Acid

Shruti could never understand what drove her to commit such a ghastly crime. All she knew was that she had a good reason to do what she did to Cindy. Shruti and Cindy were friends and their friendship went way back to the long years they spent at school and then college. Except for the fact that they were born to different parents, they could well be sisters!

Cindy was not as good in studies as Shruti, but she made it up with some brilliance in athletics. Shruti’s family was wealthy, but Cindy’s family could not be categorized as poor either. Of the two, Shruti was aggressive and Cindy always played second fiddle to her. She would do everything for Shruti and her friends would sometimes call her Shruti’s slave girl. Whatever be the differences, they had one thing in common-affection for each other. It was as if destiny had designed the two to be together in this lifetime.

When they graduated, Cindy elected to pursue her Masters while Shruti joined her father’s business. She planned to do her MBA after gaining experience in the business. Shruti was attracted to Cindy in a way she herself could not figure out. As their relationship blossomed, she began to realize that she had deeper emotions for Cindy than what seemed on the surface. These emotions confused her, more so when Cindy told her about her boyfriend.

Cindy would confide everything about the boy and Shruti would listen and react appropriately. But deep inside her, she could feel a sense of fear, envy, insecurity and anger. Why should she have such feelings? Why was she not happy that her best friend had fallen in love? It disturbed Shruti that instead of such feelings passing away quickly, they seemed to have made home inside her. Like a fetus in the womb, the fear grew inside her. 

Cindy would urge Shruti to find a good boy for herself, but Shruti would laugh it off, saying that there was no boy to match her talent and expectations. When Cindy announced that her boyfriend had proposed to her, something exploded inside Shruti. She became depressed and for days would refuse to meet Cindy on some pretext or the other. Shruti felt the desperation too strong to handle but was unable to express her state of mind to anyone in her family or to Cindy. What if Cindy actually married her boyfriend? That would mean the end of the relationship between Shruti and Cindy. Where would that leave Shruti? What will she do without Cindy?

That Cindy could be so important to her shocked Shruti. Why was she afraid of Cindy getting married. Everyone does marry at some stage, even Shruti would. But strangely Shruti had no such feelings for marriage or boys. As the days passed, fear and anxiety turned into rage and hate. Shruti had to stop Cindy from marrying her boyfriend. In fact, she had to stop her from marrying anyone else. Cindy and Shruti were destined to be together this lifetime, and Shruti could see this with great clarity. Why could Cindy not see it? Of course, it was Shruti’s mistake that she never told Cindy about her feelings. She will have to tell Cindy and then Cindy will surely understand. But what if she does not understand? 

Shruti worried that she was not normal, as Cindy was. But they were so close since childhood, so how could Cindy be different? Shruti had to act and quickly too. First, she had to ensure that Cindy and her boyfriend don’t marry. She had to find a way, a solution that would once and for all ensure that Cindy does not marry anyone. A solution that will bring them closer to each other forever. No one can have a relationship with Cindy except Shruti, that was God’s plan.

A week later, Cindy was admitted to the hospital with severe acid burns on her face. Some ruffians had thrown acid on her face when she was on her way home late in the evening. Shruti rushed to the hospital when she learned about it. Doctors were doing their best, but they said that her face was disfigured badly and she would barely survive. Even if she did, she would never regain her normal skin again. She would be scarred for her life.

Shruti wept in grief and despair. What had she done to her friend? No one would ever know who was behind the acid attack, but how could Shruti live with this horrendous lie buried deep inside her?