A Game of Love...

Kayal watered the Tulasi plant and lit the lamp.? She lit the perfume sticks. The fragrance of the perfume sticks enveloped the place bringing in the comfort at her heart. The dawn has been slowly setting in and the first rays of Sun in the east peeped in through the rims of morning clouds.?

Kayal chanted some mantras lit the camphor and completed the arathi. ?The crows perching on the branch of the neem tree fervently cawed and called her.? That is the first call for her to give them their morning serving, a handful of boiled rice left over the night.

“Wait, wait” Kayal entered the kitchen with a smile. She took a handful of cooked rice and left it on the kitchen windowsill.? The crow cawed before taking its share as many crows flew in to pick their share.

While cooking, Kayal loved watching the sparrows that flew down chattering endlessly. Pairs of sparrows competing to get the attention of the other made her smile.

One more pair always won her attention. A red-feathered rooster that roamed around majestically with two more hen. The rooster with its striking plumage of long flowing tails, and shiny back feathers always walked proudly.

One of the hens looked submissive and it gave in always when the rooster approached with its peculiar mating dance, dancing around the hen, lowering the wing that was nearest to the hen. The dance received the response call from the hen immediately, and the rooster mounted on the hen for mating. ?

However, the other one made him run around chasing her.?? With its beak holding tightly, the rooster held her. Once the rooster let the hen go, the hen spluttered her feathers with a jerk and walked away with scorn.

A deep sigh escaped from Kayal. ??Every day in their lives, Kayal and Sidharth ran around the unhidden wall chasing each other. Whenever Sidharth wanted to quench his sexual thirst, he approached her demanding cooperation. He never spared a second to admire her beautiful face or appreciate her love curves.?

Sometimes, he did not have the patience even to switch off the light.? Without giving a moment to express her willingness, he pulled her into his choking embrace.? Clumsily, he pushed away the folds of her nightdress and pinned her down on the bed.?

Most of the time, she choked for fresh air,?as he went on to finish off the love chore.? He never asked her wish or how she felt after.? Pulling himself away from her with a rude jerk, he would roll to the other side of the bed and fall asleep within seconds.

Kayal drenched with perspiration and love sweat blinked blindly at the zero-watt bulb that lit their room. Tears started to flow down her cheeks and she could feel the heavy burden that pressed her heart numb.

“Kay” Sidharth screamed. ?Without a reply, Kayal placed his lunch box near the sofa.

“Are you on leave today?” Sidharth enquired.

“Have an appointment at the clinic,” Kayal replied.

“Hmm” Sipping his tea, he raised his brows with a query. Kayal wished he would ask why she was going to the clinic.? Instead, he pulled a few hundred rupee notes from his purse and handed them to her. ?

“Let me know in the evening.”? Sidharth left without expecting her to reply. Kayal blinked to hide her tears.? She had nothing but tears to accompany her.

?Her routine check-up at the fertility clinic added to her pain.? Whenever she went there, the doctor first enquired if Sidharth had come.?? Though it may be a routine question from the doctor, Kayal struggled to hide her pain with a vague smile.?

Kayal’s first visit to the clinic ruled out that due to tubal block, she could not conceive. Sidharth felt relieved when everything went on normally with him.?

Kayal’s problem did not affect him for he never thought about having kids and starting a family. Satisfied with his occupied work, he went on as usual.

Kayal walked from the clinic like a zombie.? Drained out of confidence, she walked down the road preoccupied with thoughts. When the bus glided near her smoothly, her eyes involuntarily checked the number.

Seeing Kathir in the driver's seat, she boarded the bus without a second thought. Kayal with her heaving emotions struggled hard to hide her tears.?

Uncontrolled sobs ribbed through her chest, but she somehow controlled her emotions by looking at the slowly moving traffic. ??Her heart desperately needed a patient listening ears and she yearned for a silent listener.?

Her eyes once again reached Kathir who was busy gliding through the morning traffic. Unaware of the thoughts going through Kayal and how she wished to connect herself to his solace did not reach Kathir.? However, when he casually turned around to look at the thin crowd, his eyes met the tear-stained cheeks of Kayal.?

Her eyes brimming with tears now and she let a few drops of tears roll down her cheeks.? People standing around her looked at her crying silently, but no one dared to ask her the reason.?

Everyone has their own problem and nothing could be done to solve the problem of a third person.? Kayal’s tears disturbed Kathir. He felt a sudden urge to get up from his driving seat and go to her.? She looked like a child lost in the maddening crowd.?

Nervously he turned to look at the bustling traffic that moved at a snail’s pace.? After a few minutes when he turned around looking for Kayal, she was not there.?