“I was gifted a broken heart this morning,” shrieked my newlywed friend when I called to wish her on her 25th birthday. “Wow,” is all I could manage to blurt out, thinking that her cheesy husband had presented her a broken heart pendant (the one that breaks into two separate lockets). But I was wrong. The guy had actually broken her heart, just six months after their wedding. Long story short: He cheated on her by sleeping with one of his colleagues during an official trip. She found out by accidentally reading a message (with too many graphic details about his forbidden act of intimacy) on his phone. Ouch!
Though theirs was an arranged marriage, they had walked down the aisle after a year-and-a-half long courtship. But I always knew that my friend was still in love with her ex and was pursuing this relationship only because of parental pressure. She often stalked her former flame on various social networking websites. She also went to the extent of flying down to another city to meet him for one last time before tying the knot. I would like to believe she stopped all that after her marriage, but I’m quite sure her love for her ex didn’t evaporate overnight. In fact, she even drunk dialed him once after returning from her honeymoon.
On the other hand, her husband seemed to be smitten with her ever since they had met. From giving her mushy nicknames to taking her out on romantic dates – he did everything that a girl expects her ideal man to do. It looked like he was genuinely head-over-heels for her. Clearly, that was not the case. Or was it? And if he DID love her, how did he let his hormones overpower his heart SO EASILY? I was mentally abusing this jerk and verbally consoling my friend, when it suddenly struck me. Both of them were cheating on each other.
While my friend sought emotional comfort from a man who was NOT her husband, her husband attained sexual nirvana by bedding a woman who was NOT his wife. So in a weird way, they matched too. Would you say they were perfect for each other? Is anyone perfect for anyone? In today’s day and age, is it unrealistic to expect two individuals to find both emotional and physical satisfaction among each other? I mean, think about it.
Does your soulmate necessarily have to be your partner? And does everyone, who makes it to your bedroom, find a way to your heart too? If your answers to the last two questions is a no, then congratulations because you are mentally prepared for what just might be in store for us in the future.
Monogamy is soon going to be an extinct concept. Love and sex are two different things. And, from the looks of it, it is very much possible for one to find both in more than one individual. I had recentlty read somewhere that approximately 25 percent of committed, heterosexual American marriages involve extra-marital sex. Watch Anurag Basu‘s Metro and you’d know that the trend is catching up in India too. KK Menon cheated on his sexy wife, Shilpa Shetty, by having sex with his secretary, Kangana Ranaut. In return, Shilpa hobnobbed romantically with her bus friend, Shiney Ahuja. Who was worse? No one call tell!
Also, just imagine: If Rani Mukerji‘s character happened to be alive when Shah Rukh Khan (Rahul) bumped into his old BFF, Anjali (Kajol) at his daughter’s summer camp in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, would things be any different?
Personally, I don’t think so. Rahul and Anjali were always meant to be. Just be. Together or not, that’s a different story.
Pardon me for the Bollywood references but the Bollywood blogger in me cannot help it. Anyway, coming back to my question. If infidelity is a deal-breaker in your relationship, how exactly would you define it? While sex can be a one-time thing, emotions (love, attachment, etc) are usually more long-lasting (if not eternal). So which form of cheating is worse, and why? Mere sawaalon ka jawaab do. Do na.