Sunset

Sunset

Shiela was sitting on the beach watching the setting sun. The color of the ball of fire was slowly changing, from yellow to burnt orange and then to the color of champagne. The sun’s light was reflected on the sea the shimmering colors playing hide and seek in the waves. She kept on staring at the sea through her tears, to her it looked like blood and brought back memories.

 Two decades previously she and her husband had decided to take a holiday at a seaside resort. Since her marriage to John, they had not enjoyed a holiday in each other’s company. Soon after her wedding, her daughter was born and the birth of a son followed after 3 years.

Her husband had been busy expanding his business and working very hard to give a decent life to his family. For almost a dozen years he had not enjoyed a holiday. With Shiela looking after the family and he busy with his office they could not take a break from their routine. As a result, the stress was taking a toll on their married life resulting in frequent arguments and bickering.

One night storm of angry discussion between them continued till late at night disturbing the whole household especially John’s mother. The next day she decided to speak to them. She advised both of them to take a break and go for a holiday. Leaving both the children in the care of their grandparents, they proceeded to a seaside resort. Within a few days, they realized how much they had missed each other’s company. Once again Shiela was laughing. Her carefree attitude made John fall in love with her all over again. John was a very good swimmer, he loved to go to the sea every morning and evening. Shiela stayed near the shore paddling and keeping an eye on John. Her heart would swell with pride when other guests gave appreciative looks towards her husband.

One week passed as if in a blink and then it was time to go back. John wanted to go for one last swim in the sea although Shiela tried to dissuade him but then relented because she wanted to see him happy. John changed into his swimming shorts and proceeded to the seashore. Shiela followed him and once again warned him against taking too long. It was early evening and they had to catch a late evening flight back to their hometown. By now they were also missing the children. John wanted to try something different so he climbed up on a cliff and dived from there. Shiela saw his beautiful athletic body entering the sea in a graceful arc, her heart filled with pride. But what was this, even after some time had elapsed he didn’t come up. She kept on shouting his name but did not see him. She ran toward the sea to the place where she had seen him entering the water. Her heart thudding in her chest each step was an effort. On reaching the spot where he had entered the water she saw a red stain going bigger and spreading on the waves, mingling with this was color of the setting sun the whole sea seemed to be on fire. In shock, she started screaming after that everything was a blur.

She regained consciousness in the hospital. When she opened her eyes she could not immediately recollect the circumstances which brought her there. Gradually the memory returned of the setting sun and losing John, she broke into a profusion of tears. Shiela asked the doctor whether someone could find John, unable to call him a body. She was informed that her husband had succumbed to his head injuries. The sea where he had dived was shallow and covered with many sharp stones which caused maximum damage to his skull which he could not survive.

 Her father-in-law was on his way to accompany Shiela and complete the formalities of taking his son’s body to their native place. On reaching home both the women hugged each other and broke down. Both had suffered the irreplaceable loss of a son and a husband. She hugged both her children. and once again the tears were in a free flow. Her daughter Renee and her son Roy were ten and seven years old. To settle them the road ahead was lonely and tedious.

Within a few years, she started getting proposals for a second marriage. But Shiela refused all of them she could not bear to think of a stepfather for her children, about which she had heard several incidents. For the sake of her children, she chose a lonely life for herself. Picking up the remanents of her life she started on her journey. The first step was to visit John’s office and start learning the business. With the help of the old and experienced manager, she started training. Soon she had taken control and despite facing some opposition of the staff she succeeded. Time passed both the children grew up and her mother in law who had been a pillar of strength passed away. Within a year her father-in-law followed his wife.

The children grew up to be responsible adults. Her daughter  Renee had passed her engineering course and secured a job in a multinational company. Son Roy had succeeded in securing the first rank in the Chartered Accountancy. He was picked up by the leading Chartered Accountancy firm in the country. Both had chosen their life partners and were parents to a child each.

Shiela had a lot of silver streaks in her hair and the wrinkles on her face told her story. The previous evening she had told her son to take over the business as she wanted to retire. Stricken with arthritis she even had difficulty in walking. Roy, though reluctant, had agreed to give his mother rest. But before that, they wanted to go on a family holiday. So, there they were all at the beach resort. Both her son and daughter were in the hotel swimming pool with their offsprings, she saw them laughing and enjoying themselves. Shiela walked out of the hotel towards the beach.

There she sat down watching the sunset. She went back in time and saw herself calling John to come back soon. The setting sun once again reminded her of the blood she had seen mingling with the waves. Un consciously she got up slowly and started walking towards the sea. In her mind, she was calling John and went forward to look for him.

When it was time for dinner Renee and Roy started calling her but could not locate her in the hotel. So they asked the guard whether he had seen their mother. He pointed in the direction of the beach, but that seemed deserted. On going closer all they could find were the marks of a pair of footsteps going towards the sea. In the dark and high tide, nothing else was visible.