The Decision

"Let's not have sex tonight, David!" Mira implored.

"But why not," demanded David in a huff.

"I'm very tired, David. I need rest. Please leave me alone."

David glared at her for a full minute before he retorted with, "What's wrong with you, Mira? Come on, I am your husband and you owe this to me!"

Mira's eyes welled with tears even as she shot back vigorously, "David don't be such a male chauvinistic pig!"

"How dare you…" breathed David, clenching his fists in frustration as he took a step towards her. "Go on, hit me!" screamed Mira. "Why... just beat me, kill me. That will be the end of all your troubles…" she uttered, as she broke into tears.

"Bitch," he cursed under his breath and stormed out of the room, banging the door shut behind him.

* * *

"Mira, I love you…" whispered David as he drew her into his arms and kissed her gently on her forehead. "Don't worry, honey. Everything is going to be fine," he said softly, stroking her back. Mira buried her face in his chest and sobbed silently. "Mira darling, don't cry. I will talk to your parents today. Everything is going to be just fine. Trust me."

"No!" said Mr. Nair firmly. "Mira will never marry a Christian. Not while I am still alive!" He got up from the chair and called out to his wife, "Lakshmi, ask this gentleman to leave at once!"

"But Uncle, please listen to me," pleaded David. "I love Mira and would like to marry her. I agree I cannot satisfy all your desires as an ideal son-in-law, but believe me Uncle, I will take care of Mira. I will do my best to keep her happy. Please give me a chance…"

"Chance! You think this is all a joke, don't you? Look my boy, this is not some mumbo-jumbo game, and things do not work that way in real life. You and Mira can remain friends, but forget marriage. Aren't there any beautiful, intelligent Christian girls in your neighborhood? If not, tell me. I will find an attractive Christian girl for you. But forget about marrying my daughter," said Mr. Nair. He went on, "My daughter will marry only a Hindu. And that too, someone whom I choose. Period"

David looked at Mira's mother Lakshmi, who sat, as if transfixed. "Aunty," he said softly.

She visibly shook herself out of her reverie and asked, "Y…yes?"

David felt sorry for her. But she was his only hope now. "Aunty, please help me… Please help us. Your daughter loves me as much as I love her. And she will be very happy with me. I promise."

Lakshmi looked helplessly at her husband who had a closed expression on his face, indicating that any further discussions would only be an exercise in futility. But she said slowly, "I think we have no right to dictate the way our daughter's life should be. After all, she is 23 years old, and is mature enough to make reliable decisions. What do you think," she paused to look at her husband for approval.

He stared at her incredulously, like she had just landed from outer space. "Are you in your senses, Lakshmi?" he asked after a long while.

* * *

"I cannot marry anyone else, Amma!" stated a teary-eyed Mira stubbornly. "I love him, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him," and she burst into tears. It had been close to a year since David had met Mira's parents. Her parents had asked her to break up with him, and Mira had even tried to do that, but she eventually got back to him as she could not handle the separation. "Don't cry, my child… I will talk to your father," consoled her mother.

That night, Lakshmi spoke to her husband at length that their daughter's decision was worth consideration. "David is a nice boy. He is a Christian, yes, but he is very good at heart. He has his own business, which is doing well. So he is financially sound. Besides, he has no habits and says he loves Mira very much. Maybe we should talk to his parents to see where we stand."

Her husband sighed resignedly, as he said, "Only Lord Vinayaka can help me with this now."

* * *

"So, did you have a fight again?" mocked David's mother. "I told you not to marry that girl. Now look how your life is!"

"Mom, please!" barked David, as he took the car keys off the hook on the wall and stomped out of the house. "Where are you going?" his mother demanded suspiciously.

"To Abhijeet's place," he replied as he walked out.

She followed him out of the house, all the way to the garage saying, "I know you are going there to drink. Tonight I won't allow you to go. You are spoiling your health, David! Come back inside and I will tell you what to do."

"Mom, leave me alone," David said brusquely as he unlocked the car and opened the door.

"No, son! I will tell you right away. Just Divorce Mira. I will find a nice match for you. You are still young and handsome. You will be very happy. Just get rid of her."

"Mom, please! Will you stop that? I am going to Abhi's house and I might stay over with him. So please don't wait for me. Have dinner and go to bed. Tell father that I have deposited the cheques he gave me this morning. In case I'm coming back, I'll let myself in. I have the duplicate key," he banged the car door shut and turned the key in the ignition. The vehicle roared to life. He put the car in gear and stepped on the pedal. "Bye mom," he called as he drove out of the compound.

* * *

"So you are saying that you want us to let our son David marry your daughter?" asked Mr. Thomson with a smirk.

"Well, your son was the one who came to us, asking for our daughter's hand," retorted Mr. Nair.

"Dad, I love Mira, and I'd like to marry her," David interjected.

"You keep quiet!" rebuked his father. "So, Mr. Nair, what were you saying?"

"I…"

Mr. Thomson interrupted him, "Oh, yes! You wanted your average-looking, lower middle-class, Hindu daughter to marry our handsome, rich, Christian son, am I right?" he jeered.

This was the last straw. Mr. Nair got to his feet, uttering vehemently, "I am not begging you. In fact, I never wanted this marriage to take place. It was all because of your unruly son! He was the one who approached us. He is responsible for this entire mess! He is trying to ruin our daughter's life. But I wouldn't let that happen! Come on, Lakshmi and Mira, let's get out of here!"

"Uncle, please wait," pleaded David. "Dad! How can you be so rude? I invited them home, and you do this to our guests!" His father grimaced awkwardly.

David looked at Mr. Nair and said, "Uncle, I am sorry. I apologize on my father's behalf. And let me make one thing absolutely clear. I am not trying to fool around with Mira. I genuinely love her. And I am going to marry her." He looked at his father and said firmly, "No matter what!"

* * *

"I am so happy today," whispered Mira.

"So am I," said David as he gathered her in his arms. "It was worth all the struggle, wasn't it?" he asked her as he kissed her gently on her lips. She blushed and covered her face with her hands. "Hey sweetheart! Don't be shy tonight. We are legally wedded, and now I am going to kiss my bride," he said, as he pulled her close and planted gentle kisses on her face. She shivered as he ran his fingers down her neck and kissed her ear gently, whispering, "You are so beautiful…" She closed her eyes and felt herself melting in his embrace. His touch ignited a fire so passionate in her heart, that she surrendered to him, completely, unconditionally.

The next few months were like eternal bliss. Mira and David went to Switzerland for their honeymoon and it was the most passionate union ever. Upon their return to India, they were flooded with gifts and calls from friends near and far. Most of their evenings were spent in the company of friends and relatives, partying late into the night. Mira joined David in his business and things were nice and rosy.

Six months later, Mira discovered that she was pregnant. David went crazy with joy. He showered her with gifts and took her places. Every evening, after office, they would go on a long walk, dine outside and return late in the night, to find David's mother waiting for him, with a frown on her face. But his parents had not been nasty to her. Probably because they spent very less time with her.

One day, as Mira was climbing down the stairs, she tripped and fell. And that was the beginning of disaster. She had a miscarriage, and was bedridden for a couple of months. Around the same time, David got very busy in his work, and began spending less time with her. She had to tolerate the constant nagging of her mother-in-law and the drunken abuses of her father-in-law. And David seemed to be going farther and farther away from her. Mira became very depressed and shied away from food and sex. This frustrated David even more and he started spending more time outside, drinking and watching porn movies with his friends.

* * *

"So, you hurt my son again," she said with a scowl.

Mira looked at her mother-in-law through weary, tear-filled eyes and began, "Ma, I…"

"Why don't you leave us alone? You are such a burden on us! And see how miserable our son is ever since you came into this house! I beg of you. Leave him. Free him from the shackles of bondage."

Mira choked with emotion as she asked her mother-in-law, "What do you want me to do?"

"Divorce him!"

The tears came rushing down her cheeks in a torrent of emotion and try as she might, she could not hold them back. Her mother-in-law closed the door behind her as she left the room.

* * *

"David, I think you are making a mistake by spending so much time here, with me," said Abhijeet. "Poor Mira must be missing you. Besides, she is not well, and I think she needs you. I still remember the way you held her close, at the registrar's office when we all signed as witnesses. And you promised her in front of us that you would never forsake her."

David placed the beer mug down heavily on the table and looked at Abhijeet. "What are you trying to get at?"

"David, I don't mean to advise you. But then, this is what I felt, and as a friend it is my duty to express how I feel."

Suddenly, David felt guilty. Mira had defied her parents for him. She had walked out on them, snapping ties with all her family members when she walked into his life. She had given up her wonderful career in a metro, and come to stay with him in this remote town in South India. And what had he done to her? Reduced her into a bed-ridden cripple, with whom he hardly spent any time! The tears rolled down his cheek, as he buried his face in his hands and wept.

"David, get a hold on yourself! Even now it is not too late. Go back to her. Tell her that you care. Be there for her. She needs you," said Abhijeet.

* * *

There was a lot of commotion when David reached home. "Mom, what's happening?" he asked in a worried tone. His mother was crying. His father was talking to a doctor. A couple of ward boys came rushing out of Mira's room, rolling a stretcher out. On it, lay Mira.

"Oh, my God!" gasped David. "What happened to her?"

Between sobs, his mother confessed, "David, I asked her to divorce you. But then, she chose to die than live without you. She ate the sleeping pills that were kept by her bed side. Look," she handed him a letter written by Mira before she had taken the drastic decision of ending her life.

"Mom! How could you…" his voice trailed off. "Is she…"

"She's alive," said his father from behind. David turned around to face him. "Son, she's fighting a losing battle. The doctor says chances of her survival are close to nil. I am sorry," he patted David on the back and walked out of the room.

At once David rushed to the hospital. When he reached there, the nurse on duty led him to the waiting room and said, "She is serious. And so we have put her in the ICU. We will keep you posted on her condition. Please pray to God. That's the best you can do."

And David prayed. Prayed like he had never before. He implored every God he knew, recited every prayer he could remember. "Dear God, I know I made a mistake. Now I have realized it. And I will never repeat it. Please don't deprive me of a chance to correct myself. Don't snatch my Mira from me. I swear I will never hurt her again," he said aloud.

"David..."

He turned around to see his mother standing there. "My son, I am sorry. I am responsible for this mess. Please forgive me. I promise I'll never be nasty to her again. She makes you happy, and I know that. I have always tried to poison your mind against her. But she is a real gem. She has never once complained to you about me. She loves you so much that she deems it better to die rather than leave you," she burst into tears.

"It's ok, mom," David comforted her. "Let's pray to God. That is all we can do at this point of time."

Just then, the nurse came to him and said, "Mr. David, thank the Lord for his merciful ways! She's conscious now and we have moved her to ward number 7. You may go and meet her."

David went into the ward and called softly, "Mira…"

She looked at him through her slumber and smiled. Her innocent smile tugged at his heartstrings. He rushed to her and clasped her hand. He whispered, "My little wonder, I am so sorry I hurt you. But what is this? You decided to award me such a big punishment? What would I do without you honey? You know how much I love you. I may not say it everyday, but still, I love you. More than anyone else in the world. So promise me you'll never ever do this again! No matter what, you will never decide to give up your life… Promise me…"

"I promise," she whispered, and he kissed her.