By Procheta Banerjee Chatterji
That day when I reached home, he was back to his self. After days of spending numerous intimate moments together, he was again standing on the other side. I was familiar with those words, with that tone. I had heard those words so many times that in every sentence he spoke I knew the next word that would follow. He said, I would remain as I am. Do you want to stay?” I said in my head, “Yes, I would have to. My parents…I love them a lot. They deserve a smooth, trouble free life. I would have to…my job…. I am going through a tough time. I would have to…the society…I don’t have the strength to answer all the questions that would be flung at me. Yes, I would have to.
That night I slept a half-baked sleep, rising at every sound.
He often drops me to a mid-location from where I take a cab to work. Mornings are busy these days. Making breakfast, feeding our dog, getting my daughter ready for school and then getting ready for work. Mimi’s laughter and Juno’s love filled eyes give me the strength to go on. It has been 8 years since we got married and still he feels like a stranger to me. There is a gap that could never be filled.
