The Exchange

Her Guitar

She woke up the next morning to Maya barging in her room, telling her to wake up. "Akshara, woh I'm sorry..." 

"Kya hua Maya?" 

"Yeh dekho..."

She held up Akshara's guitar...the same guitar that she had grown up with. The same guitar she had sung countless songs for her family with. The same guitar that she had used to shower her love upon her Abhi time and time again. The same guitar that her and her Abhi had played together. The same guitar that reminded her of him every time she strung the strings.... 

And that guitar was now broken. Cracked down the middle. As if it had read what was in her heart and wanted to show her that it understood...as if it was replicating the reality of her life...as if it was reflecting the current state of her existence. 

"Maya...yeh kaise hua?" 

"Accident tha. Don't worry. I'll buy you a new one. Acha?" 

What Maya did not understand was that no new guitar, no new instrument could replace the memories associated with this one. Nothing could heal what had been broken... and yet, her reaction was the same as it had always been...lifeless...with no complaints. 

"It's ok Maya. Tum jao aur rest karlo." 

Blowing a kiss to Akshara, Maya left the room, skipping, in her own world as she always was. 

After she had left, Akshara picked up the guitar and ran her hand across the crack. She pressed the guitar to herself as tightly as she could. She tried strumming the strings, but no sound came out...the hollowness inside had taken over. But, she did not give up. She tried harder and harder, desperate to hear just one sound...desperate for just some hope. After several minutes of painful failure, she threw it onto the ground as hard as she could, watching it fly across her room, shattering into several of the smallest pieces.

She stared at the pieces scattered across the floor...emotionless, not feeling a single thing. Until finally, she got up and collected what she blamed herself for breaking...what she blamed herself for destroying. She picked up every broken part in the palm of her hands...one by one...and she placed every single piece in the back of her closet...next to his white shirt that so gently held their wedding photo....