By 
A poor family is not welcome, especially in the village, where the neighborhood is very close. When Suma and her husband rented a shack and came to our next door, my wife was clearly upset. I tried to comfort her. ‘We’re pretty good financially. I know you’re worried about being asked to borrow money. Do not bother yourself.
They bought a cow. Naturally, we started buying the milk. Suma’s husband was lame and therefore he did not help much in caring for the cow, all the burden fell on the poor woman. They had a daughter who was studying at the university. She wasn’t pretty, but she was well endowed with a brain, and she always came out first in exams.
She used to seek my help in her studies and I would gladly assist her. When she needed money, I actually encouraged her to lend us money, but my wife dutifully accounted for it, even though I treated it like a grant.
Our son was a brilliant student who aspired to become a doctor. Every time he came home, the two used to run into each other. I think my wife didn’t like it.
The girl liked to dress well, but I did not encourage her in this. Books are more important than looks, she used to say.
Once when we went on a picnic, my son insisted that we take our neighbors with us. Since we didn’t have daughters (we are one, we need her, was his motto), I liked his company. I wish I had better charms!
Once, the lame duck had to be hospitalized and kept in the ICU for days. We paid the bill, though she wholeheartedly cursed it. I think Suma’s parents had no choice, they were in a poor situation.
Days and months passed and his debt increased. (Stop going to the jewelry store, was my response to my wife). I suggested that Suma should buy another cow. Somehow, she didn’t receive any response.
One day, we noticed that some strangers were coming to see Suma. Isn’t it too early to think about her daughter’s marriage? I wondered. My wife differed. Daughters should get married as soon as possible, she commented.
But it was a completely different story.
A long time ago, when the lame duck was a little boy, his grandmother was very worried about his future. When her husband died, she secretly called a lawyer and made a will,
leaving all the property to the lame duck alone. She also passed away and no one knew about it except the lawyers. When the family wanted to sell a part of the property, they were informed about the will. Then they realized the seriousness of the situation and had managed to obtain the consent of the lame duck, who became a millionaire overnight, as sole owner of tens of hectares of land. All this was told to me by my wife.
Are you now ready to take Suma as your future sambandhi (husband of daughter-in-law) as they say in Hindi?