He sat there, with the cup of tea in his hand. It was evident from the way he was holding it that he was nervous. The old man sitting in front of him could sense this.
"You have to understand, boy, she is not normal. She won't be able to fulfill your needs." As he was speaking, the old man leaned forward, felt his hands over the small table and picked up his tea cup.
"You may find my daughter beautiful, but look at her....do you think you can accept her the way she is?"
The young man looked up at the girl who was standing at the kitchen door, listening to the conversation the two were having. She was wearing a simple red coloured salwaar-kameez, which brought out her fair complexion. Her long, dark hair reached her waist. How he longed to feel her beautiful silky hair...But the most striking thing about her was her almond shaped hazel eyes. Those mystic eyes....Her beauty stunned him. Ever since he laid his eyes on her, he knew, she was the girl he was waiting for all his life.
She walked towards them and placed a plate of biscuits on the table. "Please, have these with your tea" She said softly and went back to where she was standing earlier.
"Yes, sir, I accept her the way she is. I have come here today, with complete confidence that I want to marry your daughter". The young man was gradually losing his apprehension now.
"People like you can't adjust with people like us". The old man said sternly.
"I can understand how you feel, but I am telling you that I am deeply in love with your daughter and I will keep her happy. There will be no pressure on her at all."
"This is the matter of your life, son...and not just yours, but my daughter's too. How do you think your family will react when they come to know that you want to marry a blind girl? Oh are they gonna be happy? No they won't. And how will they take this that her father is blind too?? We have been blind since birth and I certainly don't wish to make my daughter suffer unnecessarily. I am getting good proposals for her from people like us. I would rather marry her off to someone without sight just like her so that she doesn't feel out of place. I think you should forget about this whole thing. It will be too difficult for you to handle".
The young man looked at the girl again. "I will do anything to get your daughter. Please understand, sir, I will never let her feel uncomfortable because of her blindness." He looked at the old man in desperation. "I will do anything you say"....
The girl's father got up from his chair and staggered his way towards his daughter. He stood in front of her and held her face gently by both of his hands. "My dear daughter, how I wish you could see. Living in the darkness all your life, how me and your mother prayed that you could see when you were born..." His eyes went moist. "So you say you will do anything to marry her, is it??"
"Yes, anything". The young man was determined to get her in his life. He had never felt so strongly for any girl in his life and now that he had these feelings for her, he did not want to let go of her.
"OK, before I ask you to do it, I would want you to know, I am asking this because I am concerned about my daughter".
"Yes, I understand" The young man waited to hear what's coming next.
"You will have to give up your eyes." Her father said, without blinking an eye."that way, you both are even"
The young man stared at him, not sure what he heard was right. "Give up my eyes as in turn blind?"
"Yes"
"Are you serious? Really?" He gave out a big hollow laugh. "NO WAY!! not my eyes! How am I going to live my life without my eyes? I mean, it's fine that she is blind, that's how it is, atleast I can look after her, but without my sight, we both will be lost!!!". The boy could not believe what her father was asking him to do. It made him furious.
"You shall not marry her then.... never come back even if you change your mind. This is the end of our discussion."
The young man was too much in shock to say anything further. He would never sacrifice his sight for anything in this world. That was his gift from God and he could not give it up. This is ridiculous. This blind man is crazy. He thought. He looked at the girl and thought maybe she would say something. All he wanted to do was take her hand and run away.
Without saying another word, the young man left the house. He walked aimlessly on the roads, without knowing where the path was leading him. He was too confused and dejected. He never expected the meeting would turn out this way. But in retrospect, he thought he took the right decision. Losing your eyes was one thing, but losing your eyes deliberately was stupidity. He felt the loss of the girl of his dreams. He kept on walking in the heat, sweating profusely.
As he was walking, lost in his thoughts, he failed to see a car coming right in his direction. It banged right into him and the windshield shattered into pieces, with the broken splints of glass flying off everywhere. The young man fell on the ground and everything went pitch black.
When he finally got back to his senses, he realized he was probably lying in a hospital bed. His eyes were feeling too heavy to open. "What happened??" He asked, struggling to get up. "Relax, you have been in an accident, you are fine now", the nurse said soothingly.
It struck him suddenly that something was unusual. "WHY THE HELL...?!!??". He moved his hands over his bandaged eyes frantically.
The nurse hesitatingly said, "There is something you have to know..."
"You will never be able to see again".
"You have to understand, boy, she is not normal. She won't be able to fulfill your needs." As he was speaking, the old man leaned forward, felt his hands over the small table and picked up his tea cup.
"You may find my daughter beautiful, but look at her....do you think you can accept her the way she is?"
The young man looked up at the girl who was standing at the kitchen door, listening to the conversation the two were having. She was wearing a simple red coloured salwaar-kameez, which brought out her fair complexion. Her long, dark hair reached her waist. How he longed to feel her beautiful silky hair...But the most striking thing about her was her almond shaped hazel eyes. Those mystic eyes....Her beauty stunned him. Ever since he laid his eyes on her, he knew, she was the girl he was waiting for all his life.
She walked towards them and placed a plate of biscuits on the table. "Please, have these with your tea" She said softly and went back to where she was standing earlier.
"Yes, sir, I accept her the way she is. I have come here today, with complete confidence that I want to marry your daughter". The young man was gradually losing his apprehension now.
"People like you can't adjust with people like us". The old man said sternly.
"I can understand how you feel, but I am telling you that I am deeply in love with your daughter and I will keep her happy. There will be no pressure on her at all."
"This is the matter of your life, son...and not just yours, but my daughter's too. How do you think your family will react when they come to know that you want to marry a blind girl? Oh are they gonna be happy? No they won't. And how will they take this that her father is blind too?? We have been blind since birth and I certainly don't wish to make my daughter suffer unnecessarily. I am getting good proposals for her from people like us. I would rather marry her off to someone without sight just like her so that she doesn't feel out of place. I think you should forget about this whole thing. It will be too difficult for you to handle".
The young man looked at the girl again. "I will do anything to get your daughter. Please understand, sir, I will never let her feel uncomfortable because of her blindness." He looked at the old man in desperation. "I will do anything you say"....
The girl's father got up from his chair and staggered his way towards his daughter. He stood in front of her and held her face gently by both of his hands. "My dear daughter, how I wish you could see. Living in the darkness all your life, how me and your mother prayed that you could see when you were born..." His eyes went moist. "So you say you will do anything to marry her, is it??"
"Yes, anything". The young man was determined to get her in his life. He had never felt so strongly for any girl in his life and now that he had these feelings for her, he did not want to let go of her.
"OK, before I ask you to do it, I would want you to know, I am asking this because I am concerned about my daughter".
"Yes, I understand" The young man waited to hear what's coming next.
"You will have to give up your eyes." Her father said, without blinking an eye."that way, you both are even"
The young man stared at him, not sure what he heard was right. "Give up my eyes as in turn blind?"
"Yes"
"Are you serious? Really?" He gave out a big hollow laugh. "NO WAY!! not my eyes! How am I going to live my life without my eyes? I mean, it's fine that she is blind, that's how it is, atleast I can look after her, but without my sight, we both will be lost!!!". The boy could not believe what her father was asking him to do. It made him furious.
"You shall not marry her then.... never come back even if you change your mind. This is the end of our discussion."
The young man was too much in shock to say anything further. He would never sacrifice his sight for anything in this world. That was his gift from God and he could not give it up. This is ridiculous. This blind man is crazy. He thought. He looked at the girl and thought maybe she would say something. All he wanted to do was take her hand and run away.
Without saying another word, the young man left the house. He walked aimlessly on the roads, without knowing where the path was leading him. He was too confused and dejected. He never expected the meeting would turn out this way. But in retrospect, he thought he took the right decision. Losing your eyes was one thing, but losing your eyes deliberately was stupidity. He felt the loss of the girl of his dreams. He kept on walking in the heat, sweating profusely.
As he was walking, lost in his thoughts, he failed to see a car coming right in his direction. It banged right into him and the windshield shattered into pieces, with the broken splints of glass flying off everywhere. The young man fell on the ground and everything went pitch black.
When he finally got back to his senses, he realized he was probably lying in a hospital bed. His eyes were feeling too heavy to open. "What happened??" He asked, struggling to get up. "Relax, you have been in an accident, you are fine now", the nurse said soothingly.
It struck him suddenly that something was unusual. "WHY THE HELL...?!!??". He moved his hands over his bandaged eyes frantically.
The nurse hesitatingly said, "There is something you have to know..."
"You will never be able to see again".
