A Heart of Stone with a Coat of Gold

A Glimpse of Faded Blue

Note- "Neel" the word means sky blue

Dear Readers, I would be really happy if you could offer me your valuable pieces of views and advice, so that I may improve upon it.

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Anu had always been a late riser. Hundreds of late punishments and missed classes over the years had done little to improve it. She lay in bed for quite a while. When she finally got up it was already past 9. Neel had already left. She found a kettle and a cup on the bedside table, with a small note beside it.

"Leaving for office. Aryan is at a nearby nursery. Also, I made some tea for you."

With a cup in her hand, Anu sauntered around the small apartment, trying to know her new home. It was a small place but quaint in its own way. The living room had a small fireplace, although with no wood in it.

She noticed a picture on the mantlepiece. She picked it up. Neel stood with a woman in the photo, who was beaming in the picture. She recognised the brown hairs. His son, Aryan had the same brown hairs as the woman in the picture.

It was an odd picture. Neel years younger, with no hint of grey, stood there, with the same face as she had seen the past few days. No hint of a smile, the same blue eyes watching intently. It was as if Neel had been stuck in time, the same man in the picture, forever. A stark contrast to the woman standing next to him, radiant and shining.

Anu was puzzled. She noticed that they were both young. Why did they wait for so long to have their child? Anu sipped on the tea, which was as good as it was yesterday, all the while thinking about this man. She knew nothing about him. Except for the fact that he loved tea and cigarettes.

After finishing her cup, she moved to the balcony to enjoy the fresh air. Lying there was a plate. Neel had probably forgotten it there when he had brought it while talking on the phone.

The strange thing was that it was sparkling clean, without a speck of food on it.

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Anu, with nothing better to do, ordered food online and spent the rest of day reading Wuthering Heights. She had read it in school and found it lying on her husband's bookshelf. It was an old copy with several folded pages and underlined paragraphs. Her phone beeped. It was a message from Neel.

"I will be there in an hour. Do you need me to bring something for you?"

Her mind went racing back to the first time he had texted her.

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Several Months Ago

The marriage had been set up. Both the families had agreed it. She had agreed to it.

Anu had the room to herself. Her sister was still in school. She shut the door and sat on the bed. Numb and alone. Tears started dripping down her cheeks. She couldn't process what was happening. She had agreed to a marry a widower, a man she had never met in her life.

"Be Strong" Her brother's voice rang in her ears.

Her phone beeped. It was a Whatsapp Message from an unknown number.

"Hi, Anu. This is Neel Rajan here" The message read.

Wiping her cheeks, she looked blankly at the screen.

She replied a simple "Hello"

"Is this a good time to talk ?"

"Yes" Her mind was blank as he replied. "You are strong" Her brother's voice kept ringing, like an earworm. She would go through with it.

Neel was typing something in reply. It was a long time when she finally received his reply.

"You know about me completely I assume. I am 40, have a child, and am currently widowed? Do you know all of this?"

"Yes" She replied

"And yet you agree to marry me? Are you being forced?" He texted.

She turned red in anger. The last thing she needed was him assuming things about her, a man who knew nothing about her.

"Yes, and no, I am not being forced. Please, can you keep it short? Some work came. I have to go" She typed while fuming.

"That is all" He texted and closed the chat. He never texted her again.

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The present

She texted a simple "No".

An hour later the doorbell rang. Neel entered holding his briefcase in one hand and Aryan in the other. The child was happy, jumping in his father's arm, delighted to see him after a long day.

He tried to subdue the ecstatic kid while he squirmed in his arms. He placed the kid in the crib and hastily proceeded to the kitchen. The child started crying seeing his father leave. He kept on wailing until Neel came back with a bottle of milk and picked up the child placing the bottle near his mouth, which he sucked on greedily. All of this without a word to Anu, who stood in a corner, unsure of what to do. Finally, after half an hour, the child went to sleep.

Neel sat down on the couch wiping sweat from his brow. He looked tired, Anu thought. No tired was not the word. He looked defeated.

Anu got up and went to the kitchen and when she came back she held a tray with two cups.

"Tea," She said as she handed him the cup.

He looked grateful as he took it.

They kept on drinking tea in silence. Finally, Neel asked, his voice low as usual, "How was your day?"

"It was fine. I read Wuthering Heights" she gestured to the book lying on the couch beside him.

"It is a good book. Do you enjoy reading?" he asked.

"Not much. But I had nothing better to do". He said nothing more. Silence followed the lead.

Is this the life she would be having, Anu asked herself. Small meaningless talk followed by bouts of silences. She couldn't bear it anymore.

"Why did you not have dinner yesterday?" She finally asked him.

He eyed her impassively. "Well, when the order came the quantity was all wrong. I was not particularly hungry so I didn't eat. That was it." He replied calmly and went on sipping.

Anu couldn't stand it any more."The last thing I need from anyone is pity." She got up and stormed to the bedroom. When she looked back, Neel was still sipping his tea.

The evening sun was shining brightly through the windows, casting its yellow hue on his face, which was stoic and stony as always. However, it was his eyes, that allured her the most, deep and blue. There was no shine to them.

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