She's still waiting..........

She's waiting.............
She's waiting with bated breath for the phone to ring. It hasn't till now. It's been quite sometime since he walked out through that door. He'd promised he'd call. She vividly remembers that day.

Theirs was a love marriage. Married against the wish of their parents, it wasn't an easy decision. But then, they were deeply in love. And so they took the plunge. His parents said, " You can't marry a girl older to you". Her parents said, "You can't marry a guy younger to you and just starting a career". But they kept on at it.......

The first few months were bliss for them. The excitement of living together and starting a new life had engulfed them. While the days were spent in hard work and trying to make ends meet, the nights were equally relaxing. Everything seemed perfect. Then one day she sensed something wrong with her. It's been just four months since they got married. Having taken precautions she found it hard to believe what the symptoms told her. She went to the doctor. Everything about her body confirmed her fears.... She was pregnant!! She had to inform him. But how?? They had not planned for it..... not now. During the long walk back home, her fear turned into joy, as the thrill of a life forming inside her embraced her. With a spring in her step she reached home. He was waiting.

Not particularly known for his subtlety, he questioned her about the purpose of her visit to the doctor. Not expecting such a welcome, she was taken aback. Stammering her way through, she told him. As disbelief spread across his face, she hoped he'd be happy about the news.... eventually. But then, fate had something else in store for her. He went ballistic, raved and ranted about how the baby could not be brought up given their hands to mouth existence. He went on to explain how it was all her fault and how he was not in a mental frame to be a father. And then he kept on. His words seemed to be like hot irons against her body. Everything seemed to blur. She realised she was crying.A silent flow of tears, as he carried on oblivious to the hurt she was going through, her feelings, her joys and her despair.

And then he said, he needed more time. Time to think it over. She was perplexed. And then he walked out through the door, promising he'd call. Little did she know that he was going never to look back. As she sat there at the window staring out into the cloudy sky, she recalled those moments. A silent tear trickled down her cheeks. She was staring out, but her ears strained for the phone to ring. And then someone tugged her saree, and broke her dreaminess. A smiling face looked deep into her eyes. She wiped her tears, and smiled at her bundle of joy. She cradled her child in her arms and again stared out into the world outside waiting......

It's been two years since that summer and shes still waiting.................................

PS: I find this song from Les Miserables to be quite apt for this theme, though I happened to hear it 2 years after I wrote the above story.