Metro Diaries: Love V/s Hate

 

The scorching heat at 3 pm in a summery afternoon could not deter the enthusiasm of three sparkling silhouettes walking down the deserted road. Giggling with inundated joy their laughter could be heard across the street. They could have easily passed off as any other teenager had it not been for their school uniforms giving away their real identities. From a distance they seemed like Siamese twins glued together at the hip walking together step after step. What else do you do when you are a teenager? Life seems to be one long party full of fun and frolic with your best friends all around. 

You just know your world is full of rainbow colours; sweetness of chocolates filling it and abundant beautiful dresses to doll you up. Love and relationships take a different meaning altogether now making you look at everything around including yourself in newer light. Striding ahead arm in arm they all made an endearing picture. Distinct in many aspects yet something uniquely common that tied them all together. Could be friendship, could be their age or could be just that they were all young girls beginning to fall in love with life recently. Just as they approached the end of the lane one of the pieces fell apart and you could hear loud byes being exchanged.

 * * * 

Leaving behind the laughter and cheeriness Sneha slowly turned the knob of the door to enter the building which was her home. The bubbly and chirpy Sneha was left behind the moment she stepped inside. A shroud of disappointment and gloom had enveloped her face suddenly. At 17, life for Sneha had become a complex web of truth and lies and she saw no way out of it. Tall and slender she made a pretty sight with a very captivating face but her eyes had a strange look in them. They seemed to be looking around the world with a plea in them waiting for someone to answer each of her questions. Within the close confines of the house she was a timid and quiet girl with a look of dejectedness written all over her face. 

She glanced around the house and heaved a sigh of relief on not finding anyone nearby. She had developed a dislike for interactions at home in recent times and no one knew why. She would look out for opportunities to slip out to her room and be by herself. She entered her room and wearily dumped her school bag in one corner. With hands on her hips she shot a fleeting look across the room and smiled as she saw things just the way she had left. Of late her mother had taken to spying on her. “Spying” just the thought of that word made her cringe. “How could she do this to me…? She needs to trust me!” she wondered as she switched on her computer. 

Source: Google Images

Internet was a solace– her only window to the outer world; away from the suffocating walls of her house. She logged into her mail box and saw 24 new mails in her inbox. She scrolled through them eagerly. “Finally…” she exclaimed when her eyes fell on one mail with the subject Hey. She opened it hurriedly and started reading. 

Hey Hope everything is doing great with you. I have been missing you terribly and cannot wait for the next weekend to meet you! I know you have asked me not to call you hence I am just sending you this mail. Do reply by an email or call me if possible before we meet…. Loads of love 

She smiled as she re-read the mail again thinking,” It is so sweet of him to have written this mail especially after the way mom had behaved with him.” She was shocked to see her otherwise sweet and docile mom react the way she had on that day. Sneha remembered that day when she was talking to him on phone one evening and narrating one funny incident that had happened at the school. Suddenly her mom came stomping towards her and snatched the phone from her hands. She started yelling at him telling him to keep away from Sneha as he was not doing any good to her.

Sneha was dumbstruck as she tried to understand what made her mom react like this. The more she argued the more angry her mom got and in the end this discussion led to Sneha being grounded at home for almost a week. Even remembering that incident made Sneha angrier! She shook her head and clicked on reply as she began typing a mail to him. 

Hey! 

Yup everything is good with me. Hope the same with you. I know mom freaked out that day I don’t know why and she has grounded me for the entire week as a punishment. I am really sorry for all that she said to you. It is really sweet of you to think of sending this mail to me even after all that. I thought you would stop talking to me. I don’t know why she is so angry on me for talking to you. 

She knows you so well since so many years. I wish I could make her understand or rather understand what she is thinking. I just don’t feel I am going to be in college next year. The way she treats me off late I could be very well in kindergarten. BTW I hope you remember the gift I had asked you to get for me the next time we meet!! 

Will try to call you sometime soon before we meet next weekend. 

Missing you a lot Da.. Just as Sneha was typing the last word she heard her mom scream behind her.

” Sneha….!!..... what on earth do you think are you doing? How many times have I told you not to speak to him?” 

Sneha was jolted by her sudden outburst. ‘Why don’t you understand Mom… I have told you I like talking to him… why should I stop doing that?’ 

‘Sneha I don’t understand why do we need to go through the same story again and again and how many times?’ 

‘As many number of times that I need to tell you that a piece of paper cannot change things for me!!’ saying this Sneha turned back to complete her mail:

Missing you a lot Dad. 

Love Sneha 

She finished typing and clicked on send. 

P.S: This is an improvised version of a post I had written sometime in 2012. 

P.P.S: This post has been published in Writer's Ezine's October 2014 issue.