A Smack of Wrath

Tears were trickling down Swati’s cheeks, she hastily rubbed them off with the back of her hand. She was sitting on the ledge of her window, her arms wrapped around her knees. Moisture was still pouring from her deep black almond eyes.

‘That’s the limit!’ she thought furiously. Her face and hands held marks of being slashed viciously.

She looked out of the window, the moon was glowing milk-white high up in the star stud blue-black sky. A cricket or two were humming softly in their front yard. Swati had been married for the past one year now, she and her husband Rahul lived in a small cottage on the outskirts of the city which they had bought recently.

Swati had stood up against her family in order to marry Rahul. Swati had met Rahul in her college where she was training as a journalist. Rahul was pursuing the same course. They had started dating each other in their second year and eventually after college Rahul had proposed to her.

Later on, Swati received a campus placement in one of the most reputed news channels in the city and joined the job ecstatically. Rahul’s fortune, on the other hand, turned up against him. He traveled wide and verse, hunting for a job desperately, but as a result of the prevailing recession period he had given in. Swati had witnessed his diligent attempts, and his unflagging attitude towards finding a job had got her motivated to enter married life with him.

She tried to persuade him stating the fact she was making enough money for both of them. Rahul, in the beginning, ruled out the suggestion, but later on, gave in to her love and care. Swati’s family detested Rahul for his inability to generate income but eventually gave in to their youngest girl’s obstinate behavior. Swati and Rahul were married off. They rented an apartment near Swati’s workplace and moved in. Rahul was an adorable person overall, but his flaring short temper would give him a serious setback in personality assessment. Swati was aware of her husband’s sometimes irascible attitude, she had witnessed it before marriage also, but Rahul’s love for her had covered up all the flaws.

Rahul searched for a job intensely but got no success. His failure made him crabbier day by day. He would return home in the evening, dejected and furious, and get into an argument with Swati about even the smallest of things. Swati tried her best to cheer him up. She had been an optimistic person and hoped for her husband’s cranky behavior to improve with time.

Six months after the wedding, they had bought a new cottage on the outskirts of the city, For some time things had ameliorated between them, but soon Rahul had gone back to his fractious attitude towards her. Things had intensified in the past month. Swati had tried to save their failing relationship desperately, until today, when Rahul had slapped and pummeled her gravely.

Swati sat on the ledge, infuriated and emotionally maimed. She turned her head towards the sky above, a fire of determination and feminism alight in her eyes.

The following morning, Rahul woke up. His rage had cooled down by now and was replaced by guilt. He turned to apologize and make things up with Swati, but she was not asleep on the other side. He anticipated that Swati was still fuming over the incidents the night before. He got dressed for the day and searched the house for his wife, wanting to apologize. To his amazement, the house was deserted except for him. To his further shock, Swati had not prepared the breakfast, instead, he found a folded piece of paper lying on the glass top of the stove. It was a letter in Swati’s handwriting which said:

‘Rahul, I am leaving your house. Do not try to hunt me down. My morale doesn’t allow me to stay in a place where my dignity and self-esteem are constantly impaired.’

Rahul was bewildered. His mind was tangled up. He could not take in what had happened. Quickly boarding his motorcycle he went out to search for Swati. He looked in her office, she had taken a day off from work. He tried calling her multiple times but with no success. In the evening he returned home devastated, hoping for his wife’s return. The house was still empty when he entered. He dropped down on the couch, perplexed and stunned from the sudden turn his life had taken. Just then his phone ringed.

It was from an unknown caller id. He considered rejecting it but decided against the thought.

‘Hello,’ his voice was hoarse.

‘Rahul’ Swati’s voice called out from the other end. Rahul’s eyes lit up at the sound of his wife, his love.

‘Swati, Swati! Wh-where are you? P-Please, come back, I-I am s-sorry’ his voice was cracking.

‘I had called up to inform you that I have applied for a divorce. Papers would be ready soon enough, sign them up and post it back.’ Swati’s voice had a resolute edge in it. She was not going to give in to Rahul’s protests this time.

‘Swati, please, I am sorry for yesterday. It won’t ever happen again, I promise. Please come back don’t leave me, please’ Rahul was protesting helplessly. Moisture was pouring down his eyes now.

‘No Rahul, I won’t. It might be just a slap for you, but for me, it was the end of our relationship. You didn’t attack me only physically, you attacked my dignity. You disrespected my esteem. A relationship is made on the bases of trust and respect, yesterday you lost both. It is no use trying to work up such a relationship. Goodbye.’

Swati cut the line not waiting for a response. Her decision was made. Just then a train pulled up at the station right before her. She boarded the train, a flame of resolution burning incessantly around her.