Conditions Apply

The old man at the reception counter in the hotel looked with curiosity at the man in his thirties sitting with two girls in the late teens.It was Prads and his two good friends Swats and Jeevs.
Prads was called to the hotel by his friend Surendra who said it was urgent. But Surendra had not yet arrived. Prads kept looking at the entrance and a beautiful lady in the late twenties arrived and marched straight towards Prads table. The old man at the reception counter just thought "Lucky Bustard..." and continued with his work.
The young lady extended her hand and made her introduction, "Hi... I am Karthika... Mom told me I can meet you here,,,,"

Prads was surprised and quickly guessed that this girl had come to meet Surendra and had mistaken him for Surendra. Without waiting for Prads to make his introduction, Karthika continued, "My mother must have told you about me. Still before you give your opinion on the alliance...I need to tell you about some conditions"
Swats and Jeevs were loving it and widening their eyes, cried out, "Marriage Alliance!"
Karthika was curious about the teenagers, "Who are these two girls... Mom told me you didn't had any sisters"
Jeevs answered, "We are his bodyguards. In this Gor kali yug, it is difficult for a single handsome bachelor to roam the streets freely. So we are here for his security. But you can talk... we will not interfere"

Swats made the introduction with just two words "Good Friends." Karthika didn't question them further and looking directly into Prad's eyes, put forth her condition, "I don't want to have kids for at least next three years..."
Prads' jaws dropped down and he again tried to interrupt the girl. Swats coughed a little,hinting Prads not to stop the fun. She tried to give a glimpse of Prad's dreams to Karthika, "You know... My Good Friend was just talking about how he would like to gift his wife with a baby girl - a miniature version of herself on their first wedding anniversary... Am I right, Prads"
Prads with a smiling face nodded his head, "Completely... Definitely...." and in a filmy tone added, "I want to make my mom and dad, grandparents at the earliest"

Karthika tried to talk some sense into him, "Hmm... Its our life... We need to set our life and get our priorities right and then only we can think of starting a family...Don't you agree"
Jeevs didn't want to be left out of the fun, "You need a year and more for setting priorities. I believe you can do it before the dosa we ordered comes"
Swats also discouraged Karthika's view, "You know my grandparents had ten children. They never bothered about how to take care of them or give them the best. My granny used to tell me that grandpa always said, "God is there... He will show a way""

Karthika was literally fuming with anger, "Mr Prospective Bridegroom!!! I have not come for a group discussion here with some silly teenagers. Is my condition very clear to you???"
Prads found her conditions somewhat unethical as he reasoned out, "Why are you marrying anyway? If you put such a condition, wouldn't it be wrong. Think about it ethically. I feel that such a condition would make one look like selfish. It seems the one making such a condition wants just the fun out of the marriage and not the responsibility arising out of it. Remember a quote from Kahlil Gibran, 'Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.' So why interrupt such a natural process. Its my view and I would like to stick to it. I am not asking you to agree with it. But I don't want to argue any further..."

Karthika was taken aback when the polite Prads ended his thought with such a statement.
Prads made it clear that he was not being impolite, "I don't want to argue any more because here comes the man of the moment. Your prospective bridegroom!"
Prads friend Surendra made his entrance and extended his hand, "Sorry! Got stuck in traffic.. "
Karthika looked at him for a moment and then turned towards Prads, "But I like you... I like a man who sticks to his viewpoint strongly... however silly and absurd it might be. That's what I want in a man." Saying so, she walked away without even giving Surendra, another look.
Swats immediately quizzed Jeevs, "What was the song in Sangam that Raj Kumar croons when his best friend steals his girl?"
Surendra himself started singing that song very emotionally and the girls gave him the chorus, "Dost Dost Na Raha... Pyar Pyar Na Raha..."