The Dream Before the Wedding
Damodar (Shiva's father) is worried because his only son is not getting married. They have seen many marriage proposals, but none of them worked out. At that time, one of his friends tells him about an astrologer named Shastri. Damodar goes to meet Shastri to know about his son's marriage.
Damodar went and talks to Shastri:
Damodar: Shastri garu, for the last two years we have been looking for a bride for my son, but no proposal is getting fixed. Please check my son's horoscope and tell me when he will get married.
Shastri Gaaru: Everything happens at the right time. There is no problem in your son's horoscope. He will get married only after he turns 30 years old. In two more months, your son will complete 30 years. After that, he will marry a beautiful and intelligent girl. Don't worry. Everything will happen for good.
Damodar: Thank you, Shastri gaaru. Your words made me feel happy. I will leave now.
At Home in the Evening:
Damodar: Shiva, my son!
Shiva: Yes, Dad!
Damodar: I met one of Shastri gaaru this morning. He said your marriage will happen only after you turn 30. Your birthday is in two months, right? After that, you will be 30 years old.
Shiva: Yes, Dad.
Damodar: The family we spoke to last week called today. They asked us to come this Sunday to see the girl. Shall we go this Sunday?
Shiva: Okay, Dad.
Damodar: Alright. Go and sleep now. You have to go to the office tomorrow right.
Shiva: Yes, Dad. Good night!
The Next Day in the Office:
Boss: Hi Shiva, the product that has to be sent to Mumbai is ready, right?
Shiva: Yes, it is ready. I will finish the report and send it to you by email.
Boss: Okay, good. So, any good news? When is your wedding?
Shiva: This Sunday, I am going to see a girl. If everything goes well, the wedding will happen after that.
Boss: Oh! Super! That is very good news, Shiva.
On Sunday at the Girl's House:
Prabhakar (the girl's father): Shiva, if you and my daughter Ridhvika want to talk, you can go upstairs and talk. Ridhvika, please take Shiva with you.
About fifteen minutes later, after Shiva and Ridhvika finish talking and came back...
Damodar: The girl likes the boy, and the boy likes the girl. Now, let us talk about the wedding date.
Prabhakar: Okay. The priest said next month has a good date for the engagement. Let us have the engagement then.
Damodar: Alright. Please ask the priest for the auspicious time and let us know. We will come at that time. We will leave now.
A few days before the engagement, Shiva was injured in an accident. He had to stay in the hospital for one day.
A few days later, the engagement of Shiva and Ridhvika takes place.
On the Night of the Engagement:
Ridhvika: Dad, I don't like getting married without telling the truth. I will not live for many more days. If I die after the wedding, Shiva will be left alone. We will be cheating him.
Shiva is a very good person. I am not going to live for long anyway. Instead of me, if Shiva marries my sister "Rithika", they will be happy. I will be happy to see their wedding. I will convince my sister to marry Shiva. She loves me and always listens to what I say.
Right now, only the engagement has happened. If we tell the same truth to Shiva's family, I think they will also agree.
Prabhakar: Okay, dear. First, talk to your sister. If she agrees, then we will talk to Shiva's family.
Ridhvika calls to her sister Rithika!
Ridhvika: Hello, Rithika. Where are you? Are you free? I want to talk to you about something.
Rithika: Yes, sister. I am free. Tell me.
Ridhvika: You know about my health condition right. You know that I will not live for many more days. Dad did not tell this to the groom's family. I don't feel this is right. I told Dad that we should tell them the truth. I also thought that instead of saying I am the bride, we should tell them that my sister is the bride, that means I will suggest your name instead of mine.
Shiva is very good. I met him and talked to him. He is very polite and has no bad habits. I will not live for long. If he marries me, he will be happy only for a few days. But if he marries you, he will be happy for his whole life. You both becomes made for each other.
Dad sent you the Shiva's photo, right? You also saw it. If you like him, we can talk about the marriage. It is not easy to find such a good man. That is why I am telling you all this, Rithika. If you agree, we will talk to the groom's family. If you don't agree, we will tell them the truth and stop the wedding.
If your wedding happens, I will spend my remaining days happily.
Rithika: Okay, sister. I will agree for your happiness. But for my happiness, you also have to do one thing.
Ridhvika: Tell me, Rithika. I will do anything for your happiness.
Rithika: Let both of us marry Shiva.
Ridhvika: Have you lost your mind, Rithika? What do you mean both of us marry him? How can both of us marry the same person?
Rithika: Yes, sister. You always say that my happiness is very important to you. In the same way, your happiness is also very important to me.
You said you will not live for many more days. Then stay with me for as long as you live. We grew up away from each other since childhood. At least now, let us spend a few days together. If needed, I will talk to Dad and also to Shiva's family.
There is one more reason why I am saying this, sister. When your marriage proposal was fixed, Dad sent me Shiva's photo. But even before Dad sent me his photo, I had already fallen in love with Shiva.
Ridhvika: When did this happen, Rithika? You never told me.
Rithika: You know I was attending interviews for a job. One day, I went for an interview and saw Shiva there. The moment I saw him, I liked him. At that same time, Dad called me.
Flashback
Prabhakar: Rithika, how are you, dear?
Rithika: I am fine, Dad. How are you, Dad?
Prabhakar: What are you doing?
Rithika: I came for a job interview.
Prabhakar: I am very happy. Your sister's marriage proposal is fixed. You have not seen the groom, right? I have sent you his photo. Please have a look.
Rithika: Okay, Dad. I will see the photo and call you in the evening.
Prabhakar: Okay, dear. Take care.
As soon as I saw the photo the one which Dad sent, I understood that the man I liked at first sight was going to become my sister's husband. So, I quietly left from there, sister.
Present
But now you are asking me to marry Shiva. If I marry him, I will be happy. But you will be left alone. I don't want you to stay alone.
That is why I want both of us to marry Shiva.
Prabhakar: I have no objection to what your sister said, dear. I will talk to Shiva's family. I will somehow convince them to agree to this marriage.
The Next Day - On the Phone:
Prabhakar: Hello, Mr. Damodar. How are you?
Damodar: Hello, Mr. Prabhakar. I am fine. How are you?
Prabhakar: I am fine. I would like to meet you once. When will you and your son Shiva be at home?
Damodar: We will be at home on Saturday morning.
Prabhakar: Okay. We will come on Saturday morning.
Damodar: Alright. See you then.
On Saturday at Shiva's House:
Prabhakar: I hide one important thing from you. I felt it is better to tell everything before the wedding, so I came to talk to you.
Damodar: You are right. It is good for both families if we talk about everything before the wedding. Please tell me what you want to say.
Prabhakar: My elder daughter, Ridhvika, will not live for many more days. My daughter said it is not right to get married without telling such a big truth. She also thought of a solution.
Damodar: I didn't understand clearly, what are you saying and I did not know you have two daughters. I don't think I saw her on the engagement day.
Prabhakar: My younger daughter's name is Rithika. She has completed her studies and is now looking for a job. She lives with my younger brother because he has no children. She has been living with him since she was a little girl.
On the day of the engagement, she had an exam in Hyderabad, so she went there. That is why you did not see her. She said she will definitely come for the wedding.
I wanted to get my younger daughter married only after my elder daughter's marriage. But because of Ridhvika's health issue, she asked us to let Rithika marry Shiva instead of her.
My elder daughter spoke to Rithika about this. Then Rithika said, "Sister, let both of us marry Shiva."
When we asked her why, she said, "Sister, just like my happiness is important to you, your happiness is also important to me. I know you will not live for many more days. So please stay with me for the rest of your life. We grew up far away from each other. At least now, let us stay together for a few days."
Also, my younger daughter once went to Shiva's office for a job interview. She saw Shiva there and liked him. At the same time, I sent Shiva's photo to her. When she came to know that he was going to marry her sister, she quietly left from there.
This is the whole matter. If you and your son have no problem, both my daughters will become the daughters-in-laws of your family. We and my daughters have no objection. We will go ahead with the marriage only if you agree.
We could have hidden this truth and gone ahead with the wedding, but that would not have been right. We felt my younger daughter's idea was right. This way, my daughter gets married, and your son also starts a happy family.
If you don't like this, we can stop the wedding. Only the engagement has happened, so no one will have any problem. I know you have not seen my younger daughter, so I brought both my daughters with me.
Damodar: Alright. My son is the one who is getting married. Let the bride and groom talk first. After they tell us their decision, we can discuss the rest.
Ridhvika, Shiva, and Rithika Talk Together:
Ridhvika: I am sorry, Shiva. I should have told you this earlier. Please don't misunderstand me for telling you now. I like you, but sadly, I cannot stay with you for many years. If you agree to marry both of us, my sister Rithika will always be with you in my place. I have no objection because I will not live on this earth for many more days.
As long as I am alive, I just want to see you and my sister Rithika happy. That is enough for me. The idea of marriage was my sister's. She wants to marry you. Now please tell us what you think.
Shiva: If both of you have no problem, then I also have no objection to this marriage. I always wanted to keep my wife happy, and I will always do that.
After they went back, Shiva says to his dad like
Shiva: Dad, everyone said I would never get married. But now look at how my wedding is happening! I am so happy, Dad!
Shiva laughs loudly.
Doctor: Hello... Mr. Shiva! Wake up. What happened? Why are you laughing so loudly?
Shiva: Where am I? Where am I, Doctor? What happened to me?
Doctor: You met with an accident. You had a head injury, so you were in unconscious for one whole day.
Shiva thinks to himself,
Shiva: What is happening? I should be at home. Why am I here? Let me call Ridhvika once.
On the Phone
Shiva: Hello, Ridhvika. Can we meet once?
Ridhvika: Sure, Shiva. Where shall we meet?
Shiva: Let's meet at the coffee shop near your house. I will be there in about 30 minutes.
At the Coffee Shop:
Ridhvika: Oh no, Shiva! What happened? Why is there a bandage on your head?
Shiva: It was a small accident. I want to ask you something. Please don't misunderstand me.
Ridhvika: I won't. Go ahead and ask.
Shiva: Do you have any health problems?
Ridhvika: No. I am perfectly fine.
Shiva: Do you have a younger sister named Rithika?
Ridhvika: No. I don't have any sister. I am the only daughter to my father.
What happened, Shiva? Why are you asking all these questions?
Shiva: Nothing. I just had a bad dream. Forget it. Did you order anything?
After having coffee they both left to their home.
That Night, Shiva thinks to himself
Shiva: Ridhvika said she was healthy, and she says she doesn't have any sister. Then was all that only a dream? Or is it something that is going to happen?
No... it must have been just a dream. Ever since my wedding was fixed, I have been thinking about all kinds of things. I should forget everything. There is no one named Rithika. There is only Ridhvika.
A few days after this confusing incident, Shiva and Ridhvika get married and spend their lives happily together.
The End...
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