The lone traveler

 The sun was setting and orange pink hues tinged with grey filled the evening sky . The November breeze was cool with a gentle nip. Sheila stood alone in her vast balcony overlooking a beautiful lawn bedecked with seasonal fragrant flowers. The chirping of birds and the slow music of water as it trickled down the fountain filled the crisp evening. 

Lost deep in thought ,a few silent tears rolled down , as she thought of her journey till here . 

Sheila and her party had miserably lost the Lok Sabha elections and within a matter of few hours, she was dethroned not only as the PM , but also as the party chief. She stood absolutely alone. A lone traveler now , in this life of defeat .

Sheila came from a political family, and was always ambitious. Her sheer grit and hard work made her the party chief and soon the PM. 

As she stood there in silence , she viewed her life gone by with anguish and remorse. The price she had to pay to reach the top was huge . 

A nasty divorce, estrangement from her family and children, constantly being blamed for political corruption, the list was endless . She used to be surrounded by party workers once upon a time, but now she had to face and accept her defeat alone .

“ Sheila “, said a familiar voice . She turned around to see Arvind , her ex husband . He had aged considerably, salt and pepper in his hair, but he still had the same warm smile that exuded a feeling of love and affection. “ How are you ? I saw the news and couldn’t resist myself from coming to meet you. You have always been the fearless warrior princess, taking everything in your stride, however I was worried about you “. Sheila turned to him with an impassive face , her eyes speaking volumes , drowned in loneliness as she stood there alone . Arvind looked around the huge empty bungalow, the once buzzing waiting room, empty , sans a couple of constables on duty . He remembered the bitter fight they had when she had chosen politics over family and had walked out on him. “ Sheila”, he said in a sincere low emotive voice , eyes brimming with tears , “ I realized that your happiness is essential to mine , that’s the reason I never tried to contact you all these years . But today, I knew you would be unhappy , hurting and all alone . It’s you, it’s me and thus it’s us . You are not a lone traveler in this roller coaster ride of politics. I will walk by your side and give you the emotional support “. 

The moon shone brightly amidst the stars with the cool night breeze as Arvind and Sheila embraced each other for what seemed like an infinity. Sheila felt secure in the knowledge that she was no longer a lone traveler in this journey of hers . She could walk confidently in the direction of her dreams . 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rekindling faith

15th June 2016— a date that will forever stay etched in my memory, for it marked a profound turning point in my life. That day, I lost my beloved husband, Milind. Throughout my life, I was deeply spiritual and religious, placing immense faith in the power of prayers. Yet, during the tumultuous days of June 12th to 15th, no prayer or plea could alter my fate. I was left feeling bereft, helpless, and filled with anger towards God and the universe. In my grief, I ceased praying and stopped lighting the evening lamp. My humble home temple gathered dust; the lamps remained unlit, bearing the remnants of past rituals of faith and devotion. Life moved forward, but my anger and despair toward the divine grew. I seethed in my grief until, one day—just before Ganesh Chaturthi—I received a WhatsApp image of Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati from one of my husband's clients. He was elderly, and I remembered feeling a calming aura during our brief interactions. I continued to delete the images withou...
Read more

A Beacon of Compassion and strength

Ramesh mama was like a second father to me . All through my ups and downs in life , all my medical emergencies, he held my hand and patiently guided me along . Whether it be a simple cough and cold or my Mother’s case of    Cerebral Malaria or my Mother in Law’s prolonged illness, he was always by my side. He was the “ go to” doctor for my children as well, especially Sayali. While studying in UK, she would call him whenever she had even the slightest of health problems and his word was always the last . If I didn’t call him in a week, he would call me asking me if all was okay .  There came a sudden heartbreaking turn in my life , I lost my husband Milind . My world crumbled. At that time Mama was visiting his son Sanjeet in the USA. He called to speak with me . I can still hear his voice echoing in my mind - so gentle, so calm . I was sobbing uncontrollably and he softly advised ,    “Manju, you have to be strong, there’s no other option . You have to be there...
Read more

Tears

  Madhuri entered the Bapat household as a newly wed bride , with dreams in her eyes coupled with tears shed due     to a mixed emotional turmoil, reflecting her state of mind . Her tears reflected her grief of leaving the comfortable cocoon of her parents home , the apprehension towards the life to be , and of course , the joy of living the rest of her life with the man of her choice , Jaideep . An intelligent, quiet, handsome and loving young man . As she kicked and stepped on the bowl of rice , as was the tradition, she managed a faint smile amidst all her emotional turmoil. Jaideep , on the other hand, held her hand firmly in a show of support. Mrs Bapat , Jaideep’s mother held the Aarti thaali , eyes brimming with tears of joy as his father, Mr Bapat,     looked on , eyes full of love .    The Bapats were well known in the society for their simplicity and humbleness . Theirs was a typical middle class Maharashtrian Koknastha Brahmin household. Gra...
Read more