If Only Trees Could Speak

Anita stood in front of the mirror and watched herself before gliding fingers through her dark flowing hair. She admired what she was seeing. And then she spotted the new grayness that started budding up in her sideburns. It was not there few days back. Anita realized she was getting old. She grabbed the chair and sat in front of the mirror applying eyeliner to her eyes. She bent forward and took a closer look at the mark on her right eyebrow. It has been more than 8 years since the incident but the gash was still there reminding her of that dreadful night. She suddenly felt her stomach churning loudly. She seized her tummy and slide down on the floor. It’s happening again. All her memories were emerging back from the darkest corners of her mind where she thought they have been locked. She gasped for breath. She held the sill of the window and stood up inhaling the freshness of the garden. Weakly she scanned the beautiful garden in her front yard but her eyes glued to the jasmine tree which never bloomed in past 8 years. Her thoughts came flooding.

8 years earlier…

“Congratulations, you are pregnant and all your reports look normal. You just have to keep eating healthy and have sufficient sleep.” The doctors’ voice echoed in her head as she entered the house with a big smile on her face. They have just shifted to their new house on the outskirts of the city. Her complaint of sparse population and no neighbors around were ignored by her husband- Ravi. But she ensured that the boundary walls were high enough with barbed wires for her safety. She got inside and lit some essence sticks in front of the deity thanking for the good news.

Ravi was on his way from his business trip and she can’t wait for him to hear the news. She went into the kitchen and started making preparations for the special rice pudding her mother had taught her. She was totally charged up and was waiting eagerly for the clock to strike 8 PM. She finished mundane household chores and waited for Ravi to get home. Finally the clock chimed 8 PM. She was elated; Ravi would be home any moment now. Anita checked herself in the mirror again and made sure she looked her best. She went near the window and excitedly waited for the gates to creek open. The hands on the clock seem to be moving faster than usual. It was half past 8 now and there’s been still no sign of Ravi. She was still standing at the window with her eyes racing between the clock and the gate. She was feeling agitated and started pacing the living room. Her pacing was interrupted with the loud clang of clock banging 9 times. She got into the chair near the window and kept staring at the gates. All kind of negative thoughts were making her more restless. She started cracking her knuckles nervously when she heard the gates open. She was relieved and rushed out.

Anita noticed that Ravi was drunk and hardly able to walk straight. She rushed towards him and tried to support him on her shoulders. She was horrified to see his bruised arms and clotted blood on the forehead. Slowly she took him into the house and put him in the sofa. She rushed and got some Dettol to clean the wounds. “What happened to you? Why are you so drunk? How did you get injured? Did you get into a brawl in some bar or were you attacked by someone?” She started shooting a volley of questions breathlessly. He didn’t reply to any of her questions and tried to get-up. She held his hand but he pushed her away and started going, mumbling something which she could not make out. He started climbing the stairs to go to the bedroom. She ran and supported him lest he slipped. He pushed her aside again and yelled- “I don’t need you. Get away from me.” She stood there looking at him with tearful eyes. She couldn’t understand what’s wrong with him?

She followed him and went and tried to speak to him. “Ravi, what happened? Tell me please” he looked at her and handed her an envelope. Anita was not sure what it was. She opened the envelope with trembling hands to find her pictures with Sameer.

Sameer was Ravi’s friend and a bachelor staying alone. He used to be a regular visitor to their place for dinners. Ravi’s marketing job kept him out of town all the time and Anita was left alone.

Anita started finding company and comfort in Ravi’s absence. His constant travels and lack of companionship she expected got her closer to Sameer eventually. It’s been sometime they have developed a connection and their love had bloomed. Ravi was unaware of all this development and never suspected either of them.

She didn’t know how to react or what to say. She stood there motionless trying to figure out what’s going on in Ravi’s mind. She put her hand on his shoulder and said- “Ravi, let me explain.” Ravi removed her hand from his shoulder and slapped her. She fell on the table nearby and her eyebrow started bleeding. He picked her and held her shoulders and asked- “How could you do this to me? I loved you so much.”

He pulled her closer into tight grip and held her throat- “I can’t live with you anymore. It’s over between us.” She was feeling the grip tightening, gasping for breath. When she could not take any more, she pushed him aside and moved back panting. Ravi, in his drunken state lost control and tumbled down the stairs.

Anita ran down screaming- “Raviiii…” but it was too late. His skull smashed open and blood pool was growing with every passing second. She was horrified looking at the scene in front of her. After few minutes which felt like ages, she realized what she had to do. So, she dialed the number and waited with a baited breath for the call to be answered.

“Hello, this is Sameer speaking; who is it?” The voice from the other end echoed. She said- “Sameer come home urgently. Don’t ask anything, just come home NOW.”

“Ok, but tell me what happened? Are you okay? Did you and Ravi have a fight?” He asked realizing her chocked voice over the phone.

She told “I can’t speak over the phone. Please come home immediately.”

“Don’t worry, I am coming right away” He said realizing the panic in her voice.

Sameer reached Ravi’s place and was stunned to witness the scene. He saw Ravi in the puddle of blood lifeless. Anita was on the other end of the room in a shocked state sitting still looking at the body. Sameer entered home and closed the door. He went to Anita and hugged her as she broke in his arms. He tried to console her and told her that he had a fight with Ravi at his place. Anita narrated everything that happened and how Ravi fell to his death. Anita was trembling with fear and could hardly form complete sentences. Sameer was equally worried thinking what to do next? How can this be explained to everyone? Who would believe their innocence if people get to know that Anita and he were having an affair?

Sameer agitatedly started marching in the living room while Anita was hysterically blabbering something in a state of shock. The banging of clock jolted them to the reality. Sameer rushed to the garage and on his way back saw that the street was totally deserted at that hour of night. Few canines were patrolling the street with their tails held high. He got the shovel and started digging ground in the garden. Anita understood what’s happening. When the hole was sufficient enough they checked the roads again. The canines seem to have lost interest in the deserted street and left but their howling could be heard from distance. They went inside and picked Ravi’s body and dumped him in the garden. Sameer leveled the ground while Anita was keeping a watch on the street for any human movement. By midnight they were done with the garden work. They went inside and started mopping and cleaning the living room. By the time they cleaned everything it was well past midnight and they were exhausted.

They went upstairs and took shower together. Anita was still in a state of shock and Sameer was also fatigued. They came out and got into the bed together. They laid there without speaking anything for long time. Anita broke the silence- “I’m pregnant.” Sameer was pleasantly surprised and kissed her. To keep her mind away from all that happened, he asked what the doctor said. They spoke about the probable names and possibility of it being a boy or a girl. Suddenly Anita got up and sat. She turned to him and asked “what do I say when people ask about Ravi? “

Sameer thought for a while and then told her “Don’t worry about anything. Since you moved recently no-one would notice him missing. Don’t say anything to anyone. In-case, anyone enquires, tell them you got divorced. Moreover he doesn’t have any close relatives’ so, no-one would enquire.”

Anita felt little skeptical but thought the idea might work because there were no intrusive neighbors around.

Sameer added, “After sometime we can get married.”

Anita nodded consenting to the plan and they discussed whole night trying to fill any possible gaps in the story. Sameer left home before dawn.

Later around mid-day he went to a nursery and brought grass sod and rushed to Anita’s house. There they laid the new grass sods across the fresh dugout area carefully and watered it. High fence and lack of visitors helped them. He also got a jasmine plant and planted it there.

In the next few days the story of Anitas divorce and second wedding flew across her friends like a wild fire. Even though some might have suspected something to be wrong, no-one bothered enough to probe the issue. It had been now eight years since the jasmine shrub was planted but it never blossomed. Anita thought if only trees could speak what would the jasmine tree say?