NO REGRETS
She stretched herself as luxuriously as she could in the brown leather couch. Long enough to lie on almost completely. She grabbed a cup of coffee from the table intended to be placed against a wall and went straight to the balcony. Drank the last sip of coffee and urged to drink more. “Gosh! I might be suffering from OCD (obsessive coffee disorder)” she giggled. While moving towards the kitchen, her ear catches a sound (phone ringing).
A voice from other side: “Hello Ma’am, we have a meeting tomorrow morning at 8”
Riya: “Postpone it and reschedule it for day after tomorrow”
Man: “But Ma’am, it’s really very important”
Riya: “There are lot more important things in life, say for instance-My life”
Chided Riya and hanged up the phone.
She gets back into the kitchen.
“Ye jeevan hai is jeevan ka yahi h yahi h yahi h ragroop”
Riya hums the old classic song while churning the coffee. Her facial expression was straight. She looked 40 when in real she turned 36 last month. But still, she looked graceful with eyes so profound and smile so cheerful. She was a person with no regrets. A workaholic who works compulsively and a worshipper of her work. She always kept her career above everything. Say it fun, relations, friends, love etc.
Still humming the song she enters in her room with a steaming cup of coffee smelling wonderful in her hand. As she took a sip, a thought came into her mind. It was a fine day of summer. The weather was cloudy as if the rains are standing on the threshold to enter and clouds are all set to hide sun behind them. The old hindi classics adds to her thought as well. For a long time since morning she was pondering upon to text someone. Finally she picks her phone and leaves a text message to a number with name set as “It’s Him”. There was a reply from the same number after almost half an hour ago.
The coffee was already finished with a little bit of cream sticking to outer side of the cup.
Pleasantries got exchanged over the phone.
Riya: “How have you been?”
It’s Him: “Just the way you left me”
(Tear rolled down from her eye but still she managed to look fine)
Riya: “I never left you”
It’s him: “OKAY”
Riya didn’t text back again.
Unable to control her tears she sobbed. Her kajal smudged over. As she always said, “NO REGRETS” may be she regrets about something. But may be she doesn’t regret. May be it is just a feeling or she is being nostalgic.
She always has been brilliant throughout. Her outstanding career was a proof of her brilliance. She was career oriented, this do not mean that she was not at all serious about relations. She was a lover and a giver. Back in time when she got married, she tried and managed her career and her after marriage life. She practiced every possible way to maintain equilibrium in her life and so as his MR.IT’S HIM. Everything was going fine then one day he asked her to quit her job. Marveled by his statement, she immediately reacted. “Why?” Riya asked in bewilderment.
“I think, being a woman you should look after your duties and household work. Your house needs you to transform it into home.” Her husband demanded from her or I shall say, ordered her.
“Are u commanding me to do so?” says Riya.
“No, it’s a plea. A plea I am making to you to think about your duties” roared the angry Man.
“Alright, then why not you sacrifice?” Riya offered sarcastically.
Clueless about what her darling wife was saying, he didn’t utter a word.
“Look, I always dreamt of this success. When I’m just few steps behind and when I need your support the most, why are you asking me to change my life?” wept Riya.
Taking a sigh, he says “it’s up to you Riya, what you want. You have to choose one life out of two worlds and I am sure you will choose a world where I am with you.” Saying this he lefts the room.
Riya, unable to believe is this really happening or she is witnessing a nightmare.
Few days passed, Riya not quitting her job provoked her husband more and one day he finally busted out.
“You may leave”
Without giving a second thought Riya left.
No words exchanged, no coming back, nothing happened. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. Her husband never accepted her back. Why? Just because of the male ego he was possessing. Still he thinks it’s her mistake. But Riya, as she never regrets felt happy she took a right decision by not quitting just for the sake of a man who never loved her. She made her life of her own choices where work or no work is completely her decision not someone else. She just hoped to make him understand someday what he lost.
She is contented and that is what the beauty of her life is. She escaped the world that belonged to him just to create a new world that completely belonged to her.