Any dream will do

1. Be an NRI.

2. Choose girl from a slew of choices and fly down to meet her.

3. Propose marriage.

4. Meet her parents.

5. Say "I want you to meet my family".

6. Go back to Uncle Sam and slowly allow silence to creep into communication over three months.

7. Post girl meeting your family, completely ignore mails and messages.

8. Continue ignore mode till girl loses it and mails you, asking you what's wrong.

9. Tell her you're not quite sure, but once you are, will let her know.

10. Call her a few days later and give her the most inane reason as to why you two can't be together and call it off.

My friend and me

Looking through her red box of memories...

These things happen, I'm sure. Relationships break for real ridiculous reasons all the time. But there are a few pieces missing in this puzzle that gives you the distinct feeling that there is more to it than meets the eye. For example, from the look of things (and I had a good look), it seems to me that this crack, for want of a better word, developed long before my friend was to go meet his family. And still, she was made to go through the charade of meeting his family in another city at her expense (In case you didn't know from your bar-charts, we don't earn in dollars here). I'm glad that this thing ended before it was formalised with an engagement of sorts, and God forbid if it had gone all the way through to marriage.

I bear no illwill towards the guy in question. He is a complete unknown and I wouldn't want to know him, either. I tried my best to give him the benefit of the doubt and yes, I was pretty convinced that he did indeed have a decent reason for taking this extreme step for a while there. He didn't seem to be a cad, from what little I know of him. However, my one grouse is that she could have been saved the look in her eye that says "Huh? Say what?" Lord knows it is tough enough to field questions from "wellwishers" of the family about being 30 and single and a "burden" to parents and to society on the whole. Thank you very much, but we can do without more trouble in our lives, like how will we tell all those "wellwishers" who were informed of the wedding that it's been called off and ignore the ill-concealed "pity" in their eyes and see the light fade in our parents' eyes and chuck this trait that we've honed to perfection over the last three decades of living that doesn't allow us to rave and rant and call you names and tell you to go take a flying fuck.

The heart is NOT a superstition, and it can take many a beating and still function. But what it cannot take is indignity of any kind, especially when we've placed some trust in you. And this is worst kind of blow you could inflict on it. We give away our hearts easily. That is because we have faith in you and that is because we have faith in tomorrow. That doesn't give you the right to walk all over it. Good riddance. Know that whatever your reasons are, they DO NOT justify the tears in my friend's eyes.  And they do not justify the sudden discourteous wall of silence from your side of the court. It really does not paint you and yours in a good light. You bet your sorry ass I'm indignant, I'm furious, I'm downright livid, for you are not the one to wipe away the tears that refuse to flow from her eyes.

And I hope you read this. Thank your stars that it was not me in her place. I would have asked you to reimburse my flight expenses and the bill for the lingerie I was going to buy. Hell, I would have even bought the lingerie!