Mannat

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
— Paulo Coelho

When I was a little girl, I thought the woman was a homemaker…cooking meals , doing the laundry, washing the dishes, feeding my little ones… Regular chores they could be, but they gave my small world and tiny mind a sense of absolute delight.
My childhood was spent shuttling between different homes. And with each day my heart yearned for the place, the hearth I can find solace. I waited and waited to get married and finally dawned the great day.

Of course I became the homemaker … washing , cleaning, cooking . It’s then I realized that Indian marriage ads for prospective grooms should read. Looking for a maid. Full Time. Three times food. No Salary.

This is not the home making I read in mills and boons nor the chick flicks which nourished my heart. I smelt of onions and smoke. Oh yes! this is the most selling scent of an Indian woman.

I wondered? Why on earth am I treated like a maid? Why was I not allowed to sit in the living room when all the other daughters of the home were allowed? Why don’t I deserve a hug or a caress? Why am I treated so shabbily. Why am I not allowed to even laugh? What makes me different from a daughter ?

And why on earth was the word In law invented?

If I could have one day back of my past life I would have done the homemaking bit a zillion times over. But with respect - as a daughter not a maid. It’s high time the dictionary was revised with titles as Daughter-by -choice instead of Daughter-in-law.

They say if you live truly then God takes over and gives you what is best for you. I vouch that. For everyone else I could be a most sympathized divorcee but for me I am one lucky woman saved from the worst disaster. It’s not that I don’t believe in the institution of marriage. I do. I am definitely old school. But I don’t belong to a home where I lose myself as someone I can’t recognize.

If you have a dream you got to live the dream. I did. Alone.

Some love stories are happily ever after even alone.God gave me my mannat. My own home. Totally made in India with hard work and just my love for my creator. My God.