This short family story became SPIXer (Most popular story) on 06 Jul 2013 and won INR 500 (US$ 10)
Family Short Story of Husband and Wife – Resilience
Photo credit: diciu from morguefile.com
June 4th 1983 , evening
It was pure heaven at the beach.
Almost everyone was gone.
The young pair who sat on the sand heard the birds and the waves. They smelled the scent of the water and felt the caress of the breeze. The sky was ablaze with fiery orange, searing reds and yellow and yet the outer edges of the blazing sky had begun to cool with the indigo of the night.
It really felt like a little piece of heaven on earth.
The couple exchanged glances.
“So….why you asked me to come here?”
The woman broke the silence after a long time.
The man then stood up and started walking like he had found something along the shoreline.
He gestured the woman to follow him and she did.
The man pointed to what he saw and the woman trotted over there to have a close look.
A glass bottle it was, buried in the sand! To her surprise, it had a dark red rose and a note.
The man asked her to open the bottle . While she was reading the note, he pulled out a ring from his pocket.
Though it took her a moment to put the two together, she could clearly catch on to what’s happening.
That’s how they got married.
That was the beginning of their blissful life.
Time blessed them with two wonderful children.
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Times change, people change with time.
The husband led a hectic and busy life.
He rarely came home, which in turn made the wife busy. That’s how she escaped from her emotions.
The family meetings were numbering down.
Memories like other intimacies started embracing staleness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 4th 2013, morning
The wife got a phone call from the husband after a long time.
He asked her to come alone to the same beach that evening.
She felt happy, he remembered the pearl anniversary of their romance.
Thirty years changed them and their relation in many ways.
But within moments, stale memories became afresh.
Certain things always get revived, she smiled from the heart.
June 4th 2013, evening
The beach was lonely. He was waiting for her.
They exchanged glances but she didn’t feel to break the ice.
“We have been too busy for quite a while. I realize we haven’t met for a year or so…but I think you are okay. Our children are fine too….” He spoke.
A bit confused she stared him.
“I am tied up with many things. I think it’s good for both of us to break this bond. It has become meaningless! Our children are on their own, they won’t even mind it!”
That’s how they got separated after 30 years of ‘blissful’ marriage.
Memories soon re-entered their stale home.
June 15th 2013, evening
She went to the beach alone.
She thought it would be melancholic, but it was tranquil.
She could see a small group hanging out at a distance, flame – grilling salty meat.
The aroma that drifted from the barbecue made her anticipate many things.
The sun was going away and the dusk was coming.
Her mind was as empty as her stomach. She sighed and pined.
As she sat there and pondered about the past and present, she asked herself the timeless question all have asked throughout the ages:
“What will I be having for breakfast?”
__END__
