Strive for Self-Elevation – Chapter 1

20th Wedding anniversary

It was her twentieth wedding anniversary. She woke up in the early hours, took a bath, washed the puja utensils, cleaned the puja room, wiped the deity images and adorned it with turmeric and kungumam and prepared everyone’s favorites dishes from snacks to square meals.

Since 4:30 am when she had woken up, she was completely busy, with absolutely no time to rest. It was now eight thirty, time for her son and daughter to leave to school. They came and sat at the dining table for breakfast. As she served them the breakfast, she noticed that her phone had ran out of battery. She had organised a special prayer at the temple and had to call up the priest to know if she had to bring anything specific.

While her children were taking food, she went in search of her husband, a middle aged person, around 45 years old.

He hasn’t seen her since morning. Neither had he wished her. Doesn’t seem to have remembered their anniversary!

He was in the washroom. In the recent years, he used to take his phone along whenever he went to the washroom. His wife had no qualms on that.

So much trust she had on her husband! An obedient, devoted wife. Ever loyal to her husband.

She prepares herself to celebrate

It wasn’t his day it seems, he had left his phone to charge, whilst he went away to bathe.

She wanted him to call up the priest, but finding him nowhere, her glance fell at his phone. She didn’t know the password, hence took the from the charger and went to her daughter. It’s not because she was father’s pet, but because she was the elder child. Not knowing, she shrugged. Meanwhile, his son snatched the phone, scanned his finger, and handed it over to his mother. “Mom, don’t spill the beans, father doesn’t know that my fingerprint is registered in his phone!”

“Wrong, my child!”, she reprimanded him, while mentally deciding to tell her husband about his son’s misdeed anyways.

He knew pretty well that his mother would tell his father, but that would have no consequence. Anyways, he least bothered about it. Breaking the password was not a herculean task for him, there were plenty of others ways!

“Just mind your business, ma. Don’t give unnecessary advises! Do you need the phone or not?”

He was always like that. She has heard somewhere that sons generally love mothers a lot. Only heard of it. Never experienced it. Or did she not take any initiatives to experience that? She got used to worrying about this. Let’s explore this later on.

“Ok, search for Muthu mariamman or temple priest, call him and give to me”, she said. As he could do, the deafening sound of the school bus was heard; He dialled the number, handed over the phone and rushed to board the bus, along with his sister.

Neither of them bid goodbye. Nor did the priest pick the phone.

Her unfamiliarity with the iPhone posed as an obstacle to call him back.

A phone call turns her life upside down!

While she fumbled with the phone, the call inadvertently went to another number and turned her life upside down!

As soon as the call went through, a sweet honey voice came through.

“Tell me darling! Calling so early in the morning? Still not recovered from yesterday’s spell? Can we meet? Same place?? Every word she uttered came down as thunder on her head!

As she remained silent, the voice continued intimately, ‘Why Setu? Are you upset with me? Don’t worry. I’ll take special care of you today!”.

It’s a miracle that she didn’t faint. She didn’t know what to do. Unable to tolerate it any further, she disconnected the call.

Her entire 20 years span of married life flashed before her eyes. Suddenly, it looked like there was a huge gap in their current married life when compared to her early years of married life.

She shook her head. No, it cannot be! My husband will never cheat on her. A phone call turns her life upside down! me. This must be something else! She tried to believe, but was unable to.

She waits in fervent hope

It was crystal clear from the women’s voice that her husband was seeking her.

Now she knew why her husband always kept his phone with himself.

She now knew why her husband never approached her. She thought he was getting old! She became a laughing stock at the expense of her own false consolations.

He had no need of me! And that’s why he never looked for me! She realised the truth behind his actions. In the recent years, he had taken her out only for some specific tasks. Love and Romance they had at initial days of their marriage is now out of question. she now has a clear message that her husband is cheating on her. As she began to comprehend the situation, she gasped for breath as her heart fluttered.

But in the corner of her mind, a faint hope remained that all she thought was untrue. And, maybe that’s why she hadn’t take her own life yet? Or maybe that’s why tears hadn’t appear yet?

After putting back his phone to charge, she sat by it’s side.

Draped in a yellow silk saree, to match her saree borders her neck was adorned with golden chain with red stone pendent along the nuptial chain. The red kumkum along with the sandalwood paste in her forehead was a perfect match for her bindi. Her 40 years old beautiful face struggled hard to hide her mental sufferings !

Her husband shows no remorse

After a while, her husband finished his bath and came out.

“What, why are you here? Is the breakfast ready? Didn’t you say you wanted to go to some temple? I’ll drop you there. You can return by auto. I have some work to do.” The tears that she was holding behind so far, trickled down her cheeks.

On seeing this, he asked, “Hey, what happened?”. There was tension in his voice.

But her mind was wondering if she noticed some true concern in his voice…

“Hey, how many times should I ask? Will you mind telling?”. The anger in his voice was like pouring acid onto her mind.

“Today is our marriage day”, she said emotionless.

“Oh, it comes once a year…ok, I forgot! Buy whatever you want…will give you money.” He said lackadaisically, while getting ready.

She didn’t move a bit. She has heard the words – “I’ll give money” – several times. Never has it pained this much.

“hey, what are are still seated here? Go, get my breakfast!” he ordered .

Had it not been the female voice over the telephone today, she would have been running around without the need for him to command. However, for him, she did not seem to be in any hurry.

She slowly got up and left the room.

She realises that she has got cheated!

Just as she went off, he hurried to the phone. When he had seen his wife seated near his phone, he was tensed up with the thought of getting caught red handed lest he gets his expected call.

‘Good luck! Nothing like that happened’, he thought and took the phone in peace. He received the expected call. The owner of the sweet honey voice. He took the call with a frown on his face.

“Darling”, said she

“Mmm…tell me”, his voice softened, matching hers.

“You called earlier, but never spoke a word!”

“Guess it would have got dialled by mistake, when I had put the phone to charge”. He believed that. He was strongly confident that his phone cannot be opened in his absence.

For the next 10 minutes, the two loving voices cajoled, embraced each other lovingly. Only that, it was like hot lead poured into the ears of the one standing outside the room.

In the assumption that his wife would be away, getting roasted in hot stove, he confidently had spoken over the phone, she smiled wryly at this thought.

The little fervent hope she had nursed, vanished into thin air!

…to be continued