Seven Dates A Weekend | RO ✓

32 | the one in which north meets the west

Saloni's parents did not like me. In fact, I'm pretty sure that about ninety-five per cent of Indian parents did not like the guys, their daughters brought home. Saloni's parents were the remaining five per cent of parents who don't mind their daughters choosing a life partner. But I am pretty sure I had screwed off my chances by ninety-nine per cent. One per cent of hope woke in me, but that too vanished into thin air the moment Saloni's mom opened the door of their flat.

"What is it that you want?" she asked. She didn't welcome me inside. She didn't greet me. She didn't even smile. At that moment I felt so small and intimidated. I don't think I ever felt this even when I was up against my boss at work.

"Could I speak to you and uncle? In private." I said, folding my hands with a pleading look.

"Who's that?" was a male voice shouting over from inside the house. Saloni's mom just looked at me. Her lips didn't move nor did her eyes move from mine. I could, at this moment, observe that Saloni had taken after her mother. From head to toe, her mother looked like an older and wiser version of Saloni. The wrinkles in her skin were a clear sign of the times of worries she had spent on her daughter.

"I asked, 'who's that', to you." There Saloni's father entered. A tall, dark-skinned man. He had a huge moustache and thick eyebrows. But his eyes were of a light colour, the colour of Saloni's eyes. When his eyes landed on me, his body went rigid. He didn't like to see to me and that was evident from the expression displayed on his face.

"Why are you here?" He asked. The tone of his voice inched higher. Like as if he wanted to rip me apart. "I would like to talk with you if you would please allow me to do so." I pleaded, again. This time to her dad.

"We don't want to hear anything from you." Saloni's mom said. "You have forever tainted the image of our daughter. What more could you want?" Here, her voice came out like a shriek. She seemed on the verge of crying.

I felt awkward. I was still not welcomed inside. Not smiled at. Or anything at all. I just stood in the hallway of this building, with pleading hands.

"Please, hear me out." I pleaded, once again. But Saloni's father was already ready to close the door on my face. I reached out my hand and put it between the door and the closing point and it struck me hard and painfully causing me to yelp. The door flung open and they looked at me with astonishment in their eyes.

"Are you crazy? Why would you hurt your hand like that!" Saloni's mother yelled at me. Her father only continued to stare at me angrily.

"Please..." I pleaded and this time her mother's eye softened. She looked at her husband and they communicated through their eyes. I could sense a disagreement in the air, but it was clear after a few minutes of silence that aunty had won over uncle.

"Come in." She said, "We can't leave somebody's else son injured because of us."

And that was how I was finally welcomed inside their house.

***

"It has turned black," Saloni's mother said, as she examined my hand. "It will leave a bruise for days." She said and then pressed a pack of ice on the little swollen area of my right hand.

"Thank you, for treating me," I said, genuinely meaning it.

"This just a human thing to do." She said. Her husband only nodded grimly from the back.

"I would like to talk to you two, about Saloni." I immediately jumped onto the topic, fearing they might throw me out of the house anytime now. "I want to make things right. Please allow me to do so."

"How could you possibly do that? She has gone viral because of your show. There is not a day that I don't hear about my daughter and her affairs with the guys from someone else's mouth." Saloni's father said, his voice was raised yet he managed to speak his point.

"I approached Saloni desperately for a host of my show. At that point, I did not have any mind to how it would affect her personal affairs. But now I do. Because auntie and uncle..." I took three deep breaths and mustered up my courage. "I love her. I am totally in love with your daughter and whatever hurts her or troubles her does the same for me."

"You love her?" Saloni's mother questioned, looking at her husband.

"Very much," I admitted. "Please give me one chance to fix things with Saloni. I will ask her to move in back with you. I will make sure she gets a stable and respected job. I will make sure your daughter stays happy." I promised them, and every word that came out of my mouth at that moment were all genuine. "Please, I beg you two. Just give me one chance. Let Saloni live her life freely with me. Let me make amends."

"One last time, it is." Her mother sighed, while her father stood up from the chair in anger. "You're agreeing to him?!" he hollered to which she turned and said, "She is grown up if she doesn't make amends of her consequences when given the opportunity she fails at life. Do you wish your child to remain like this? Away from us? Failed and depressed?"

"You know I wish the best for our children." Her father replied back to her. "But what she did has tainted her image."

"And so, it has. It is the past. I cannot let her life into that anymore. There is always a way to start again." Saloni's mother shook her head and then looked at me. "I will give you this last chance to make amends in my daughter's life. But if you really love her, you better make things right."

"I don't like this." Saloni's father grumbled, nevertheless sat back into his armchair and agreed.

"If it's okay with you two, I would like you two to meet my parent," I confessed. At that moment, seriousness enveloped the air of the room.

"You mean..."

"Are you serious?"

"I am serious," I said, my words stood firm. "Please meet my parents. I will start making amends for her from there on."

"It looks like the time comes when one of the birds leaves the nest." Saloni's mother commented and her father huffed. But they agreed. Which set me to my next step.

And that was to start anew.

***

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