Together!

                                                         Image courtesy: Google

T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R!

What happens when it starts to spell like this? The alphabets refusing to touch each other, and yet standing in a queue as if they are together.

Together was splitting for Neil and Daisy, every day.

Their world was splitting in bits, their friendship was splitting into pieces and their marriage was falling over like a pack of cards - for reasons inexplicable. The incessant fights, the constant bleating - there were more things in common between them now than ever before.
For each the other was selfish, uncaring, and sometimes hell of a stubborn spouse. Their differences were increasing and so was their willingness to let go. 

And then came a morning to take a call. As usual when daisy woke up, Neil had already left for the day. As she started making her bed, she found a folded piece of paper by her side. She opened it to learn that it was a letter addressed to her. It was a letter from Neil.
Daisy’s heart skipped a beat.

After 10 long years, Neil had written to her. She waited for one such letter for all these years but never came by one. And now here it is, when she is least expecting it, when their relationship is already fading away, when a letter from him at this point of time doesn’t make sense at all.

She opened the chit, which read

“Daisy, I am going. Do not know whether I will return. In case I don’t, I want you to accept that we are no more together. That its over. And I want you to take care always and have a good life. Love – Neil”

And that was all. This letter as brief as a classified ad and yet it spoke a thousand things.

“Maybe I didn’t try enough” She sighed as she crumbled the chit in her fist tighter. There was silence all over. 
 For her this marriage had meant so much. But then they were lonely. For last 10 years they were a lonely couple. Even though all the tests were normal, Daisy couldn’t conceive till today. Knowing how much Neil wanted a baby she felt helpless. Her irritable behavior was easily evident. For little things she would yell at Neil who on the other hand was still unable to cope up with the despondence of not having a child.
Neil was always the more mature partner. He understood daisy, always. He knew no one is to be blamed but Fate for acting so cruel . The fact that they were not parents yet somewhere was like those rough waves gnawing at their relationship which stood like a rock once.
 "We" she moaned! She would always believe in WE and US and TOGETHER.
Now the alphabets were spacing out. Not only her even Neil had worked very hard to strengthen this marriage. It had survived so many things - unhappy parents, crazy work life imbalance, over interfering relatives and what not. The only thing it couldn't survive was them being barren till date, not having kids even after years of trying. She closed her eyes as those tiny tear drops made their way rolling down to her cheeks. Hurt and anger were not the emotions that time. She knew Neil is not be blamed. She is just one of those barren women, the kind of woman who in our society is a waste, the kind of women no one would like to let their grown up daughters mingle with, a woman whose existence is a taboo. But Neil stood by Daisy when the world turned around until the day all of it started taking a toll on her. Until the day she started loosing it every now and then.

And then there was a fit of weeping.  With not a soul by her side - this time lying on the floor, she let the damn break loose.

 How badly she missed her mother then, wanting to hold her tight and surrender, and then she patting her back and saying" It will be all right". But GOD, none was possible for she was gone 02 years back.  This loss further had deepened the wounds of Daisy, taking her far away from Neil in an estranged world to which she now belonged.
For hours, she lied on the floor washed by her tears. In which she saw her whole self left in pieces.
 "C'mon get up and move on. For sure reasons it can't be worse than this. To which I mean the worse is now which you are going through and this too shall pass as Mom always said "She tried to reason with herself and gather the pieces together.

And as she was about to get up, the doorbell rang.
“No it cant be him” she thought as she heard that. And she was not interested to see anyone else. No one now. 

It took two more bells to finally make her get up and open the door. She was surprised to not see anyone at all and she slammed the door hard. "God these society children.They have these stupid pranks to irritate residents. I'll better go and complain to the secretary today.  they suck!" she sulked as she returned to her room. Seconds later, there was a bell again. Miffed and prepared to catch and scowl at that crancky bunch of kids, she opened the door.

And then she paused, fumbling and flabbergasted to what she saw.

 There were moments of long silence as she stood there baffled until a gust of laughter greeted her and he walked in. HE - yes it was Neil with a bundle in his hands. With one hand he pulled Daisy's hand and dragged her to the room, with still carrying that something with the other hand. She followed. Gently, he sat on the bed and passed on the gift to Daisy with tears in his eyes and whispering "She is ours. Hold her". And with trembling hands Daisy touched her for the first time

 "She is our little angle, our bundle of joy,  She is our baby and we have been blessed." Neil expressed as she kissed the baby.
Daisy, holding the tiny one in her arms, looked into that face. Eyes - big, shiny, black as oil. Complexion - tad bit dusky as her, lips - rosy, glossy like ripe cherries. 
"Oh she is beautiful" she murmured as her heart gorged with joy. Joy like never before … rumbling within her like a river. She was experiencing ecstasy, lifting her up like a wave, like a grass which shots up in spring, like the sun in the summer morning rising faster and making it all bright and sunny. She was the sunshine that neil and daisy were looking for all these years. They truly were blessed. God chose her for them as HE chose them for her.   As she was no more in "Ashray - Center for welfare of children". She had finally found a home after being abandoned by her parents for reasons she was too young to comprehend.
And may be she never would want to. 

                                       
                                                              Image courtesy : Google

And turning to her man she said" Yes she is the angel, our baby. And we will be all TOGETHER - always. Right Neil?"
"Right Darling" he replied and they hugged with tears of joy.
 Happy for they did it. They fixed it TOGETHER.