The Spinster

 

“Look at her! she is in her forties, and till now, she is an unmarried one” a woman extended her arm towards the left, grabbing a piece of samosas.

Devyani listened with all ears up to the gossip queens playing Koffee with Karan with her. She was craving peace of mind. But women around her never stopped. They continued with their giggling and bragging about their materialistic happiness.

Her inner consciousness voiced out her rage buried inside her heart, “I will go crazy- She closed her eyes and tightened her fist. And now, this is high time!!! I need to go over the hills”. She made an excuse to save herself from all those troublemakers. She headed towards her escape room and closed the door without bolting. She opened the windows to let in some fresh air. And immediately, hasten to grab her father’s picture frame.

“Why you left me? They all blame me for your death. Do I look like a murderer? I am your only beloved daughter. You tell me- Is marriage that important to you or society? But father, what about my happiness? Is it wrong to settle for something that makes you happy? And like this society, if you thought that I am the reason for your death. Then I can marry anyone by killing myself as an individual. I will never end up in the happy married life that you dreamt of for me. Please, I beg you. Come back, please. Let them know the truth”. Her watery eyes said it all. But she kept it inside her. Suddenly, she felt like a person with Dysarthria. She could hardly breathe. And her body shivered from head to toe. There is a sudden urge to kill herself.

She started searching for her pocket knife. The pocket knife was in the left pocket of her jeans. She heard those voices around her “That spinster killed her father. And she will do the same with her mother”.

Another said, “She is just baggage in our lives. Let’s get rid of her by marrying her off”.

She broke out in cold sweat and put the sharped edgy side of the knife on her wrist. In a blink of an eye, her mother called her. She quickly hid her pocket knife and wiped her tears. She looked herself in the mirror and carried that poker face. “Where were you? Everyone was looking for you. And listen, your aunt wanted to have an important conversation with you. Go and talk to her first. Remember not to act like an ignorant being in front of her. She wants your happiness”. Her mother instructed her to walk into hell.

She realized that there is no point in killing oneself. And she lost herself.