LOVE STORY

                                           "THE HIDDEN RING"

The chirping crickets and the ticking clocks were her only companions yet again. But tonight was not the time to lament the fact. Tonight was for new beginnings.

Malti was going to embark on a road to freedom, a journey to explore what she wanted. Every day of her life, she had tried to escape the things she did not want – her parents’ disapproval, her children’s scorn, her husband’s indifference, her mother-in-law’s taunts but today, she was going to embrace what she wanted.‬

‪‬‪She kept on rummaging through the cupboard. The bed was strewn with pieces of jewellery  The solitaire earrings would fetch nothing less than a couple of lakhs today. The diamonds on the bangles were points of fire that raged in her heart today. Some of these pieces were  gifts from her husband, who never wished her on birthdays or anniversaries. The rest were family heirlooms handed over by her mother-in-law.

They should have made her proud. But these were just the pieces of decorated glass forming the walls of her cage.

Her hands kept on looking for that simple ring she had received a long time ago. It was nothing compared to these pieces but for her it was the only thing that mattered. It was an indication of what she had killed at the altar of life, a sign of what she was going steal again.‬

‪‬‪Twelve years ago, on the day of her marriage she had carefully carried that ring and the memories associated with it, in a glass box. She had hoped to mold herself in the role of a perfect wife. But days passed, seasons changed, she still was the same small town charity girl – poor enough to be boasted as a corporate social responsibility by her husband, illiterate enough to embarrass her children in parent teacher meetings. She survived in this house, fulfilled her responsibilities but her days and night followed the same pattern – only crickets and clocks recording the passing of days and night of her life.

Her days were devoted to the house and her absent husband and children. She had removed most of the servant from this mausoleum of the house to make her niche.

But she had not realized that needing someone is not same as loving someone.‬

‪‬‪Music school was the only visage of pleasure she had retained from her earlier life. She visited it daily, but never to sing. Her vocal chords had lost their will when she had sacrificed her chance for success at a reality show, for her love and competitor, Arihant. She and Arihant had met during that show.

Both were underrated and over ambitious singers from small town. They had hit off instantly. He had helped her overcome her stage fear and she had provided him with the inspiration to sing. Slowly, the number of participants had dwindled by elimination but they had stood together in the semi-finals, hugging each other. He had proposed to her that day with an artificial ring.
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‪‬‪She knew Arihant deserved to win. He was a better singer than her. But she was also aware about public’s preference for a female winner. There was never a doubt  in her mind when she had sung the blandest song in that nasal voice at that time.

She did not repent what she had done for Arihant’s success, but she blamed Saraswati, the Goddess of Music, for her estrangement with him.

She had waited for six month in her home town,his ring being her only solace. But he was always lost in the promotion of one or the other music album.

The metal of the ring had turned green but he never returned  any of her numerous calls. That was when her husband, Pratap, then the producer of the show, had proposed to her in front of the TV crew of the reality show he was producing at that time.‬

‪‬‪But last week, Goddess Saraswati had broken her silence. She had finally showered her grace on Malti. She brought Malti face to face with Arihant in music school.

Arihant was invited there as a guest to encourage the students. She (Malti) had frozen – unable to speak anything – on hearing his voice again. He had not turned his eyes in shame but approached her – bold as ever. He had cajoled her to join him in a song. Soon his honeyed voice was accompanied by her cooing. The whole school had gathered to see them perform. What was meant to be one song had turned into musical wooing for five hours. They had sung for lost years and for whispering passions. They had sung till their voice had been hoarse.‬

‪‬‪That was the first time she had slept early without waiting for her husband to return or for children to call from their Grandma’s house. She had given herself up to the lullaby of music waves. The whole week, it had been the same.

Arihant had told her about his attempts to contact her twelve years ago which had been curbed by her husband and her father.  He had told her about his renouncing of music when he had heard of her marriage. He had told her everything while she had kept mum – burning in the fire of dichotomy. She had tried to weigh everything on the scale of principles.

But she had realized that the scale was already misaligned by the influence of world’s distorted view.‬

‪‬‪She had decided to reinstate  heart’s will. Tomorrow, they were to return to his city. People might call her infidel but for the first time, she was going to grasp what her heart desired.

They would question her character but the prism of paucity had not reflected any rainbows till now. She would create and colour a new sky.

The ring in her hand might have lost its sheen but she was going to forge a new ring- a ring of happiness.‬
‪‬__END__

                                                                                                                SOURCE BY-LC

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