This short-story was published in Yamuna:SRCC's literary magazine under the cover theme "Veils".
It was 5 am, ‘Monday morning’. Suhana dreaded this cursed
hour .The alarm clock rang in full vigour, breaking her dreamy world and making
her jump out of bed. She was dressed in a nightgown, with her beautifully
curled locks falling on her face. She looked surreal and exuded ‘princessly’
charm. Her large almond- shaped eyes, smooth skin and rosy lips made her look
like a Greek goddess.
As she tied up her hair in a bun, went to the kitchen and
prepared breakfast, her mind drifted off to another world. What a robotic and monotonous
life she was living, how she married so young, right after graduation, and how
her dreams (she dreamt of opening a hotel chain) would never see the light of
the day. Hers was a love marriage, resembling a typical Bollywood movie. She had
met Kunal in college, and their friendship soon blossomed into love and finally
they took their wedding vows, just 2 months after their graduation ceremony. Suhana
was crazy about him, then. She was crazy, even now. Even after 3 years of their
marriage.
She went up to the bedroom, where Kunal was asleep. K-u-n-a-l.
He was breathtakingly handsome and lovingly adorable, even now. Or so she
believed. As she stroked his smoothly cropped black hair, waking him up for
breakfast, she realized how a gap had crept into their lives. Almost a vacuum. He
barely had anytime for her. He was always into his job, meeting deadline, working
overtime and making presentations for his clients. His office was his priority,
his new life.
Her trail of thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Kunal had
woken up and was gulping down his morning tea. Without a word, he stormed into
the shower. Suhana felt dejected. She wanted him to talk to her, spend time
together, go out for dinner , or even a walk in the park. Anything. Just they
both should be together, just like the good old times. How badly she longed for
him. “I’m going, Suhana. Will be late today.
Have a very crucial meeting with a client. Take care. Bye.” All she could manage to say was “Okay. Bye.”
After Kunal bid goodbye to her, she sat on the couch, tears
welled up in her eyes. She was trying to suppress them. Trying not to cry. But at that very second, a teardrop trickled
down her cheek and she burst into tears. She couldn’t hold it together anymore.
She wept unendingly and totally broke down. Her world had been ripped apart
.She couldn’t endure it. Not anymore.
Kunal’s phone had buzzed, while he was in the shower. The
phone flashed “ 1 new message”. Suhana was in a double-minded state. She was
confused, whether to press the “Open” button or not. She had never checked
Kunal’s phone or bill records earlier. How could she? It was K-u-n-a-l. No way.
Her hands trembled as she pressed the open button. It said, “Waiting for you at
the apartment, sweetheart. See you at 9. Love you lots, Aisha. XoXo” She kept
the phone back, and returned back to the kitchen, preparing breakfast, bearing
it all inside her heart.
But after Kunal went, she couldn’t hold it anymore and had burst
into tears .He had deceived her. Completely deluded her .But, Suhana’s love for
him was not a false display or pretence. She truly, one-sidedly loved him. She
couldn’t decipher what was her fault, after all. What had she done to deserve
such a betrayal? Was she not a good wife? Or was she not that attractive after all
these years? Or maybe she never knew Kunal properly and fully? They had rushed
into marriage, very early in their lives and maybe there was a side of him that
she was totally unaware of. Maybe. She didn’t know the answer to any of it.
She wiped off her tears and consoled herself to be strong. She
promised herself that she wouldn’t create a scene, or confront Kunal. No matter
how much she wanted to. As it would only lead to two possibilities, neither of
which was acceptable to her: One, he could be indifferent about the matter and
refuse to respond properly; Two, he could move out of the house, after a series
of fights. She didn’t want any of this melodrama. She wanted Kunal to realize his
own fault, his temporary indiscretion and come back to her, in his true sense. She
promised to stand strong with valiance and grit. She promised to bear it all
with a smile. She put up a brave front, a façade smilingly, in the hope that he will come running back to
her and everything will be alright.
Today, Suhana wears her own veil and Kunal, his own. It was
funny how on their wedding day too, they both wore veils, (Suhana was clad in a
‘ghunghat” and Kunal wore a ‘sehra’), but how starkingly opposite were the
veils they both wore today.
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