THE JOY OF COLOURS - #MyFriendAlexa 2021 - VIOLET

 VIOLET

                                                                         

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Twilight had always been her special hour when the sky turned violet veering towards darkness. The books she had read had mentioned it as the hour most deceptive to the eye, the hour when shapes would assume ghostly proportions, and loom, shadowy and unnerving. The hour when things would turn dim, as though the very air was holding its breath.

Many accidents had been known to take place at twilight. Especially on the stretch of road just short of her house which curved sharply on to an almost blind corner. A vehicle coming the other way would have to brake and wait with bated breath.

Monica would often sit at a window that looked out on to the road. The sun would have set, and the velvety tone of the evening would be disturbed by the balmy breeze. Little lights would begin to twinkle across the horizon, and little by little, the entire sky would also be filled with starlight. An immense sense of peace would fill her heart and she would hum a little tune below her breath, a sign that she was at perfect ease.

Gautam had got used to seeing her framed against the window, her profile silhouetted against the darkening violet of dusk.

The first time he saw her, he stood, entranced. She looked like a painting. Then his lopsided sense of humour caught up with him.

“Are you planning to take a dive out of the window? Do let me know in advance.”

She had turned to him, her eyes ablaze. “How dare you say such a thing, Gautam? You have no idea about the kind of person I am, do you? I abhor people who take the easy way out.”

She had not spoken to him for three days after. Gautam had been taken aback. He had not meant it seriously. When he said so, she had snapped back, “I do not like your warped sense of humour. Don’t ever say anything like this again.” The furious expression in her dark eyes had quite unnerved him.

It had only been three months since they had started going out together. It had been an unlikely friendship – she was petite and attractive, he was like a giant bear, loud and boisterous. However, they had hit it off and now they had got to the stage when they were comfortable with each other.

Their first quarrel had been over a movie. She wanted to watch it, and he didn’t. When he voiced his opinion, she stalked away in annoyance. She bought a ticket and went to watch the movie on her own. He was fine with it, but she held the grudge over a week.

The next incident was the one at the window. Gautam had realised that Monica was a difficult customer to deal with. He was easy-going, but he did have a few principles, one of which was that he did not need to be dictated to by anyone. The sooner Monica realized it, the better it would be for them both.

One would have imagined the relationship to be unpredictable, almost like walking on a tightrope. Surprisingly, it was not that tough. Both did skate on thin ice but managed to keep away from that point where the ice was most fragile. They enjoyed being together and they strove to keep it that way.

Of late, Gautam had seemed a trifle distracted. Monica had asked him about it a few times, but he had been evasive.

“Just a few issues at work, Mon!” He had shrugged her queries off. She had not quite believed him, and her eyes had turned darker than ever, always a warning sign. He had given her a bear hug and the matter had been forgotten. Or so he thought!

Monica’s instincts had always been sharp. She pretended to believe Gautam, but on her own, she decided to do some detective work. Was he seeing someone else? That was something she was not willing to accept. Her ego was queen-sized, and she would never be able to accept being dumped for someone else.

These days, Gautam seemed to have acquired a veneer of happiness that made his smile brighter than ever. It was as if he had a secret that he kept bottled within him. Monica’s hackles rose the moment she saw him. It was as if he had excluded her from his private haven.

“Gautam, what is the matter? Why do you look like a cat that’s got all the cream?”

“Maybe I have, Mon, maybe I have!” was his smiling riposte, which only made her fume even more.

The photograph materialized on Gautam’s Facebook page and Monica’s heart plummeted. Gautam looked his cheery self, holding hands with a stunning dewy-eyed beauty. She seemed like an exotic bird of paradise, her green dress in striking contrast with her almost violet eyes. Who was she and what was she doing with Gautam? A red veil of rage hung before Monica’s eyes, a rage which began to simmer slowly within her as she tried to figure out who the woman was.

That evening, she sat at the window, watching the various lights of the vehicles shining dimly at dusk. The violet shades made them appear like little toys, as they snaked along the winding road. Her eyes glittered in the darkness as bright as the stars in the sky.

When Gautam came over, she was extra sweet towards him.

“How was your day, love?” as she forced a smile on her face. “Met any interesting people?”

“No more than the usual!” was his breezy reply.

Chagrined, Monica walked into the kitchen to make two cups of tea. Hot and strong, the way they both enjoyed it! The evening stretched ahead, and she was not sure how long she could endure the mystery of the striking woman without feeling the urge to strike Gautam.

As she was making dinner, she heard him talk on the phone. His voice was lower than usual, and as she strained her ears, she heard him say, “Yes, can’t wait for this to happen! See you tomorrow!”

As they sat, for dinner, Gautam suddenly remarked, breaking the silence. “Tomorrow I will be going out of station.”

“Where are you off to?” She made her voice casual.

“I need to meet a client,” he replied.

“Is she pretty?” she countered, as a puzzled expression crept into his eyes.

“Who?”

“Your client?”

“Well, he is a tall, well-built man. I don’t know if that qualifies him as pretty!” he threw his head back and laughed.

“When will you be back?” she asked.

“Two days from now! And there is a surprise for you when I get back.”

More like a shock, she felt like retorting.

The next two days crawled by. Monica missed Gautam intensely. The last evening, as she sat at the window, her eyes misted over. How could she live without him? Would the lady with violet eyes take him away from her? She burst into convulsive sobs.

After a sleepless night, she awoke, eyes red-rimmed, her mind made up. She knew exactly what she needed to do. She would not be jilted.

Sipping her cup of tea, she typed out a message.

“Dear Gautam, I am sorry that I am going to break your heart. I have found the man of my dreams and sorry, it is not you. We met at the gym, and we discovered that we were made for each other. I hope we can remain friends. God bless.”

She pushed the ‘Send’ button before she could regret it, her heart breaking. Then she switched her phone off, determined not to see any messages that she knew would come in from him.

By evening, she was more composed. She sat by the window, knowing that he would be coming back soon. She had created her mystery man, Akash, a good-looking acquaintance she had run into at the gym. She had sent his picture to Gautam along with her message.

Gautam’s face was grim. He greeted her coldly, his face set and pale.

“I got your message. How long have you been planning this?”

She smiled at him. “Oh, there was nothing planned. I met Akash and the rest is history.”

Gautam sat down, his face frighteningly calm.

“Have you thought this over?”

She nodded.

The next moment, he dialed a number and spoke into his phone.

“Supriya, this is Gautam. I am sorry but the deal I had finalized with you over the past two days will have to be cancelled. Thank you for your excellent service.”

As Monica looked at him, bewildered, he sat down heavily on a chair.

“I am glad you told me now. I had gone to buy a villa for the two of us. It would have cost me a great deal of money. I just cancelled the deal. There is no point in buying it if we are not going to be together.”

He got up and walked into the other room. As he reached the door, he turned back. “I am going to pack my things. I will be out of your hair before long.” It was clear that he was not going to trust her ever again.

Monica looked at his rigid back in disbelief. What had she done?

Suddenly, a message came on Gautam’s phone which lay on the table before her. She picked up the phone and saw the picture of the striking lady she had seen earlier. She pressed on the message, as her whole world collapsed around her.

“I am truly sorry that the deal we had fixed has fallen through. Do let me know if you are interested in any further property deals.

With warm regards,

 Supriya Singh.”

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