The Other Side Of The Window

Vasundhara took her first sip of coffee breathing the air gushing from the sea, she could see outside through the window the waves rising and fall, the current hissing and hailing. Each wave embraced the shore and receded or just perished. Sea gulls flying all over.

The serving woman asked ma'am would you like to add something she said. . . yeah but little later m waiting for some one. A thought arouse in her mind why had she not seen things through the other side of window. Every thing would have changed for her and for Uma than any one. She could only see what he tried to show her. The altered distorted reality. A bended truth.

She felt guilt filling her big eyes, if a drop of tear trickled out, no one could miss large eyes with lashes she has made beautiful with kashmiri kohl. She wanted this meeting than any one. It was for her, for her daughter. She could be nothing at that point of time. Never been a wife, had she not tried but failed. Faith, trust these are the foundation of a married life and years of pretentious melodrama could never be a good marriage.

But why, had she not seen the other side of the window.

She could have seen Uma. A fragile being, then. . . . she is strong enough now otherwise she would not be seeing Vasundhara that day.

Dad could not give much prosperity to her, but just values. . . . truth, hope faith, honesty. . . where are those words now. She could hear her daughter say Mom realizing yourself is a great thing, identifying the stranger in the mirror and telling her she went wrong all way is very difficult and to correct paths when it is about to give way to eternity is boldness. I understand you. . .

She knew she she'd another drop of tear and suddenly a kerchief was given to her by some one. She looked up through the glasses and found a woman extending her piece of clothe,a sandal wood one. . .

Once she used to weep and his towel would just be damp while they end their meeting. . . she cried every time she met with him. She was 19 or 20, unable to understand the man who would not let her live nor allow her to live her life her way. He refused her the life she begged until and never allow her to leave the cage he fashioned for her. She fell ill, her nights needed pills to be popped up to sleep. It was such an extortion and no one understood what was going on.

They called her mad, mad after a man who never wanted her nor let her go. It was their life, people tried to make sense out of it and bring sense to her. . . but it all went on until he yelled at her it is a senseless relationship a futile meaning less one. Yeah she completed that it could be an arrangement rather for convenience. . . . your convenience Sarang. . .

She took the towel and wiped her tears and looked at the woman before her looking elder than her. . though years younger than her not hiding grey hairs, embracing it but with a warm smile. The strength of purity accepting her innocence and brokenness.

She said Uma your smile is so s

trong so bold, showing your strength of inversely.

The woman told I see the same in you. . . .

No. . . . Vasundhara said no more.

M not my Dad's innocent daughter any more. Nor do I believe my prayers are heard any more. No more God walks with me. . . I seldom hear him and she literally broke down.

Uma, the woman who came in hugged her and told you are precious and worthy. . . my dear deedi. . that's how they call an elder one.

Uma. . my lord don't answer me any more. . . won't you tell him. . . when you find him in the broken sanctum sanctorum of your old temple.

Lost in the stranger woman's arms Vasundhara never bothered of the eyes looking at them and then came a loud voice 

That's her author Vasundhara. . .

That was nor expected. People knowing her, but she did not move she was raining. . . like a cloud of years of pining and throbbing 

When they settled. . . Uma told her you are so beautiful and I wonder why he. . . . left you.

He. . . . never had me to leave me I was his way to cave in when he felt bored playing expensive dolls.

Uma If I had seen you properly just once. . . it would be all different, all different for us.

We won't be talking on past but live a future. . . our versatile lives.

I would have seen you sitting endless hours in family court. Not providing comfort to His false accusations. I would have seen the woman who got in to a relationship by arrangement and not by choice, being something to someone who never saw her beauty, I'll treated her for her being sick. Blaming her for being barren when the opportunity to being fertile was made fun of.

I could not love him. . . . I was shocked by his presence but I was a wife and had my duties to my husband. . and I had to perform them in the process, I fell in love with him but deedi not any more.

What changed him, I wondered money, woman, he was never kind to me. . . Uma told.

I. . was not for any money. . Vasundhara told It was me who paid, paid for every minute we spend. I was an instrument in his hands. I never knew it, money and power and position. . changed him He never suited his job. It suited selfless soul who would do ultimate good not some one like him who took advantage of people their vulnerability their love, their meekness, their truth, their loyalty 

Uma was looking at a woman so shattered. This is not the face she saw in TV shows and interview.  

This must be her Uma thought the other woman in her life, the one who seized her husband as world told. Kept him captivated in her charm. This is a lost woman, a girl rather, so innocent. . . not knowing light emitted through her cracks.

She loved that man and was the only deed she never could rectify, walk away and escape. Why blame her for her fate.

Vasundhara slowly calmed down. She smiled at people looking her perplexed. She was scared of cameras but she was there with her truth.

If she had seen through the other side of window she would have seen what Sarang brought on all of them.

She did not wanted to be of victim mind set. She always had the courage to own her self and now he chose the right from the wrong.

They smiled at each other Uma' s spirit touched Vasundhara and Vasundhara s innocence and her way of looking life attracted Uma.

What Sarang had done to them they both wished not to happen to other women he met. But they were not alone. . . there were many. No one was as withered by his storm than Vasundhara and her entire life yet she took back her power. Her power to say no when she really meant a big No.

She fathomed Sarang Uma and their children. . . along the sea shore. She imagined her faithful but stubborn husband who denied her the very status of his wife bit just considered his child's mother. . . . and her daughter laughing like they once lived their life before Saranf invaded her life back after throwing her away when he wanted.

Now he could never do that. He could never control her like a string puppet according to his wishes. but what if those days she knew Uma, she saw Uma struggling to hold on in the tides of waves trying to uproot her.

Her view was blurred by his lies and the reckless image he painted of that simple woman.

Uma took Vasundhara's arms in her and told I never hated you. . . I knew you, I always felt.

Forgive me she said to Uma and Vasundhara caught Umas fingers 

Life is not what we want it to be, Life has its own way, it's own story, It's own images you look through which ever sides.

All men are not puppeteers and all women nor puppets, but men like Sarang exist and sometimes one could lose total rythm until one opens their eyes and sees through the side of window and stare at truth that is often silenced by power and positions.

Relationships are never fair when arranged they need to be build on by togethernness. . but when being alone, a woman, a girl who is young and helpless, fighting abandoned fights to survive, people like Sarang make their way. . . . yet I don't blame him. . . Vasundhara said.

When the two women left the Cafe they spent time on the sea bed where Vasundhara saw Uma though the other side of glass and loved that vision of a strong woman who cannot be smitten by worthless people.

She wrote Sarang on the soil and let the waves wash it off eternally.