Renuka reached the bank a little earlier than usual. She sat on her desk and started typing a leave application. When she had finished typing it, she mailed it to the bank manager.

She sat on her desk with a pen in her hand. Her hand involuntarily took the pen to her mouth and she started biting it. She was in a deep thought. Many things were running through her mind.

She would get married in a few days. How would her life be? What would she do? She took out her phone from her purse. She opened the gallery and looked at the picture of the man who was supposed to make her his wife.

She zoomed in the photo. He was a man with thick black hair and thick eyebrows. She did not know the reason why she was jealous of his eyebrows. His smile signified how confident he was and his perfectly ironed clothes said a lot about the role of discipline in his life. She kept her phone aside and sighed.

One of the main reasons why she wanted to get married was her family. She did not want to live with them. She was not at all happy with her life. She had to spend her entire earnings on her family. She had to pay for the school fees of her sisters, her mother's medicines, the grocery, the bills and everything else. She wanted an escape from that life through her marriage.

The other day, when she was telling her problems to some of her colleagues, one of them said,"That's the problem with women. Oh sorry, 'empowered feminists'. They want opportunities but not responsibilities. When a man earns, it is the money of the entire family. But when a woman earns, it is her money. Didn't your father pay for you and your sisters? Didn't he buy groceries? And now, when it's your turn, these 'responsibilities' have become 'problems' for you."

She did not say anything to him. She walked away.

Remembering that incident made her angry. She said to herself,"What should I tell him? That man! He just knows to blame others. I know what kind of life I am living. My father did not face such issues. He kept on investing money in different sorts of businesses. Nothing was successful and he kept on incurring losses. We took debts from several people and paid for everything. And on top of that, my father spend the money on wine. Did that man ever have a sense of responsibility? His children are his responsibility and not mine. Why should I feed his children? But still, I am doing that because I cannot let my mother and sisters starve. As if that was not enough, those two girls think that they are princesses. They want new dresses for every occasion and want to eat fast food every other day. If I refuse to pay for those unnecessary things, my 'great' mother will come and cry about her misfortune. I never get to spend on myself. I also want to save money and buy a beautiful dress. I also want jewelleries. But, I can't...."

She came out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of her water bottle falling. She picked the bottle up and kept it aside. She looked at the clock. It was 10:10 am. She switched on the computer and started working.

After two hours, the peon came to her and said,"Manager Saheb has called you." She walked towards the manager's cabin and asked for the permission to enter.

The bank manager was a thirty year old man. His name was Rajat Kumar. He was very strict in terms of work.

When Rajat heard her voice, he said,"You can enter." He looked up and saw Renuka standing in front of him. He took out a piece of paper from his drawer and signed it. Then, he handed it to her.

"Your leave is granted."

"Thank You, Sir."

"What does your fiance do?"

"Sir, he is a sales manager in a private company."

"That's good. I wish you a happy married life."

"Thank You, Sir."

"You're welcome. You may go now."

Renuka walked out of the cabin.

Rajat sighed and looked out of the window. He said to himself,"Never delay your work. If you don't grab the opportunity in time, someone else will take it."

He took out a packet of cigarette from his pocket. He lit a cigarette and started smoking.

(During the lunch break)

Renuka was sitting in the canteen with her colleagues Richa, Suhasini and Vanshika. Richa said to Renuka,"I heard that you are getting married next week."

Suhasini looked surprised and said,"You are getting married?"

Vanshika patted Suhasini on her shoulder and said,"Everyone is aware of this except you. So, the fault lies in you." After saying this, Vanshika smiled at her. Suhasini narrowed her eyes and said,"Okay Miss Smart. I got it!"

Renuka smiled and said,"Yes, you heard it right."

Suhasini said to her,"How is he? I mean, your fiance? What are his likes and dislikes?"

Renuka said,"It is an arranged marriage. I don't know about these things. I met him just twice."

Richa said,"That's how arranged marriages work. Anyways, you have the whole life to discover each other's likes and dislikes. Things will take time."

Renuka nodded her head.

The lunch break was over and the three women walked towards their desks.

(In the evening)

Renuka was returning home. She thought of buying some vegetables. She took an auto rickshaw and went to the market.

She looked at some brinjals. The brinjals were good and so, she asked the vendor to give her half kilogram brinjals. When the vendor was weighing the brinjals, she decided to have a look at the potatoes. She did not like the potatoes. So, she took the brinjals and went to another vendor.

A man was standing there and buying vegetables. He turned around and saw Renuka. Both of them were surprised. The man smiled at her.

"Renuka?"

"Yes......it's me."

"How are you?"

"I am fine...... Ajay. What......about you?"

"I am fine. It's good to see you here."

"Oh that! Actually......well....I came here to buy vegetables."

"I know. Actually, this is a vegetable market and everyone has come here to buy vegetables."

"Yes...."

"Is something wrong? You are behaving strangely."

"No, actually......."

"You are feeling shy in front of your fiance, right? That's pretty normal. We met just twice. Anyways, we are getting married next week. You will get used to me with time."

"That's true."

"You are looking beautiful today."

"Thank You."

"Some girls look cute when they feel shy. You are one of them."

Renuka's face turned red with shyness and a smile appeared on her lips.