>From THE TIMES OF INDIA * June 25, 2003 M a r r i a g e E n c o u n t e r
By T A E D'Souza Over the years, a lot has been written about marriage as regards how, why, when and where they are made. I never had much faith in the statement that marriages are made in heaven, since they were down-to-earth affairs with joys and problems galore. To make matters worse, there were different kinds of marriage like love, civil, church, forced, child, gay, live-in and others of convenience. However, my view of marriage changed when I secured employment in a bank during the 1950s in Tanga in Tanganyika Territory (now Tanzania). Andrew was a senior officer in the bank. As an authorised signatory, he was permitted to sign bank documents which were honoured by the bank's agents all over the world. He was also my friend, guide, mentor and a bachelor. Whenever friends asked why he chose to remain a bachelor, he would reply: "Good thing, bad thing, who knows, only God knows." And then, no further questions were asked. Every month I made a remittance to my mother in Bombay by bank draft which was generally signed by Andrew. On one occasion, my mother requested me to send a remittance to her friend Margaret in Bombay. As usual, I completed the bank's requisition form with Margaret's name and address on it. When the draft was signed by Andrew, he casually asked me whether Margaret was originally from Bardez in Goa, and whether she had a younger sister named Fiona. I told him the information was correct. Next, he inquired whether Fiona was still unmarried and I confirmed that as well. He mentioned that he knew the family in Goa, and we left it at that. A few months later, Andrew proceeded on four months' leave to Bombay. Just before he returned to Tanga, my mother informed me that he had married Fiona. All his friends and relatives in Tanga welcomed the good news. I was happy that he had eventually found his life partner. On his return to Tanga with his bride, I went to his residence and drank a toast to the bridal couple. We recollected the incident of the bank draft, and how it had triggered the events which led to his marriage. All of us had a hearty laugh, and another round of drinks followed. After that, I firmly believed that all marriages were made in heaven. At my wedding in Tanga, Andrew raised the toast and congratulated me. I thanked him and remarked, "Good thing, bad thing, who knows, only God knows." (ENDS) ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
