UNBRIDELY !

 

UNBRIDELY!

she was never meant to be a bride!

The mirror in the bridal room shimmered back at her. Her magenta lehenga heavy with embroidery, layers of jewelry, the scent of roses filling the air. Kiara stared at herself in the mirror. She looked every bit of the bride she was supposed to be.

Supposed to be.

Her chest tightened, sitting there on the chair, in front of the mirror, at a massive and beautiful palace in jodhpur - their venue for the wedding.

(Flashback)

Growing up she had always known her future. Riaan, her father's best-friend's son, was her shadow. He carried her schoolbag when she complained of backaches, he lent her his cycle when hers had a flat tyre, he sat next to her during every family functions.

And she liked all this, infact loved all of it. It felt safe. She didn't have to imagine her future. It was already written.

As teenagers, when friends whispered about crushes and breakups, she only smiled and thought, " I don't have to think about all that. I already know who I'll marry!"

It was all so comfortable.....like meant to be. It was like a shortcut to life.

But as she grew up, things changed, she changed. She started wanting something different from life. She was tried of living in the same environment. But what was that she wanted, she couldn't point out.

At the age of 20, she saw her friends chase dreams whereas she never seriously thought about a career as she was sub-consciously always prepared to get married and become a housewife.

She saw her friends falling in love, falling out of love and then writing their own messy stories. She somewhere yearned that kind of experiences. She also tried to live like her friends but even talking to guys made her feel guilty and so she went back to her bubble with Riaan.

At 22, she began asking herself - is safety the only way to live? Is comfort enough for lifetime?

Riaan was kind, he cared for her. He never hurt her. Yet.......her heart never raced when he entered the room. Her stomach never fluttered when he said her name. There was no spark, it was just comfort, it was just habit.

She always told herself , "It is fine. Love didn't have to feel like fireworks. Maybe this calmness was love. Maybe excitement was overrated!

So she played along. Smiled through the engagement, sat through endless shopping trips, put mehndi on her hands with his initials hidden.

But all through these somewhere inside a restlessness grew.

(Present day)

Now on the wedding day, the restlessness boiled into panic!

Her breathing grew shallow!

All the noise around her became suffocating!

She saw her reflection in the mirror and said to herself,

"No! I can't do this! No! No! I can't walk out there and live a life I don't want! I need to get out of here!"

Tears welled in her eyes as she stood up suddenly, lehenga rustling like chains. She looked the doors of the room. Changed out of her bridal lehenga into some sweatpants and T-shirt. Flunged open the window, jumped into the balcony, climbed down from the pipe and jumped on the ground. 

And ran....ran as fast as she could, for her life, for a life she wanted, for a life she desired!

A few miles away from the destination of the palace, Kiara heard a voice shouting her name and stopped but didn't turn around.

"Kiara" said the voice again. And this time she slowly turned around. Riaan stood there, breathless, his sherwani slightly askew from chasing her. He looked at her with confusion......and hurt!

"Where are you going!?" He asked softly, almost pleading.

Her chest heaved, "I......I can't Riaan. I can't get married!"

The words shattered the silence between them. His jaw clenched, " You're saying this now!"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she said, "I didn't know it myself , like it was not planned Riaan. But being in those clothes made me feel trapped. Being around those noises and environment suffocated me, Riaan! I was feeling this for a very long time but didn't know how to say this. I thought it would be fine, I thought I could pretend. But the closer this day came, the more scared I felt. I don't feel what I am suppose to feel Riaan! Not the way a wife should!"

He flinched, as if stuck. But he didn't lash out. Instead he stepped closer, voice trembling, 

"You know, Kiara......I do love you! Maybe it is not enough." his eyes glistened, "I've always imagined us together." he paused, then continued, "But I don't want a wife who feels trapped. I don't want to marry you Kiara."

Her sob caught in her throat, "Riaan....."

He exhaled sharply, looking away for a moment, then back at her, "Go. If this isn't what you want, go. I won't stop you."

She blinked in shock, "You.....you'd let me leave? Even though you......"

"I love you enough to let you go." he whispered, voice breaking.

For a long moment they just stood there, childhood memories flashing between them - school bags, bicycles, stolen sweets at weddings, laughter. A lifetime of togetherness that would end here!

She stepped forward and touched his hand gently, "Thank you! For everything. For understanding, for........letting me choose!"

His throat bobbed as he nodded, "Be happy Kiara. Even if it is not with me."

Years passed.....

Her family never forgave her. Kiara's scandal became gossip for weeks. Her parents refused to talk to her or even acknowledge her!

Sometimes, parents can be cruel in ways that cut deeper than strangers ever could. Not out of malice but out of fear.....fear of what society will say, what relatives will gossip, what tradition demands. They push, they scold, they guilt, believing its for your own good, yet failing to see the quiet suffocation in your heart. They sacrifice your happiness on the altar of "samaj" , expecting obedience, appearances and conformity, as if your life belongs to them, not to you. And the cruelest part is that they call it "love".

Life isn't a script written by others and no one has the right to steer your journey but you. Claim your path, embrace your freedom and let your soul choose the direction it was always meant to follow!

And that's what Kiara did!

Somewhere far away from her old life, she started fresh. No.....it wasn't easy at first but slowly it became better.

By day, she worked at a cozy little cafe, her dream which she could not do earlier because of family reputation. She laughed with the customers, Swapped playful banter with the colleagues. She carried no expectations except those she set for herself.

By night the city came alive. She danced with her friends under street lights and sometimes just sat by the riverside, letting the cool breeze carry away her past.

She was never a bride......she could never become one because she was and will always be a free spirit. A women meant to write her own story in uneven, beautiful lines.

Sipping on her tea one quiet evening, Kiara closed her eyes. For the first time, she wasn't anyone's daughter, anyone's bride, anyone's duty. She was simply herself. 

THE END!