked, surprised. 

            “I need to talk to you alone.” Rohit said, walking out of the living room. 

            “Excuse us.” Sudhir said, quickly following his son. 

            “Bua, what’s happening?” Sanjana asked.  She’d suspected that something was going on, but she wasn’t sure what. 

            “Oh nothing, dear.  They just must be talking about something private.” Meenakshi said nervously.  

            Sanjana didn’t question her aunt’s explanation, but she remained skeptical. 

            “Dad, what the hell is going on here?” Rohit said angrily.  They were standing in Meenakshi’s backyard. 

            “Nothing. What do you mean?” Sudhir answered. 

            “Nothing? I don’t think so. I think you’re trying to set me up with Sanjana.” Rohit accused. 

            “No, not at all.  What makes you say that?” Sudhir replied.  

            “Dad, I remember when you tried to set me up with Leela Aunty’s daughter.  It was a mess. Plus, I don’t think Sanjana is the dating type.” Rohit explained. 

            “Um..er..well you’re right.  This is a set up but not for a date.” Sudhir revealed. 

            “Then for what?” Rohit asked. 

            “Marriage.” Sudhir answered.  His father and Sanjana’s aunt were conspiring to arrange his marriage to Sanjana!

            “Why are they taking so long?” Meenakshi said, more to herself than to Sanjana. 

            She turned to Sanjana and took a deep breath. 

            “Sanjana, I need to tell you something.” She started.  “This whole meeting wasn’t just to thank Rohit.” 

            “I don’t understand.” Sanjana said, confused. 

            “Well, I know you’ve just arrived, and I love having you here. I’d keep you here with me forever if it would help you forget…what happened.  The truth is, Sanjana, you need someone to light up your life or you’ll never be happy.” Meenakshi said.  She looked visibly nervous. 

            “Sanjana, please hear me out.” Meenakshi continued, “I’d like you to marry Rohit.”

            Sanjana stood up abruptly. 

            “I can’t.” Sanjana said.  She rushed upstairs and ran into her bedroom.

 How could her aunt even suggest marriage?  No boy in her village would even consider marrying her and here her aunt was, foolishly believing that a well-settled doctor in America would willingly marry someone like her.  She felt tears stinging her eyes.  She knew she wasn’t good enough for Rohit. 

“Dad! No! My answer is no.” Rohit and his father were on their way back to the living room.  “Meenakshi Aunty, thank you for having us over.  We’ll be leaving now.”

“But you can’t leave,” Meenakshi said. 

“Sorry, Aunty.  I know what’s going on here, and my answer is no.  I don’t want to marry Sanjana.” Rohit said. 

The faint sound of bangles coming from the staircase made Rohit freeze.  He turned around to find Sanjana standing behind him.  She quickly scurried back up the stairs. 

“Sanjana!” Meenakshi called after her. 

“Aunty,” Rohit stopped her, “let me.”

Rohit walked up the stairs and knock on several doors, calling out Sanjana’s name.  He opened each door and found no one.  He got to the last door, in the very corner and knocked. 

“Sanjana, it’s Rohit.  Are you in here?” He said through the door. 

Rohit jiggled the doorknob.  The door wasn’t locked, so he opened it. 

“Sanjana, can I come in?” Rohit peered into the bedroom.  He saw Sanjana, sitting on her bed quickly wiping away her tears. 

Sanjana quickly stood up upon seeing Rohit.  She let out a shocked gasp.  Rohit came in and closed the door behind him.  Sanjana started to panic.  She didn’t like the notion of being alone in a room with a man she had just met.  Her breathing became uneven, and she took a step back. 

“I’m sorry for just barging in like this.” Rohit said.  “I owe you an apology though.  I didn’t reject you because I don’t like you.”

Rohit walked closer to her.  Sanjana looked down, clearly nervous.

“Sanjana, honestly I’m just not ready for a commitment like this right now.” Rohit explained. 

Rohit walked closer to Sanjana, closing the distance between them.  He wanted to see her expression.  With Sanjana, her expressions spoke the volumes that her voice didn’t. 

Sanjana’s eyes widened.  She turned around, facing away from Rohit. 

“Sanjana,” Rohit was confused by her behavior.  “It’s not you. It’s me.”

Sanjana didn’t say anything.  Rohit wanted to place a hand on her shoulder, but something inside of him told him that even such an innocent gesture would be inappropriate.  He sighed backing up a little bit to give Sanjana some space. 

“I’m sorry.” Rohit said before leaving her room. 

Sanjana turned around just in time to see him walk out the door.    She stayed in her room until Meenakshi came to check up on her about an hour later. 

“Sanjana, can I come in?” Meenakshi asked, as she peered into the doorway. 

She saw Sanjana sitting on her bed, writing in her diary.  As soon as she saw her aunt, Sanjana closed her diary and stuffed it under her pillow. 

“Sanjana, dear, Rohit is a nice boy.” Meenakshi said, taking a seat beside Sanjana. 

“He said no.” Sanjana replied.

“I know he did.  Sudhir will try to convince him.” Meenakshi said. 

Sanjana looked at her aunt incredulously.  Rohit didn’t want to marry her.  She didn’t want to marry Rohit.  Why was her aunt being so persistent? 

“I’m saying no.” Sanjana said. 

Meenakshi’s expression softened. 

“I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.  I honestly do believe that you and Rohit can help each other.  He needs this more than you do, actually.” Meenakshi said. 

 “Why?” Sanjana asked her aunt. 

“I don’t know why.  Sudhir just said that Rohit has had a rough time in the love department, and he’d really like to see him settled down to a nice girl.” Meenakshi explained. 

“He said no.” Sanjana repeated. 

“I know, but do you really believe he’s not going to listen to his father?” Meenakshi asked.  “Sanjana, if Rohit says yes, will you at least consider marrying him or at least getting to know him more?”

Sanjana looked unsurely at her aunt. 

“Don’t worry! He’s a good person, much better than that good-for-nothing loser!” Meenakshi exclaimed. 

Sanjana’s heart lurched.  Arjun.  Anyone was a better person than Arjun. 

“Dad! I don’t want to talk about this.” Rohit said angrily. 

“Rohit, just try and understand.  You need to move on.” Sudhir replied. 

“It’s not that easy.” Rohit retorted. 

“Radhika wasn’t good enough for you.  All she was interested in was your money.  She never appreciated-” Sudhir tried to say.  Rohit walked away from him before he could finish.  Sudhir followed behind him, determined to finish saying what he needed to say. 

“She never appreciated you.  When someone richer came along, she didn’t need you anymore.  You deserve better than that.  You need a girl who will respect you, and that girl is Sanjana.” Sudhir said quickly. 

            Rohit paused.  He knew his father meant well, but the wounds that Radhika left behind were still fresh.  He didn’t want to enter into a new commitment with all of his baggage. 

            “Dad, I really loved her.” Rohit said quietly. 

            “I know you did, but she wasn’t worth it. It’s time to move on.” Sudhir said with a smile. 

            “But why marriage?  Why can’t I just date?” Rohit said, exhausted by the conversation. 

            “Well, you aren’t getting any younger.” Sudhir mused. 

            “Dad!” Rohit whined. 

            “What? You’re almost thirty and unmarried.  I was married when I was twenty-five, and Rajiv was married at twenty-eight.  I thought Radhika was the one, so when you two moved in together, I thought marriage was just around the corner.” Sudhir replied. 

            “I’m only twenty-eight. And Dad, being married while doing my residency…Sanjana will never see me.” Rohit countered. 

            “You’ll be able to handle it.” Sudhir retorted. 

            “A cardiology fellowship is much more demanding. Adding the responsibilities of marriage might kill me.” Rohit chuckled. 

            “Think about coming home after a long day’s work to beautiful Sanjana, who cleaned the house and made you dinner.  You wouldn’t have to worry about any household responsibilities.  She’d take care of everything.” Sudhir suggested.

            Rohit thought about it.  His father did have a point. 

            “Sanjana would be lonely.” Rohit said sadly. 

            “Meenakshi lives in the same city.  She could always go visit her when she’s not at work or she can go back to school and take classes if she wants.” Sudhir said. 

            Rohit said nothing.  His father was making an excellent case to get married much to Rohit’s dismay.  He sighed in defeat. 

            “Okay, Dad. You win.  I’m not ready to get married yet, but if and only if Sanjana is willing, I’ll get engaged.” Rohit said. 

            “Great! I knew you’d come around! I’ll tell Meenakshi immediately.  You’ve made me so proud, son.” Sudhir enveloped Rohit in a huge hug. 

            “Of course, I can make you proud by agreeing to get married.  It’s not like becoming a doctor is any great feat or anything.” Rohit said sarcastically. 

            Sudhir laughed. 

            “There’s that too.” He said, leaving to call Meenakshi. 

            “Sanjana! Sanjana!” Meenakshi screamed. 

            “Bua?” Sanjana ran downstairs in panic. 

            “Sanjana, there you are.  Rohit agreed to get married…well engaged for now!” Meenakshi exclaimed excitedly. 

            Sanjana sat down on the sofa.  This was too much to bear.  Was Sanjana ready to get married?  Should she tell Rohit about her haunting past?  He’d never agree to marry her if he knew everything, but starting a new relationship on a lie is dishonest, and it was something Sanjana didn’t want to do. 

            “Sanjana, what’s your answer?” Meenakshi asked. 

            Sanjana bit her lip, thinking seriously about everything that could possibly go wrong. 

            “Listen to me, dear.  Get engaged and then get to know him better.  There’s no rush.  You’ll really like him, and if you don’t…well I don’t think you won’t, so I’m not even going to think about that.” Meenakshi said. 

            “Bua…my past.” Sanjana said, looking down. 

            “He doesn’t need to know anything about that.  This is a clean, new slate.” Meenakshi said seriously. 

            Sanjana said nothing. 

            “What do say? Should we set an engagement date?”

            Well, here it is! You were all right! They obviously want Rohit and Sanjana to get married.  The real drama is going to happen a little later.  Some readers have said that they didn’t want Rohit and Sanjana to rush straight into marriage, so I think I’ll make them get to know each other a little bit before getting them married just for y’all! 

            Tell me how you like the story so far!

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