Here is a short story that I wrote last night, after ages! I feel so happy that I could write again and relieved in many ways. For those who do not know yet, I have a published book on Amazon Kindle: Colors of Life in Black and White. (You can get the Hard Copy of the same Book, only in India on Pothi.com). I love writing small, no tiny stories and this is another attempt. This story will be included in my next book of course. I am sharing this with you all for first-hand feedback. Please read it and let me know how I did, so that I can write better in the future. Thanks again.
“I am not your husband, damn it!” said Ronit angrily as he wiped his face with his bare hands. “I cannot understand your silence and I do not have time for these melodramatic gestures. Just get lost!”
Ronit was done with their relationship. It was completely over for him. He did not want to stay in this relationship anymore. It was not easy for him too, but it had to end someday and today it did. This relationship was a big mistake.
Ronit’s mother was right about Anupreet, or Anu, as Ronit called her. She was not the right girl for Ronit. “Anupreet can never keep you happy,” she said once, which Ronit paid no attention to, then. And now he knows for sure that ‘Mom was right.’ She has always been so. It was Ronit who was blinded by the beauty and mystified by the magnetism that Anu had presented when they first met on a field trip in Argentina. That was long ago.
Anu carelessly stood up from the stool she was sitting on – as slowly as she could. Her eyes were wet, but she was not crying. For her, it was just another paradise lost. She was sitting at a distance from Ronit, in his drawing room, which was all messed up by now, after the ugly brawl the couple had. The birthday party was long over. Everyone went back. It was only Anu and Ronit who were left in the house. The after party did not go the way they had planned.
Both were facing in opposite directions when Ronit said those words and rushed to get another beer from the refrigerator in the kitchen. Probably that would cool him up. He did not look back at Anu – not for once. Ronit kicked an empty can lying orphaned on the floor while reaching for his beer.
Anu heard the known clatter but did not look back to confirm, as she stood up. She took her bag, her purse and grabbed her mobile phone which was still kept on the corner of the center table. She was all pale, tired and feeble. The alcohol was probably dying inside and not much was left too, but she was still having a troubled sensation. Her eyes were closing on her. Her legs denied to pull her out of the house. She clutched on the bag, her purse and the mobile phone tighter and ambled out of the house – the house that she built, along with her partner Ronit, over the last 4 years; the house she used to proudly tell as hers. She pushed the heavy glass doors with all her might and they gave only a small crack for her to squeeze through. She welcomed that gladly enough and forced her half-dead body through it, out of the house.
The best part of this house was that it opened to the road. And the moment you are out, you feel a gust of cool perennial breeze across your face, body, and mind, which drags you out of all the misery that you have had inside that confinement. That house is nothing but a jail to Anu now. It feels so nice outside – so fresh and new! She did not look back as the doors closed behind her, and she stepped into the pavement. It was close to 2 AM by then.
It was a 60s-themed birthday party, which the couple threw to a selected few friends, who did not have a ‘problem’ with their relationship. These were the ‘cool’ friends that they have – common to both. They knew the couple for almost the same time since they started working together on that extravagant foreign project – the startup of their dreams. Mostly all of these friends were working in that small-scale manufacturing company that the two started. The theme for the party was also decided by Anu, along with the decorations and choice of food items. Everyone loved the arrangements and participated. It was a lovely party. A lovely party, until it ended and left the couple all by themselves.
Anu was dressed in a white evening gown, a tight waist-high belt, and high pencil heels. Her hair was done up tightly and pinned to a high raised bun. Two thick strands of hair falling from her forehead on the ears and below were glowing in the dark. She was looking beautiful – even at that time of the night, even after all that, she went through in the last few hours and even at this age! She was looking out of this world; but weak enough to not being able to take straight steps. She was not walking steadily. There were a thousand thoughts in her head – probably a few more. She was restless inside and infirm outside. Her eyes were sleepy and the skin went pale, as she felt bombarded with unwanted and frequent questions that appeared from nowhere – all of these together – now – WHY?
‘What was she doing there?’ ‘Where she should have been, now?’ ‘What wrong did she do?’ ‘Why her – why her, again?’
Anu did not have any answers to these questions, when she thinks now, standing on the corner of the road in the dark, trying to decide which way to go. Anu did not have any answers when her best friend asked, why she was betraying her husband for someone whom she met on a trip for just a few days. Anu did not have any answers when her conscience stopped her from crossing the line for the first time. She just ignored them all and moved on the path she wanted to be on and was so sure about. She was sure about the new guy in her life – Ronit. He would never leave her for anything. He would love her till the end. He was her Snow Unicorn!
But things changed. Ronit changed. He wanted Anu to be completely his – forever – without any preoccupation. Ronit wanted a divorce, followed by a marriage; neither of which Anu wanted. He was not that fun loving, outgoing, gregarious, and playful person whom she had loved once – not anymore. Ronit had changed for good. And that did put her off a lot of times. Anu was fed up of the arguments and squabbles that they used to fell into quite often these days. This is not what she wanted. This is not what she deserved. This is not why she was there, with Ronit for. She had every bloody right to do what she did. And what did she do, after all? It was just one night – just one time. And on top of that Sumit is a friend – very close friend to both of them. They know each other very well. Ronit overreacted. Ronit has changed, entirely. He does not deserve her anymore. Anu was finding strength in her thoughts, after so much of wrangles inside the house. She was logical enough and probably, Correct too!
A fast-moving vehicle took a turn at the corner of the road where Anu was standing and zoomed passed her blowing a loud horn. The amazing headlights blinded her eyes for a second or two. And as she was about to take her next step, she stumbled upon something on the ground and fell face down on the pavement. As she was falling, she could remember only the last words that Ronit said, “Just get lost!”
PS: I didn’t want to add the next in my story, knowing myself; but then adding them now, on a request so dear to me, that I could not deny. So, please read this ending too.
Anu fell off and probably had a cardiac arrest which took her life in that instance. She laid there for a few hours until the day broke, the Sun rose and pedestrians found her lifeless body on the pavement. For once and forever, she was lying there silent. But no one understood what she wanted to say. No one was able to make out anything of her being there cold and indifferent to the crowd around her – she was dead. Was she murdered or was this a suicide? Who will tell them? Anu was dead and deeply quiet. No one understood her silence. How would they? None of them was her husband!
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