Sorry? Who? What?

“I am going to my father’s place for a week,” she said with an unmistakable note of irritation in her voice. “Are you listening?!” she added in a sharper voice.

“Yes of course,” he said with a sigh folding the newspaper he was reading.

   

“Yes what?” she said, “Can’t you ever talk properly to me?”

“I meant yes of course I am listening to you.”

“I am going to my father’s place for a month!” she said all belligerence.

“I heard that. Only you said one week before,” he said keeping his voice calm.

“Do you mean to say that I can’t go to my father’s place for a month or as long as I choose?! Am I some sort of a bonded slave of yours?”

“I said nothing like that. You can go to your father’s place or any place for as long as you please.”

“And you wouldn’t care a damn?! You want to be free of me! Why don’t you just say it plainly and throw me out of your life?”

“When did I say anything like that?” he said plaintively.

“You implied it clearly! Don’t I know your snide ways?!” she said getting her face going into deeper shades of red and her voice getting shriller. “And you are casting aspersions on my character too?!”

“Now when did I do that!”

“You did! You said I could go anyplace I choose! What do you mean by that! Am I a vagabond! A vagrant!”

“I just meant that you could go anywhere you choose…”

“There you are saying it again!”

“I meant like your uncle’s place, your sisters place, your aunts place, your friends place…”

“So now I am a tramp and have to go a-begging to everybody’s door.”

“When did I say that!” his voice rose in exasperation.

“Don’t you shout at me!”

“I am not shouting at you!” he said even louder.

“There you are! Aren’t you?!”

“Don’t create a scene please!”

“Who me?! Am I creating a scene! It is you who is shouting his head off.”

“God!” he clutched his head.

“Now you will start blaming me!”

“For God’s sake I am feeling a crushing pain in my chest!”

“Don’t try that on me! This is your usual drama! Now who’s creating a scene?!” 

“Me! Of course me! Me! Me! Me!” he got mad.

“Now look at you! I swear it is impossible to talk to you even! All you can do is vent your frustrations on me,” she said breaking into tears, “I am leaving! I will go to my father’s place. You are impossible to live with!”

“Yes leave! Get the hell out of my life! I don’t want you around. You…You!” he spluttered with rage.

“Ok! Ok! I am leaving” she said and then broke out into sobs, “I will leave you alone to enjoy your life without me. I will never come back! This is what I get after lavishing my love on you all these years…”

He stood in the middle of the room not knowing how to react…

“I am the one who is responsible for all the mess in your life…If I leave all your troubles will be over. You can start your life afresh.”

He said nothing.

She stood up and came near him, “I will leave but let me tell you something. Don’t ever treat anyone like this again. You raise a person to heights and then dash them to the ground. That’s what you did with me. Please don’t do it to anyone else…” More sobs.

“I am leaving…” she said and then turning back she came near him and said, “I can’t leave like this. Please shake hands with me as a parting gesture. Look at me please! Don’t shut me out like this. Oh I am sorry! Please!” she was whimpering.

“I…,” he spluttered helplessly. She broke into sobs.

He gingerly tried to touch her shoulder.

“Don’t touch me,” she said between sobs, “It’s my fate to cry. That’s what I have been doing ever since I got married to you!”

He swallowed and cleared his throat, “I…um…er…look here I am sorry…”

“Sorry! Why should you be sorry?! It is my fate! And it is always my fault!”

“Look I never said that. Why are you putting words in my mouth?” he said in a pleading voice.

“There! Now it is me putting words in your mouth! You have to blame me for everything! It is always ME! ME! ME!” she nearly screamed.

“God! Please don’t shout like that! What will everyone say?!”

“I don’t care what they will say! Let everyone see how you treat me! This is the real you! Let them see what you are really like!” her voice became shriller.

“Why are you creating a scene! What’s happened to you!” he shouted at her.

“Now see who’s shouting! There you go again! Come on! Hit me! Hit me! I know you want to!” she screamed and sobbed hysterically.

“God!” he clutched his head with his hands.

“Ok! Ok! I am leaving” she said between sobs, “I will leave you alone to enjoy your life without me. I will never come back! This is what I get after lavishing my love on you all these years…”

(Truth is mostly unpalatable…but truth cannot be ignored! Here we serve the truth, seasoned with salt and pepper and a dash of sauce (iness!). You can record your burps, belches and indigestion, if any, at snp_ajazbaba@yahoo.com)

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