Chapter 1: The Sudden Phone Call

Twelve years had passed since that fateful day, Sallie let out a sigh heavy with memories; beauty and pain fused to make her eyes as cloudy as the weather outside. She took in the nature outside in her breaths. The sun was up, though not in its full glory. The fluffy shrouds of effervescent clouds made it a fuzzy ball of fire. The ritualistic morning chants floated in from a nearby place of worship. The household chores lay waiting to be taken care of. It’s 6 O’ clock in the morning and her tea was already brewing in the blue ceramic teapot. Her thoughts too brewed fragrantly like the tea in the pot.

Sallie loved to listen to the happy chirping of birds outside as a part of her morning quota of peace and solitude. She looked outside through her living room window while she sipped her tea. The tea of thoughts, brewed in a bubble of reminiscences. The fresh green of the foliage glistened with the dull reflected rays of the sunlight on the fresh dew drops resting on them. The day was inviting, the morning scenes and sounds gradually soothed her nerves and had a calming effect to get her ready for the busy schedule waiting to be tackled.

Little did she know that the morning quietude was as temporary as the floating clouds in the skies; that it would lead to such a disquiet day ahead that would leave her spent, exhausted and helpless.

It was a weekday promising to be super busy for the couple. Peter’s voice could be heard over the morning silence very easily. It was for Sallie. “Where is my newspaper?” “Hey, morning, Peter.” Sallie approached Peter with the newspaper in hand.

By way of thinking aloud, Peter added, “I have a big meeting today.”

Peter was hurriedly skimming through the fresh news of the day, as if finishing it off fast will help him get ready faster for his office. He had back-to-back meetings lined up. Peter owns a high-profile business org and is a member of the board of directors of the same. So his busy-ness was understandable.

While Peter was getting ready for his office, Sallie prepared breakfast for him. The eggs were in the egg boiler, the veggies were chopped for sauté. While peeling the beetroot for the juice, the red colour reminded her of the colour of love. Her love was also as fresh and crimson as the freshness of the sap that was oozing out of the beetroot. Unmindfully her thoughts started trailing the alleys of love and its benefits to the soul. She smiled an inner smile that lightened her spirits. She lingered on with her solo thoughts and started comparing the nutrients of the beetroot with the nutrients of love. Come on! she talked to herself … beetroot helped in increasing the blood flow and so did love … the spurt of adrenalin that once caused her cheeks to flush making them crimson, was the colour of beetroot! The blood that shot up through her veins when their gazes met for the first time and he spoke the first word to her was also red.

Sallie blinked her eyes and tried to stop … stop letting her emotions get over her and take her a prisoner of hopeless love. Stop thinking of him, Sallie whispered to herself, rather sternly. Focus, focus on your life, Sallie. She kept on talking to her heart … This is your Life… Peter, the most loving husband, is your life … What else do you want from life … You have a beautiful daughter ... You are so loved as a wife and as a mother.

Sallie then concentrated on cooking the omelette. She put butter in the pan, the sizzle that echoed out of the pan calmed her somewhat. But when the sound of a car horn blared in from the neighbourhood, it reminded her again of the horn that he used to beep in front of the college gate. It reminded her how she used to wait for him to park the car so that they both could enter the college gate together. Sallie missed those feelings of the ‘togetherness’ that they shared quietly. She also suddenly missed the light touch of his hands on hers.

She snapped back again to sautéing the veggies, putting some chicken sausages to go with it. Inhaling a deep breath to take in the lovely aroma that came out of it, she thought of the aroma that increased the level of ‘oxytocin’ once upon a time. The ‘oxytocin’ of love that lifted her mood. And she was interrupted by Bianca’s voice, “Please Mommy, I need a toast for the school, today.” “Okay my darling,” Sallie replied to her and gave her a warm morning hug.

Peter was done with the shower and was getting ready for the office while Sallie prepared Bianca’s tea and toast. Sallie put the butter on toast and sprinkled flax seeds, black pepper, salt and some olive oil to prepare the sauté veggies. She served the beetroot juice to Peter before breakfast. It’s her daily routine to serve juice to someone who is not in her thoughts today. That someone was a part of her life. That ‘someone’ occupied her vacant, leisurely moments and made her solitary hours happy. That someone who never missed a chance to cherish her and wanted her to live her life to the fullest; that someone who wanted to grow old with her and always made her feel special; that someone who loved her the way she was and whom she called her husband. But still, something was missing. Sallie sighed a deep sigh.

Sallie couldn’t ever fathom that missing part but she knew in her heart of hearts that the missing part had something to do with Mandy, her college mate. She was deeply in love with Mandy; she knew this till date even after more than a decade of being married. But they were no longer in touch.

“Mommy, I am hungry.” Bianca was all set to leave for the school. Snapped back once more to her present by Bianca’s voice as she sat at the table for breakfast, Sallie hurriedly attended her. Bianca grabbed two loaves of bread with jam that were kept on the table. She didn’t like to eat veggies.

A conversation brewed up in the morning breakfast table between the father and the daughter. Bianca complained about a friend of hers who always tried to ignore her, between her bites of bread. Peter listened patiently and tried to make her understand the values of life. He suggested not to take these things seriously and to enjoy the silliness of the episodes because going down in life these petty attributes would absolutely make no meaning or add value. He advised her to laugh them away.

Breakfast continued. Bianca is a slow-eater. Peter seemed to be enjoying his eggs, chicken, sauté veggies, and bread. He looked satisfied and happy. Sallie was also cherishing the family moments of togetherness. Bianca was finally done with her breakfast, and left for school, after a hug and a kiss to both her parents. The two continued peacefully with their breakfast and silence returned as the constant chirping of Bianca vanished with her leaving for school. It was already 8 am. Sallie winded up breakfast.

Peter asked Sallie to be ready by 1o’ clock for lunch and got busy with his chores. Sallie responded in agreement and looked at Peter from across the table where he was fumbling with his files, tie, laptop, socks and shoes. Peter was quite jovial by nature, thought Sallie as she watched him. He had a sort of positive aura and made everyone around him feel lively and cheerful. And this is what Sallie had always dreamt of in her life partner.

“Sallie, today Mr. Bregg is coming for the meeting.” Peter informed Sallie. And while Sallie was trying to concentrate on what Peter was saying her phone started ringing suddenly. Sallie picked up the call while Peter was still dilly-dallying with his files.

A male voice started speaking hurriedly, “Hello, is that Sallie?”

Sallie, “Yes, who is this?”

“I am Mandy’s friend, Chan. Is this a good time to talk?”

Sallie, “ …,” a long silence ensued.

Peter looked up confused, “Who’s on the phone, Sallie?”

Sallie could sense that Chan must have heard Peter’s voice. She started talking to Chan: “Hi, I am no longer a consultant of the previous firm, but if you want, I can send your resume to my colleague who is still working.” Chan took the hint thankfully and said, “Ok, thank you.” He then asked for the right time to talk, to which Sallie could not respond immediately and hung up. She then kept the phone on silent mode.

She took a deep breath to steady herself and her voice before responding to Peter’s curious question. She said in an off-hand manner, “Some random guy is looking for a job and has taken my number from LinkedIn it seems.” Peter, out of his sheer benevolent nature, asked Sallie to help him out to which Sallie replied a short, “Yes, of course.” Silence prevailed after this.

The clock kept on ticking with Sallie’s apprehension and nervousness mounting. Peter left for the office at sharp 9 am and Sallie was left sitting on the sofa hovering between Chan and Mandy. She was in a confused state of mind.

She wanted desperately to give a call back to Chan, but was also anxious thinking what Chan would think of her. She sat there stupefied with the phone tightly clutched in her hand as her mind got flooded with worries, tension, innumerable questions and the distinctly etched memories of Mandy that came with the warm physical intimate moments that they used to share.

Sallie was thinking of the shared memories not from the college days but from that one meeting that she had with Mandy after a few years of her marriage with Peter.

Yes, that fateful day, where she gave to her heart and agreed to Mandy’s indecent overtures.