She was the reigning super star of the 70’s the quintessential diva …..thousands swooned over her beauty and her fan following spread far and wide……then one day to the utter shock of her fans and patrons, she announced her wedding to a famous music director, 20 years older to her …a confirmed bachelor- apparently due to a heart break in his early years.
No one could comprehend the reason…the gossip mills ran berserk calling her a Gold digger. While speculations of all kinds were rife, the couple themselves refrained from any kind of comments and so very soon it all died down….
As it happened with most heroines those days, marriage signalled an end to her career…but, she had no regrets as she was now carrying her first child. The following year she gave birth to a daughter. Three years later her husband passed away after a brief illness ……Life was a struggle, but she lived on with a smile, finding her joy in raising her daughter – Simi.
Simi was not just a daughter but also her best friend…she had just finished a degree course in economics at the university in California and returned home… the last few days had just flown by listening to stories from her campus, her new friends……
“Mom, what’s this about? Is it true?” ….she bent forward to peep into the laptop to read the article her daughter was pointing at…..for a moment, she froze – it was the news report from1973- on her marriage!!!
She knew, it was time the truth be told…for years she had lied to everyone, but not any longer … her daughter had the right to know.
So she began, “Well….yes, the marriage was a compromise, but not for money…it was for you my child….to give you the name of a father “
Seeing the shock in Simi’s eyes, she faltered for a moment …and then continued “I was madly in love with a business tycoon …and after being together for 2 years, we had a secret wedding. He wanted to keep it a secret, apparently, fearing opposition from his family, as I belonged to different religion.…Life was fun, until a few months later, when I broke the news of my pregnancy …when to my horror, he suggested that we get rid of it. I could have never agreed to that…and so he broke all ties…denying even the marriage wows! I was suddenly alone, confused and scared….. This is when your father came into my life. Through a common friend, he proposed a compromise wedding. A wedding that would give you his name and in-turn, appease his ailing mother, waiting to see him married.
“It was a choice, I had to make and my child, sometimes there is no happy choice, only one less grievous than the other. At that time nothing was more important to me, than raising my child in a safe and secure home….and the ‘mother” in me gave in… “
***
The above story is an entry into #TheChoice a Five00 entry.
Check out event guidelines here: https://writers.artoonsinn.com/five00-6/
Check out Rekha’s space here: https://writers.artoonsinn.com/author/rekhakapoor/
***
Photo by Clem Onejeghuo
