The Magic Shoes

Sahana and Sandeep had a heated argument early in the morning. Sandeep came out of his apartment, banged the door to show his frustration and continued to run downstairs without waiting for the lift. Sahana was horrified and sat down on the table with tears rolling down as usual. This had become a routine these days.

Sahana made up her mind to give Sandeep a divorce and move on in life. She could not bear it anymore. Sandeep was very upset too, He was blamed for no fault of his. Sahana and Sandeep had been married for a year but were in a relationship for almost six years prior to this. Initially, everything went on well but as the days went by Sahana started complaining and blaming Sandeep. Sahana was a self-centric woman. She opted to be a homemaker rather than a working woman, Sandeep left the choice to her. He never complained or expected any financial help from her. Sahana slowly started complaining that Sandeep was ignoring her, He did not take her out to movies or dinner, spend time with her or romance like before. Sandeep's priority in life had changed. He was working hard and wanted to be in the top position of his company. These small issues started to take a drastic turn leading to heated arguments at a drop of a hat. Sahana's bestie advised her to meet a family counselor before taking the drastic step. She referred her to Dr. Gautam Chandra. One fine day Sahana decided to visit Dr. Gautam Chandra and fixed an appointment to meet him.

She was waiting in his clinic for more than 30 minutes, getting impatient and cursing herself for booking an appointment with a doctor who didn't have time sense. Soon after, the previous patient walked out with a smile on her face. She could sense that the lady had cried a lot and her tears were still visible. Sahana was asked to go inside. Dr.Gautam Chandra welcomed her with a warm smile and made her feel comfortable. "So, how can I help you Sahana", he asked in a friendly tone. Sahana explained about her life and the current situation between her husband and her. Tears rolled down her cheeks unbeknown to her. Gautam listened to her, then asked: "So what do you expect from your husband?" Wiping her tears Sahana replied, “I want him to be like he was when we were in love, I want his time, love and affection. I love him so much and he doesn't bother to be with me or even look at me. He comes home only to eat food and rest. I don't need a husband who doesn’t care about me."

Dr. Gautam corrected his spectacles and said "I have a solution. I will give you magic shoes for a day. It makes you invisible. You can follow your husband and see what he does all day on condition that you do not talk, just observe your husband and come back to me. These shoes were designed by my uncle who happened to be a magician by profession. After you observe him, come back and we will discuss further. Don't try to run away with the shoes, they can bring you back to my clinic without your notice”. He giggled after saying the last sentence. Sahana too smiled at him. Sahana did not believe it possible, but agreed to his terms and left with a bag of magic shoes from the clinic.

The next day when Sandeep stepped out, Sahana put on the magic shoes and stepped out. She became invisible. She carefully sat at the back of Sandeep's car. Sandeep, who was talking to his neighbour stepped into the car and drove fast. It was about 45 to 60 minutes drive to his office, roads were pathetic and there were a lot of traffic jams. Sandeep was very frustrated, banged his fist on his head and murmured "What Karma is this every day? Feel like quitting my job and moving to the village. Which idiot designed this junction, the road is full of potholes and none of them are bothered to fix it". Sahana could feel the frustration but kept quiet.

After reaching the office parking lot, Sandeep parked his car and walked towards the lift but it was too crowded and he was getting late. He took the stairs to the 7th floor and Sahana too followed him. She was exhausted, all energy drained out. Sandeep hurried to his cabin, picked up his laptop and rushed to the meeting room. He joined his team for a meeting on a project update. There were about six men and two ladies in the room. Sandeep was seen shouting at his subordinates for poor performance and slow progress in the project. Sahana was a mute spectator. She pitied Sandeep. Later Sandeep attended a meeting with his superior. His boss blamed him for the delay in the project and called him irresponsible. Sandeep was humiliated and scolded for no fault of his. Sandeep stood there silently. He came back to his cabin and banged on his desk in frustration. He had argued with the company HR asking him not to allocate under-trained subordinates but they had refused his request, and now he was blamed. He worked on his laptop without noticing the time. He had to finish too many tasks before the deadline. He was hungry and checked his watch and realized it was around 4 pm. With heavy steps, he walked towards the canteen. Food was over and only juices were available. As there was no other option, he ordered fresh juice and sat there for some time. He unlocked his cell phone and looked at Sahana's pictures.

His friend Rahul came looking for him. He knew something was not right with Sandeep. He sat next to him and asked, "Fought with Sahana again??" Sandeep just nodded his head to say yes. Rahul held his shoulder and said "Why don't you explain the work pressure you are going through? Tell her about the pink slips (it is a notice given by higher ups if they want to terminate your services) being given to developers and that the sword is hanging on your head too". Sandeep sighed "No Rahul, I don't want Sahana to be tense and feel the heat I’m going through. Let her enjoy her life. I can handle it all myself. Let's hope everything will be ok". He truly loved her.

It was Sahana who had never understood his feelings and never attempted to know what he went through every single day. Sahana was sitting next to him with tears in her eyes. She was ashamed of being a self-centric, egoistic and uncaring woman. She left the office and went to meet Dr. Gautam Chandra.

Dr. Gautam Chandra heard what Sahana had to say and asked her "Now tell me do you want to leave him? Is he really ignoring you? See Sahana the problem with many couples is that they expect more from their partners. Life becomes tough once you have the responsibility of a family. At times I ask people "When you can adjust and work for a grumpy boss why can’t you tolerate your partner. You have the patience to hear your neighbors', friends' and colleagues' grievances but cannot be bothered to check what your partner is going through. You pity others and ignore your loved ones. We take our partners for granted. We expect them to know everything about us but we don't make an effort to know them. Many men ignore their wives, especially homemakers. Each one has his own frustrations, problems, and limitations. In a relationship a man and a woman should complement each other, only then will the relationship be long-lasting. Nagging, blaming and fighting makes the relationship bitter. Treat your partner with respect, love, and dignity. I am not just saying this to you alone. This is for all couples, both the man and the lady. Before we conclude something, we have to step into the other's shoes and see the world. If you leave him, just for a silly reason, it shows that you cannot keep up the promise you made to him at the time of your marriage”.

Sahana came home and cried her heart out. She did not realize that her husband was going through so much pressure at work and tolerating it just because he wanted to give a good and decent life to her. Sahana had been very demanding, not bothering to spend money on anything she liked. Sandeep had never said no to anything that Sahana wanted to buy or spend on.

Around 8 pm, Sandeep returned to his apartment, rang the doorbell and waited patiently. Sahana opened the door with a warm smile and gave a warm hug to her husband. She was well dressed and looked beautiful. Sandeep was surprised to see his wife. He had expected the morning fight to continue. She had laid the table and prepared his favorite dish. Light music was playing in the background. Candles were lit on the dining table and a nice aroma filled the room. Sandeep could not believe his eyes and was wondering if it was his dream. Sahana served food with the utmost love and care. Sandeep held her hand and whispered, "Thank you Sahana, I am happy to find you back in my life....hope we remain the same till the end". Sahana held his hand and promised "I will always be your beloved Sahana. Thank you for being a caring husband. I am really sorry for not understanding you".

Sandeep was a bit confused and asked "But ...what made you change your behavior?? Sahana replied "Please do not ask me about it. Even if I tell you, you won't believe my story. Just forget the past and let's be happy.

He hugged her tight!

PS: Before you blame your partner, step into their shoes and see the world.