I Thought When The Day Came I'd Fight It,

My mother was married, meeting her husband one day before her wedding festival. She was sixteen. Her husband, my father, was 32. He had been offered a job in Detroit. My mother had been born in Michigan when her father did his specialization there. She had a 'passport', golden papers. And the marriage cemented my grandfather's partnership in his practice. "A marriage of convenience", to a man twice her age, destined to go live in Detroit. I was born nine months later, my sister a year afterwards. We were born in Detroit, we have passports, golden papers.

I'm twenty, A week ago I was told I'm going to Mumbai to get married. He's an IT guy. I haven't met him.

My mother talked to me. Wanted me to know I had options, finish college, start a career before I got pregnant. Five years, then I had to do my duty, he will be 33 then, two kids and I've done my duty. "You learn to love him".

I leave next Friday, with my mother and sister. We will stay at my grandmother's. He's the grandson of a good friend of hers. A meeting is set up for us, then the wedding festival, then back to college. He starts his job a week after we get back. Married.