Family Short Story – Life as you take it
Photo credit: earl53 from morguefile.com
It was almost 1 am and I was in no mood to go home. I was sick and tired of Saumya, it was same story everyday. “Why are you so late? Why don’t you spend time with your family? You never help with the chores? You never take me out.”
I was fed-up of her questions and all the arguments. I’m working 12 hours a day, so that we could have a nice house and a good life but she just don’t understand that. But today was the limit and I knew this marriage wasn’t going anywhere. I was sure that I wanted a divorce. The bar was closing but home was the last place I wanted to be right now, so I thought of visiting Sudeep. He has always been there for me thru my thick and thin so I called the cab and headed to his place.
The cabbie was some guy in his 30’s asked me where to and I told him the address. He started the stereo and the sound was so horrible that I almost yelled at him asking him to shut it down. “Sorry sir” he said and switched it off. I was little high at that point of time and was so angry with Saumya that I didn’t realize I was talking to myself. He noticed that and asked me if everything is alright. I again yelled at him “Mind your own business and just drive”.
“Sorry sir” he again apologised. I felt bad for doing that but my brains were working differently and I realised I needed to vent out my anger, I needed to talk.
I said “Never ever in your life get married. No matter how much fun that sounds it’s just horrible in the end.” I noticed he was listening to me with blank expressions so I started again “Are you married?”
He took a pause and without any change in the expressions he said “I was until a month ago.”
I wasn’t expecting that, but now I was feeling miserable so asked him what happened and he said “I was working as a cab driver in Mumbai and was married to the most beautiful woman in the world, but then I ended up being in a wrong company of people. Got into drugs and alcohol and life took a U turn from there. I started hitting her, abusing her knowing that it was wrong but I just couldn’t stop. One fine day she decided she couldn’t take it and left the house and I didn’t even gave a damn. I let her go, I didn’t even ask her where is she going, didn’t even try to stop her. That was the last time I saw her, next day neighbors woke me up and told me she died in a bus accident. Hospital and police tried to reach to me that night but I was too drunk to pickup. Sir, that was the last day that I touched alcohol. I know that she will never forgive me but I know she would’ve wanted this. I left the city and came to pune, I just couldn’t take it there anymore.”
I saw him in the front mirror of the car, he was staring in the blank still trying to concentrate on the road and I was speechless, my brain went numb. I started thinking what if this happens to me? My last words to Saumya would be “F##k you”. No, I couldn’t stand that thought. I knew I’d to make amends.
Suddenly it was so hard to imagine my life without her. Without wasting any time I said “Take a U, I changed my mind” and swiftly he steered as if he was expecting it already.
–END–
