Along Came S

Life has been really really busy. With changes all around, Runaway Bride is in hunt of some solace,which she has not been able to find since ages now. Anyways, there are at least three stories to be posted here.One by one, they shall come!

So, dad got Mr S's profile from a common friend.Everything seemed perfect. And for a change, Runaway Bride didn't turn him down by just having a look at the profile.Mr S worked with a US MNC and was planning a visit to India soon.He had plans of settling down in India.S wanted to talk to yours truly, on the phone , before actually meeting her,which seemed a reasonable demand.And, hence phone numbers were exchanged.

One fine Saturday morning, when S was supposed to call, the phone didn't ring at all.And Runaway Bride, being the lazy gal she is, didn't bother to get up, as it was too early to be awake at 9 a.m. on a Saturday. Time went by, and it was past 10 am soon when she managed to get up.She was shocked to see three missed calls from S! He had called as per the decided time, but Runaway Bride's damn phone was on No Vibrate-No Tone mode.She was sad that this happened, as S was one of those guys who seemed to be of her interest.

Anyways, she called S. And like a gentle-man he cut the phone call and called back.She apologised. He was cool about it. She liked his attitude. He liked her voice. She was taking non-stop.He was a great listener.She thought they should talk again. He thought so,too! But, soon they realised that they want different things from life. S wanted at least another 2-year stint in US, while Runaway Bride wasn't at all prepared to say goodbye to her whole duniya here in India.

No doubt, S was a gentle-man.But sometimes, what we want from life becomes the driving force behind the decisions we make.And compromise, was not what S or I was looking for. We both had our share of doubts about the kind of relaitionship which has its foundation on a compromise.We had been talking a lot(A LOT).But, then it was a mutual decision not to meet each other as we wanted really different futures.

He came to India for a vacation.We didn't talk or meet.But, unfortunately, Mr S got some problems with his visa and could not return to US.And he is still in India, but waiting to go.

Dear S, May God give you what (ever)you are looking for.

Two Stories

It has been really really long since I updated this space here. I was buzy relocating, switching jobs, finding a house, settling down, switching jobs again!!! There was a period of lull in the 'munda-hunt', but those golden days flew away so fast that I realised that I had, had a break, only when it was over:(

Anyways, then Mr H came into picture.Mr H - Nice guy, perfect son,perfect- brother and would have been a perfect hubby too.It was nice talking to him, but yours truly was not in a state of mind to be the ultimate 'bahu' that his family was looking for. Mr H was one of those people who had struggled a lot, in life and now,he wanted life to be perfect.I called him a self-made-man!I had a strange kind of respect for this man, but somehow, I was not ready to make ultimate sacrifice which was,not a distant demand, but a close reality in his life , as I saw it.

I was not looking for excuses to turn him down, but I too want my life to be good,if not perfect.And the visions I get, of myself as a married woman, were not too close to what my life would have been, If I chose to take the thing with Mr H further.

I wish Mr H, a nice life ahead and hope he finds what he is looking for. Mr H, it was nice talking to you.

 

Also, I met Mr K. It was a strange co-incidence.While going back to Delhi, I met our common friend in the train, who kept on telling me that one of her friends would be joining her in sometime. And yours truly got the ultimate shock to see, Mr K.It was very uncomfortable. The three of us had to do some really silly talk before dozing off to sleep. And as always, cribbing about our jobs was the best topic anyone could have started to avoid any ackward conversation, or to break the ice(whatever it was)


But, how could have Murphy spared me.When something goes wrong, everything else, is waiting to go wrong.My train got late and we had to spend another few hours together, than expected:( I have never felt so uncomfortable before - I had literally spent the night in an arm's distance from a guy, I rejected coz his parents wouldn't let me work.Life's a strange bitch!

Relocating

Thankfully, Mr N didn't turn out to be Runaway Bride's Mr Perfect. So,that means, she doesn't have to give up on the idea of making him read this blog, one fine day.(Mr N is not fond of reading)

For a change, this post isn't about Runaway Bride meeting another guy.It is about something which was on top of her wish list since a long long time.Runaway Bride is relocating to the city she loves with all her heart - Delhi, or saddi Dilli, as we call it :)

With a new job, comes new responsibilities and new dreams.And the best part - now Delhi is not that far! Runaway Bride has booked her tickets, and she can't wait for the day to come!Will keep you guys posted on the happenings on Direct Dil Se.

Anyways, Do you remember Mr V from this post? It was a mutual No-No with him. But he continues to send me the random forwarded email, once a day! And since Runaway Bride knows her email etiquette quite well, she sends one back, once in two-three days! There is nothing fishy there.

Until Monday, things were moving very slow at office.That is when Mr V started a conversation over the office communicator.It was a casual "hi-how-are-you-whats-up-anything-new" kind of a chat but it didn't end there but continued on and on and on.I believe, I should let him know that I am quitting the job, and leaving Pune too, before any hopes spring up.Guys, let me know what you think I should do

Mr N And Green Apple Soda

End of story for Runaway Bride and K. But this end marked the beginning of another tale - The tale of Runaway Bride and Mr N.

It all began a few months back when dad found an eligible bachelor in the matrimonial column of a newspaper.As keen as my folks are,for getting me married, they called the number provided. Soon, bio-data's and pics were exchanged and Kundlis(birth-charts) matched. And N's profile matched, to a great extent ,with the kind of guy yours truly is looking for :)

And then N's folks started pestering him to go and meet Runaway Bride.(N lives in a city which is a 4 hour drive from Runaway Bride's). And she was told(by parents, who else?) to better keep her weekend free as N might plan to come. But,it was good that N ringed up to ask if she could take out some time this weekend to meet - and she liked that N had the courtesy to ask that.


Since N's and Runaway Bride's parents weren't here, it saved me from a lot of trouble of all the family drama which usually happens in arrangements like these.

N landed here with a friend and Runaway Bride went to meet him, with her bro.He looked quite different from the way he looked in the pic.Maybe, the photographer had made him 2 shades lighter :P And that is why I haven't yet got a pic clicked by a pro! Be what you are- is what I believe! What sense does it make to look out-of-the-world in a stupid pic(to impress xyz people) when you can't be that way in real. Okay, I agree,make-up can do wonders, but can you put that 24hrs a day-7 days a week?

Anyways, Runaway Bride was glad that N was not as fair as he looked in the pic, because,she believes in the TDH concept created in Mills&Boon books.Bro and N talked and talked a lot,and for reasons unknown, Runaway Bride was silent, most of the time.N tried hard to break the ice, and I guess he succeeded. We had quite an exotic lunch, and Runaway Bride learnt a few things about N.N had to come by a Non-AC bus to meet me (suffering all the heat) as there was some strike or something - And that reminds me how parents pester you, once you enter the web of shaadi.

The place we chose for lunch is quite a famous one - a combination of great ambiance and great food. But,the credit-card swipe machine wasn't working that day.Talks continued, and Runaway Bride started talking too.The conversation varied from food to cricket,to movies, to my first love(SRK) to food again.Soon, lunch was done, and there came the bill.To my surprise, N didn't even offer to pay it, which came as a huge turn off.But, here Runaway Bride is giving him benefit of doubt(of not having enough cash and as I said, the swipe machine wasn't working and we were informed before placing the order)

We came out, and N asked bro if he could take Runaway Bride to the nearby Cafe Coffee Day outlet, for some time. I liked that he actually asked as if I am a small kid and need to get a permission.Bro and N's friend hopped in the nearby Crossword outlet to satisfy their quest to get some new books, while Runaway Bride and N went to Cafe Coffee Day.

The last time when Runaway Bride came to CCD was a few days back, and she was with a bunch of close guy friends.And these guys had noticed a couple sitting just behind us, who seemed to be meeting for the first time, for no other purpose than arranged marriage(The meeting might have been arranged by their parents and they had to obey to go for a blind date) It was funny, we all thought.Never had Runaway Bride imagined, that this could be her fate too! :'(

Anyways, as she was already full so,Runaway Bride opted for a Green Apple Soda, and N wanted to see what her taste is like, so asked to make it two Green Apple Sodas.She loves it, although they don't have it in their new menu anymore.But, thankfully, they still serve it! :) And soon, we got started with the talks.Although I believe, Runaway Bride was still quiet than what she really is.N made several attempts, but somehow, he could not make her talk continuously.I don't know why.She was not shy or formal or something, but she was quiet than she usually is.:|

An hour passed by, and it was time to leave.In those 60 minutes, Runaway Bride and N had exchanged some vital information.N paid the bill with his card.And something sure did happen over Green-Apple-Sodas.We decided to keep in touch!

It was like a blind date.Runaway Bride doesn't know if N is the one.But,N is a nice guy and she won't mind meeting him again.


P.S.
 N doesn't like to read, whether it is books, or blogs.So Runaway Bride's secret desire of making her Mr Perfect read this blog, sitting by her side would have to be held off, if N turns out to be the one!

K Calling

10:45 pm

And the phone rang.I was half asleep after a long and tiring day at office.Anyways, getting back to the phone call.

Reluctantly, I answered the call( as it was from an unknown number). It was K(the guy, my friend wanted to set me up with) For details click here. He introduced himself and asked if it wasn't too late to call.For the sake of courtesy(or whatever you may call it...And FYI, I find it really difficult to say No, even to strangers) I said it was okay and asked him to continue.

And soon ,it was more than an hour since I was on the phone.I am a complete chatterbox, and it is quite impossible to shut me up, once you get me started(provided, I don't lose interest in you). He never asked me any silly questions which other perspective grooms ask, and maybe I got too comfortable too soon. Talking to him was like talking to a friend. We had a few common topics to chit-chat about,maybe because we come from the same 'small -town' and we both lived in Delhi, sometime. Though his love for 'Saadi -Dilli' could not match mine! We tried to get to know each other, and by the time the phone call ended, I had created a certain kind of image in my mind and associated him with it! And mind you, most of the time, I judge people correctly!

Meanwhile, all these days, our common friend, V was trying to persuade to me to talk about K, to my parents.And being the sidhi-saadhi-sharmili-gharelu kanya that I am, I was avoiding that(okay okay, I am nothing even close to all those adjectives, but I just did not want to strike that conversation, so that my folks don't start feeling that I am really really interested in getting married asap.So,suggesting a guy, would have meant committing a sin).But, then I believed that it would be better if I told them myself, at least it would be better than getting to know from V or her mom( V's mom was getting into match-making mode)

So, I told my folks ,and for a moment, they were over-excited that finally I have chosen a guy for myself! But, they calmed down when I told them the whole story! And as Murphy would have it, V's mom bumped into mine,at the local vegetable market.And rest is history.

They met, and then my folks and K's folks had a telephonic conversation.Everything was fine except that they asked "How long will Runaway Bride continue with her job?"

All Over!

My judgement was correct, K wants to settle down in the 'small town' with his family.And Runaway Bride works for a corporate giant which doesn't operate from any of the so called small towns.Although she doesn't love her job, but she has no plans to quit and become a loser house-wife.(No offence meant to any of the great ladies who have chosen to be perfect home-makers)

And Thats How I Met Mr V

No, The phone call I was talking about in the last post did not happen at all, because yours truly was very buzy hunting for a new job.Unfortunately, no luck yet :( There is something in me which stops me from trying to concentrate on more than one thing, at the same time.Maybe it is the gyaan which one of my teachers at college gave, that never start a new job and a new marriage, at the same time, coz in most of such cases, people tend to screw one of those things!

So, all in the mood of job hunt, I conveniently switched Mr K(from the previous post) to the backseat and never indicated the need of a conversation.I was too buzy doing whatever I thought was the right thing to do, given the circumstances I am in.

And suddenly, Mr V pops into my life. I get a call from my dad saying that Mr V is the best guy on earth and he would be a perfect match( According to him, there were a dozen perfect matches, whom I didn't even find eligible to even talk to, for that matter) Anyways, I agreed to talk to him, on the condition,he calls me first. (As per dad, Mr V is a shy guy). But he called me and we decided to meet. The worst part, he works for the same organization that I do, and that meant, we would be meeting in office the next day.No excuses :(

The next day, Mr V was very buzy...He smsed me that probably we can meet another time.I was neither happy nor sad about it, I was comfortably numb I guess.A day passed by and he pinged me when I was out of office, enjoying a lavish lunch at a nearby restaurant.

I reached office in an hour, and it was time to meet Mr V.I was doing something like this for the first time, so I had laughter fits imagining myself in such a situation.Traditionally, I would be wearing a saree with my head covered with a pallu and carrying a tray with tea-cups and snacks for Mr V and his family members and my mom and dad saying "She has made all those snacks with her own hands for you. She is a wonderful cook".And then, I would offer all those to Mr V and his family, after touching their feet to get their blessings.This thought gave me laugheter fits which were really unstoppable.As I was meeting him in office, there was no family and no tray to carry;-) (Even if I had to meet him at my home, I would have made sure that I am not wearing a saree and neither would I have agreed to carry the tray)

Like a gentleman, Mr V made sure he reached the food-court before me.I saw him standing in a queue to get the coupons for the tea he wanted to have.And that made me go LOL from inside.I was not carrying the tray full of tea cups, rather he was standing in a long queue to satisfy his need for caffine.I liked that.I approached him and he offered to buy me a drink(tea/coffee :P). But, since I am not addicted to any one of those, I politely refused, and added a 'thanks'

We sat in one of those quiet corners,clueless about what should we talk about. Believe me, this was his first time too.And he was as ignorant as I was.Yours truly started the conversation, as Mr V seemed a shy guy.I was able to get him talking, though I was the one who was doing the most of it.Half an hour passed by, and we were just cribbing about the organization we work for, and nothing else. That was the only thing we had in common.

In his spare time Mr V likes to play/watch all kind of sports or try his hands on coding.While, these would be the things I would not do in my free time, even if I am paid for it.He is quiet and takes time to open up, while I can go on blabbering about things, even when I am with complete strangers.Believe me, it is not a bad thing to do as I have made some friends for lifetime because, I am this way!

Soon, it was time to leave.Finally, the laughter fits going inside me subsided.Just then, I saw few of my team-mates coming from the opposite side.Under normal circumstances, I would have come with them, but, here, I was sitting with a guy ,blushing,(for the first time)Later, I told them that he was a friend, who had returned from onsite after a long time.

Not knowing what to talk about next, as we didn't have any common interests, we decided to leave, with an open end.
 

It was funny.I still am giggling thinking about it.

Matchmaking

As if my family was not enough, my friends have ventured into the territory! A few of them have suggested some guys,who,they feel who would be appropriate for me.There is no end to match-making business! Everyone is interesed, you see! :D

Sometimes, I laugh at whatever is happening around me.And sometimes, it makes me sad.Other times I feel a strange kind of numbness towards the whole thing.As if I don't care at all.But I know,I do.This 'not bothered' kind of behaviour is something I pretend, to make others lose interest in finding a match for me.And I hardly ever succeed :(

Suddenly,getting me married has shifted to the top of 'to-do lists' of everyone I know! They have even set deadlines for themselves.The fact that two of my cousins who are younger than me(and supposedly doing nothing after college) are getting married this year, and it increases the pressure you see! So there is a deadline that has been set, plus, there is an increasing pressure to meet that deadline because some-one else in the family is also getting married.Isn't it ridiculous?

Sometime soon, I would be getting a call from one of the guys who thinks I am perfect for him since one of our common friends made him believe this(and even shared our pics with each other) It statred as a teezer but I had never imagined that it would go to this extent.Anyways, strange as life is, it is making me do strange things these days.

'Strange Things' remind me of something that I feel is most ackward about the whole procedure of arranged marriages! Suddenly, you become a model and you have to pose for pics that would be clicked by pros who can change the way you look!A girl next door(desprate to get married) to a supermodel(but, in a traditional outfit) in 30 seconds flat! And not to metion, your skin tone would be lightened by two shades!I have managed to not to fall into this trap and this is one battle I have not lost yet! **Feels Proud and Smiles** :D 


Expecting a call from Mr K(Common friend guy)this week!So,that would give me some more things to blog about!Being the blogger that I am, I am thinking of doing a post on all of these stupid things happening in life!


Maybe, someday, my dream-man would be reading this blog,sitting beside me! **Smiles**

Mr Right, Are You Listening?

Okay, I am sick of this arranged marriage thing now.Six months since the last post here,and life is still no more than a dangling pointer.It seems there is not a guy in this world who fits in my definition of Mr Right.

Some are still Momma's boys, some want their wives to quit her job and serve as a housewife for the rest of her life, some are just 5 inches 5, some earn less than me, some feel that women are their puppets, some are trying hard to lose weight, some say they want to get married only coz their parents feel it is the right thing to do,some believe they are no less than the Prince of Wales,some have a moustache,some are 'kuup-manduks'(frogs who are afraid of taking up new ventures coz they are comfy in the calm waters of their own city or state),some are already 30, some think they are doing a favour to the girl they would marry,some are losers enough to the extent of never having done a thing on their own coz their dads are rich businessmen and there is not a need to create an indentity, some are committed but still meeting other girls coz their parents want them to.

So, all in all, that means, no one for me :( Or am I waiting for someone who doesn't exist at all.Mere khvabon me jo aaye types guy is non-existant or what?