A Bride And A Stranger

A newly wed bride meets a stranger


I got married a couple of hours back. I’m sitting in my bridal attire, anxious, playing with fingers and staring up at the stars in anticipation.

But it’s not a bed of roses that I’m sitting on, but a ice-cold bench on a footpath – all alone. Looking up at the sky, I’m wondering what my life would have been had my just married husband not hit me in the face after knowing the truth of my chastity.

I didn’t think twice before leaving his house, but it does make me ponder a lot if I can go back to my parents’ place. Oh, I call it my parents’ place now! Strange!! About two hours back, it was my own place!!

I never wanted to marry this man. But I was too afraid to speak my mind, or should I say my conscience stopped me? I thought I owed it to my parents for all that they’d done for me. But I regret my decision now.

‘What’re you doing here?’

The sudden shrill voice makes me look down.

‘This place is not safe.’

It came from this guy, standing a few feet away, wearing a half tucked-in, filthy shirt, faded trouser and dirty, torn shoes.

‘None of your business!!’ I turn my face away in disgust.

He stares at me for a long time, then slowly walks over to the bench I’m sitting on and after a little hesitance, sits down.

We sit in silence for a long while. ‘What do you want?’ I blurt out suddenly.

‘Nothing.’

‘Then why’re you sitting here?’ I raise my voice in frustration.

‘I’ve nowhere else to go. I left home in a fit of anger…now I can either roam around the streets doing nothing or sit here with you until morning.’

‘And after that?’

‘We both will go back home, fight the battle we’ve left midway and get on with life…what else can we do?’

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supratik

You are really a gifted writer Chirasree. Please keep writing. The bench sequence reminded me of Didi and Gogo from Waiting for Godot, the opening line there being ‘Nothing to do’; strange U turn from it on what they decide to do the next day. They never wait for Godot but face life. Kudos!

slovitt

Chirasree: must agree with Supratik, you have a gift. almost would cut the whole last line and leave your story there, every story doesn’t have to be resolved. the story is in the dilemma, “what in the fuck now.”

pronto

I agree with Slovit leave us in suspense.excellent piece.