 |
| Anurag Sharma |
- Anurag Sharma
Allen
Nowadays, when I go to bed each night, I wish the morning to come early, after God knows after how many years. I have restarted living my life. And this all happened because of Margaret. I regained my lost interest in life after meeting Margaret. My life after my marriage with Xena was like getting roasted in perpetual hell. It didn’t get any better even when we decided to get separated. The hurdles she created in the simple process of divorce … I can’t believe that I ever trusted her to be my life-partner. I just got blinded by her beauty.
Margaret
Of course, he is old, bald, fat, pale and short. He colors his hair and can’t even see without glasses. He still attracts me. He is clever and rich. He has a good sense of humor. On top of all this, he loves me more than his own life. He is the perfect husband material. No doubt, I love him.
Allen
I am very happy. Now I enjoy my food, get a good night’s sleep and stay fresh like a youngster. Margaret may not be an exotic beauty, she is kind and compassionate. I guess I am being humble. Actually, I am on top of the world now. She is taking the initiative to call me for last couple of days. And, she is coming to have dinner with me tonight
Margaret
I can’t believe how much my life has changed in the last couple of weeks. We came so close to each other. Tonight, he has invited me for special dinner. If he presents the ring to me tonight, I’m going to grab it right there like a wise girl.
Allen
I can’t call this evening anything but a disaster. It is the most expensive place in town. Margaret has never been to such a place ever before. How happy she was! My bad luck; such a beautiful evening got spoiled.
Margaret
He is well educated and civilized. Doesn’t he know that it’s bad manners to leave the table frequently to take phone calls when a girl is waiting?
Allen
I don’t know who kept calling repeatedly last night. The caller didn’t say a word nor left any message. I generally don’t pick up a call from private numbers but the calls from my mother’s nursing home are without caller ID. Moreover, the signal gets so weak at these high rise buildings at times. All these considerations made me answer the phone every time it rang. But Margaret never sounded so fussy before. The way she left the restaurant without informing me … and now she is not even responding my phone calls, what does this mean? Is this dream over?
Margaret
I could have never guessed it, I’m such a simple soul. God bless that kind senior lady who watched this drama quietly from a remote corner in the restaurant. When he left me alone fifth time, she approached me on her own and passed me some wisdom in the form of a note.
Xena
How can he live happily after kicking me out of his house? He cannot have fun with young girls. This rat can never be joyous after destroying my life. I’ll swear at him whenever I open my mouth. Had that Romeo identified my call, he’d have never picked up the phone. I told that lizard, “I overheard him. He is playing a game with many girls simultaneously. This ugly creature is below your dignity.”
(Translated from Hindi)
Nicely narrated short fiction; it is engaging.
ReplyDelete