Intro
The mountains around are dry with the scorching summer sun, however, today is a mesmerizing April evening in this little rustic town on the foothills of Sahyadri ranges in India. Filled with the fragrance of the mud from the rain showers this afternoon, the beautiful golden sky has hints of orange, red, and pink. The birds returning to their nests and the wind chimes on the front porch are dancing to the beautiful summer breeze.
This quite a modern-day house filled with beautiful artifacts and paintings belongs to me and my wife, Vasudha Lad. We decided to shift from the noise in Pune to the present laid-back town just a couple of years ago. We revamped our old family house by adding a flavour of modern architecture, yet maintaining its aesthetics. We, actually Vasudha had poured her heart into decorating every small corner of the house with paintings, lamps, & artifacts.
Chapter 1
My home, today, looks as if it has lost its shine with under-watered dying plants on the porch and the dusty mango, coconut, hibiscus, guava, & pomegranate trees in the front yard.
The vintage wooden swing in the front porch that belonged to my grandfather is soiled. The cushions are on the floor and a center table full of old newspapers. The converted French windows overlooking the Sahyadri mountains in the hall remain dirty & unopened. Several books and papers are scattered all around the hall. The antique wooden clock in the corner of the hall is believed to be a gift from the king and belonged in the Lad family for generations. We had repaired the clock after we shifted and Vasudha has always enjoyed keying it every 12 hours.
Vasudha, Dr. Vasudha Lad has a few grey strands but she is smart and social. She is a professor of English literature in a nearby college and writer by passion. I, on the other hand, have always been a man of numbers, retired as Income Tax Officer after serving the Government for over 40 years.
Vasudha was in the kitchen listening to old Hindi songs while making nice warm coffee after the rains.
“Aao huzoor tumko sitaaron mein le chalun
Dil jhoom jaaye aisi bahaaron mein le chalun
Aao huzoor aao”
Reducing the volume of the very trendy Bluetooth speaker, she answers her phone. “Hello, I am making this Dalgona Coffee today…. I will have to call you later, Mita,” she answered the call in a typical Maharashtrian tone to her language. She increased the volume again and filled two cups of coffee and placed them on the dining table to click a picture.
She sat on the chair completely engrossed in her phone as she posted on her Facebook.
“Checking what the fuss is all about – Dalgona Coffee (Ticked)” #lockdown,
She carried both the cups to the porch and placed them on the center table adjusting the pile of dusty newspapers. “Shirish,” she looked up at the other chair and started speaking, “this is called Dalgona coffee, it’s trending during this lockdown.” She stirred her coffee enjoying the beautiful golden evening sky. She sat on the swing and started sipping the coffee humming to the tune of songs playing in the background and looking at Shirish who sat on a chair in the front with a smile on his face.
Almost immediately, she was lost in her thoughts, a tear or two rolling from her eyes. Time lapsed and the golden sky had turned black. She was startled by the pendulum of the clock in the hall. She switched on the lights in the house murmuring her evening chants. “How did you like the coffee, Shirish?” she said picking up the coffee mugs – hers was empty, Shirish’s still full.
Murmuring to herself, “I know you would have loved the coffee if you had tasted it,” she went into the kitchen. You never appreciated anything new. I hope just a sandwich ok for dinner? Not now… after our cards game.
Chapter 2
“Hello” answered Mitali adjusting her glasses as she was reading through some legal documents. Mitali was a girl in her early 30’s, a former account director in a high-profile advertising agency and now a successful entrepreneur – Founder of a startup “O2” that ran errands for the alone and elderly in the bay area of San Francisco, USA. She was passionate and equally compassionate about her work.
“Yes, it’s much safer in my neighborhood, he will stay with me for a couple of days,” she said as her younger brother, Kapil passed her a cup of coffee. “We will not be able to travel anytime soon. So, you will have to take care and stay strong, OK? We will see you soon.”
“Yes! give my love to Dad,” she murmured.
Kapil looked at her in surprise…. “Dad”? Mitali just signaled Kapil to stop and that she will explain it all later as she continued her conversation. He shrugged his shoulders murmuring “You have lost it” – and left …
“Kapu…. let me explain ….” She called him back “I just need some time to myself,” he said and walked away.
Chapter 1 Continues
It’s past 8 pm, Vasudha just packed the playing cards in its box and tossed them in the pile of newspaper on the center table. She picked up the packet of bread lying around and went into the kitchen and started gathering ingredients to make the sandwich.
Shirish was seated at the dining table. “You know Shirish, for all these years, I wanted you to at least sit and talk to me while I was cooking. Tell me how was your day, ask how my day was,” she said peeling the cucumber. “I feel we just lost each other amidst kids, work, family… Just distanced though we were right there,” she continued.
“We were good husband and wife, a very good example for our kids, but I always wondered was it love all along or just relationship that we had accepted when young and carried all along,” she fixed two sandwiches.
“who is to say now …” she smiled, “You think about the past because you just can’t accept the past,” she said as she clicked a picture of her sandwich and posted it on Facebook, “Soulful talks and dinner” #lonelylockdown.
Chapter 2 Continues
Mitali knocks on the door… Kapil please listen up!
Kapil lying in the bed, playing some old number on his flute. “That’s a depressing one”, said Mitali and sat next to him. “I got this to cheer you up, the one with chocolate chips,” she smiled and gave him the ice cream she had brought for him.
“Di… Why are you encouraging this whole dad thing?” he asked while opening the ice cream box and taking a bite.
“You remember the time when dad got your first flute?”, asked Mitali digging her spoon in the ice cream.
“Yes! I was 8,” he said passing the box of ice cream to Mitali and lifted the flute he was playing “This was it.”
“Wow, you still have it? Thank god those chaotic concerts are over and you play well now,” she said mockingly. If dad hadn’t been such a “Hitler” about the music classes you would have continued being unmelodic,” she said closing the ice cream box and keeping it on the table.
“I was always better than “TA THAI THAI TAT…. AA THAI THAI TAT” he mocked the classical Bharatanatyam (dance) steps, “for all these years you never moved ahead from there,” he laughed.
“Yeah, I was never meant for classical dance, it was just accompanying friends…. I am good for,” she said actioning street dance steps with hands in the air and rowdy expression.
“So happy to share this time with you. We have forgotten smiling, Di,” putting his head in her lap. The whole last year was so stressful. Anxiety, stress … I just don’t want to….” his eyes filled with tears, he sat up looking at Mitali.
“Wait, let me just stop you there… She is lonely, Kappu. We are busy with our lives; we have gradually moved on. Old & lonely people need something to hold on to…” “I am supporting errands of over 12,000 old uncles and aunties staying alone here, but can’t do anything for my parents – Do you know what I go through?”
“Oh, please DI, no one is alone,” he turned away. “We have plenty of relatives, books, us. Dad, like this, is not an option?”
“Kappu, I know it’s not… But these times are mentally straining. She is aware of the reality but we have to be strong and support her till we meet her next,” she hugs him.
With tears in his eyes, he said, “Reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one”. They hug each other.
FINAL CHAPTER
At the dining table, Vasudha finishes her sandwich. She picks up her empty plate and Shirish’s still full plate and walked to the sink. She opened the cupboard that had several takeaway boxes and mugs. She placed the sandwich in one of the takeaway boxes and kept it with other meals of the day including the Dalgona coffee. She carried it all to the backdoor of the house and kept it there and walked inside.
She walked to the hall to key the clock and was followed by Shirish. “Our marriage was a game of cards Vasu. We both played our games right but it’s always destiny that has an upper hand,” she heard Shirish saying.
“Being married to you wasn’t easy for me, Shirish. You were never expressive about anything – likes dislikes. I secretly wished that we spent time like this, just talking, playing cards, going on long walks together, watching movies, you giving me a nice head massage, singing together.”
“With your new heart, I had new hope.” A changed man would walk in from that door and change my life forever. It changed Shirish… it surely did.” “I want to embrace my changed life for me for our kids… But Shirish…. You are always here… making it more difficult to….”
“Chimera,” Shirish said, do you know what that is, Vasu? Our lives have been just like that figment of imagination where we have learned to find peace in each other’s chaos. This will continue until one of us makes peace with the chimera,” Shirish goes closer to Vasudha holding her head and massaging it, he starts singing,
“aaj jaane kee jid naa karo”
“aaj jaane kee jid naa karo”
Vasudha smiles.
“I always knew you loved this song. Like this there were many things I knew, I felt but was unable to express Vasu. Our marriage wasn’t tough, times were. I know, I wasn’t around when I had a chance. But… Vasudha signals him to stop…. And says …
yu hee pehlu me baithe raho
aaj jaane kee jid naa karo
They sing together –
hay mar jaayenge, ham toh lut jaayenge
aisee baate kiya naa karo
aaj jaane kee jid naa karo – (2)
hay mar jaayenge, ham toh lut jaayenge
aisee baate kiya naa karo, aaj jaane kee jid naa karo”
Pendulum startles her again and she looks up, smiles, and says MISS YOU looking at the empty room around her with tears in her eyes.
She closes her eyes tightly, takes a deep breath, stands up, closes the doors and windows around, and looks at Shirish sitting on the swing on the porch, “chimera” she utters walking towards the room. She returns swiftly and opens the porch door, “Time to sleep, Shirish.”
The pendulum startles Shirish who is sitting on the swing on the porch. He looks at the empty house, touches the seat next to him on the swing and says, “Chimera” and closes the porch door, and walks towards to room.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
