Ways

Sunil gets home tired. He rings the doorbell. Gets no response. Keeps on ringing. Then, reluctantly takes the key from his bag and opens the door. He needs a hot cup of tea. He shouts, ‘Where the hell are you Prapti? Prapti, his wife, doesn’t respond. Sunil yells, ‘Prapti where are you?’ He goes to the bedroom, doesn’t find her, goes to the kitchen, to the loo, then looks for her on the balcony, in the Puja room, but doesn’t find her anywhere. ‘Where could she be?’, he wonders. He calls her on her mobile but finds her out of the coverage area. Tries again, but in vain. ‘Has she gone to meet someone? Who?’, he wonders. Left with no choice, he goes to the fridge, and looks for the milk so he could make the tea himself; When he doesn’t find the milk, he becomes suspicious. Disturbing voices appear, ‘No time to buy milk? Was she in so much of a hurry, huh?’ Furious, he bangs the fridge, throws his laptop, leaves the house, and heads for the nearby teashop, and gulps down two hot cups of tea.

Learns from the tea vendor that a guy came and took his wife on a motorbike. He spends around five minutes talking to the vendor trying to find out more about the guy. ‘You can keep the change’, he says and walks away. Just when he enters his flat, he hears a motorbike. Within minutes he sees Prapti running up the stairs with a bouquet. He slaps her and drags her inside. All the neighbors could hear was, ‘Shut up, whore, go to hell, how dare you hurt me, there's no way I can stay with you. No way'. 

Senthil gets home tired. He rings the doorbell. Gets no response. ‘Preeti must be asleep’, he thinks, takes his key, and silently enters the flat. He needs a hot cup of tea. He goes to the bedroom and then looks for her everywhere. When he doesn’t find her, he thinks of making the tea himself. He goes to the fridge but doesn’t find the milk. ‘Preeti must have left in a hurry, she didn’t even have the time to buy milk, what could have happened,’ he thinks and calls her on her mobile but is not able to get through. ‘Idea!’, he says, and immediately goes out and buys milk, he also gets some samosas and quickly gets home. He learned from the vendor that his wife was out with a guy who came and took her on his motorbike. ‘Yes, I know,’ he says and rushes back home.

While the milk is boiling, he quickly has a shower; comes back, makes tea, and pours it in the kettle. He hears the sound of a motorbike. The doorbell rings. Preeti comes in with a bouquet and goes straight to the puja room. Senthil, ‘Please come fast, I have made tea and there’s also samosa.’Preeti, ‘Coming! I am feeling hungry. Thank you. In the puja room, she has no idols, but a beautiful saying which, in English translates like this: ‘Situations or persons you receive every day are God’s gift to you and the way you respond to them is your gift to God.’

Inspired by the BKs