The Shaadi.com Chronicles Part X

It's been a long time and I would think that you have assumed my mom's stopped looking. But that will never happen, unless of course, I find someone.

This is the 10th Chronicle and before i proceed to tell you what's up in this one, let me give you a round up of all the things MY MOTHER has done to ensure I find Mr. Right!

- Paid 6,500 bucks to some website called Shaadicentre, that pretty much looks like shaadi.com's step sister and mom kept thinking for the longest time that it was the same, until the annoyed rep from their end said WE ARE NOT SHAADI.COM. My mom demanded for her money back and the rep hung up on her.

- Paid Rs. 125 to a local marriage bureau that didn't even have computers. These were the guys that sent me profiles of software professionals and website designers in their weekly news magazine which comes to us by post and becomes moms favorite afternoon timepass literature.

-  Fought long battles with parents who insisted that their son had mailed me his pictures (which i never received) and my mom who most definitely, trusted her daughter more (thank god, for that!) said that she would only let their sons meet her daughter if the sharing of profiles and pictures was done from both sides. (GO Mom!)

- Constantly kept an eye out for Melaavas (the boy / girl Expo) and tried supremely hard to convince me that this was the best way to get the kind of guy we were looking for! "and just what kind of a guy are we looking for, MOM?"

Mom - You know, someone who is posh, good English speaking, who has gone abroad, who will be just like you into music and movies!

Please read my post - Shaadi.com Chronicles Part IV to know more about these Expos - Definitely, not finding ANYONE like that!

So Mom's pretty much done everything and more a mother of a single 29 year old would do. So it came as a surprise to her, when her Husband (AKA my father who didn't show any interest in my 'shaadi' dealings) told her that he had a friend, who has a friend in Pune, who has a son who works in the Merchant Navy and his parents were looking for someone. (long sentence, but i hope you get the gist).

I was in shock too and i knew there had to be a reason why dad suddenly showed soo much interest! So this is what I thought must have happened for my dad's friend to suggest this 'rishta'.

One night in bed, while mom tosses and turns and dad's snoring real loud!

Mom (screaming!) - Stop Snoring! i can't sleep..

Dad - Huh? Hmmm....

Mom - Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

Dad - Yes? what is it? why do you not sleep, my Princess? (Yes! I'd like to believe they're romantic when no ones looking!)

Mom - I'm not sleeping because I have a daughter who isn't married. She turns 30 this year and her father snores loud enough for the entire city to hear. Maybe i should request him to slip the message into his snores, so someone might like our daughter to keep her!

Dad - Relax! she'll get married when she feels like it, Love! (Yes! dad is on my side! Always)

Mom - Please! if she had to get married on her own, she would have married many years ago. Why are you soo care free? Do you not worry?

Dad - Hmmmppphhh.... Ok It's 2am, can we talk about this tomorrow, Darling?

Mom - Tsk! You're never going to talk about it. You don't care.

The next day in the morning, Dad is restless and probably has no clue how to begin the search, after an acidic dose from the wife. Suddenly, the phone must have rung... much like divine intervention! (this is what i assume happened, remember, we're still not sure what's happened!)

Dad - Hello 'Friend'!

Friend - Hi 'Friend'

Dad - How are you? how's Mumbai? (this friend lives in Mumbai!)

Friend - Arre! Relaxing, i bought a new Blah Blah and we  got a new Blah Blah and tomorrow my daughter's in laws are Blah Blah (in short, my life is Amazing) Tera kya chal raha hai?

Dad - Arre! What should i tell you - Biwi ne dimaag ki dahi kar di kal raat ko! Beti ki shaadi ko leke. Ye beti bhi dheeth hai, shaadi hi nahi kar rahi!

Friend - Arre re re re! Toh ab koi mil nahi raha?

Dad - Mil toh bahut rahe hain, lekin ladki ke demands kuchh atrangi type ke hai (Not that my dad speaks like this, but I'd like to believe that with friends this is the lingo used!)

Friend - Matlab?

Dad - Arre! English achhi honi chahiye, khaana waana nahi pakayegi, bachche nahi chahiye, duniya ghoomni hai!

Friend - Achha... Yeh demands ka toh pata nahi, but i have a friend in Pune, he has a son in the merchant navy, nice family, very nice in fact and their son is an amazing cook, has worked for a restaurant in his break between assignments on the ship. Maybe you want to share her number with the boy and take it forward?

Dad - Achhaa?? Number do!

AND THAT'S HOW MOM gets their number, she calls them and they decide that my number would be given to the boy and he would call me SOON.

Soon turned to 2 weeks and mom and dad had given up. They asked me a couple of times if he called and I had to say No!

Then one fine sunny day... my phone rings while I'm on my way to a meeting.

Mee - Helloo

Bass Voice, Deep, Hot! - Hi is that Meenal?

Mee - Yea! (OMG!)

Bass Voice, Deep, Hot! - Hi, My name's "Shippie"

Mee (of course, I know this name! It's been mentioned a  couple of times at home and it's not a random, common name. But still... A girl must not lose her dignity and show that she's eager!) - OK... (with Fake doubt in voice

BVDH - So.. yea! I was wondering if you were free sometime to have coffee?

Mee (Fainting in my heart, confidence in voice) - Ummm.. Coffee? Errr... I'm not sure if i know you. (A guy who can explain this to me, well... is the guy for me!)

BVDH - Oh! I'm sorry... Your dad gave me your number and asked me to get in touch with you... Ok! This is awkward... But I was to call you 2 weeks ago, but i went to kerala for a holiday and came back and fell ill. But yea, the point is I'm calling you coz your dad gave my dad your number and our meeting is to be arranged!

Mee (sniggering and huge smile on my face while this boy fumbles and stumbles through his schpeel!) - Oh Yes! Of Course, i know you (Muahahahahhah *Evil!)

Shippie - Yes! So let me know if you're free Saturday to meet up!

Mee (I think I created bad Phone impression! time to make up!) - Sure! (Big Smile in voice) Let's meet Saturday for sure!(Giggle! Giggle!)

So Saturday comes and we decide to meet on his side of town, since i was there for work lunch anyway...

I wait at the coffee shop for a bit... Trying very hard not to create a mental picture... He arrives and much like I had imagined - Tall, Broad and Nice looking! :)

We meet at 230, we chat up - He talks of sailing stories and his trips across the world. He has this constant smile on his face, He's honest and sweet...

We decide to sit inside the coffee shop, since it's supremely hot outside! We order coffee...

Shippie (while we wait for coffee) - Shit! It's damn hot huh! God! I sweat like a pig!

Mee (amazed at the honesty in the first meeting) - Hahahhaha! Wow! Perfect! That's what i was looking for. *sweats like a pig* Check!

And both of us laugh hard.... He's of course, Embarrassed! But he gets my humor and isn't offended when I crack jokes on him. I'm Impressed with what i see.

So this was the first meeting, lasted 2 hours!

Second time we decide to meet for a drink - Where my order for Rum and Coke seemed to have impressed him.. AND his family ;)

Third time we hit the buffet spread at Westin - He has an appetite and eats at Buffet! I'm impressed!

Fourth time he comes and picks me up for Late night coffee - Chivalry - LOVE IT! Mom of course, by now is wondering what the hell is happening.

Mom - You need to decide... YES or No!

Mee - Mom! I need time, he seems nice. But u cant decided in 4 meetings ! Gimme till the end of this month!

Mom - no in 15 days you gotta decide!

Mee - Gosh! ok!

I'm in dilemma... I needed to talk to someone... Bestie's in America! SO i decide to confront! How was i going to tell him, i didnt want to scare him, i wanted him to tell me what he thinks, I wanted to know if he was under the same pressure... So many things, so many questions..  had to throw up!

SO we meet again for dinner and I tell him that I have 15 days to decide. He seems a little shocked... But overall I feel like he's so in control of the situation.

Shippie - Well, we have hit it off... Just this feeling needs to Amplify!

Mee - Sure!

Shippie - So let's wait for 15 days, then we'll decide.

Enter - Uncle who introduced dad to this family. He calls and asks Dad what's happening? Mom panics and calls me in the middle of work and demands an answer from me, RIGHT AWAY!

Mee - What about 15 days???

Mom - No tell me now! Are you going to marry him or not? (Hang on! This is not how I Imagined MY proposal!)

Mee - Ummm.. ok, you know what! I'm ON! I think he's nice! I can live with nice!

Mom (Pause for what seemed like forever! I don;t think she was ready for this!) - Ummm.. Listen, are you sure? I mean no zabardasti! Take your time if you want to!

Mee - What?!?!?! First you hurry me up and now when I'm saying I'm ok, you're asking me to take my time! (I'm furious!) No! I think I'm sticking with I'M OK with this arrangement.

Mom - Wow! ok!

Hung up!

And now I'm panicking! What did i just do??? Shouldn't I have waited for him to say something! What was the sign I was looking for?? Were there going to be Violins? Will there be lightening? Does he even 'like' me? Do i 'like' him? Well, i mean, there was some connection... was I supposed to use that as a sign? Why was i asking for 15 days more? What would have changed?

I decided to call and transfer the panic to somebody else!

Shippie - you did what??? What about the 15 days?

Mee - umm.. sorry, i was at gunpoint!

Shippie - ok! See.. i guess we've hit it off, so i guess... Ok dad's calling. I'll talk to you laterr...

Ok, news has spread.... And i guess the one ray of hope I saw seemed super far away and it was only moving further!

I distract myself at work. Excel sheets, PPTs - I've never loved them as much before! Gtalk ping...

Shippie - So dad called and asked...

Mee - Ok...

Shippie - I guess, I've given my green signal too..

Mee - Oh Ok...

Shippie - Sooo.. what should I say? Welcome to the family!

I'm kinda feeling Nothing! Actually, the first thing I felt is relief! I head to the washroom to wash  my face! Almost like i washed off everything my life's been through, in one wash. To be honest, this is a feeling I've never felt before. It felt nice, but I was nervous too. I was excited but Anxious! I was calm but there was a storm inside.

Lots has happened since... Families have met once and put us in strange, awkward situations! I have this nice, warm feeling about everything that's happening around me. It feels nice to see people look at you sooo differently. It feels great that everyone feels so happy for you. It feels awesome that Mom doesnt look so stressed anymore - She's only wondering if the websites and Marriage Bureau's would give her money back - but all in all, she's happy!

But what feels most amazing is that this one time, I'm not in this alone. I know I have another one just like me -  going through all this confusion, having trouble explaining how it feels, trying to be formal / informal, getting comfy and wondering if this was too fast too soon.

Mom concludes saying "In the end, your dad is the winner! He beat me to the hunt!" She was surious to know if i was OK.

Mom - How do you feel?

Mee (didn't want to lie, didn't want to show confusion, how was i going to do it... what was i sure of?) -

I feel... Right!  Just Right! :)