Experience

EXPERIENCE
(Short Story)

Rajani moved restlessly. The dull headache that had started in the evening persisted. She pressed her temples with her manicured fingers. There appeared a knot of pain between her deftly threaded eye brows.

It all started with the comment made by Sarika Rajani felt warm blood rushing to her naturally made up cheeks as she thought of the cryptic remark. Sarika had always been her adversary. In spite of the facade of the friendship they maintained, Rajani had always nourished a feeling of resentment for Sarika.

The A.C. car sped on unmindful of Rajani’s wounded pride. Neither they dirty, lean, hungry-looking little beggars, nor the unsightly scene of a bony woman in rage struggling to share a meal with stray dogs already in possession of a plantain leaf with left-over crumbs of food could distract her from her self absorption.

Rajani could see through Sarika’s remark though the later endeavored to camouflage the irony behind an icy smile.

She was always jealous of me...Could she ever dream of writing a story, let alone its being accepted by any magazine? Thought Rajani with a sneer.

The jubilant mood in which Rajani had set off for the club was out before long. She had been early to the club so as to share her excitement with the other members. But the effervescent spirit disappeared within no time, as Sarika’s comments rudely brought her out of the euphoria of eulogies.

She felt outraged and her reaction was instantaneous. Of course, she did retaliate upon her antagonist, but still a sense of injured merit was gnawing at her heart.

Rajani straightened up vehemently. She would show Sarika of what mettle she was made of, Rajani vowed.

With a smooth jerk, the car came to a stop. With a deep sigh Rajani alighted on to the carpeted verandah.

Sudhir was surprised to see her return home so early.

He could guess that something had awfully gone wrong, by the way she threw her had bag on exasperation and the fury with which she wriggled her feet out of her shoes.

“Why wouldn’t she stop wearing those high-heeled shoes? of late she has put on unwanted fat around her waist and hips”, thought Sudhir.

He also wished that she had chosen a light shade of lip stick. The cherry-blossom started glaringly against the wheat brown ground.

He was amused to see her take pains to look younger. But the chiffon and georgettes she used showed her plump mid-riff; the unmistakable sign of middle-age.

But Sudhir took pleasure in pampering her. He knew how to bring her round. He should only say: “Mr. Farook, the new officer, wouldn’t believe that you are the mother of teen aged children. He said that you looked like an unmarried lady”, and Rajani would produce a coquettish smile and would be very obliging and sweet-­tempered the whole day.

“What is the matter, Raji? You look distraught,” Sudhir braved to put in.

“Oh very kind of you to have bothered about me”, she quipped.           

“Come on dear did Mrs. Shahana fail to notice your new ear-rings? Or has any other member bought a saree similar to the one you are wearing?” He couldn’t imagine any other calamity that might have “struck” her so savagely as to leave her as distressed.

It was always puzzle to him, from where she got the tenacity with which she could comb through the shops to spot out new designs and the latest models. Undaunted by disappointments, she would pursue her hunt with a rate perseverance.

“Please stop it, Sudhir. You don’t know what Sarika said about my story” Rajani groaned.

“Your story...?” Sudhir was caught off guard, but very quickly recovered.

“She is always jealous of your artistic talents, for that is the one field in which she can never compete with you,” he said coaxingly.

A tremour passed through Sudhir, as he recollected the tedious sessions of story­reading of which he would be an inevitable victim as Rajani went on droning with the monotony of a religious chanting. Of late, this activity wasbeing so zealously pursued by her that he dreaded to see her in a contemplative mood.

“I’ll show her....” said Rajani, as a fleck of an idea entered her brain – Before long, it gained shape.

“Madam...breakfast is ready and Sahib and children are waiting for you”.

Rajani woke up from a disturbed sleep and glared at the cook.

“Ask them to carry on. I don’t want any breakfast”. Rajani tried not to sound pathetic. “By the way, what do you have for breakfast?” she put in casually, wishing that the menu wouldn’t include her favorite dishes. Her heart sank at the reply.

“Mummy, please be quick”. Balu screeched. Rajani entered the dining room with the air of a martyr.

“Don’t say, you are going to fast”. Sudhir smiled at her.

This innocent remark set her procrastination at rest. She said with determination, “yes, I am going to fast today. Please don’t compel me to eat”. She sat there trying hard not to look at the tempting delicacies.

Sudhir shrugged good humouredly; “good for slimming”. He knew that she was fond of food and would hardly skip a breakfast. Eating was her favorite past time. He always appreciated the figures maintained by working ladies, though some of them look awfully emaciated. He was sympathetic to Rajani, as he knew full well how difficult it would have been for her, if the pleasurable activity of eating had not engaged her during the long hour of leisure.