Kaizad, as the name suggests, belonged to a Parsi family. He lost his parents when he was young, leading to fear and panic. His uncle looked after him for a few years.  Kaizaad took up odd jobs for his living and to pay his college fees. He visited his uncle once every month. He did not have enough memories or pictures of his parents that could make him feel good. Often in his dreams, he would see them and wake up with a jolt. But then he knew, ‘The show must go on’. He read a lot of inspiring quotes of legends to keep himself motivated and to stay optimistic. One evening after work, he walked to a nearby beach to relax and enjoy the refreshing breeze emanating from the seawater. The beach was relatively uninhabited as it was a weekday. He sat on the soft, cushioned sands admiring the rushing waves crashing on the shores and reclining back. Soon the rays of the setting sun painted the sky orange, gradually kissing the horizon.  The spectacular city lights glowed at a distance. He observed that it was getting dark but was in no mood to disconnect with Nature. Rolling his gaze to the right, he caught sight of a young woman with long, luscious tresses. She had a round face with a pointed chin. Her light brown skin resembled wheat in appearance. Yet, she looked beautiful. He watched her from the corner of his eyes until she disappeared. He heaved a sigh and left to go home.  Two days later, while he waited for his bus at the bus stop, he noticed the girl again. They got into the same bus, got down at the same stop and entered the same office premises. This continued for a couple of days. One day Kaizad was standing in the lobby of the office building, talking to a friend. “Hello, Mr., who do you think you are? Why are you stalking me? If I see you again, I will complain, and you will be behind bars.” She blasted. “Madam, why will I stalk you? I work here, at ZEB.” Kaizad retorted. “I am sorry. I thought... by the way, did you say ZEB? I, too, work with them in the finance department. I haven’t seen you, though.” She said. “My name is Kaizad. I joined last week as operation in charge. What’s your name?” He replied. “I am Meera. Nice to meet you. I am sorry once again for the misunderstanding.” Meera expressed her regret. Kaizad and Meera’s interaction grew. They began to travel together to the office as the two lived in the same residential complex and worked in the same office. In no time, they became good friends.  This friendship gradually turned into love. But the differences in their status and religion made things arduous. Yet Kaizad believed everything would be good. However, Meera wasn’t confident nor had trust in self. Meera was born into a Brahmin family, and they were poles apart in myriad ways. Kaizad was pragmatic and optimistic. He always believed nothing was impossible, whereas Meera panicked in every situation. The tiny problems looked magnificent for her.   Despite their many differences, the two things that united them were their birthdays and their abiding love for one another. They were both born on the same day and in the same year, a rare thing among most couples. Meera’s family believed in Lord Ganesha, and for the last 20 years they have been getting the idol of Lord Ganesha home during Ganesh Chaturthi. This year they planned to get a huge idol.  Meera invited all her office colleagues and colony friends. Kaizad was one among them. Kaizad wore a bright yellow kurta and white pajamas and reached Meera’s house.   On reaching, he greeted her parents and touched their feet for blessings. Meera’s parents were instantly impressed. Her mother personally gave him Modak and other homemade sweets.   “Are you new to this place? We have never seen you, beta,” Meera’s mother said. “Yes, Aunty. I shifted a few months ago. I stayed in a hostel before moving into this apartment.” Kaizad answered. “Ok. What about your parents? Which city do they stay?” Meera’s dad questioned. "Uncle, I lost my parents when I was a young child. I was looked after by my maternal uncle. When I turned eighteen, I relocated to a dorm and started working to pay for my academic expenses and earn my living.” Kaizad answered with confidence in his voice. “Oh, Ok. We are sorry to hear about your parents.” Meera’s dad expressed and wished him good luck. Meera winked at him from a distance, and Kaizad smiled at her. From that day onwards, he often visited her house, and her parents loved his company.  One day after work, Meera and Kaizad stopped by a coffee shop to have a cup of coffee. In between the conversation, she started to weep. “Meera, what happened? Why are you crying?” Kaizad asked, taking her hand in his. “I couldn't resist falling in love with you despite the fact that my parents wouldn't approve of our relationship. What do I do now?” Meera said, sobbing.  “But did you even speak to them?” Kaizad enquired, fishing out the handkerchief from his pocket and stretching his hand towards her. “No, not yet. My parents are orthodox, and if they find out I am dating a boy who does not belong to our religion, they will kill me. They won’t mind losing their child but will never compromise on religion and culture. It’s not that easy to convince them.” Meera muttered, wiping her tears. Meera further added, “You don't have to face your parent’s wrath. No one will question you, and you are the sole decision maker. Besides, my sister also chose inter caste marriage and went against my parents. Since then, they have cut all relations with her. They won't let me speak to her, either. Not only this, there were times when I expressed my desire to learn dance and to play guitar. But my parents did not support me, saying these hobbies are for boys. In short, happiness for me is like a rocket science.” “Common, Meera, it surely isn’t rocket science. It is not a brain surgery. You are well educated and not a minor. By the way, who said I have no one to question me? My mind and heart they throw questions at me and even confuse me. Sometimes they stop me from doing what I wish to. But when I express my happiness in the task, they concur and let me do it. Happiness lies within and not in any materialistic things. It is a state of mind where nothing is missing, but the minute you give up, it will vanish or fade. I am not asking you to fight or go against your parents, but If you wish to fulfil your dreams, you should be firm and vocal.” Kaizad explained. “But in my case, happiness doesn’t last. It disappears like disappearing messages on the phone. Like the tiny droplets of water falling on the surface of lotus leaves, shining like a pearl and swiftly sliding down in a blink of an eye, disappearing.” Meera said. “You once mentioned you were from a vernacular medium, and today you are fluent in English only because you took an interest in learning and, most importantly, you enjoyed it. So was that rocket science Meera?” Kaizad asked.   “No. It was not rocket science, my love. It’s about how much you yearn to learn something you are serious about. If you think it will happen when the time comes or are overconfident about your skills, then it will not happen.” Meera answered.   “This is what I said precisely. Today I have a job, and things look good, but do you know how much I struggled in my younger days? I used to work double shifts every day to earn my livelihood and went to night college. For days I would not sleep a wink. My relatives who never bothered to help often suggested leaving my education but imagine if I had done that, I wouldn’t be standing here today.  People will frequently shake you. But don't let anyone in this world disrupt your inner tranquillity. Do what is best for you. You can take other people's opinions, but the final decision should be yours.” Kaizad uttered. “Why are we going off the tracks? The conversation was about our marriage. I want to see our love story grow and take it to the next level, but it seems like a distant dream.” Meera said. “Yes, Meera, I am aware. Life is like a mirror, and we get the best results when we embrace it wholeheartedly. People from all walks of life and religion face difficulties, but it is how we look at life and deal with our situations. Don’t take so much stress. I am sure your parents will agree to our relationship.” Kaizad replied and tried to calm down Meera.  One morning while Kaizad was jogging, Meera’s father joined him. He seemed to be in a good mood that day unlike other days.  Kaizad grabbed the opportunity and said, “Uncle, I need to talk to you about something important. Can we sit for a while?” “Sure boy,” He said, and both sat on the bench near the exit. Meera’s father grabbed his water bottle to sip some water. But suddenly, he felt a shooting pain in his chest and fell unconscious. Kaizad immediately called out to the people walking around and took Meera’s father to a nearby hospital. After getting her father admitted, Kaizad tried calling Meera, but he couldn’t reach her. He rushed home.   “Hey, Kaizad, how come you are here early morning? You know my father does not like my friends barging in any time of the day, especially during meal-time.” Meera gazed at the wall clock and whispered. “Yes, I know.” Your father fell unconscious in the park, and I have admitted him to the hospital. I tried your number, but it was out of reach.” Kaizad spoke while sounding concerned. Kaizad, Meera and her mother all rushed to the hospital. The doctors had started their treatment. It was a mild attack. Meera’s father was doing fine, and soon he was discharged. One evening after work, Kaizad went to meet Meera’s father to check on his health. He sat on the sofa while Meera was in the kitchen. Her father, who was resting in his room, came out. “How are you, uncle?” Kaizad enquired. “I am doing well. Good, you came home.” Meera’s father said and called out for Meera. “Meera, come out immediately.” Her father raised his voice. Meera and her mother sprinted out of the kitchen. “Yes, Dad, do you need anything?” Meera asked. “I heard you are in love with this boy,” Meera’s father said, pointing his finger towards Kaizad. “Is this true, Meera? Don’t you know we are against inter-caste relationships? Meera’s mother yelled.  Meera dropped her head, and her eyes began to flood with tears. Kaizad’s eyes popped out. He wondered how Meera’s father came to know about their love story. “Meera, we are asking you something. Look at us and answer.” Her father said in a stern voice. Meera raised her head and murmured, with trembling lips, "Yes, I love him, and we both are in a relationship for a while now. "Kaizad, on that day at the park, you wanted to speak with me about your relationship with my daughter. Right?" Meera’s father enquired.  “Yes, uncle, but how did you know?” Kaizad enquired. “It is not that me and my wife do not understand our children and their feelings. My elder daughter never trusted me. You came forward to talk to me about Meera and your relationship, but she did not speak to me. Why?  Both my daughters feel I only speak the language of anger. They call me Hitler behind my back. I know I am strict with the girls, but that does not mean I don’t love them enough or will not stand by their side. I don’t have a heart of stone. The bitter experience changed me.” Meera’s father said with a pinch of sadness.   “Bitter experience? Uncle, may I ask you what exactly happened that changed you?” stuttering, Kaizad asked. Meera’s father heaved a sigh and said, “Sit down, Kaizad. “Bitterness crept into me when I lost my younger sibling. I no more yearned to live. Happiness took a back seat swiftly. I had a baby sister who was 15 years younger than me. After my parent’s demise at an early age, she was my responsibility.  I left my education mid-way to earn and educate her. Everything was going well. Her eighteenth birthday was approaching. I had planned a surprise party for all our relatives and her friends.   She used to come home by 6 p.m. after her classes daily. But that day she didn’t turn up. The clock was ticking. Scared, I ran pillar to post searching for her. The police asked me to wait for twenty-four hours. My tears refused to stop. I couldn’t sleep a wink and sat outside on the patio chair the whole night.  The following morning, she stood in front of me with a boy. I hugged her tightly and asked in a choked voice, 'where were you last night?'  She replied, as cool as a cucumber. ‘Dada, I love this boy, and we got married last evening.’ On hearing this, my face turned red with anger. I knew the boy. He was not only arrogant but also uneducated. He was the son of the sarpanch.  She was not ready to listen and left me to stay with him. My worst fear soon turned true. Within six months of her marriage, she committed suicide. Later, I discovered that she had been murdered by the boy's family, and wasn’t a suicide. I reported the incident, but the family was powerful and got away with the crime. The hands that cradled her, took care of her, fed her, never thought that one day, would bury her," Meera's father held out his hands and said. “Look, kaizad, you are self-made and a wonderful person. Undoubtedly your parents have imbibed in you great values till they were alive. But I believe inter-caste marriages don’t last. My elder daughter’s marriage did not last for more than two years. She married a boy without our knowledge and consent and informed us much later. My wife and I were hurt. We are not on talking terms with her, but the pain that we went through is something I cannot express. We still cry tears of blood. I don’t want Meera to suffer something like that.” Meera’s father said in a choked voice. “Dad, Kaizad is not like other boys.” Meera retorted and made an effort to persuade her father. “Meera, no more discussion on this topic.” Her mom intervened. Meera couldn’t contain her tears. She ran to her room and closed the door behind her. Kaizad stood outside the room and tried to comfort her but in vain.  She took leave from the office and stayed in her room alone. Two days went by. She refused to eat or talk to anyone. Kaizad finally called Meera’s dad and they decided to meet. They sat across each other in a coffee shop. Meera’s father crossed his hands and said, “Kaizad, I do not have any problem with you but my experience says adjusting to inter caste-marriages is like rocket science. Marriage is a commitment. It cannot be simply abandoned if a couple does not get along. This is not only a responsibility, but also a journey of support and love through ebb and flow. Can you assure me that you will always support Meera and take good care of her? She is a piece of my heart.” “Yes, uncle. I promise you. I will be by her side through ups and downs and will never leave her hand at any cost.” Kaizad replied. “I have a request. May I, with your permission?” Kaizad added. “Yes, go ahead.” Meera’s father said. "Uncle, leave the past behind and bring your elder daughter home. I am sure she will return if you call her back. May be out of fear she is not approaching you." Kaizad muttered softly. Meera’s father felt a sense of relief after talking to Kaizad. He agreed to forgive and get back his elder daughter home. He also consented to Meera and Kaizad to tie the nuptial knot.   Meera’s happiness knew no bounds. She finally believed that happiness is not rocket science. A little effort, confidence, communication and self believe are the ingredients of joy in life. With her parent’s blessings, both Kaizad and Meera purchased a house in the same vicinity and shifted. Within a year, the couple were blessed with a baby boy. They named him Aarjav, meaning ‘sincere’, ‘happiness’ and ‘honest’. Meera’s parents found a suitable groom in their community and convinced their elder daughter to get married again. She is blessed with a baby girl and often pays gratitude to the almighty for giving her a second chance in life.   Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!