THE RED UMBRELLA
The rain came very suddenly. She was very reluctant to come out of the comfortable and secure boundaries of her home and take this unthinkable step. ‘Unthinkable’ because she has always been dogmatic in demarcating the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’; very very idealistic, and always in the quest for the ‘perfection of things’ in every step of life. At times, she herself got irritated, but circumstances and the situations were such that she was always pushed to the edge of matters and had to always decide what is good and what is bad.
A blood red umbrella. She had bought it the day before from the little shop at the corner near her house. It made a perfect contrast against the dull grey sky which was pouring rain in buckets now. She signed, because the umbrella was of absolutely no use in protecting her from the thoughtless rain. Her curls rested on her forehead, making her look years younger than her biological age. Sans any make up, she looked as fresh as the morning dew. Drops of water trickled down her face, and her mind wandered away to the mission that lay ahead. She thought about the hesitating steps, the indecisive breaths and the conflicting emotions. And though his attitude was very comforting, she knew that the onus will lie on her and her alone. It’s her life and she herself had decided the course to be taken.
She glanced around to have a last look at her ideal world. The tiny seedling which she had planted years ago was now a handsome tree, the rows of chrysanthemums that lined the boundary of her cozy home, the little girl who sold the roses who was fast growing up to be a lovely young lady; she will miss them all. She wondered in what ways the lives of the people related to her will change from today. But things will definitely fall into a distinct pattern without her in due course of time. And like this sudden rain, the sudden step of hers will change the entire household.
After reaching the airport, she let her thoughts encompass the years gone by. She indeed had led a very good life. And now the unknown is beckoning her. She knew that she will never come back to this place, a place where she learned the ways of life, were she fought all the battles of life. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that life will take such an unexpected turn.
She boarded the plane within minutes. The rain continued to beat on the windows, and the sky continued to pour water with unsubdued determination.
The landing was smooth and perfect. Waiting in the lounge of the small airport of the sleeping city, and she thought about the repercussions of the step that she had taken today. Gossips are inadvertent, but they die soon, and so will the various colorful speculations of her disappearance. She sighed and decided to focus on what lay ahead.
As the evening snaked around her like an aura enveloping a child, she saw him coming. Yes, she knew that even he had crossed a mammoth hurdle to be here. But they had both fought their respective battles according to the norms and with full sincerity. In the dusk of their lives now, they had a mission to fulfill, to give shape to a dream that was decades old and to unruffle the feathers of some subdued emotions. The tiny drops of rain settled comfortably on her unruly fringes of hair, and when his fingers entwined with hers, she knew that she was now ready to face life on her own terms.
The forgotten red umbrella rested snugly on the grey chair of the airport lounge, waiting for another life to take shelter in its comforting shadow………
A blood red umbrella. She had bought it the day before from the little shop at the corner near her house. It made a perfect contrast against the dull grey sky which was pouring rain in buckets now. She signed, because the umbrella was of absolutely no use in protecting her from the thoughtless rain. Her curls rested on her forehead, making her look years younger than her biological age. Sans any make up, she looked as fresh as the morning dew. Drops of water trickled down her face, and her mind wandered away to the mission that lay ahead. She thought about the hesitating steps, the indecisive breaths and the conflicting emotions. And though his attitude was very comforting, she knew that the onus will lie on her and her alone. It’s her life and she herself had decided the course to be taken.
She glanced around to have a last look at her ideal world. The tiny seedling which she had planted years ago was now a handsome tree, the rows of chrysanthemums that lined the boundary of her cozy home, the little girl who sold the roses who was fast growing up to be a lovely young lady; she will miss them all. She wondered in what ways the lives of the people related to her will change from today. But things will definitely fall into a distinct pattern without her in due course of time. And like this sudden rain, the sudden step of hers will change the entire household.
After reaching the airport, she let her thoughts encompass the years gone by. She indeed had led a very good life. And now the unknown is beckoning her. She knew that she will never come back to this place, a place where she learned the ways of life, were she fought all the battles of life. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that life will take such an unexpected turn.
She boarded the plane within minutes. The rain continued to beat on the windows, and the sky continued to pour water with unsubdued determination.
The landing was smooth and perfect. Waiting in the lounge of the small airport of the sleeping city, and she thought about the repercussions of the step that she had taken today. Gossips are inadvertent, but they die soon, and so will the various colorful speculations of her disappearance. She sighed and decided to focus on what lay ahead.
As the evening snaked around her like an aura enveloping a child, she saw him coming. Yes, she knew that even he had crossed a mammoth hurdle to be here. But they had both fought their respective battles according to the norms and with full sincerity. In the dusk of their lives now, they had a mission to fulfill, to give shape to a dream that was decades old and to unruffle the feathers of some subdued emotions. The tiny drops of rain settled comfortably on her unruly fringes of hair, and when his fingers entwined with hers, she knew that she was now ready to face life on her own terms.
The forgotten red umbrella rested snugly on the grey chair of the airport lounge, waiting for another life to take shelter in its comforting shadow………
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