Three hours. Three hours and sixteen minutes, to be exact. It didn’t matter anyway. She had completely lost track of time, after his call. At first she’d thought it was a joke of some kind. She had grown used to him at times being bitingly funny, and unusually sarcastic. Today was different. What had started out as a tiny plume of smoke slowly revealed itself to be an erupting volcano, destroying everything around it. All the memories, each and every second of their relationship had been charred beyond measure. She was on fire. She felt frozen, she felt numb. She’d been set ablaze by the allegations thrown at her. So, this was what it had come to. Too many questions asked. She didn’t know how to answer them. She didn’t know if she could. Maybe she’d been ignoring things, been oblivious. Maybe she’d taken things for granted. Maybe she’d taken him for granted. Maybe she had cared way too much, or longed for him more than was usual. She was only human.
He was free at last. Finally, it was done and dusted. No more of that cloying relationship. No more of her. Free as a bird, released from its cage. He knew that soon enough, she would become a distant memory. He’d burnt its book, and now, only little scraps of the pages remained. They would be washed away before long. He shrugged it off, and leapt merrily towards another day at work.
Her day at work had gone as planned. A balmy Friday morning. She was up and off at her usual hour. Her breakfast consisted of a cup of coffee, and a sandwich made in haste. Summer was approaching –approaching much faster than she expected. A glance in the mirror told her she was ready: bright red dress, steel black stilettos. She had known, instinctively, that this would be no ordinary day. She tried calling him, out of habit, but quickly remembered he would still be fast asleep. “Silly,” she had thought. The time difference had never mattered to them before.
Across another ocean, it was still dark. He hadn’t been able to sleep. He’d gone over the thoughts for days and decided that this was it. The arrow had been released, and there was no coming back. It was a dead end. He’d felt pressure mounting on him ever since she’d come into her life. She’d been staggeringly successful in college, while he remained just average, in everything. He’d liked her boldness, the way she conducted herself. They clicked after just a few conversations and he’d thought she was the one. She moved overseas for work and desperately wanted him to join her. Things were rosy initially, but darker reality started to sink in. Slowly he realised that the picture was much more complicated than it appeared. Each moment grew to be a loop around his neck, trying to strangle him with all its might, oozing nothing but hatred. He knew he had to break it to her, and he knew he had to do it that very day.
At work, she had been internally beaming, feeling like her hard work was finally paying off. Her ambitions would indeed come to fruition. There were no doubts about it, judging by the way she worked. She took a second to thank God for all He’d bestowed on her: a loving family, a successful career, and a man who loved her. When her phone began flashing his number, she dashed to the nearest rest lounge, and hit the green button on the screen, not wanting to miss his call.
The distance had been taking its toll; the time difference wasn’t helping. The love had started to wane, to give way to insecurity, and darker feelings. The idea of having to quit his life here and leave his comfort zone felt deadly. Life was easier for him when it was simple. He knew he wasn’t a man for challenges; he accepted that about himself. He waited for her usual morning call, wanting to get it over with. He waited a few more minutes before dialling the first number on his favourites list.
About the author
Chris Mallika Bhadra is from India and is a Doctoral candidate in Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia. Besides being a scientist (not a mad one though), she is an avid reader, trained contemporary dancer and now is an active blogger! Her writings mostly serve out her life experiences on a platter for the reading pleasures of all! You can find her on Facebook (Musings of an unsettled soul) and read more of her work here.