“You’ll have to do what she says. How else will it work out?” He shrugged, while She looked on with hope, and a little helplessness.

“I’m a vegetarian. I don’t even touch or eat eggs. How can I make fish fry for your mother? It’s unfair, don’t you think?” She pressed on, trying to find a balance between his staunch non-vegetarian family and her vegetarian upbringing.

He silently blurted “You can learn!” and remained passive. Whether pondering over her stance or plotting a way to make her succumb, she didn’t know. She couldn’t be sure of anything anymore.

He and She had met through common friends around a year ago and sparks flew almost immediately. After a couple of friendly outings, they realised that they saw more than a friend in each other. Romance blossomed quickly after that and they even started planning to settle down together once their respective courses were complete and they had decent jobs of their own.

How did their perfect love miss its happily ever after then? What they didn’t realise at first was that their life and future were connected to their families too. Both came from very different backgrounds and cultures. She belonged to a wealthy Gujarati family, was a pampered child, and had never seen a difficult day in her life. His Maharashtrian parents were both teachers and had a calculated, disciplined lifestyle. He had been raised with love but made fully aware of his responsibilities.

What began as fun conversations about accepting each other’s would-be in-laws soon started turning into long messy arguments. He judged their extravagant existence while She was appalled at his hypocrisy while borrowing money from her sometimes. The strange part was that they hadn’t met each other’s parents yet. It was all between them, and already falling apart. Could they be together at all?

The fish fry talk was the last nail in the coffin. She had complied with every compromise He had asked her till then. She wasn’t going to change who she was anymore. Not out of compulsion, at least. The chat was a rude glimpse of what her married life would be like, and she wasn’t ready for it. Not now, not ever. If He couldn’t turn vegetarian for her, She certainly wasn’t fishing for excuses to stay relevant and walked out of the relationship. He didn’t stop her.

Waiting for the pan to get hot and holding two eggs in her hands, she was now remembering that chat. Her husband was fond of eggs and although he didn’t insist on her, she had offered to make an omelet for him, first thing after their wedding. She smiled at the irony and her privilege to make this choice. Isn’t this what true love is about? Accept the other person and surrender to him, wilfully.

This post was created for the Blogaberry Creative (Monthly) Challenge.

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