#2 - The Gazebo (Part4)

They were still upset with me, for the fact that I had taken a picture with a guy. I had let them down. My father raised his voice, "Do you know what this means? Do you know what would happen if anyone of our relatives were to find out about this? I would be kicked out of this society. Do you know what my friends and relatives think about you?" They thought that I was this perfect Indian girl, who doesn't go to the parties, doesn't associate with guys, and believes in Hinduism.

It really hurt me when my mother said that I had let them down. While ripping the picture into thousand pieces, my mother said, "This is it!! It's going to end right here. We have given you too much freedom. No more hanging out with friends! No phone calls! Your friends are not Indians and they are bad influence on you. Go to school and work, and stay home, till we find a nice husband for you. Now go to bed!"

They took away all my privileges after that. I apologized and promised them that I would not do anything to let them down ever again. I couldn't sleep at night. I cried the whole night. My world had turned upside down. I kept thinking about everything that had just happened. I realized that our cultures differed.

There was no way that our Indian society would accept Wilson and I together. No matter how much I loved him, it didn't matter. He is white and by Bhagvat Gita (Indian Bible) I am not allowed to be with someone who is not Indian. I couldn't do this to him or my parents. I realized that I am Indian and I always will be, there was nothing I could have done to change that, and I didn't have the strength to hurt my parents again. I knew I had to sacrifice my love for my parents' happiness.