The Crumbled Wrapper
A relaxed Sunday evening, Shyam realized his work for the day was done. He prepared a hot coffee for himself, relaxed in his cozy chair listening to soothing Kishore-Lata romantic songs on the loop.
“Hey maine kasam lee, hey tune kasam lee, nahi honge judaa hum”, a melodious song from a “Tere mere sapne” started playing. This was Shyam’s favourite song but these days he did not relish it. Stopping the music, he went near the bookshelf and picked up a book, to read.
Just as he flipped through the pages, a chocolate wrapper fell down. He looked down and a tiny droplet of water oozed out as if someone had just applied glycerin. He was emotionally drained and kept staring at the crumbled cover.
***
“Shyam, I want that chocolate” demanded Shanti. “Listen, you just had your root canal done, next time please.” requested Shyam. “You know, I love chocolates, my heart is craving for this,” requested Shanti. “See Shanti, I told you I will get this next time, promise,” said Shyam and hurriedly moved out of the shop. “Are you getting me this or not?” the voice and tone changed. ”Not now” came the more stubborn reply.
The lovebirds became like War Chief of nations put up against each other, venting harsh words. The volume of talks was audible even at a distance, amusing Sanjeev and Ashwini. As soon as they reached the car, the volcano emitting hot lava, ensured there was a total ‘Ashanti’. Sanjeev and Ashwini who had joined for a picnic were perplexed. They were witnessing a strange situation - the couple which went hand-in-hand, suddenly were at loggerheads.
As the heat in the air increased, the arguments got personal. Shyam was obviously at the receiving end. The frustration level increased to such an extent that he did a u-turn of the car and decided to go back home. The picnic was cancelled.
In an effort to restore peace, Shyam brought the chocolate and put it up at the dining table for Shanti but she was in no mood to budge. The entire day was wasted. Shyam tried to explain that he cared for her and hence tried avoiding the chocolate but the flow of events disrupted things beyond imagination. No words of wisdom would fall on her ears, she was pissed off and did not listen to anything. The other unfortunate victim for the day was Dinner which was blatantly ignored and Shanti preferred to sleep.
The next day morning, the volcano emissions reduced and the chocolate played its magic. The peace restoration happened. As a token of the flow of events that happened, she slipped the chocolate wrapper inside a book.
****
It has been four months’, a vacuum was created in Shyam’s life as Shanti passed away in an accident and every small activity which brought a smile on his face earlier, now brought tears reflecting his life was incomplete without his partner.
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