Sapna was a good girl. Everyone said so. She was well versed in all house hold activities. She was good in studies She had got a higher second class in her B.A. examination. She had received prizes in mehendi and rangoli competitions. She was well versed in the three R s namely Roti, Recipes and Rituals. So she was considered the most eligible girl in the neighborhood. Her friends envied her as there mother’s gave them Sapna’s example.

Inspite of  this she was not married. All her friends were married. They were into family way with Sapna still waiting for her prince charming. She knew her prince charming would come and that too from China. The only thing she did not understand was how will the match get finalized, her father will never marry her outside their own caste.

This Chinese connection is a little difficult to understand. Let me tell you the whole story.

When Sapna was in college, doing her graduation when she went to south India on a college trip. .At Madurai they had gone to the famous Meenakshi temple. A whole busload of girls took two hours to complete the darshan. Sapna and her two friends were sitting outside the temple premises waiting for the other girls to come. Suddenly they saw a man who was surrounded by many people. Curiosity took them there. The person was an astrologer who was writing something on pieces of paper and distributing to people. Sapna and her friends too stood in the line. When their turn came they found out that he waswriting the chits in kannada. When they told him that they would not be able to decipher .He wrote in English. Clutching there chits in hand they boarded the bus. Unable to hold their curiosity they opened the chits. The caption was marriage and there were three words under it. On Jyoti’s chit these were marble , account book and cloth. Rekha’s chit had lake, city and shoes. Sapna’s chit had China, blue, sunflower.

The girls were confused and teased each other. They came back from the trip forgot about the astrologer. Than something happed -Jyoti’s marriage was fixed. She was to be married to boy who worked as an accountant with a cloth shop in Agra. The girls could not believe it but the astrologer’s prophecy had come true. Marble was Agra’s Tajmahal and account book and cloth .Well the girls were surprised .

They started believing that the rest of the predictions will also come true. Rekha was the next to get married. She got married to a boy from Udaipur [lake city] who had a shoe shop. Our Sapna was still waiting for her prince charming.

Sapna would think about her future. She was a patient girl but, sometimes she would be depressed. With all her friends married and in a family way she was still waiting for things to happen..

The days were went by. One day Sapna went to the market to get some clothes stitched by the tailor. The tailor asked her to come in an hour. To pass the time she was wandering in nearby shops. She entered a shop and was admiring the contents in the display window. The shopkeeper asked her to come  inside. As she went entered reluctantly,  little did she knew that this would be a turning point in her life.

Inside the shop she bumped into a ladder and was going to fall .She looked up and ………………………Than it happened………

She saw a man staring at her. Sparks flew and it was the case of’ Love at great height.’

Mesmerised and tongue tied, both of them looked at each other for long moments or so it seemed to them.

Suddenly Sapna was jolted out of her dreams. Hastily she told the shopkeeper to pack something and left the shop.

On her way home, she was not same Sapna who came to the market. Back home Sapna felt guilty when she thought about the episode. She was waiting for her Chinese prince. The whole day and night she was thinking and thinking.

The next day dawned, little did Sapna know that this day she would change her life. Towards the late afternoon Sapna was called back from the neighbor’s house and asked to enter from the back door. Her mother told her to get ready. Confused she went into the room with her mother where a brand new saree was laid out for her by her mother. Our Sapna got ready wore the saree and made up her face. She understood that some family had come to ‘see’ her. Yes a family. In our country things may have changed in the metroes but is smaller places you marry the whole family. A girl from the moment she gets married is suppose to know cooking cleaning knitting stitching taking care of an infant- everything under the sun.

Laden with a tray of mithais and samosas namkeens.  Sapna entered the drawing hall. Ooh……….  she almost fainted.

Here in front of her, was the same boy of yesterday looking at her shyly. His family near and extended were all present.. There was no question of rejection our Sapna was very accomplished.

Things happened like magic. The famiy pundit was called and the auspicious days were found out The Janam patris had matched perfectly. So the wedding was fixed on the 15^th of the month.hardly ten days to go.

The whirlwind speed of events gave Sapna no time to think. Her friends came for her wedding. To them Sapna confided that the predictions about her future did not come true.

Scared in her heart that some thing would go wrong she went through the ceremonies.

At last the whole thing was over. Sapna had promised herself that she would tell every thing to Ramesh her brand new husband.

On the wedding night finally she got her chance. She told everything to Ramesh and showed him the piece of paper.

China, blue, sunflower  the words stared at them

And suddenly… Ramesh started laughing.

‘Why are you laughing?’ asked Sapna.

‘The predictions have come true for you too Sapna.’

How I don’t understand.

‘’Well, what did you buy from my shop that day when I saw you for the first time-‘

‘Well a set of six tea mugs’.

‘Yes and what was the colour.’

‘Blue ‘

‘What was the design?’

‘Oh yes a sun…….flower’.

‘BUT what is the CHINISE connection?’

‘Sapna my darling what are tea mugs made of?’

‘China.’

‘Yes yes yes…

You silly girl .’

Sapna was happy and relieved .the predictions had come true..

And so they lived happily ever after and drank tea in those blue mugs with a sunflower.