Small Story 626.

 Small Story 626.

ShanmugaPriya

A Sweet Match Made by Destiny

After retiring as a Headmaster, Swamy settled in his native town, Tirunelveli, along with his wife Parvathy. Their only daughter, Priya, was working in Bangalore as a Project Manager in an IT company.

At twenty-seven, Priya was beautiful, fair, intelligent, and well-mannered. She was admired by everyone in her office. Yet, Swamy and Parvathy were worried about her marriage. Most of their relatives’ daughters had married by the age of twenty-four. Priya’s horoscope was also said to be excellent, but somehow the right time had not come. Earlier, Priya had rejected two well-educated boys in good positions simply because they were not tall enough.

One evening, Priya went to a nearby restaurant for tiffin and sat quietly in a corner. Soon, an elderly couple along with their son sat opposite her. The lady smiled warmly.

“Hello! You stay nearby, don’t you? Your face looks familiar,” she said.

“Yes, aunty,” Priya replied politely. “I stay in the nearby Prestige Apartments.”

The lady brightened. “We too stay there! My husband, Subramanya, retired recently from the IB department, and we have settled here. Our son, Shanmugam, came from the US last week. We all came here for dinner.”

Shanmugam looked at Priya and smiled pleasantly. “So, you like Bangalore?”

Priya instantly noticed his sweet voice and charming personality. “Yes,” she replied softly. “Though I’m from Tirunelveli, I’ve been working here for the past two years.”

“Nice,” he said. “I’m working as a Project Manager at Google in the US. I came here on vacation.”

His mother continued happily, “We want to fix Shanmugam’s marriage this year. If you know any good girls among your friends, please tell us. After all, we are neighbors now.”

Priya smiled gently. “Sure, aunty.”

The lady then casually asked, “Where is your husband working?”

Priya blushed shyly. “I’m not married yet, aunty.”

At that moment, Shanmugam got up to wash his hands. Priya noticed how tall and handsome he was. Something in her heart quietly admired him.

Before leaving, the lady asked for Priya’s father’s phone number. Priya gave it to her, along with her own number, and then took leave politely.

A week later, Swamy and Parvathy suddenly arrived in Bangalore without informing Priya.

Surprised, Priya asked, “What’s the matter, Amma?”

Parvathy smiled mysteriously. “Today we are going to see a groom for you.”

“Where?” Priya asked curiously.

“In your own apartment,” her mother replied.

Immediately, Priya remembered the kind lady from the restaurant.

That evening, both families met formally at Shanmugam’s house. Priya and Shanmugam spoke for some time and happily agreed to the alliance.

Two months later, their marriage was celebrated grandly in Tirunelveli with blessings from relatives and friends. The following week, the newly married couple left for the US. Priya would soon be joining Google and working in the same office as her husband.

As they watched their daughter leave happily, Parvathy smiled at Swamy and said softly, “Did you notice? Our son-in-law’s name and our daughter’s name together sound like your favorite raga — ShanmugaPriya.”

Swamy smiled with moist eyes. “Yes… God is truly great,” he whispered.

K.Ragavan

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