“In
spite of the darkness around, I can see your curled up silhouette on the bed.
I
wish I could come and hug you while you are in your sweet siesta and you would
not know of it!
I
wish I could kiss your forehead and run my hands through your hair while you
are lost in dreamland.
I
wish I could understand what you mumble, see what you see when you lay
oblivious of the cruel world outside.
I
wish I could hold you close when you shiver in sleep.
I
wish I could see you sleep and lose myself in the same somnolence lying next to
you”
Sweeping a last glance, she closed
the door and took her heavy step stealthily. She was late but, she had no other
option. She couldn’t be disposed to do more than this.
**
Hours later, she sighed at the
familiarity of the darkness she spent. The same old routine. Each day was
different, a new struggle.Yet, they were perennially indistinguishable.
Lying beside her was he, in deep
slumber, the rise and fall of his convex abdomen with each breath he took, distinct, in spite of the darkness.
Whether it was cacophonous or
alarmingly quiet, she could never figure. All she waited was for the needle to
tick by, for the stars to fade, for the first rays of light to appear in the
distant horizon
**
The whispers, the pointing fingers
did not bother her. Neither did the lecherous glares nor, the nefarious smiles.
They were all obscurely clear yet, pellucidly indistinct.
The splash of cold water hit her
face, washing away her makeup, removing her mask.
The morning babble emanating from
the street outside was welcoming.
She could see him clearly now.
Nearing him, she brushed off his disheveled hair falling on his forehead.
Before she could inch her lips nearer to his closed eyes, he opened them, threw
her a look which he did every morning and bolted towards the bathroom.
Her silence said “You don’t understand now son. But, one day
you will.”
There were questions but to her, her
life was pellucid.
He would be gone for the day in an
hour, and she, back to her mask a while after that.
Changing from her garish clothes,
she put the money she earned the previous night into her savings box and set to
make breakfast for him before he dashed off to school.
He would devour what she was about
to cook for him forgetting everything else. He would be her beloved boy again,
unadulterated for those few moments.
A contended smile danced on her lips
as she hummed a beautiful tune.
**
P.S : Been ages since I posted. By
ages I mean ages ! *Sigh* Hoping to bring this page back from the dead.