Jyothi

Jyothi woke up with a start, she could hear voices. She looked around – the voices- that was the television. She took in her surroundings, the winter had set in, so had the chill. Her sinus troubled her during the winter otherwise it was the depression. Bangalore has a pretty amiable climate, that’s what most people say who settle in for a long stint. Jyothi didn’t choose to stay- she had to, her husband was from Bangalore.

Having lived early years of her life in Gujarat, where the heat was more prevalent, she never did acclimatize to Bangalore’s slightly more chilly climate and the prevalence of pollen. Slowly she looked around, her eyes focused on the wall clock, it was a quarter past 2 am early morning. She was on the sofa in the hall with one eye on the television and one on the door. Her daughter – Priya, still hadn’t yet made it home. Priya is 19, the age at which most kids think they know it all.

Jyothi and Priya lived together in an upscale apartment in the heart of Bangalore. Priya is her younger daughter, her elder daughter had moved to US recently- where she works as a Software engineer for an IT major. Today being Friday, Priya was out with her friends. Jyothi a divorcee, lived each day as it came.

Jyothi never wanted to live alone. But life isn’t what you want. Her dad got her married off at 19 to an engineer who worked in the US, most middleclass families yearn this. Until then life was beautiful, with friends and relatives around all the time. The best of delicacies at home, they rarely ate out- but eating out was the norm now.

Priya never came to terms with mom’s cooking skills. For Jyothi non-veg was anathema, but Priya relished it. Another reason why Priya cussed Jyothi most times. Priya didn’t need a reason to go bonkers- she could invent one. The latest being, that Jyothi was uneducated and worthless.

Jyothi lived in US with her husband for 12 years- initial years were tough. She worked as a baby-sitter, at a restaurant, a bakery and manned a toy store.  Her husband was doing MS and they were short of funds. They subsisted on rice and curds most days. She was in her first year of graduation doing Psychology in Gujarthi medium when she was married off. Life was difficult, the husband whom she dreamed would make life beautiful was more attracted to whites.

After 12 years, 2 daughters and 4 affairs of her husband (she knew of) they relocated to India. Her husband travelled a lot to US after that. While leaving for one such travel, he said he wouldn’t be back. He said she could have the house and that he would give her enough money. He would also make sure the kids never ran out of money. Was money enough, Jyothi surmised.  

There was a click, the door opened. Priya, she had a key too. She walked in, a little shaky and a whiff of tobacco. She looked at Jyothi, lousy bit** she said loudly!! Jyothi was happy her English was not too good at least with cuss words. It was almost 3 am, she should try to find some sleep or the pills should help she thought.