The Test

 

     Ever since my son Daniel's marriage got into my head, I thought it was best to conjugate him with someone with whom he resonated in his deeper mind. Daniel had been an introvert and was shy to speak to girls. He was mostly lost in his own world as he grew up into his teenage. He loved gadgets, and books. However, he kept away from people. Doctors had diagnosed Daniel to be a case of autism spectrum disorder. I never believed the doctors and chose to give the best for my son. His mother had left him early in his life. Perhaps, the lack of a motherly figure made him distrustful towards other human beings. 

I learned the hard way that, staying bachelor seems the best solution for a man who wants only peace and no troubles in his life. But we humans, have learnt to love tragedies and hence sometimes it feels inevitable to sacrifice ourselves at the marriage altar. Bondage may come in several forms, and the most practiced but least understood is marriage. Maybe we need partners and our personal space. Or maybe we need someone to keep on meddling in our matters. It all depends on the spouse that we have. I had a wonderful spouse, but we humans are not eternal and neither infallible. We break and we are lost to time. 

I couldn't forever care for my son. There would be a time when I would need care myself. He needed someone who could be with him and accept him as he was. After evaluating a hundred of eligible presumably happy couples, what struck me was, mental peace could only be attained if both partners respected each other and adjusted. Darwin's evolution theory works in marriages too; those families that can adapt well to the changes- survive, or they end up in broken families (extinction)!

Staying alone his entire life was not a good choice, and spending with someone dumb wasn't a good choice either. Marriage is just like a game of Ludo. No matter how much you have practiced before, the end results are wholly dependent on luck and chance alone! My son isn't a loser that he can't get a girl all by himself. People are born different, and we have to respect nature's selection. What lies within our own power is to adjust and treat others the way you would expect to get treated. My son wouldn't hurt a fly. He rarely complained. 

Do I really need to seek a match for my son, I asked myself, numerous times. He was only 22. My dad had been married when he was 20. My grandad had been married when he was 18. Those times were different. There are things I need to sort out before getting a good match. Getting the right woman meant everything was right. So, here's what I planned to do.

I wrote an advertisement in the newspaper:

 Bride Wanted

Proposal are invited for an introvert boy of 22, who can't find a girl by himself. Interested candidates who feel that they can stay with such a loser their entire lives are most welcome to my home. Not to say, the girl must know how to read and write well. Address, etc.  

 

"I want my daughter-in-law to be educated," I told my housekeeper, Mrs. Kent. "Pretty girls are nice for a while. Then the beauty fades, and all that is left the character within. I need a girl with a decent character."

Mrs. Kent wondered where I was getting at. Choosing a partner, is traumatic if there is rejection. A faithful partner is the a bliss for eternity. The only way to choose a partner without hurting anyone's interest is not to go on looking for a partner.

Over the next week, I received several letters, requesting an appointment or a visit. One fine morning, I called my housekeeper. 

"Mrs. Kent, shall we go to meet some new friends?" 

She replied in affirmative. My housekeeper is a middle-aged woman with a sharp nose. She knows that when I am on a mission it is in the best of her interest to keep quiet and go along. 

We drove to a house at the other end of the town, in Mrs. Kent's car. She parked the car outside the red brick walls and we walked in through the small gates. It was a beautiful house with wooden windows thrown wide open through which we could see the interior of the room. There was a beautiful girl who was teaching a group of children of different ages. 

We waited until the class ended. The teacher, who seemed to be twenty, beckoned us to come in as the children rushed out.

"Madam," I said. "I live on the other side of the town. I have a kid whom I want you to tutor."

She looked up at me. "How old is he?"

 "Thirteen. Today, his teacher in school gave him to write a letter and essay as homework." I gave her the sheet of paper. On one side was written,

Write a letter to your father about your ambitions and how you would achieve them (in 100 words).

She flipped the page, on which was written:

Write an essay about the ways a person could lead a peaceful life (in 1000 words). 

"Could you write it.... for him?" I asked her.

She looked at me, and she looked at the page, a bit confused. 

"Maybe you are in a hurry, sir." she said. "You should have brought your kid along. My duty is to teach the kid, and not be writing this for him."

"I have my spectacles broken today, otherwise I would have helped him. I will bring my son along with me tomorrow."

She looked tired, but she nodded. "Okay, I will do it sir."

She asked us to sit on the bench, as she wrote on the page. Mrs. Kent murmured wondering what was going on. I looked at the girl working. She seemed to be an angel. She was tired, but yet she agreed to my request. She had compassion. In my mind, I wanted her to succeed. I wanted her to pass the test.  

 It's not always the most beautiful or the most clever that succeeds. Sometimes those who have a foresight and see what's coming, and can adapt to the situation and circumstances, succeeds. They succeed when all others fail. 

I read every word the girl had written. But that was not of much significance to me. She was a simple girl, and her words reflected it.

But in the end I chose this simple girl for my son. A girl who hadn't experienced life much. A girl whose letter was simple. But then she had adapted. She saw, that she had to adjust her life in two separate pages, one which had ample space, and one where the space was constrained. And she adjusted her writings accordingly, to fit the word requirement in the given space. 

I knew, she could adjust with my son. A happy marital life was all about a bit of adjustment with a foresight.