The Discordant Symphony

They were blissfully happy. Every now and then peals of laughter would trill through the air like an ethereal sound from the heavens. The music and the melody filled the park with an undefined vibrancy. They were happy, and the happiness was almost palpable. Samuel and Eva were immersed in each other’s love and they were in a world of their own. Eva encapsulated within his strong arms, snuggled in still closer. As the girl looked up into his eyes and whispered a few words of endearment, he in his turn gave her a peck on her upturned nose. She giggled and he looked down with profound tenderness. It was a moment saturated with pure love, and an exclusive experience for them alone. It is a strange occurrence that when people get too much of anything, their first thought is “what if it does not last”. Such was the case even with Eva. Not quite comprehending how she could be the recipient of so much love, she asked him the obvious question, “Can you promise that you will love me always?” He in his turn replied, “ I will love you Eva till my very last breath. I love you so much.” Eva seemed to be satisfied and pressed him closer to her in a renewed surge of passion. It was at this time that they spotted a man selling peanuts in cone-shaped packets. They bought just one packet and then they shared the contents in a spirit of camaredie. In a sham show of competition, each one tried to out beat the other in picking up the nuts. That was just unadulterated fun for them .Whilst having the peanuts, Eva shared also her dreams with Samuel and the latter bared his heart to her. All those who saw them remarked that they made a good pair. Their friendship grew by leaps and bounds so much so that they became inseparable and could not do without each other. So one fine day they tied the knot. The story should end here with the “they lived happily ever after,” but it was not so ---now starts the turmoil of their life. The first three months of their married life was indeed hectic. Both of them searched all over for their dream house. They had agreed that they would opt for a two-roomed flat but it should be sophisticated. They found one on Elgin Road, in a multi-storeyed building on the eighth floor. They could have an aerial view of the entire surrounding, as for the breeze, one might be lucky if one was not ejected out into space! In front of the building was a water body in which there were multi-coloured dancing fountains. The reflection of the myriad colours in the water made it look like a world of fantasy. Then they had to get their home furnished. They went from shop to shop and selected the furniture—the most sleek and mod. But who was to pay for the purchases! Though both of them were drawing good salaries, but when it came to the payment, each wanted the other to pay. Eva still entertained the traditional idea that the man in the family was the bread winner and had to pay for all the household expenses. But according to the norms of the present generation Samuel believed that there was equality of sexes. Though he paid up yet he felt that it was not just. A diplomatic silence was maintained, but a wall started growing between them. Slowly they were becoming cold towards each other. The bottled up grouse eventually reached the stage when it would explode destroying the very fabric of their relationship. Now Samuel started complaining that he was not getting the required rest at night and hence he was finding it hard to work during the day. He felt hot and irritated as Eva would not let him turn on the Air Conditioner. Her excuse was that she was catching a chill and she was very vulnerable to bronchitis Samuel was all for sunlight and fresh air. He loved to draw back the curtains and enjoy the sunshine and the cool breeze whereas Eva insisted on keeping the curtains drawn as it enhanced the artistic effect of the décor. But the most challenging hurdle was the food habits where there was no possibility of a compromise or adjustment. Eva was not a vegetarian but she would not eat meat or fish. She was very sensitive to the suffering of all living creatures and did not want to inflict pain on them by killing them. Samuel on the other hand was very fond of non-vegetarian food and could not think of a meal without his favourite meat and fish. This led to the next problem. Samuel stopped eating food at home. Every day he used to go out to the Restaurants after Office, have his dinner with his attractive Secretary. One can imagine how this led up to the final break in their relationship! There was pandemonium in their little nest every day and gone were the days of love and friendship . Samuel left the house, taking with him all the furnishings he had bought with his money. Eva was too shocked to understand the full gravity of the decision. But at that moment her mind was only full of one emotion, her hatred for the woman who enjoyed dinner with her husband, when she herself pecked at a few crumbs at home. Nothing would go down her throat, which would feel so constricted, knowing her husband was having roast chicken with a beautiful young lady who was also with him in the office. She looked on stunned as he was moving out. How could he do that! Irrespective of all her likes and dislikes she would have sacrificed all her desires only if he had let her know about his decision. But no, he could not----why, there had been a wall of diplomatic formality between them. They would not communicate; they would not bare their hearts to each other. If only he had told her about his drastic plans, she would have even cooked the special dishes he liked for him. But now it was too late. Her ego and her false sense of self- esteem prevented her from pulling him back and telling him how much she loved him and that she could not do without him. So it happened that he walked out of her life and she was lelt dumbfounded. As she lay alone in her bed, more correctly, on her camp cot which she had purchased later, without an air conditioner, she realised that these small things in life did not matter. Now what would life mean without Samuel, for all her happiness was gone forever! She should not have been so petty to insist that he should pay for all their household expenses. She should have given in and agreed to his suggestion that each one should pay half. She should have been more flexible and not adamant because of her ego. Samuel on his part had lost his mental equilibrium. His work suffered in the office. Now he lost interest in having dinner—anything would do. At times he went without dinner. He was often absent minded, thinking over and over again whether he had been wrong in taking the decision unilaterally without consulting Eva. Self- recrimination and remorse made him a mental wreck. But he continued with his routine tasks irrespective of his mental condition. It was then that it happened. As he was going to the office and driving at a break-neck speed, all of a sudden a dog came in the way---a well-fed black dog with a bushy tail. He immediately pressed on the brake .But it was too late. He heard the pitiful cry of the dog, a blood-curdling cry. He got down to have a look at the massacre. The dog went on yelping continuously in a mournful sequel. Blood lay splattered all over. Pink flesh had come out where the metal had come into contact with its thigh. Red liquid was spurting out and the dog lay panting, unable to move but in agonising pain.Froth had already accumulated on the ground near its head. He had never seen a dog cry but that day he did. Tears rolled down unabated, but there could be no way to comfort the dog. He pulled the dog aside and went on his way. This accident changed Samuel’s life entirely. After seeing the agony of the dog, he came to the realisation that when he enjoys his roast mutton, another of God’s creatures goes through agonising pain. No, not for him any more of the exotic dishes he once insisted upon. He could not erase from his memory the image of the dog’s tears running down silently. This is how life had been for them in the next six months. But it was a very difficult period for Eva. She did not feel well at all. Every morning when she got up she felt queasy in the days just after Samuel had left. She supposed that perhaps as she was not eating at the right time and eating very little, she was coming in with gastric problems. In the following days she felt tired the whole day and lost her appetite. All these symptoms she surmised were the result of her husband’s leaving her. As she was mentally disturbed, it was telling on her health. She could not manage her house and office work simultaneously, she felt so fagged out. After the day’s exertion she would come home breathless. She often longed for Samuel to be by her side, she had become so helpless and lonesome. Now she was trudging home with great difficulty. The stores that she had purchased were too heavy. Her back ached and her legs wobbled. She had to drag her feet along but home seemed so far off. As she trudged along suddenly she felt somebody taking the packet from her. ”What have you done to yourself Eva?”Eva looked up. He stepped back in consternation. “What was he seeing in front of him? Where was the frisky girl that he loved?” In front of him was the emaciated worn out figure of a woman, who stared back at him through dark –rimmed sockets, on the verge of breaking down into tears. He steadied her by putting his arms round her and repeated the same question to her. Eva saw a dishevelled man who had not even taken care to comb his hair. She remembered how particular Samuel used to be about his attire. He had to be well groomed otherwise he would not step out of the house. She casually noticed his crumpled shirt and unpolished shoes. He had lost weight and his trousers were half way down his waist. Though she made a brave effort to control her emotions, she burst into tears and there was no way stopping her. She cried her heart out. Samuel felt most embarrassed with the passers-by staring at them. He tried to comfort her but Eva was not to be comforted. What could he say to her which would stop her from sobbing. He tried his best not to take her into his arms and kiss her tears away. He had noticed Eva had looked different. He was an intelligent man and it came to his mind that probably there was a reason for it. He was hoping against hope but he did not have the courage to ask. Then to his utter astonishment Eva was gushing out like a deluge when the dam has burst its banks with all her- grievances---- how he had left her, missing him every minute of the day, how she could not manage handling all by herself his baby to be born in another three months, how he had left without telling her in advance his intentions. This barrage of grievances was too much for Samuel. In between her sobs she was telling him she would cook for him all the non -vegetarian dishes, and contribute towards the household expenses, if only he did not have dinner with pretty ladies . Samuel could not withhold himself. In full gaze of the public, he enveloped Eva in his arms, covered her with kisses, and assured her that everything would be alright as he loved her very much and would do so always. Then as an after- thought he added that she would not have to cook non vegetarian food for him as he had become a full -fledged vegetarian!

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