Chapter 30

The next day Sneha was up at 7 a.m. She wanted to avoid papa and Ankur and went for her morning jog. She loved the cute little park near her house, it was a small park and almost everyone knew her. This was one of the advantages of living in a small town. The kids greeted her with 'Hello Didi' and the elderly people asked how she was doing after her wedding.

Keeping up with the traditional thinking that after marriage girls put on weight, the elder women started complimenting her on how voluptuous she looked and how much lovelier her face was. They started talking about their younger days when they had married their respective husbands, now toothless with dentures.

Sneha jogged on graciously without giving a hint of her blues. After running five times around the park, she sat down on a bench that was slightly hidden under some trees in the garden; she wanted to spend time alone. The pleasant morning wasn't cheering up her spirits and she again started reflecting about her time spent in City M.

'Rohan must be awake by now. He must be alone or has Stella joined him? I left some food in the refrigerator, I hope he eats it. Well, I didn't want to feel guilty by starving him!' she thought to herself with a chuckle.

Her wretchedness returned. 'Didn't he love me for a single moment? Was I always a thorn in his side?' She glanced up at a bird twittering on a branch and smiled, but it was fleeting. 'Was it his plan to throw me out of the marriage? Isn't marriage a sacred institution? People play with other's lives so easily. You don't know who is praying for you and who is playing with you. I didn't know it, but I miss Rohan's presence,' she admitted to herself as she wept silently.

Then she justified her feelings, 'You fall in love with your pet within twenty days.'

This was a human she was living with who was dependent on her in so many ways. She began to weep again as the pain returned. Teardrops rolled down her cheeks and her vision started to get blurry.

After a few minutes her attention was diverted by more birds loudly chirping above. A dog started after them and tried to climb the tree. The birds were nervous and wanted the dog to go away so all of them on the tree started chirruping together. However, the dog wouldn't go and she watched them all with interest trying to divert her attention to a less stressful state of mind, it didn't work.

When she turned around, through a cloud of tears, she saw a familiar figure approaching. She quickly wiped her tears away and looked again. For a moment she thought her mental state had passed its limits! The familiar figure was that of Rohan. She remained silent so she didn't reveal her foolish visual interpretation, but that person was still approaching her. 'Help me God! Am I daydreaming?' I will go right away to a psychologist she thought.