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“How come you don’t ask me to run away with you?” she asked.
“I don’t want to elope,” I said.
“Why?”
“It’s too easy. And that doesn’t serve the greater purpose.”
“Greater purpose?”
“Yes, these stupid biases and discrimination are the reason our country is so screwed up. It’s Tamil first, Indian later. Punjabi first, Indian later. It has to end…National anthem, national currency, national teams—still we wont’ marry our children outside our state. How can this intolerance be good for our country?”
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Son,
I am omitting the ‘Dear’ as I am not sure I can address you as that anymore. I knew you are on the wrong path the day you lost respect for your father. I am sure you remember that day. You have broken all contact with me since.
I have learnt you are involved with a girl in Chennai. I don’t know the details. I can only deduce so much from your mother’s conversations with her useless relatives.
We should choose the girl for you, not you. For you are on the path to becoming a man of low character. Such are the values given to you by your mother and her siblings that you may not even know how disgraceful your actions are.
That you choose to hide your actions from me only reinforces that at some level you are ashamed of them as well.
Unfortunately,
Your father
