And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found, ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world.”
The
old Carpenters’ melody played as she looked at the photograph in the frayed
album. There she was, in the bloom of youth, gazing at him, the centre of her
universe.
He
was a dapper young man, with a rakish smile that could melt hearts. The first
time she had seen him was in college, surrounded by adoring maidens striving to
catch his attention. Her heart had skipped a beat, but since she was brought up
‘right’, she watched him from afar, casting her eyes down every time he looked
in her direction.
Maybe
her bashfulness made him notice her. As she was about to bite into a delicious
tart, his voice broke into her thoughts.
“Hello!”
She
had started, nearly dropping the tart.
“Hello…?”
Her voice was hesitant.
She
had no idea what he saw in her, a wallflower ignored by most.
He
smiled when she asked him that after the first few meetings.
“I
love your shy smile, your large eyes and your demure demeanour.”
Slowly,
he brought her out of her cocoon, to the point when she started feeling better
about herself. Her friends pulled her leg about the young man who made her blush.
Their
love was the stuff of fairytales. When they got married, there was rejoicing
all around. The photograph in the album was that of their wedding day, a day
which they would deem the happiest in their lives.
When
their daughter was born, and later their son, life could not be happier. She took
care of the babies; he worked in a prestigious firm. Slowly the years went by.
The children turned into adults, they finished college and moved on to jobs
that suited their temperaments.
Which
is when the cracks showed up, deep gashes that tore their marriage apart,
cracks that had been covered up so well that the world looking on was aghast.
“How
can you both get divorced? You are the ideal couple?” said a friend whose
marriage had broken up due to incompatibility.
Their
daughter wept buckets of tears; the son pulled his hair in desperation.
“Ma,
Pa, how can you do this? Our friends swear by your relationship. It has always
been so.”
They
gazed at their children, and then at each other. It was time for the truth to
be told.
**********
“When they get to the part
Where he's breakin' her heart
It can really make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more.”
The
divorce went through. The children protested no more. Though they were deeply unhappy,
they accepted the explanation provided by their parents. They loved them deeply
and they knew that they were equally loved in return. The only difference was
that their parents now lived in two different houses.
Their
daughter fell in love and married a businessman. Their son did not fall in
love, but married a beautiful young lady for convenience. The grandchildren
made an appearance, and life meandered on. Every vacation, the two families
would come down and stay with the older couple, a week with one, the next with
the other.
“Ma,
how did you ever survive without Pa? You were so much in love,” sighed her
daughter.
The
mother smiled ruefully. “All because of a broken heart! Infidelity can create a
rift that can never be mended.” Her daughter hugged her gently. How much her
mother had suffered! Yet she had never said a harsh word against her husband,
or allowed her children to do so. Maybe that was the reason that the children continued
their relationship with their father.
The
telephone rang, a strident note shattering the silence at twilight.
The
children hurried to their mother’s home, where she sat, shrouded in silence.
When she saw them, she burst into convulsive tears, as they wrapped their arms
around her.
The
ceremony consisted of a few close friends and family members. The large,
garlanded photograph of their father looked out at them, his eyes twinkling as
they had always done. There were many well-wishers who spoke of the dynamic man
they had all admired, even loved. His widow sat, tears streaming down her face,
as she heard them all. Her children consoled her, her grandchildren sat by her,
squeezing her hand gently from time to time.
Once
all the guests had left, the mother beckoned her offspring towards her.
“Let
the children go and play in their room. I need to talk to you of a matter that
I should, and would, have discussed with you, but your father forbade me from
doing so.”
It
was the magical hour of twilight when leaves rustled outside, and the silence
crept into their hearts. They waited, wondering what their mother had to say to
them. She looked unnaturally grave, a trifle nervous even.
“My
children, I have done you an enormous injustice all these years. I would have
opened up to you years ago, but for your father.” Her voice quavered, but she
controlled herself, and continued.
“You
remember we spoke to you about the reason for our divorce? Your father owned up
to his infidelity and told you that we had agreed to a mutual divorce.”
They
nodded, puzzlement in their eyes.
Dabbing
at her eyes, she continued.
“It
was not your father who strayed in our marriage. I did. He was heartbroken, but
he refused to let me tell you so. He felt that I would fall in your eyes. He
could not stand that. He made me promise that I would not tell you because he preferred
to make himself the villain.”
Bursting
into tears, she sang softly,
Come back clearly to me
Some can even make me cry.
Just like before
It's yesterday once more.”
