WHAT'S IN A FAITH? - A LOVE STORY

"I am not religious, used to be, but not anymore," he said.

"Spiritual?" she asked.

"You can call me that," he said

"Okay," she said with a deliberate pause. He didn't sound spiritual at all. But she didn't care much since faith, religion and the likes hadn't played an important role in her life at all.

This was their first date together and the two hit it off immediately. At first they met every month, then every two weeks, then every week and they were soon in a relationship.

"Do you have to go?" she asked him as they were sitting enjoying lunch.

"You know I attend the prayers every Thursday," he said

"Isn't there anything I could do to make you stay?" she questioned.

"You know the answer to that," he said.

"You know when we met a year ago, you said you weren't religious," she paused and waited. When she knew all his attention was on her, she continued, "I think you lied. You are more religious than most people I know".

He smiled, "I don't think it should matter to you much. You don't believe in these things anyways. We have managed so far, haven't we?"

"Yes. We both ignore what the other is doing in terms of faith. How sweet is that!" she said sarcastically.

"What are you scared of? We both love each other and that is what is more important".

She kept quiet. This was the first time either one of them had used the L word.

Five years and a kid later, they were having fights everyday, so they went to a marriage counselor.

"I can't do this anymore. This pretending. It's affecting baby in a bad way too, he doesn't belong anywhere," she said to him sitting in front of the counselor.

"I can't believe this. We are married for life. You can't just give up like that. And anyways, for baby to belong anywhere, he needs to know his scriptures. Everytime I take him to the prayer house, we fight and you say things that are just opposite to what the priest says. The kid is getting confused," he retaliated.

"I married a guy who believed more in our love than his faith. It's been 5 years and I can't see that man anymore. All I see is a father who is more concerned about teaching his son his faith than anything else," she confessed.

"Well, he needs to know something about his faith," he said.

"His faith! His faith! Baby doesn't have a faith! Remember, we decided we would let him decide for himself when he grew up. Nope, you don't remember anything at all. You know nothing but your faith," she shouted.

"I don't think it should matter to you much what baby follows anyways, since you don't believe in these things. We have managed so far, haven't we?" he said.

She had heard this same dialogue earlier and knew how things would go. She hadn't realised but having no beliefs had now become a faith too. She had to decide what was important to her. He was right, if she didn't believe in any faith, then it shouldn't have mattered. She loved him and the baby more than anything. The fights stopped.

She let him teach the baby all about his faith. Occasionally she had her reservations, but they were happy together not letting faith come in between. When baby was in his teens, he chose to unfollow his father's faith. At first he was angry, but then realised that the son knew the difference between right and wrong, was caring and was turning into a fine young man. Rest mattered less. 

In the end love won.