| A girl confided to her friend that
a proposal for her marriage had 'been received by her parents and that she was
yet to be consulted before a decision was made. After congratulating her for the
matrimonial prospects, the friend inquired the name of the suitor and then burst
into a hilarious laughter when it was given to her much to the embarrassment of
the girl. The boy appeared to be popularly known by a funny
nickname which was attached to his name. There was nothing that the boy could
do about it. It stuck firmly as if it was stated in his Birth Certificate. The
girl could not fancy herself being known in the community as Mrs. of the husband
bearing that funny nickname. Her children too who were to follow from the marriage
and would include daughters would suffer bearing that funny surname! Strangely
the girl's dislike welled up in her for any boy with that nickname when she had
not even known or met the boy yet. It would however be silly on her part to give
to her parents that silly nickname as the not-very-silly reason for her refusal
of the proposal. Later when the couple met according to the
arrangements made by the parents for each to assess each other's liking, she felt,
or she thought that she felt. much to her relief, that she did not like him after
all, as she had prayed even before having seen him, though to all others in the
family he was a suitable young suitor with an average likeable stature and complexion,
apart from his other good merits. She tried hard not to link her dislike of his
fair appearance to his funny nickname.
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