Heartbroken Housewife- Life moves on
Asha stood rooted in her place. She looked at the man standing before her with great sorrow in her eyes. Accusation and outrage formed an odd sensation within her heart, but she kept quite. She didn’t recognise who the person she was listening to talk was. The man she had spent twenty odd years of her life with was not this man. It couldn’t be! This was not her Adarsh.
Ha what a joke! Adarsh!?! This man, who was asking her for a divorce after 20 years together couldn’t be her husband.
“I’m sorry. I think we have grown apart. I don’t think living together anymore is the right thing to do,” he said in a voice heavy with some sort of emotion.
It couldn’t be remorse, he hardly looked like he felt bad. Asha shook her head, in an fruitless effort to clear her muddled head.
“I don’t think you’ll have a problem. The kids have all got their own lives now. I’ve spoken to both our children, and they’ve handled the situation with great maturity,” he said.
Asha smiled proudly. Her children knew how they were going to handle this new hurdle in their life. She had taught them well. But what was she going to do?
“This house if yours,it always has been….” he said, his voice trailing off, as if he didn’t know what else to say.
She had been a blushing 21 year old when she had met Adarsh. Her parents had set her up with the ‘handsome boy from the community every mother wanted for a son-in-law’. Adarsh had then seemed like the sort of level headed person she could spend her life with. She never had any illusions of great love stories. So Adarsh had seemed like her most sensible choice.
She had set up home and had her first child within the first year of her marriage. It seemed odd to her now, as she sat in her living room, how she had never confessed to Adarsh that she loved him. She had grown into a love that her mother told her about before her marriage. The one that came with maturity and sharing a life together. It had grown with each precious child of theirs, tripled by the time their 20th anniversary came around the corner.
And here she was now?
Her children told her that it was okay to be divorced now. It wasn’t such a big deal anyways! They were ofcourse sad that their father had moved away from home, but then they would do so too soon, so it seemed again- okay.
Asha looked around her living room, looked at the pictures adorning the walls. Happy times, peaceful times. Times of great contentment.
What was she going to do now? She had a degree in fashion designing, ofcourse 20 years back it wasn't called that. Besides, definition of fashion was so much different now than before.
She figured though, that if her daughter Reena could bring her up to date with what length hems now ruled the market, she could open her own boutique. Living was a neccessity. One couldn’t stop that just because someone wasn’t around.
It was true though, that in some part of her mind she still hoped that Adarsh would realise the frailty of this phase he was going through. She couldn’t make up her mind however, whether it was worth forgiving him or not. Asha drummed her fingers absently on the table top.
Would she take back a man who left her? It wasn’t like he was involved with someone else! Maybe this was some form of male menopause!
Shaking her head in silent laughter, Asha came to the conclusion that maybe, if Adarsh came back, she would take him back. She still loved him.
That hope died after the first year. Grief and pain blinded her for a while, but life goes on. Three years later Asha stood in the same living room. Grey hinting at the temples, she still looked radiant and for the first time in a long while- content.
She studied her old family photographs fondly. They looked happy together. Maybe something went wrong somewhere. She shrugged absently. Well, we’ll never know, will we!
She looked at her new sketches spread negligently over the dining room table. Turned out that retro was back in fashion. Her business was doing well. She was stable. Her son was dating a beautiful girl named Lata. Reena was doing well financially, and was happy.
“Ma, come on now. We’re getting late for the reception,” said Reena from the doorstep.
Asha looked up. Old memories really caught up with you when you least expected it. Adarsh was getting married again. To someone he had met at work. It had been five years since their divorce. Asha had long ago given up hope of ever reconciling with Adarsh. What will be will be.
She had wept silently, when Adarsh told her about the new woman in his life. Well, there was that question answered.
Reena had once in her innocence of still one very young asked her if she would take Adarsh back if his second marriage didn’t work out?
Asha thought about it for a minuite and then replied - “No”. What is done is done! Right?
Ha what a joke! Adarsh!?! This man, who was asking her for a divorce after 20 years together couldn’t be her husband.
“I’m sorry. I think we have grown apart. I don’t think living together anymore is the right thing to do,” he said in a voice heavy with some sort of emotion.
It couldn’t be remorse, he hardly looked like he felt bad. Asha shook her head, in an fruitless effort to clear her muddled head.
“I don’t think you’ll have a problem. The kids have all got their own lives now. I’ve spoken to both our children, and they’ve handled the situation with great maturity,” he said.
Asha smiled proudly. Her children knew how they were going to handle this new hurdle in their life. She had taught them well. But what was she going to do?
“This house if yours,it always has been….” he said, his voice trailing off, as if he didn’t know what else to say.
She had been a blushing 21 year old when she had met Adarsh. Her parents had set her up with the ‘handsome boy from the community every mother wanted for a son-in-law’. Adarsh had then seemed like the sort of level headed person she could spend her life with. She never had any illusions of great love stories. So Adarsh had seemed like her most sensible choice.
She had set up home and had her first child within the first year of her marriage. It seemed odd to her now, as she sat in her living room, how she had never confessed to Adarsh that she loved him. She had grown into a love that her mother told her about before her marriage. The one that came with maturity and sharing a life together. It had grown with each precious child of theirs, tripled by the time their 20th anniversary came around the corner.
And here she was now?
Her children told her that it was okay to be divorced now. It wasn’t such a big deal anyways! They were ofcourse sad that their father had moved away from home, but then they would do so too soon, so it seemed again- okay.
Asha looked around her living room, looked at the pictures adorning the walls. Happy times, peaceful times. Times of great contentment.
What was she going to do now? She had a degree in fashion designing, ofcourse 20 years back it wasn't called that. Besides, definition of fashion was so much different now than before.
She figured though, that if her daughter Reena could bring her up to date with what length hems now ruled the market, she could open her own boutique. Living was a neccessity. One couldn’t stop that just because someone wasn’t around.
It was true though, that in some part of her mind she still hoped that Adarsh would realise the frailty of this phase he was going through. She couldn’t make up her mind however, whether it was worth forgiving him or not. Asha drummed her fingers absently on the table top.
Would she take back a man who left her? It wasn’t like he was involved with someone else! Maybe this was some form of male menopause!
Shaking her head in silent laughter, Asha came to the conclusion that maybe, if Adarsh came back, she would take him back. She still loved him.
That hope died after the first year. Grief and pain blinded her for a while, but life goes on. Three years later Asha stood in the same living room. Grey hinting at the temples, she still looked radiant and for the first time in a long while- content.
She studied her old family photographs fondly. They looked happy together. Maybe something went wrong somewhere. She shrugged absently. Well, we’ll never know, will we!
She looked at her new sketches spread negligently over the dining room table. Turned out that retro was back in fashion. Her business was doing well. She was stable. Her son was dating a beautiful girl named Lata. Reena was doing well financially, and was happy.
“Ma, come on now. We’re getting late for the reception,” said Reena from the doorstep.
Asha looked up. Old memories really caught up with you when you least expected it. Adarsh was getting married again. To someone he had met at work. It had been five years since their divorce. Asha had long ago given up hope of ever reconciling with Adarsh. What will be will be.
She had wept silently, when Adarsh told her about the new woman in his life. Well, there was that question answered.
Reena had once in her innocence of still one very young asked her if she would take Adarsh back if his second marriage didn’t work out?
Asha thought about it for a minuite and then replied - “No”. What is done is done! Right?
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