After all it’s all about two square meal

The elderly suggest that a woman should cook and serve food with peace in mind to keep one’s family delighted. Perhaps, most of the modern-day women need to learn this basic thing.

I have recently come across such a woman in my life. She knows how best to get ‘please don’t do this for me as I will do it myself’ sentence from my mouth and then make it an official line forever. With each passing incident like the latest one, I have realised the reasons why individuals stop loving their better halves and think beyond marriage and start focussing on other pursuits.

On Oct.28, it will be four months to my marriage. I remember one of the most compelling reasons to get married was to have someone who could take car of my meals.

I had literally starved myself for months since my beloved mother turned bed-ridden. Doctors observed she had met with mild brain stroke, which if repeated can turn into paralytic attack. The winter season posed a big challenge for me to protect her at any cost.

I tried my best. Sometimes by changing chicks to prevent unbearable chill to come inside her bedroom, making sure she has room heater kept on most of the time without bothering about electricity bill, ensuring she gets a vegetable in the afternoon which should not contain onion, as she has been pure vegetarian all her life.

But, personally, it was quite difficult for me to take care of my daily food. Often I would return late at night and there will be no dinner available, as the neighbourhood eateries or local Dhabas would close after 11.00 at night. In the afternoons, my lunch was limited to samosa and tea. It’s been actually quite nightmarish all these months for me. The office colleagues would point out : “Sir, why don’t’ you get married at the earliest and I gave up after a few months and decided to marry.”

My cousin and mentor came across a family during a matrimonial alliance meet. And, I was delighted he approved one girl ‘suitable’ for our family and more importantly, me.

Without bothering about her average looks, I decided after my 15-minute private conversation that she could be my life partner if she gives her nod after learning about my lifestyle as I sincerely narrated to her in brief.

I remember it was one of the biggest battle that I fought to have myself married with grace despite my elder brother and his wife’s incooperation and enemy-like role during the whole process till wedding day.

I don’t know but whenever I would feel dejected or disheartened I would assure myself once she was in my life, the happiness would come with her companionship.

But the irritation which started right from the first day, though thankfully at small scale. But the more she is trying to be a bit ‘smart’ , the more cautious and distant I am turning from her.

Yesterday’s experience when she reflected her compulsion to serve food at night to my best friend, who is chiefly responsible for her presence in my life, I was shocked and utterly disappointed from her.

I shouted like a mad man, as I couldn’t believe such a woman is related to me and I am having food from her hands all these days. Instead of viewing it as joy to be able to serve food , instead of properly cooking, for me, she is doing it as ‘compulsion’ . I realised it yesterday. What an unfortunate man I am that I have someone in my life who has such views for those who have been so faithful and caring to me for so many years much before she entered my life.

I am quite disturbed to notice instead of making a bigger space in my life, she is becoming a person worth observation for her ‘tricks’ or ‘tantrums’.

On the issue of food, I would say it’s quite difficult to enjoy food if served with compulsion by someone.