My Story Page 69: Marriage

“And you’re going for marriage too!” – I threw a teaser upon her.

“Humanity has left me with no alternative – at least not a civilized one, so to say. Why did you marry too?” – she threw my teaser back upon me, smiling.

“I was ignorant, so I did.” – I tried to play smart.

“I am not, so I will.” – loud came the laughter, joined by me.

“You can’t expect me to keep hunting for fish in a pond where there is none; or if they are, they are done!” – the laughter went still louder.

“So you’re also there in the race, ready to run…” – I shot another arrow.

“Without any fun…” – she took the shot easy.

“Just to be won!” – we were enjoying this light-hearted rhyming.

“O my God, males call it winning a female, as if it is a war going on in between the two!” – there was a feeling of disgust on her face.

“How will you be able to do justice to your marriage, if you’re feeling so bitter about it?” – I went apprehensive regarding her future.

“Will marriage do a justice to me? I mean, isn’t it a give and take relationship only…like trading something for another?” – her eyes had gone piercing.

“Why go for such a foul trade at all?” – I threw a challenge upon her.

“And keep starving all through your life! Or be ready to be looked down upon as a promiscuous lady in the eyes of society!” – she threw my challenge back.

“So compromise?” – I had really gone curious about this question of mine.

“If you are not given food for long, and then one fine morning you are offered with one single dish – may be tasty, may be not – which you are supposed to keep eating all through your life as much as you feel like doing, will you turn down the offer?” – she started laughing.

“So, compromise.” – I had got my answer.

“In the primitive society, at the start of human civilization; there used to be no marriage as such.” – she stated the fact.

“Yes, I know that. There used to be free sex in the society and reproduction was an exclusively female prerogative. Bringing up of the kids used to be partly an individual – of the mother – and partly a social – of the tribe – phenomenon. There was no role of father as such in either of these activities.” – I took it further.

“In fact, no male ever knew who his kid was. Even the mother didn’t know who the father of her kid was, for that matter.” – she naughtily challenged my validity as my kid’s father.

“So the poor fellow was at a clear loss as compared to the female in the tribe!” – I surrendered to her logic, taking it a step further.

“But then he took benefit of his physical prowess and framed rules in the society of the tribe dictating a woman not to spontaneously sleep with any man she felt like doing. Rather she would select one for life and stick to him only, all through her life. If she broke this rule, she would be committing adultery. Adultery would be punishable by the tribe as well as by God!” – she was laughing irresistibly to getting tears in her eyes.

“Now the male could at least expect to know who his kids were!” – I tried to establish the validity of my fatherhood.

“But in order for the female not to commit adultery, it was very much technically required that the male also didn’t commit it either. Since if the male did, the female would automatically get involved; and the system would not work, it would immediately break down!” – her laughter had turned into a smirk by now.

“And thus took marriage its birth on earth!” – I struck a conclusive note to the build-up of her logic.