…Bride and Prejudice, following the wedding ceremony towards the D.N. Hotel
Being from the same background as Lalitha, I wrote this to explain some things that should have been plaguing Will's thoughts has he and Lalitha draw closer to
consummating their marriage on the wedding night.
At this particular moment in his life, William Darcy, felt such contentment and happiness as he sat in the carriage, on the beautifully adorned elephant, next to his new wife,
Lalitha Bakshi; no; Lalitha Darcy, as the parade traversed towards their final destination and the conclusion of the 3 day engagement and double wedding ceremony. The
journey was even more pleasurable because he was finally able to enfold his new wife within his embrace, while managing to dampen the intensity of his obvious passion for
her, and exhibited the correct degree of affection, in his embrace, that would not violate the Indian custom of not displaying too much affection in public even at one's own
wedding ceremony.
The delight of finally holding Lalitha in his arms was clearly displayed on his face, and his intimate stroking of his fingers along her beautifully decorated arms, was quite
apparent to the parade watchers, as well is the tightening of his arm that encircled her waist as she sat in front of him upon the elephant carriage. His thoughts were
pleasantly engaged with knowing that in the next hour he would finally be alone with Lalitha and have the opportunity to properly display his affection for her.
During his reverie, he felt the pressure of Lalitha's back on his chest as she leaned back, and as she turned her face into his chest, she placed a quick kiss on his chin as he
bent his head to draw her closer into his embrace. That was a bold gesture for his new wife; to display an intimate action during the very public parade when they, and Jaya
and Bulraj, were the center of attention. He then heard her slightly inaudible "Thank You Will" as she turned her face forward towards our well-wishers as the parade
continued towards the D.N. Hotel. Then it dawned on him, that she understood, the challenges he had to undertake, the things he had to learn, and the actions he had to
partake in for their traditional Indian engagement and wedding ceremony. She loved him all the more for bearing it so enthusiastically and with a genuine display of pleasure.
He was even more eager now to be alone with Lalitha, so that he could properly kiss her tantalizing lips, with the knowledge that he was and would be the only man to kiss
her and touch her in the most intimate manner.
That mental image brought with it another nagging thought. Lalitha had never been with another man nor had any experience, nor maybe even advice, about how she would
manage the wedding night. She was most definitely a virgin, and with his limited experience with virgins, there would be some degree of pain during sexual intercourse. Why
hadn't he thought about this before when he could have discussed this concern with Balraj? Balraj would know how to manage Jaya's first sexual experience and he could
have gained some insights without making their discussion too embarrassing.
Here again was another demonstration of his ignorance of his wife's culture and his thoughtlessness about how her first sexual experience would affect her, even though he
knew that Lalitha loved him, as he did her, to distraction. Making sure Lalitha was as ease and comfortable with him, during their wedding night was now plaguing Will's
thoughts. What was the usual Indian custom in preparing women for their nuptials and consummation of the marriage wows during the wedding night? Did Laltha's mother
speak to her about the wedding night
He remembered Lalitha's mother comments months ago, during a dinner party at the Bakshi residence, to Balraj about Balraj not having any complaints on the wedding.
What did she mean by that comment? Was it simply about confirming proof that Jaya was a virgin? Will knew that the Indian custom required virginity of all highly sought
after marriageable women, and the wedding night would require some instruction by the mothers of these women. Had Lalitha's mother had the wedding night conversation
with Lalitha? But Will then remembered that Lalitha was not very close to her mother, rather, she spent more time in companionship with the father. Surely the wedding
night talk was not a conversation that Lalitha's father would have with her, because it would not occur to him, that his intelligent Lalitha would not have done her "wedding
night homework."
Will's thoughts finally settled on one course for action for his wedding night with Lalitha, he would be forth right, and he would ask her directly if she was comfortable with the
knowledge that "making love" for the first time could be painful. If she was comfortable, what could he do to put her at ease, and was there anything in particular that she
needed to help her relax so she could enjoy her first sexual experience, in spite of the initial pain that she would experience.