Kudos of Mafia

'VII'

The town stayed in fear for the following days of gunshot. The local authorities couldn't trace out the one who shot the fire nor any signs of harm to anyone. The police believed that it might be the gunshot fired during the hunting, though people were not permitted to carry guns or hunt down the animals.

Each and every window remained closed. The streets had limited wanderer and the shops were opened during the day time only before the sun would dive into the horizon. Senor too decided not to open his grocery shop for a few days. The chirping of birds was loud enough to be heard. The silence had ruled every corner of the town. The exceptionally busy town transformed into a mediocre one.

But after a few days, the static town gained some momentum in its day to day life. The streets began to fill with crowds but sadly some old aged people missed that chirping of birds. The governor consoled people stating that the situations were under control. Though the busy streets resurrected but the eyes and ears of everyone in the town were alert including Senor.

In one of the evening, Senor was returning from his grocery to home. While thinking about everything that was happening recently, his eyes jumped towards a woman with a red scarf, though he couldn't get a clear picture of her face. Senor puzzled for a moment. He couldn't distinguish whether she was the same woman who visited her grocery or not. Then he started following her was she was heading. Senor tried to catch up his pace to trace the woman but his rusty bones had no more calcium like ten years back. He lost the sight of a woman and changed his path to his home wondering whether it was fact or fiction he just stumbled on.

Senor reached his home and as always he knocked on the door and Bruno opened the door.

"How was your day, sir?", a cheerful voice hit the eardrums of Senor.

"It was all good, Bruno.", replied Senor with a sentimental look adding, "It's surreal how you have been the one to open this very door each time I come home, never disappointing me."

Bruno paused for a moment and spoke," Sir, you have been the cause of my survival. I am thankful for your kind heart that accepted my existence in your house."

Senor smiled and moved towards his bedroom.

Senor was leaning against his chair and he inserted an old Italian record in the gramophone lying right beside his chair on a desk.

"Excuse me, sir!", Bruno came to the room, "May I ask you something?'

Senor replied," Of course. I would be pleased."

"Why would your wife leave you? Where is she now? It has been years, you have suppressed yourself within these bottles of liquor. It's tough to see you in all these sufferings. Moreover, you look pale and tired since the rumors went viral in the town." , Bruno asked with sincere concern.

Senor, moving his fingers to turn off the gramophone said, " There are always some good and bad parts we inherit in our past. Maybe I inherited most of the bad parts. You see, in spite of the efforts you put, you will always be one step behind where you were yesterday. She didn't leave me. I left her, I left her all dreams, all the hopes she saw in me. And here am I wondering, was this all worthy even a penny?"

Bruno nodded his head, unable to make any sense of what Senor was pouring in his glass of concern and curiosity.

"And talking about the rumors in the town, let's hope God's grace will always fall upon our head.

Now you can go and prepare for dinner. Just make me Oreo cake with extra fruit jelly as dessert, rest you can make of your choice.", Senor further added.

Bruno left the room and headed to the kitchen in amusement.

Since Bruno triggered the emotions of Senor, he wanted to continue the letter of his wife. Senor had always been clear on one thing that he didn't want her wife to leave him. He did everything in his reach but couldn't succeed. He still sees some flaws in his wife for what she did to him but deep down Senor knew he was the one to bear the burden of his eternal loneliness.

Senor avoided the letter in resentment for a while. He was delighted to receive the one but he realized that his wife will never forgive him nor return to him. Senor was in the battle of hopes and despair where his conscious mind assured him that his destiny was to live with all the burden and finally rest in the arms of almighty but his unconscious mind revealed that there is a chance he would be released from these chains of burden and live a life he dearly wanted. No matter what was destiny going to be in his battle of hopes and despair, he had to drop in the battlefield. The beginning of the battle was the letter he was going to disclose to his feeble heart and scattered hopes.