Yours Accidentally by Madhur Nevatia Read Free Book Online Page B

the various
processes and their effect on her mother’s health. The doctor was impressed
with her understanding of the therapy and her ability to conduct the sessions
on her own when needed. Slowly her mother became mobile again, but complete
recovery would take a long time.
    To young
Sameera, who’d seen her mother take care of her father and help him fight
against cancer, it was time to stand tall and own up to her responsibilities.
She decided to forego her admission in Cornell and train as a physiotherapist
in Mumbai.
    The
government college which she joined to pursue her course was a far cry from her
posh school and she took time to fit in. Her clothes seemed too fashionable,
her chauffeur-driven car too big, her manners too delicate and her diction too
polished for the new milieu. The girls were judgmental about her and the boys
obsessed. She lacked real company and as the first year dragged by, Tanya
remained her only good friend.
    As time went
by, she slowly won over her classmates with her behavior and balanced attitude.
In her fourth and final year, she became good friends with Ayush.
    Their
friendship was blossoming when her mother dropped a bombshell. She had long
cherished the dream of seeing her daughter married and settled; with her
father’s demise, the dream had acquired greater urgency. There was a proposal
from the Sinhas for their LSE returned son Kabir. They were rich, famous and
well respected in the business community. They were also family friends and
went back a long way. A match between Sameera and Kabir was an offer Mrs.
Mathur could not refuse, but Sameera considered herself too young to get married.
Her four and a half years of studies were still not over and then there was the
six-month compulsory internship. Sameera and Ayush were busy applying to the
most prestigious hospitals in Mumbai and hoped to do their internship together.
The talk of marriage threw everything off track.
    The only
thing Mrs. Mathur asked of her daughter was that she meet Kabir with an open
mind. Sameera opposed, defied, and finally begged her mother to let go; when
everything failed, she decided to meet Kabir if only to return with negative
feedback.
    The Sinhas
arrived at Sameera’s home one evening; the atmosphere was relaxed and the
elders chatted as old friends do, putting Sameera at ease. Kabir was a normal,
well brought up boy; after a while, he asked the elders if he could take
Sameera out for a drive and before she knew it, she was sitting beside him in
his car.
    They sat at
a coffee shop and chatted for hours. Sameera expressed her reservations about
marrying young since she wanted to focus on her education. He agreed whole-heartedly;
he was just twenty-four years old and needed time to make something of himself,
but he also confessed that he would love to meet her socially again. He did not
have too many friends and would give a tooth and an eye to spend time with someone
as beautiful and interesting as her, but there was no pressure. They agreed to
meet again.
    Kabir was a
charming boy, attentive and indulgent towards her. They went for long walks,
watched movies, shared funny anecdotes, and became comfortable with each
other’s friends. Slowly, she fell in love with him. Kabir could be quite moody
and dominating at times. Sameera was raised in high society and had no issues
with social drinking, but she also observed how Kabir could not keep his drink
down at times. This was a bone of contention between the two but she loved him
and wanted to make things work.
    One evening,
they went out partying to a new pub. Sameera looked gorgeous in a black chiffon
top and pencil skirt. Kabir was in high spirits, taking big swigs of his drink,
nudging Sameera to do the same, eyeing the other girls lecherously. She
casually joked that she was not looking too bad and he should spare a look for
her too. He got livid at her comment and started abusing her.
    The words
came back to haunt her for years. “You are a freaking