One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat

‘I will. Soon.’
‘I thought you said you would.’
‘I will, Radhika. Don’t keep pushing me so much. See, this is what I mean. You have become
hard.’
‘I am just concerned,’ I said and threw my hands up in the air. ‘I want you to be happy in your
job too. I want you to settle down so we can take the next step.’
‘What step?’
I’d had enough of him faking ignorance. He knew exactly what I was talking about. With great
effort, I kept calm and spoke again.
‘About marriage. How many times do I have to bring it up?’ I said. ‘I feel like I have to beg
you.’
‘You don’t have to beg me.’
‘So how long do I fend off my mother?’
‘I have told you. I am not ready.’
My breathing became fast. I couldn’t take this anymore.
‘We won’t get married tomorrow, Debu. But we have to make some plans. I have to tell my
parents I have someone in my life, so they don’t knock on every door in West Delhi to find a boy for
me. I want to tell them soon.’
‘What do you want from me?’
‘Tell me what is your plan for us. You want to get married in one year? Two years? Three
years? Something at least.’
‘I think it is too soon to think about all this.’
‘We have dated, sorry, lived-in for about two years. I think it is absolutely the time to at least
think about this.’
‘I think it is not,’ Debu said.
‘I think it is,’ I said. We locked eyes.
‘And so you must be right. After all, you get the higher bonus, so what do I know, yeah?’ Debu
said.
I gasped. I raised my hand and pointed a finger at him.
‘What the fuck! What did you say?’
‘Nothing,’ he said, probably regretting his statement.
‘Did you just bring my bonus into our marriage discussion?’
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘You did. I don’t even think about it anymore. Is it on your mind?’
‘No, I don’t care.’
‘You sure? If I were the sweet and innocent girl you met, whatever that means, you were also
the sweet boy who talked about feminism while we walked in Manhattan. Remember? You will
inspire other girls? Women need to show men they are no less?’
‘I don’t care about your bonus. Okay? That is not what this is about.’
‘So then what? Explain to me. Why is it wrong for us to discuss the future if we have lived
with each other for almost two years?’
‘I am not sure,’ he said.
‘About what?’
‘I don’t know. Suppose we marry each other. We will start a family, have kids, right?’
‘Yeah, of course,’ I said.