“I can see nothing before me, I wonder where it lies thy path”, I recited while sitting on the plane to a place where everything was so unfamiliar to me, but still I managed to drift asleep.
Growing up in India meant from a young age girls understood the harsh reality that marriage wasn’t something that they had control over. My father was the head teacher at my school in Beleghata. The pressure of success and getting good grades was I worried about which meant I lacked patience most women gave to look after their looks and complexion. This meant twenty-seven years later I have witnessed number of men reject my family and I.
Now, in fear that I would forever be alone, my father arranged a marriage with an Indian man who lived in America.
…show more content…
“Would you like some headphones, Madame?” asked a smiling airhostess.
“Yes, please” I replied.
This was just what I needed to get through this exhausting flight. It was my first time listening to music through something other then the radio. The soothing sounds allowed me to fall back into a deep sleep.
Five days passed after the wedding and my new husband left back to America. Stuck and isolated, due to tradition I was made to live with his brother and wife until I left for America. Expected to cook, clean, look after guests as well as serve tea, it was far from anything I enjoyed.
During this time it gave me a lot of time to think. Missing my family greatly but also excited to travel and experience the new surroundings. Even though the days were filled with chores the six weeks seemed to not drag on and before long my passport and green card were ready.
“Man has landed on the moon!” The airhostess announced over the plane speaker. All the passengers clapped and celebrated while I kept quiet. Taking in the atmosphere I was able to realise that I was ready for a new beginning, America was the perfect place. Exiting the plane I was greeted with a silence that was unfamiliar. Used to the busy bustle of India, I felt