The Split 3

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 before you read this:

Shruti walks briskly avoiding the traffic in the bustling market place. She is out to buy Lotus flowers, Tulsi leaves and Coconuts for the Ganesh Pooja next day. The Ganesh Mandal in the market is practicing their Dhol and Tasha routine with full fervor and Shruti can feel the vibrations of the pounding Dhol. She quickly finishes her shopping and hails an autorickshaw to take her home. At the traffic light the autorickshaw comes to a halt. As the driver waits for the light to turn Green, Shruti spots a familiar figure in the adjacent car. She does not recognize the car or the woman sitting next to Vikas. Shruti watches the woman talk animatedly and the way Vikas smiles at her as he replies. They are both engrossed in their conversation and don't see her. 

Shruti leans back in her seat quickly so that Vikas does not spot her. Her heart is pounding and her mind is in a whirl. "Who is that woman?" and "Why is Vikas with her?" are the two questions that keep hounding her. She wonders of the relationship the two share, are they friends or something more than friends? Is Vikas having an affair with the strange woman, she wonders. 

The past few months have been exceptionally difficult for Shruti and Vikas. The miscarriage has put a strain on their marriage to such an extent, that she is not sure whether Vikas even loves her now. They do share a bed but were more like strangers travelling together in the same train compartment. 

Shruti quickly wipes the tears that have sprung up, as the autorickshaw comes to a halt in front of her apartment complex. She enters an empty flat carrying the bags, Radhabai has gone to her hometown for Ganesh Chaturthi. Shruti's mind does not stop wondering about the woman and Vikas. She can clearly remember his smile and the way he had looked at the strange woman. She is not able to remember the last time Vikas had made her laugh like that. The now familiar sense of depression blankets her emotions and Shruti starts crying in despair. As the evening draws near, Shruti curls up into a ball on the kitchen floor sobbing uncontrollably. The darkness envelopes her and she is sucked deeper into the void. 


When Shruti opens her eyes, the harsh lights make her wince. The antiseptic smell pervades her nose. Her whole body is throbbing and her left hand feels as if it is on fire.  She looks towards it and slowly comes to the realization that she is lying in a hospital bed with a saline drip and a bandaged hand. She can see Vikas sitting with his head in his hands and then with a jolt she remembers the kitchen knife and the blood dripping from her hand.

She calls out to Vikas, he looks up to her with tears in his eyes. He comes to her and holds her hand. She looks into his eyes and can see his pain and sorrow. They both start weeping together for their stillborn child. They weep for what they had lost and for the life they had wanted together.


Image courtesy: Google

Comments

  1. A Walk into the Woods30 August 2013 at 22:19

    Leaves a void in the heart.. perhaps a lot to be said. ...

    Its strange that when we need the loved one the most, that is when they decide to leave our side.

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  2. I agree Punam...in this story the couple drift apart because they don't know how to handle their grief...and some extreme actions because they don't know how to face the pain anymore.

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  3. Oh!! That's so so sad! The time which could have bonded them together pushed them away from each other!! :(
    Very beautifully narrated story LP :)

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  4. Thanks Shilpa. I know sometimes a tragedy tears apart relationships....

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  5. themoonstone.wordpress.com1 September 2013 at 12:48

    Very nicely ended. and its true, people especially parents don't know how to handle grief. Do watch the movie Talaash starring Amir Khan if you havent already seen it. Shows the story of a couple who struggle to deal with the loss of their child.

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  6. Accepting the facts and moving on is the most crucial part in any relationship. we just forget that the SHOW MUST GO ON...

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  7. Nice.... Good to see you put it as it is and not try to make it "Look Good, Feel Good"

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  8. I somehow could not digest the sad ending, hoping for a better one. Nice story. We don't realize things until they go out of control. Glad to finally see the couple together.

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  9. Oh! Now that was sad. Hope there is a happy ending.

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  10. Thanks Ash. I have seen that movie and yeah that is what happens when the parents drift apart..

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  11. Vijeta..I agree but there is a mourning process that people go through and things can get pretty complicated during that time.

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  12. Thanks Amod. I am glad you liked the story..

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  13. Diwakar..I mulled over a lot of different endings but realized that a tragedy pulls people apart and also brings them closer. I needed to show something drastic so that they come together and realise the path they had taken.

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  14. Suresh..I know it is sad. This is the last part of the story...and in a way it is happy because the couple comes back to each other.

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  15. I like the way you have left the story open in the end. You can interpret it in so many ways.

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