Soul Talks

ACHE THAT PAINED    

                                                                

He digested his unseen tears. He was not to show his inside struggle, as he was a man. He plodded on the road which was dismal and dark. Thousands of images were crashing and making noise in his mind. The shadowed tree under the spell of starry night became his soul mate in concealing his ache, the ache of love for professional upliftment.

He entered in his house which would not be his in another two weeks. He saw at his wife’s smile less face, as she would be leaving him to drink his ache for lifelong as part of his uncommitted remorse. Things were out of control, as the string was in the hand of his family: family of his wife.

He threw his limp body, with boisterous series of his thoughts of past, into the chair. “Congratulations, Mr. Patel. We are expecting your join on first next month. Meanwhile you start preparing for the project.”

“Thank You Sir!” he chuckled.

He came with his mother’s favorite sweet box in his small cottage. His paralytic father gave birth to smile on his own face after twenty five years of his crippled, dependent and unproductive ailing life. Ayush Patel has seen happiness getting personified in his life that day. His mother’s swelled chest talked million of words of pride for her Son, General Manager: Ayush Patel.

Life on roll earned him everything what his parents desired and wished for him and kept his welfare in their blessings. He accumulated all materialistic joys and quality time for his parents. Their sacrifice for their son’s success started paying rewards. It was the time when destiny showed its deformity to him.

 “The project you were given has been taken over by Ms. Saloni Yadav, daughter of chairperson”, informed his Director to him.

“I have invested all my knowledge on this project”, he explained.

They were not ready to listen to him. He had to leave the company as his services were not required. He didn’t lose hope until he saw the advertisement in T.V and magazines, “FUND YOUR HAPPINESS WITH OUR CARE.” That was his slogan for his project. He felt deceived but not shattered. He was clear of the exploitation of his skill.

“Hi, Ms. Saloni, this is Ayush.”There was a smug smile on his face. She was not at all surprised. She did not offer him to sit, but he sat confidently in front of her looking straight into her eyes. The culprit in her made her take her eyes away on the door of her office. That was so easy for him to melt her with all her deception. They had a deal, deal of Ache.

He married Saloni’s elder sister, who did not know even a word about love. Arrogance, mood swings and power of money never let them smile. It was relationship of empty togetherness. He started suffocating. He was in deal. He was in a fix. In office his wife’s sister was sucking all his energies by over burdening him and selling part of his male ego each day. At home, his wife’s self absorption separated him from his parents, who shifted to their cottage so that he should be happy. Smile appeared to be her life -long enemy. She became more cranky and loud. His deal was getting out of control for him to handle. Yes, she was his deal.

“You are pesticide in my life, making me hollow. I abhor you”, she shouted at him after throwing vase from the table on the marbled floor. He was looking at her with his expressive serene facial gestures and not retaliating. She was just a deal for him and she too knew that he was sold to her. She was repenting her purchase and wanted to get rid of him. This is what he exactly wanted.

He calmly replied,” You do that life long.” That was taken as a curse by her and five fingers got printed on his cheeks. He smiled. She got more furious. She took iron vase from the cabinet and threw at him. He saved himself from the attack. He still did not lose his temper. She became wilder. She started hitting him with her fist on his chest and tearing his shirt. He was as calm and as composed as quiet rivulet. That was height of patience for her. She called her sister in hustle bustle informing of he being violent and attacking on her. He stood and listened everything smilingly.

His so called family of in-laws did not heard pain beneath his smile. They terminated him from his job and snatched every materialistic gains in the form of capital and assets. He was given two weeks time to surrender whatever he earned. He was jobless, homeless and family less person. Agony murdered his desires to be loved and to grow. All avenues of his progress were sealed. He made nightly strolls with deep contemplation as his routine. His solitude became chronic.

His eyes were getting closed in slumber. He wanted to have a long sleep and merge into inexplicable. Just then a cold hand came on his mantle. He smiled from his soul. He did not lose anything. He left everything and everyone to narrate story of his dry tears of unsaid pain he felt, being unloved, and above all of his sad smiles which he used to wear to conceal his attacked male ego. His untold ache left even pain to be pained.

Sangeeta Sharma