The Ladki-Dekho Program

Manya was so lucky. When most of her colleagues spend bucks on conveyance, she was able to save on the same, thanks to her boss Preetham. He picked her up from her home and dropped her back in the evening. And she had nothing to fear as he was a married man. But that day her boss's car was not going in the direction of the office. Manya didn't dare to ask, but she was a bit nervous. A few distance later,a nicely dressed young man in his late twenties joined them. Manya started getting doubts about this young man. Preetham immediately removed the suspense of the journey as he introduced the young man to Manya, "He is Manish, a creative director in an advertising company. He is my Wife's Chacha's Sister Grandson! Let's cut it short! He is my close relative! We are going to see a girl for him! A village girl!"
"A Ladki dekho program!", Manya cried with excitement. She loved to be a part of such adventure.

Preetham expected a short drive. But when Manish started giving the directions, he found how lengthy and difficult the drive was. When all the turns and potholes and curves and climbs and signals were done with, Preetham saw the meter reading and felt as if his dear car was reprimanding him for making it climb a steep hill and that too thirty kilometers.
As they got down, Manya teased the boy, "Usually shrines of goddesses are found on hill tops! And I am sure, we are going to see one such goddess today!" and she turned to her boss and seeing a very tired look on her boss's face comforted him, "We are finally there! We have reached the destination!"

But Manish was quick to correct her, "No! Not Yet! We need to walk further two kilometers. There is no further road connection to her house."
So they began their walk. And what a walk it was. It was very steep and down the hill and looked like they were walking directly into the Earth's crust. Manya tried to lighten up the environment, "Looks like this is the place where Mother Sita entered planet Earth!" But It failed to invoke any smile on her boss's face

Then much to the relief of Preetham and Manya, the house appeared. Manish introduced them to the man of the house, "This is Madhav, a retired bank employee. It is he who had set the match. He will take us to the girl's house." The question spontaneously sprouted out of Preetham's mouth, "What! This is not the girl's house!." Madhav smiled, "Its just another five minutes walk through the garden..." As Madhav guided them, Manya slowly hissed into her boss's ear, "These villagers! They call the forest - a garden!"

The tall trees didn't allow any sunlight to scatter through them and the path to the girl's house was a rough one filled with strange bugs and reptiles. Pretham struggled a bit, "Shit! I should have got the trekking guide" , Manya who was enjoying the scene tic beauty replied " And I should have bought my camera!"
Suddenly a small house appeared from nowhere. Manya who was so lost in the scene tic beauty looked at the house and asked Madhav, "Which Saint's Ashram is this!" Madhav corrected her, "No! This is not any Sanyas's(saint) Ashram. It is Kanya's (girl) house"

The girl's parents were at the door step for their welcome. When Preetham and Manya entered the house, they felt as if they were entering a dark cave. The girl's father said, a bit hesitantly, "No powers today!" Manya thought, 'Bechara Manish.. Now how will he see the girl? " But then the girl came, not with the tray in her hands, but with a candle! And in that candlelight, the boy saw the girl's radiant smile. And that one look did the magic. The girl demanded that she wanted to have a private conversation with the boy. Manya thought, 'Such a small house, and with so many people in here, where will the girl get privacy to talk with the boy!'. Next minute all of them were made to walk out of the house except the boy and girl.

The chit chat continued for half an hour and when the boy and the girl finally came out, Preetham was able to read acceptance written all over their faces. It was time to take leave. Preetham was about to depart in the same route by which they had arrived, when the owner of the house remarked , "There is a nearer route. You take this route and within a minute you will reach the main road." Preetham thanked the girl's father and bidded goodbye to them.

After they dropped the boy at his place, Manya asked her boss, "Sir! He made you drive for thirty kilometers and then he took youall the way down into that pataal (nether world) and made us sit in that dark room.... When there was a simpler route! Aren't you angry, boss!..."
Preetham smiled, "Yups! I was angry when my dear car was made to climb that steep hills. I was angry when we stepped down the hills to reach the house. But my anger vanished when I saw the acceptance on both their faces. Tiredness and all negative emotions disappeared when I saw two hearts coming together."
Manya was all praise for her boss, "Hmm! That's Great!..." Before she could bestow the praise upon him, his cell phone rang. Her boss had quite a mixed reaction on his face
Preetham explained the reason with a straight face, "Its my wife! She says the proposal has been finalized and she wants me to take the boys parents to the girls place this weekend!"