The Untitled

The Untitled!

The wind was so gusty. The waves were so harsh. I parked my motor cycle at the corner of the beach.

Mohit, my boyfriend, was waiting for me. Before I could reach him, he saw me, ran to me and hugged me tightly. His smell always charmed me. I relived his smell and I clung to him intensely.

The strong wind ruffled my short curly hair. Mohit gently lifted my face, caressed my hair and tucked it behind my ears. Then he looked into my eyes passionately.

“Why did you want to see me instantly? Did you want to enjoy the sunset? Mohit asked.

“We are breaking up, Mohit,” I said mildly

“What!” He was astonished, his hands no more caressing my face.

He was uttering something to me out of anxiety, but I could not hear him because the wind was screaming in my ears. But observing his hand gestures, I realized he wasn't telling me, instead he was questioning me. I wished that the wind would never stop. I was convinced I 

wouldn’t be able to answer any of his questions.

He asked me again. (his smell rushed into me, and I felt like holding him tight, but I knew I couldn’t. I took a deep breath and inhaled his scent.)

“This relationship,” I told him, “would never go on, and I’m done with it.”

“Done? What done!”

“This relationship! What else, Mohit?"

What are you saying, Rukku?

(My name is Rukmini. Mohit calls me Rukku. In fact, my loved ones call me Rukku.)

“Mohit, I'm done with this relationship. I need a break from it.”

“Are you trying to ditch me?”

“Absolutely!” I said impulsively, without caring for his feelings.

“What's wrong with you? Are you kidding me?”

“Kidding? You really think I'm kidding, Mohit?”

“Then what should I think, Rukku? You always throw your cheap pranks on me. I wish this was one of your acts.”

“This is not a prank, Mohit. In fact, not anymore.” My voice sounded husky.

The waves were getting stronger.

Mohit came so close I could sense his breath. “We need to talk,” he said.

We walked towards the waves, leaving our footprints on the soil.

From there a very relatable scene has caught in my eyes.

A shell with a crab inside. The crab, I felt, was struggling to escape.

'Like me.'

The waves crashed against our feet.

He clutched my hands, asked me to enjoy the coolness of the waves as if everything was normal. I wondered why he was talking that way, as if nothing had happened between us. He seemed quite normal.

He told me again to enjoy the waves the way he enjoys them, but I couldn't stand it. My body was as cold as my heart, so I felt slightly warm when the waves crashing down at my feet.

“Rukku, your legs are so tiny. They seem even tinier when imprinted on the sand.” He sounded affectionate.

I looked at my footprints and then looked at his.

Mohit has large feet, he is 5'11, he is a huge guy.

He picked up some pebbles.

“Why did you make that prank, Rukku?” He asked, without looking at my face, throwing the pebbles into the sea.

“Prank? Mohit, you still think it's a prank?”

“Of course, yes. You prank me always. What do you think? That I blindly believed your break-up story? Never! You are my better half, Rukku. Huh! Break-up?!” He looked at me sarcastically and smiled and threw another pebble without giving a shit to what I said him.

The waves were hitting harder, I raised my voice overpowering the waves;

“I’m serious, Mohit.” I looked at him sharply, moving from his side to his back. This time, my tiny foot prints were a step behind him. This, I thought, was a sign of our break-up. I then looked at the crab: it was still inside the shell, struggling to get the hell out of the darkness.

He turned to me and asked me the reason. “I don't have any reason for this, Mohit. I need a break. That's it.”

The pebbles he had collected fell from his hands.

I never jilted him. I was aware of the fact that he loved me more than anyone could, still I wished to have a break in between us. Sometimes it's not all about love. What matters the most is your inner peace, the kind of joy you receive when you are freed from all your insecurities, your urge to fade out the darkness to empower the light in you. which I lacked in this relationship.

I moved away from him. Then I paused and turned back to see him.

He is still there, looking at me, clueless.

A huge wave hit, erasing our footprints, helping the crab to emerge from the shell.

Now, the crab and I are both freed from our shells.

*

“The sun is about to set,” my husband said. He snapped his finger thrice at me. “Are you lost, Rukmini?”

I'm back to reality from brooding my memories, and looked at him.

“Shyam, were you saying something?”

“Have you ever seen a sunset?”

“Yes. Many times, but now I don't enjoy it.” I mumbled.

“Did you say something?” Shyam inquired.

I didn't respond to him. Instead, I looked at the view and asked Shyam:

“Sunrise or sunset? 

Which excites you the most?”

“Sunset.”

“Why not sunrise?”

“Why not sunset, Rukmini?”

I paused, and then said: “Sunset means coming to an end, right? Sunset spreads darkness. It is an end to all delightful moments.”

“Then what about sunrise? The sun, rises with an intention to set. But it always sets hoping to rise again,” to spread light all over.

he replied, clinging to my shoulder.

I smiled at him.

I always adore the way he speaks, and I have always enjoyed his philosophical talks ever since the day I got married to him.

I looked at the wet sand. Today, I couldn't find any crab stuck inside a shell. I leaned on his shoulder and enjoyed the sunset, wishing to rise with a healthy hope.

-Panchami Murali