Evidence At Last

At the stroke of midnight rang the phone. Reverberating in the minute chamber, the tiny contraption vibrated with full force, tearing hysterically into the silence of the night. A petite hand rose from under the woolen bedspread and picked up the phone. Groggy-eyed, the owner of the arm rose from the confines of the bed and looked at the display of the phone. Looking at the name, she stopped; mid-action. Her glowing face showed off the expressions of shock, and she passed her hand through her already ruffled grey hair. The shriek of the machine in her hand continued to disturb her, but her mind was already in a different place. Somewhere distant; somewhere far away in the past.

“Get out right now Pam, will you? You have already spoiled enough by giving that dumb statement in front of your ‘friend’ Sandra. Completely stupid! I should be kicking you out of here for this mistake of yours. Damn, how will I handle it,” the words emanated from the glass chamber.

The glass door swung open and out she walked. The white of her shirt brighter than the white of her eyes, her head was bowed down. Moist and glistening, her cheeks shone as her head pulled up into the light. Her long black skirt complemented her eyes and her hair as it swished with the movements of her long legs. Picking up her brown crocodile skin bag from the desk, she paced out the room; and into the gaping mouth of the metal tube in the wall.

The Citroen raced down the dark road, honking periodically at each intersection. Its twin Xenon eyes glowed intensely in the darkness of the night, and absorbed all of the surroundings imperatively into its destructive memory. As the sleek machine snaked past on the curves of the road, its roar hummed in the mind of the rider- preoccupied, and veiled with the mixed emotions of sadness, anger and self-aggression. The singular perch at the top of the hill whistled sweetly to the black insect crawling up from its vantage point. It opened its arms to the insect and welcomed the rider into its confines.

Pamela jumped out of her crafty sedan, craving for a cup of wine with Sam, complete with a warm hug and a welcome kiss. She thought herself lucky to have such a loving husband of 5 years, someone she could trust with all her heart; someone she could rely on forever. Even with his maniacal habit of enjoying dirt bike racing, and his love for cycling on the traffic clogged roads of the city; she loved him for what he was.

“Thank you God for giving me this gift in life. Thank you so very much Lord,” she thought.

With this thought in mind, she pushed open the door. Surprise enveloped her when the door swung open at just a petite touch- it had been open! It was pandemonium inside. The whole house lay scattered in front of her eyes. Clothes and showpieces and books and her precious papers- they all lay cluttered on the white marble floor.

There on the corner of the fridge lay the note, written on a plain page, in blue ink. In his neat handwriting was the word sorry, alone in presence. The world stood still, her heartbeat stopped, and her happy world purged itself into the dark abyss. She was devastated, and the silent tears rolled down her cheeks in torrents, pulling with it the mascara and eyeliner lining her shapely eyes. There was nothing she could do, as the moment engulfed her.

Twelve years in the future, the moment still flew past her eyes clearly. As his name kept flashing on the display of her phone, her eyes darkened with the shadows of the past, and with great reluctance, she swiped the capacitive screen of her smart phone to hear his voice.

“Hi Pam. How are you?”

“Hey Sam. Long time since I heard you voice. I’m great, what about you?”

“Jus’ moving on…I called up to tell you something…about that day..,” he said with pronounced pauses.

“….”

“You there Pamela,” he asked. She just hummed.

“It was Rick. He forced me to do what I did. It wasn’t my fault. I just adored his thoughts and his way of life. I wanted to enjoy the way he did- office in the days, the clubs till midnight, and then the open roads. I know you loved me with all your life, and even I did, but I was tired of living the same way, the same old way. I always preferred life on the edge, but you changed me; you seeped the adrenaline from my life. After all these years, and with a list of afflictions on my body, I realize that you were right in what you used to say.”

“Good. Is that all you have to say? I need to get back to sleep.”

“The same old Pam, always sticking to a schedule. Never miss a single appointment do you,” he said with a soft chuckle. “With the situation I’m in, I guess this should be what is allowed to me. There is a lot more to tell you, to share with you, to reminisce with you. But I guess I love you should sum things up. I always did, but the hard life attracted me more than you. I missed it more than I missed you in these last years. I know I was wrong, I still am; and I do not want you to forgive me, I just want to give you my apology.”

His breath hardened and fastened, and she could hear his gulps for air. She held the receiver to her ear, till his breathing transformed into the beep of the machine. Holding on and on, deep in thought. She was perplexed, and surprised- at his decision, his indifference, and their misunderstandings. There was nothing she could have done, nor she could. But, at least her heart was content, with the answers, and her heart was satisfied.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda