"Before we disperse for the night I have an announcement. In the last week of December our family shall get together at the Rajbari in Kolkata to celebrate the sacred thread ceremony of Aman and the wedding of Vishakha, my cousin's granddaughter. Shaila and I planned both occasions together for convenience, since we are playing hosts. We cordially invite all present, including Sanyukta, to attend. Renuka, I am sure Harsh and you can rearrange your schedule, because Randhir and Vidushi have consented to come!" Nobin da's words took Renuka and Sanyukta by surprise. Renuka knew Vishakha was due to marry that year but the date had not been set. 

"Sanyukta, we will not take no for an answer, we insist on your presence! You are close to Aman and have also been Vidushi's childhood friend. You shall arrive and leave together with Shaila and Aman." Nobin declared, before Sanyukta could respond. "Yes!!! We can share my room at the Rajbari!" Vidushi told Sanyukta excitedly. 

"Thank you for inviting me, I am looking forward to being there!" Sanyukta had a contented smile on her face. So this was the grand plan to get Randhir and her together under the same roof, and with a valid reason too! Her presence at the Rajbari would not raise eyebrows as everyone knew she had been invited formally.

"I am sleeping over with Sanyukta, we girls really need to catch up!" Vidushi declared and went to collect her things to carry upstairs. While Shaila put Aman to bed Renuka and Nobin chatted for some time until Nobin excused himself to go to bed. Renuka asked Sanyukta about her college and life in Mumbai. While Sanyukta answered she also told her about the offer to work with a major hotel chain.

"It has been a long leap for you, Sanyukta! Forgive me for asking, but have you managed to reconcile with your parents yet?" Sanyukta had been expecting the question, it was natural for Renuka to ask her. They had been neighbours and Randhir's parents had known Sanyukta since her school days.

"I am in touch with my mother, though without my father's knowledge. He has not responded favourably to my effort to reconcile. It is not easy for him to accept my choice. I shall continue to do my best to convince him but chances are slim. I have to be realistic, considering it was a rather bold step for me to leave home!" Sanyukta sighed.

"I understand that you had strong reasons for walking out. As a teen even I rebelled against my father. But now as a parent I see that my father simply had my welfare in mind when he opposed my choice of a life partner. If Harsh had not been supportive my life as a Rajput bahu would have been intolerable. I asserted myself because I am strong-willed, but I feel a girl should think twice before stepping out of her comfort zone. Being accepted by the spouse's family is important. Our parents know that from experience and prefer to match us with partners coming from a similar background to make the transition easier. Perhaps your father felt the same when he wanted to marry you off!" Renuka never had such a conversation with Sanyukta before. She paused to see the girl's reaction.

"Of course I understand that! Had I been any other Marwari girl with the same background I would have accepted my father's decision as my fate. But since childhood you have been my ideal. I have always admired you for being an independent woman who broke through the glass ceiling to prove your point convincingly. All I wanted is a chance to prove my worth, if I had gotten married to the man my father chose I could never have it. May be I was wrong but at least I tried. Stereotypes are comfortable but I believe free will is more valuable." Sanyukta's voice was earnest. She wondered if Renuka was convinced.

"I may have been your role model but you don't know how tough things get when you decide to follow your dreams. I faced problems I cannot discuss, I  made compromises that I am not very proud of. The world only notices that I prevailed, nobody knows of the struggle. I am not trying to dissuade you, just cautioning you that rejection and failure walks with you even when you are at the pinnacle. To achieve something you have to let go of certain things too! Anyway, it is late, we should sleep now!" Renuka stood up to go.

"I shall always remember your advice. Thank you and good night!" Sanyukta smiled at Renuka before climbing the stairs to the barsaati. Vidushi was sitting on the terrace, her feet propped on the low table and a lit cigarette in her hand. 

"I didn't know you smoked!" Sanyukta said to her, pushing an ashtray in her direction.

"Such a self-defeating habit, na? I don't smoke regularly, only when I need to clear my head. I know how you dislike my brother's smoking, I am sorry about this!" Vidushi sighed deeply, waving the cigarette in the air.

"Kya baat hai, Vidu? I get the feeling that you need to unburden yourself." Sanyukta sounded concerned.

"Tell me if I am mistaken if I say I don't want marriage. The more I think about it, the more I am unhappy with the idea of being a wife. Don't get me wrong, I love Parth, I have always loved him. But I don't think I am cut out for marriage. A wife/mother should not prioritise her work as my mother did. Dida filled up her space beautifully but after she passed away I realised what place a mother has in her child's life. When I see you balancing college with managing a home and being a mother to Aman it fills me with pride and anxiety at the same time, because I cannot fit into the shoes of a Supermom. And I do not want to bring kids into the world to have them resent me for not being a good mother. Does that make me unwomanly?" Vidushi puffed on her cigarette. 

"No dear, I think you are just conflicted. I think you love Parth and want to spend your life with him albeit without the usual complications that come with being wedded. If instinct is telling you to avoid marriage there are certain motivational drivers behind it. Maybe your mother's career orientation has made you regard marriage as an unrealistic institution. Honestly I think our society places higher value on marriage and parenthood only because of our culture. When I lived in with Randhir for two years the bond I shared with him was as strong as a marital one. It hardly feels different now, though our relationship is still closeted. It is not illegal to stay together outside of wedlock, but it does invite a stigma on moral grounds. And legislation on the issue lacks clarity, otherwise it is simply a matter of mutual agreement." Sanyukta opined.

"I wish it was that simple, but it is not! Parth is a regular guy who wants the whole gig- double income, marriage and kids, property and funds. He assumes I want the same things because I have never expressed myself, I am afraid of losing him if I do. If I marry him he will be happy but I shall be living a lie. I do value stability, but not via marriage. If I impose myself he may accept it but I don't want him to settle just for my sake, that would be doubly selfish. Tell me what I should do, Sanyu!" 

"Firstly, stop blaming yourself. It takes courage to admit you want to break convention. Send feelers to Parth and see how he reacts. You have a lot of time before you take a call, maybe circumstances or the way either of you think will change. Don't stress yourself unnecessarily and for heaven's sake, don't rely on smoking to relieve yourself of worries. Because it does not change anything other than the status of your health. And have you discussed this with Randhir yet?" Sanyukta asked.

"Not yet, but I know him, he will always be supportive. He may offer negotiation as a solution. But I don't want to compromise on things I am clear about. I'd rather not marry than risk erosion of marriage due to lack of honesty or compatibality. In my profession a lot of designers are men who are same gender oriented. Nobody expects them to settle down with partners because marriage is seen as the prerogative of hetereosexuals. It is hard for them to adopt kids even if they want, as they don't bother to get into conventional fetters. Without attachments like family and kids they are considered to be promiscuous or polyamorous. Some are, but not all. Irrespective of their gender some couples may desire to be parents, but they are not permitted to. I am a woman, nature has programmed me to give birth, but I choose not to,  neither to adopt. How ironic is that?" Vidushi smiled.

"Randhir and I did a lot of reading about adoption because we are keen on being parents to Aman. The stress is more on the welfare of the child than on the desire of people to adopt. A conventional marriage provides an ideal environment for a child to grow up in. A mother is regarded as a primary caregiver; because of maternal instinct she is less likely to abandon or abuse the child. Thus a married heterosexual couple who can provide an emotionally healthy and financially viable environment for the child is preferred. Live in relationships are easier to dissolve hence unsuitable for the child. By the way, your Mom probed me about leaving home! I think she tried to warn me about the hazards of being on my own!" Sanyukta remembered to share.

"Mom has veneers, Sanyu. You cannot see beyond what she wants you to, but deep down she has issues. I suspect she feels guilty about being a less-involved parent and tries to overcompensate for it. When Dida looked after us Mom was too busy managing the business. Then boarding school happened. Like most career-oriented women she may be conflicted too, either they don't start a family or end up carrying the cross of guilt. I am a piece of her, just like her I love my work and I don't think that will change. You know what they say about professionally inclined women, they need wives instead of husbands! May be if Parth took another wife and I lived in with them it would solve the problem!" Vidushi laughed out loudly.

"Hold it right there, this bright smiling face calls for a selfie!" Sanyukta whipped out her phone and snapped away. 

"It may seem a preposterous idea but such relationships do exist. They are called ménage à trois." Vidushi elaborated.

"Am I to assume that your are willing to share Parth with another woman?" Sanyukta grinned.

"Of course not, but it does seem like a solution if all parties gave consent and at least one woman dedicates herself to keeping house! Actually it may be more common than we'd like to think. As in the case of career oriented wives looking the other way when their husbands carry on with the maid or nanny at home. Sanyu, do you realise how the things we talk about are getting more worldly?" Vidushi asked.

"That's true! It's late, let's change and brush before we resume yakking!" She led Vidushi indoors. As expected they continued talking for a long time. For them there could never be dearth of things to discuss.