A Promise Kept -sumandatta

His bleary eyes slowly panned over the faces in the room. His parents were there, his sister and brother-in-law, a few colleagues from his office and a motley crowd of neighbours and well-wishers;all except her. He sighed and closed his eyes. There was time yet.

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"Why do you always insist on complicating things?", she shouted. She was visibly upset, her lips quivering, fair cheeks flushed red with anguish and pain; but he wasn't about to let her go - yet.

"I am not complicating things, you are! All I am asking is for you to be with me this evening. And even that's not something out of the blue- you yourself made me a promise yesterday", he retorted.

"Yeah, but I `have` to visit Larry today! Now I am getting late, he must be waiting. We'll talk another day." She picked up her handbag and made to leave.

He blocked her way."You are not going anywhere! Don't you have the slightest remorse at having broken all the promises that you made me day in day out? You call me up and fix a date for a Sunday evening and then go out with another guy with just a "Sorry.I have to"! Another day you promise to help me shop for my shoes and go off shopping for your stupid hostel mate's dress instead. And that day we plan for a movie together and you are held up with some work so that we cancel our plans and then that very night you go with your co-workers for the movie! I mean I can understand this once...twice, but not every damn time! What else am I supposed to understand but that you absolutely do not care for me?!"

"Understand what you will. I am sorry if broken promises are all you remember and choose to forget the rest. Anyways I have to go now." Her face was devoid of emotion. Unable to bear the onslaught she had withdrawn into her shell. And then all of a sudden she broke out of it to make a final plea. "Why don't you understand? Larry's suddenly taken ill. I have to visit him today."

He wouldn't budge. "Ill is he? So now I have to fall sick to have you with me is it? What do I do? Jump from this balcony and break a leg? Will you be with me then? Or do I crack my head against this wall? Would you come to visit me at the hospital then?"

"No.Never for you.I promise", she said with a final sigh. "I only visit people who are close to me." And she hastened off into the darkness.

"Fine then", he shouted after her. "If you are so eager to throw away a three year old relationship. Go to hell with your "loved" ones!"

*************

He opened his eyes once again.Darkness. And then he could make out the blurry faces. Hers wasn't one of them. It couldn't possibly be that she didn't know; they still had common friends and word of his accident must have reached her. Yet...

He closed his eyes again. More than two years had passed since that fateful night. "It's strange",he thought, seconds before his weak self finally gave in."Of all the promises she made me, she never kept a single one. Except...this. Of all her promises she had to keep this!"

She never came to visit him.

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-sumandatta