Yesterday as I was hand washing our clothes and I came to the part where I had to wash my hubby’s boxer’s, It reminded me of an incident that happened in college when I was doing my post-graduation in Mysore. Most of the students studying there lived in the hostel. We were a group of 16 girls in our class apart from the guys. One of the girl had just gotten married during the holidays. It was an arranged marriage. She wasn’t even aware that her parents were looking for a match for her.
Arranged marriage is still a curious subject for me. One day the girl and boy don’t know each other and the next day they are married off and locked together for the first night. What do they do in there? I don’t want to comment for the men but, how can any women let a man touch her without knowing him or loving him because that’s what atleast few of my friends had reported they did. I know many of you’ll reading this blog may not have ended like that in spite of your marriage been fixed by your parents. But here in Mysore, a considerable chunk of my classmates came from villages where that’s exactly what happens.
So, when she came back, we were so curious and had so many questions for her. Then one of the girls popped this question to her that took all the rest of us by surprise.
Girl 1; Did you wash clothes?
Married one: Yes
Girl 1: Did you wash your husbands’ underwear too?
Married one: Have to wash all clothes so, yes.
All of us: Eeeeeeeeeeeewww. How could you do that?
The reaction was unanimous. We almost ostracized her and took a vow that day that we would not touch our husbands underwear's. They looked so yucky and the thought of having to wash them was sooooooo repelling. After we graduated most of them got married, I moved on to teach Math in a college and later to Hyderabad University and then to Bowling green University, Ohio. I met Pavan at Bowling Green. We married after a year and half of courting against his parents wishes. In the years before I went to USA, some of us girls did meet and some of them were married by then..but, nobody popped that question again. Either we had forgotten how important that was to us, or we just wanted to avoid it lest all of them will have to confess.
So, here married for little more than a decade now, I owe a confession to all my friends from RCEM, Mysore that I did break my vow as they had broken it umpteen times before I had a chance to break it.
4 comments:
This was funny :). To tell you the truth, I wondered about the same thing myself. How do men and women who have not known each other get intimate just like that? Maybe, I should have asked my mom and dad that. But could never muster enough courage. Dad can still pack a good punch ;). About underwear, I felt washing any other man's or woman's underwear was yikes. But, after marriage, along with million other adjustments, this one also goes :).
I think I swore that same vow when I was a kid too. Now that I have kids, I think I whimper and gnash my teeth--realizing I would RATHER clean my hubby's underwear than my kid's any day!
Thanks for walking over to my place! I love making new friends! :)
Hi Rachna, hadn't handwashed everyday clothes in a long time except for expensive silks or indian clothes that bleeds color, so these thoughts never occurred before until yesterday.
Hi Camryn, Thanks for coming by to my place too. I loved the way you had described your kids voice and the incident with your husband and kids at a supermarket. It was so hilarious.
Yeah! when I look at the volume of under-wears I've to wash for my kids..I'd rather do what u said.
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