BEYOND ALL PAST

A great number of friends and relatives were present in the hall. The band played almost all of the biggest hits. It was indeed a great day, with everybody celebrating but behind in the dressing room sat an anxious Diya. Her hair was being straightened by her hair dresser at the moment. The hair dresser noticed a sense of fear in her as she exclaimed, 'No worries beta, everybody goes through it. Once you're done with it, you'll never forget this day'
Once her waist long hair was straightened, it was tied up in a pretty braid and was set with white Jasmine flowers. The smell of jasmine spread throughout the room like a perfume.
The red saree that she wore shined through the eyes. It was Kancheepuram silk with golden embroidered borders. Both her hands were covered with a dozen bangles and her neck surrounded with three layers of jewelry. She stood up in front of the mirror and looked at herself. Her light brown eyes stared into the mirror as her confidence started to fall. She bore a long, dusky face and never considered herself beautiful, but she had always remained confident about herself. She had the right attitude towards people, was kind and compassionate, and of course was successful with her career. She had always made the right decisions in her life, but for the first time ever, she was unsure.
She reminded herself of the past and the pain she had been through. No matter how much she tried to forget it, it kept haunting her.
The beautician came into the room with her make up kit. As her face was getting the final touch up, her mother came in and rattled a few words in a hurry and left as soon as she came. Diya looked at the beautician and realised that she shared the same confusion. Once her make up was done, it was time to leave the room and join the puja.

Her close family members came in to guide her to the altar. As they came in to the room, they all whispered praises in her ear, told her how beautiful she looked and how lucky she was. None of those sweet words changed what was in her mind. The fear lingered and her stomach crunched with each step closer to the altar.
As she approached the altar, she saw Sandeep clearly engrossed in the words of the pandit. A lot of mantras were spoken as the band now played the traditional music. She stared at Sandeep who had just realised the presence of his bride. He looked back, gave a warm loving smile and signalled her to come and sit beside him. Sandeep, who was wrapped in a silk white dhoti was smiling through all the procedures as though he had no doubt in what he was doing. He was his own happy self, while Diya kept questioning herself each moment.
With a few minutes, Diya got herself involved in the puja and did as she was told. When the time came to tie the knot, Diya was once again in her nerves. Her mind struggling to accept her past, her confidence fell further and she did not want to do this anymore.

Sandeep was a calm and a cautious man. His nature was to always think practically before arriving at a decision. This made him very choosy when it came to relationships. However, it didn't take him a moment to decide that Diya was the one. Yes, he knew about her past. He saw it happening through his eyes and helped her out of it. And yes, he was bold to accept it and not run away.

As the pandit asked him to tie the knot, he picked up the mangalsutra and brought it closer to Diya's neck. He noticed her shivering, understood her feelings. He looked at her and ensured her that it was a right decision. Diya smiled. As he tied the knot, he felt the deteriorated  skin throughout her neck, something that her past had caused and would stay forever. He didn't mind, he embraced it. It didn't matter to him that his bride was an acid attack victim. It didn't matter to him that she may not be as beautiful as she was before. All that mattered to him was Diya's love for him.