One Hour

“It’s going to be tea time” irritatingly he yelled at her.  Seemed to be not bothered for anything under the sky today, she focused on her make-up.    

“Daughter might reach in a few hours” again he screamed annoyingly but the old pendulum clock banged at the same time throwing away his voice into pieces. “I can’t take you anywhere out now.  And, remember, I can’t spare the car” he shouted.

“I don’t need” stubbornly she replied.  “What’s happening today?” he said to himself.  He had seen her obedient, soft spoken or silent all these years but never ever as aggressive and confident as today.

“I am leaving home.  I have some commitments” he got up suddenly and took the car key.  “Sure. It’s up to you.  But, don’t blame me if our daughter has to sit in neighbour’s house” soon she replied.  He threw the car key onto sofa and rushed to bedroom grumbling and cursing.

Looking at the mirror, she smiled.  She smiled elegantly, confidently and pretty well, may be, after a decade.  Her pretty deep dimple hidden for long on her chubby cheek bloomed slowly but sweetly.  New rays of self esteem shined in her eyes.   

“I am still beautiful.  Will he call me sexy today? Or, he might simply look at my eyes and forget himself!” A little shy, she kept looking at the mirror passionately.  She stood as a blooming lotus.  She shined as a dew drop.  She smiled as a jasmine.  “Where were you all these years?” Her heart vibrated.

She could see him through the mirror watching her impatiently with a glass of whisky.  “Oh! He started very early today! How can he realize when I myself can’t realize my feelings today?” she whispered. 

She looked enticing in her blue salwar.   “He likes very small bindi and long earrings.  A few bangles are fine.  No body spray, but!” her enthusiasm found new fields of ecstasy while decorating her beauty with a blue bindi and a pair of blue earrings.  She shook her bangles near to her ears and smiled – “Am I naughty, today?”

“Wow! The Blue Girl” she exclaimed.  “Ah! Decades ago, I lost the girl in me” she wondered.  “A wife... a mother... a daughter-in-law or just a useless creature as he proudly remarks!  What else I am?  A slave who obeys her master’s orders or a jinn who plays her master’s whims and fantasies?”  Suddenly her conscience pointed at her.

“Get lost, you silly conscience” her irritation suddenly heated up.  “No evils can touch me now” she laughed – “For, I am a girl of passion, craze, love and simply pretty”.

“Stop such ridiculous laughing. Are you mad?” suddenly he intervened.  The whisky had made him more arrogant.  “Yes, you are right!  You, of course, made me mad but I couldn’t show my madness whole these years” her reply put him in more embarrassment.  Grumbling and cursing, again he went to the bed room and filled his glass with whisky.

She looked at the wall clock.  Her heart beats and the pendulum had the same rhythm.  She, once again, stood in front of the mirror.  “Am I an angel or a princess?  No, I am his craze!”

She went to the bedroom.  Her face bore extra ordinary courage and confidence.  “Amazing” He looked at her unbelievably - “Oh, you look really different, today?” He could not hide his positive remarks.

“Really? Thanks for the compliments” her reply echoed in silence.  He kept his glass on the table and held her hands – “You look exactly the way I saw you for the first time when I came to see you with my parents”.  He got up and came closer to her – “I can’t believe it’s you”.

“Yes, even I can’t believe it’s you” she replied and stepped back as he was trying to kiss her.  “Are you really going out or just trying to test me?” slightly confused, he asked.  His eyes had become red, may be, the effect of whisky or her beauty, who knows?  He looked at her tender lips and sipped a whole peg without water.  “Ah! Intoxicating wine and woman!”

She stood closer to him and took his hands while looking at his eyes.  His eyes shined while body vibrated as he never expected such a fun at that odd hour.

“One Hour, I need” she said sternly. 

“Wow! One Hour!  It’s really going to be fantastic today” he yelled.  His anger and irritation disappeared.  He started removing his t-shirt; singing and shaking his body.

“One Hour, I will be back” Her words echoed in his ears.  Holding the t-shirt in his hands, he stared at her – “What?”

“Yes, just One Hour” daringly she looked at his suspicious eyes and said – “It’s not a request but my decision”.  He threw his t-shirt to the corner of the room and yelled – “How dare you?”

“There you are! The real you!” she couldn’t resist laughing at him.  “Dear, I have never cheated you.  I never followed you suspiciously or deployed any private detectives.  I wished to remain your best friend or loving life partner but you made me what?  Best Slave or a robot!”   

Her voice hit his ears like thunders.  Killing silence prevailed in the room for a while.  “No bank balance; no appreciation or not even a consideration.  I have no intention of leaving you permanently.  I won’t take our kid away from you.  I won’t file any domestic violence case against you.  I won’t hurt or disappoint your parents.  But, of course, whether you permit or not, I am leaving just for One Hour” she remained silent for a while.  He sat restlessly staring at her face.  She could understand his suspicious silence. 

“Just One Hour, I will be back.  I just want to be his pillion rider.  I just want to enjoy a ride playing with the wind; watching the sky; singing loud; talking to the birds and may be, feeling his shoulder in my hands.  I just love to look at his eyes and feel my worth.  I just want to hear him through his words and silence.  I just want to have a peg of vodka with him with fish fry, barbeque and gobi manchuri while letting me a slave to his eyes full of passion and craze.  Don’t worry; I won’t talk anything about my married life as I don’t want to spoil my one hour” Though her voice stopped, her body looked still vibrant as if she was in front of him.

“Who is he?” His voice, now, was very dull. 

“There is nothing much to explain about him.  I just met him decades ago while collecting sea shells on a busy beach during the college excursion.  We spent one hour together in the crowd.  We talked a lot; laughed a lot but he remained mostly busy in watching the sun-set in the depth of my eyes.  He could read my heart through my eyes and smiles.  The sun set and we disappeared to our own worlds just with a shake-hand with a sobbing bye with hidden tears in eyes!  All through these years, he remained as an invisible star”

“Do you think I am a fool to believe your story” he shrieked. 

“Do I need to remind you what you are? You know it, better!” her reply was stern.

“Yesterday, I received his friend-request in FB.  I didn’t need a second thought to accept that.  We chatted for hours together and realized the value and depth of our relation.  To others, it might look baseless or funny or rubbish or in your words useless.  But, I simply don’t care who thinks what, as to me it’s a divine relation” she turned back.

“Don’t forget you are my wife” his voice was at its zenith.  “That’s why I told you the truth.  As a robot, I served you all these years.  Nobody can snatch my right to live just One Hour of my life the way I wish” She stared at his face and smiled – “You have One Hour with you.  Either take care of our daughter when she is back from her school; the milk and snacks are kept on the table or you can contact your advocate”

He sat shocked.  She coolly walked out of her house.  Smilingly, she looked at her mobile and read his message – ‘I am here in your city for One Hour.  Can we meet, please?”    

MURALY TV