asatya

“why do you think that I believed your lie back then,” Anderson growls.

“because you wouldn’t understand my situation then. now calm down, we can talk it through.” Emily speaks.

“talk! you want to talk. this could have happened three years ago. there is nothing to talk about it now.”

“I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t want you to know about it.”

“and now, what about now, I know the whole story of your night out. what about that?” Anderson walks a step closer to Emily.

“It was all in the past. the past is never going to come back. just forget about it.” Emily pleads.

“to years and eight months. we talk all day long and, you don’t tell me about your life!”

“I did try to tell you. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to, everything just flowed right behind me.”

“that is just a mere excuse. I cannot believe you now. I want a break.”

“but we ju-” Anderson stops Emily in the half.

“I’m leaving.” Anderson slams the door behind him.

Emily walks to the door at a speed she was almost running. she shuts the two, door locks. she walks back to the couch. she picks up the first pillow in the row and throws it to the rack. the rack throbs and falls horizontally on the floor. she screams at the highest intensity of her lungs. she takes all the pillows in her hands and starts throwing them at the rack. she falls back on the couch. tears start flowing down her cheeks. after some moments, a few inches from where Emily was sitting was wet.

she hears knocking on the door. she wipes her tears and swaps her hand on the couch material. she gets on her legs and walks to the door. her mom was at the door. Emily and her mother both stay silent for some seconds.

“What happened, dear?” Emily’s mom asks, holding Emily’s hand.

“nothing. I’m good.” Emily presses her lips together.

“We both know you’re lying and you’re not good at it. tell me what happened, I may be able to help you.” she starts picking up the rack and the items that fell from it.

“Andy left me.”

“why? you guys looked very happy last night. what happened suddenly?”

“I don’t want to speak about it.”

“honey if you don’t speak now, there will be nothing you can do in the future.”

“I don’t want more people to know about it. it is embarrassing.” Emily takes her hand back from her mother’s hand.

“I’m your mother. and currently, I’m the only one who can save your marriage.” Emily’s mother brings her a glass of water.

Emily drinks water between her sobs. she keeps the glass at the hard rest of the couch. some water spills on her pink plain t-shirt.

“When we returned home after dinner, Andy casually brought the topic of the girls’ night out late in college. he wanted to know if girls’ night out is similar to boys’ night out. and I blurted everything, I destroyed everything which I shouldn’t have.” Emily’s t-shirt turns dark pink with her tears.

“What happened in the night out?” Emily’s mom asks, wiping her tears.

Emily inhales sharply. “all of us friends decided the night out. those were the last days of college. I wasn’t prepared for the last exam. initially, I denied the party but then I went to the hostel. they were my friends and I might not meet them in the last few days. do you remember Donna?”

“the blonde?”

“hmm. I was drunk and I and her were together that night. something happened between us that night.”

“you liked her?”

“she was my girlfriend for three years, since the beginning of college, we were together. I loved her and even she loved me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“because I thought you wouldn’t like that.”

“anything, anything at all. I would be happiest. stop stereotyping me.”

“I love you, mom.”

“love me later, tell me what happened then?”

“I and Andy talked about that incident the whole night and I guess he wants a divorce.”

“you both have been married for three years. how can he leave from a long commitment?! it was just a night thing.”

Emily takes her eyes off her mother. “no, it wasn’t. we had a deep relationship. I moved in with her. I was planning to propose to her.”

“what happened?”

“Donna had to leave the state for a good job. we planned on getting married the day she comes back after the completion of her contract. I believed I was gay but then I met Andy. we spent time together. I started liking him. Donna was out of the scene. after that, I just talked once with her. I invited her to the wedding but she denied to come, she didn’t want her feelings to rush back. that was the last time I talked to her.”

“did you love Anderson?”

“more than I loved Donna and he loved me more than I loved him.”

“then why is it so hard for him to get over with?”

“he never wanted me to lie. he told me every aspect of his life and he believed I told him everything. he is angry because I lied to him about my past. I should have told him everything. he would’ve understood.”

“what do you think is going to happen?”

“I don’t know! he slammed the door. he never did that in the past five years. I’m ashamed of myself. what will he do?”

“did you try calling him?”

“no. he would like to stay alone and think about it.”

“so, you know everything he likes and everything he doesn’t.”

“I did. I forget how much he hates a lie. I am not a good wife. all those days when he kissed my forehead, I was carrying my lie. when he caressed my hair, the same lie. all the trips, all the nights, all the days, every moment, I was a lie. he loved me more than anything in his life, even than baseball.”

“really? he would die for baseball.”

“once I asked him how much he loves me. he told me that he loves me more than baseball.”

“he loves you this much. won’t he understand you?”

“you are not getting it right mom. he never behaved like this in years. he hasn’t been this angry ever. he is gonna come back and ask me for divorce.”

the main door creaks. Anderson enters the house. he has his phone in his hand.

“hey.” Anderson starts the conversation.

“hey.” Emily couldn’t resist her tears. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey mom, can we talk in private?” Anderson asks Emily’s mother.

Emily’s mom packs her stuff and walks to the door. “call me.” she signals Emily. she closes the door after leaving.

Anderson goes and sits next to Emily.

“I know I cou-” Anderson stops Emily in the middle of her sentence.

“shh. I don’t want to know about anything that happened. just listen to me. the first day I saw it in the theater, I reserved my heart for you. you didn’t know I existed but after that, you started loving me. in the first year of us, I told you every inch of my life. I didn’t expect you to open up so fast but eventually, you did and I believed you. I was about to cry when you said ‘yes to me. my family, my heart, and my life was you. every moment with you was like a dream with me. I wanted to save them all. I had all planned, every single day of our future, every financial plan was ready. but now.”

“Please don’t leave me. I love the same way as I did.”

Anderson holds Emily’s hands. he runs his other hand in her hair. he kisses her gently.

“I will never leave you. so what if you loved someone else, so what if she was a woman. you did love and she did love you till the end. who knows she might still love you. no one can resist you, you are a brilliant piece of hell. I gave myself some time. I love you and I know that you love. if you hide something from me, it would be for my best, nay, our best. each second, I was angry but at the same second, I saw your eyes.”

“you are not angry anymore?”

“anymore? I was never angry, I was just confused and.”

“you need some self-time when you are confused.”

“See, you know me better.”

“what was the conclusion?”

“That depends on you. do you wanna have kids with me?”

the tears in Emily’s eyes were happiness now. “again a yes.”

Emily’s mother enters the house happily. “I was just eavesdropping and I am going to be a grandmother.” she comes and hugs both Anderson and Emily.

“thank you for being in my life,” Anderson claims.

“in this case, I should be thankful,” Emily replies.