What Would You Chose?

Throbbing. That’s all I feel in my stomach. This is not the happiest day of my life; quite frankly it’s the worst. Not the typical butterflies you feel on your wedding day. I feel physically ill. This tiny room is suffocating in my thoughts. I look into the mirror and I see no sparkle in my eyes, no life. I don’t even see a beautiful girl, more so a distraught soul dressed in a fancy sari. I can hear the noise outside. My family waiting for the   groom’s family. Honestly I think I could jump out a window right now and no one would notice until its time for me to meet my future. I am a fourteen year old girl awaiting my father to walk me down the aisle to my death. My name is Malina, meaning beauty and strength.   Not ‘Ekbals’ wife. I am not one to be owned. Yet here I stride in this room awaiting my destiny.   I should have left when I had the chance. Living on the streets would be better than this. Anurags family could have taken me in. Although that would not of been that different from living on the streets. After all that is one of the reasons I wasn’t allowed to marry him, his family name wouldn’t have benefited mine in any way. Although his family did love me.   And I certainly love Anurag.   He’s different from everyone else in this world. He believed   in my aspirations, even though they changed every week . He believed he and I really could work, even knowing I was due to marry in 5 months. Most importantly he believed we could decide our own fate, we could defy the stars. Thinking of him brings tears to my eyes. And before I know it I am wallowing in my own tears. Anu would be disappointed in me right now.                                                                                                                                                  

“If your upset by it, do something about it!”

He would say. I hear a knock at the door and my sister Lema comes in....