How much mush is too much?

Women are supposed to love all things mushy but what happens when it turns creepy? Aanchal Sethi speaks to three women with extra mushy partners who tell us why it just didn't work for them

“Flowers can’t always be the solution for everything”
Sonu Dhar, a designer, tells us about her sappy trauma. “Whenever my husband and I fought, he used to turn up on the doorstep with a bunch of roses. It was sweet at first but every time? Sure, flowers are romantic but they are also so clichéd.”

“Once, after we had a big fight, I told him about my growing apathy towards roses. He seemed to understand but to my surprise he turned up with a bag of greasy chicken wings as an apology! He thought it was a cute way of saying sorry but I was on a strict diet and he knew it! This was not what I expected and it really turned me off.”

“He just couldn’t keep his hands off me!”
When Akshata Acharya, a stylist, started going out with her boyfriend, she loved the shower of affection that came from him. However, soon he started getting too clingy and landed up irritating her.

“The first few weeks were great and my boyfriend seemed to be the sweetest and the most considerate guy. But as we got closer, he was all over me all the time! It’s not that I don’t like holding hands or the occasional peck on the cheek in public. But he went all out with the ‘OTT PDA’ and that made me really uncomfortable. I dropped a few subtle hints but he didn’t get it, till I firmly put my foot down.”

“My fairy-tale turned into a nightmare”
Smita Gole, an event organiser, relates how her so-called fairy-tale went wrong.

“When I saw him for the first time at work, I knew I was in love. The symptoms were typical, butterflies in the stomach and sleepless nights. And when I got to know that he liked me too, I was on cloud nine! Eventually we got talking and became friends. This continued till my birthday five months later.”

“I had a clue that he was planning a surprise. On the eve of my birthday at 11.55 pm, he was standing outside my balcony along with my friends, all of them holding bouquets in their hands and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ for me.”

“It seemed all dreamlike but the night wasn’t over yet. We went to our friend’s house where there was another surprise. The whole room was decorated and there was a big cake on the table. It was all going perfectly until he suddenly came out of the other room with his chest covered in blood! I screamed in fear and shock. He was calm and sweetly said ‘Don’t worry, its nothing’. He wiped the blood and there it was, my name etched on his chest with a knife! He knelt on his knees, took out a ring, and said ‘My life and death are yours from now, I want to start a new life with you, will you marry me?’

All I could manage was ‘NO, I will not marry you’. My so called fairy-tale had turned into a creepy nightmare in a matter of seconds.”

Mush works wonders…in moderation. Too much can be scary, as these women found out. If you are facing a similar situation, don’t get intimidated, we suggest talk it out. If that doesn’t work, get yourself out!