Short Story: Tomorrow (Full Story)

If I could remember anything about that night, I wouldn’t say” – She says.

Today

If it had to end this way, it should’ve never started. I don’t understand why there’s end to every start?  Well, I heard this particular thing – doesn’t have any ending. But this too is about to end. Well, today I hope – it shouldn’t have started at first place. I still remember those days when both of us loved each other so much that even hands never parted whenever we went out for a walk. Tomorrow – we’re going to drift apart forever. While I accept this truth, in my mind, I am cursing everything and also wondering – why this had to end? He promised – it’d never end and I believed him. Well, I promised him too. Did I keep my promise?

Fumbling I look around, even a simple yes or no doesn’t come out of my mouth. In my mind, I have already accepted my mistakes and he has even forgiven me. I cannot understand. Too much of confusion still exists in my mind, why love is this way – so complicated. I think of lying down. It’s almost 2 .A.M. I need to catch a glimpse of his before he goes away from me forever, so I need to sleep as early as possible. GO – I hate this word so much. Today, he used it so many times, I tried to stop him, but he did not listen to me and said – his decision is final and firm and no one can change it. That is when I lost my temper and said those hateful andnever-to-be-spoken words – Get lost from my life.

Afterwards, he just moved out of the house and still hasn’t returned. I wonder where he can be. He must be sleeping in his car. I think I need to check.

Like you used check – a person in me said, quietly. I know her. It is in me. I battle with her, try to win arguments over her, and sometimes make sure it doesn’t disturb me. But it never let me be at peace, always pops out whenever I talk.

I don’t check. I don’t want to. Otherwise this habit of mine will never go.

Today is the last day and from tomorrow, you’ll never get a chance to look at his car, So, I walk near the window and peep outside. There’s no sign of his car. I run downstairs and peek through the peephole and then I able to clearly see that there’s really no car in the porch. Worrying I go upstairs and lie down. Where he could be? – First question pop in my mind. Before I think of any answer, I curse myself for not stopping him before he moved out of the house. I could’ve stopped him, easily. But I stood there, motionlessly in attitude to satisfy my ego.

No point in blaming now. Call him. – It says and I do. Sometimes her advices are good also. But most of the times they suck.

                

I call him, hoping that he picks my call on the first ring itself like he used to do previously, now he hardly cares to answer my calls. I call him again and keep calling him for more than seven times. It rings and keeps ringing. He does not answer. I panic. 

               

Wait! Wait! Wait!

                

He used to worry for me when I did not answer his calls. Back then, days were not-so-bad.

                

Did you value him back then? – She irritates me.

                

I stand in front of the mirror and I am able to see him in it. I rub my eyes to see if it’s real, I know it’s not. But I see him asking me – why I didn’t answer his calls? I say – I was busy and I see myself walking away from him whereas he is standing and calling out my name. Do you think your roles have changed?

                

I close my eyes for a minute and open it. Even my face in the mirror says – YES! Our roles have changed.

                

Next moment, everything seems blurry to me and I fall down. I reach out my hand for the glass of water and pick it up with my trembling hands and drink it. I feel better. 

                

Suddenly, I hear sound of a vehicle approaching our house and excited I get up and run toward the window.

               

Your house, she says. Sadly, it’s true.

                

And I look out of the window and see… 

There’s no car out there, silent road with rows of trees is all I can see. I put my head out of the window, glancing on either sides, to see if he’s there nearby or his car’s there. But I see no one. I come back and sit on the bed, thinking of calling him again and before I complete thinking – my phone is in my hand and I redial his number. Again, it’s ringing, yet there’s no response. I feel he may have got exceedingly upset and that is the reason why he is avoiding my calls. Well, there’s one thing I can do. I can message him. I open WhatsApp, open his chat, and see that I’m blocked. Yes, he blocked me few days ago because I was constantly messaging him and disturbing him, even though he said – he needed time. I blame myself for that too! I open text message and dial his number and type a text message, which reads:

“I feel incomplete without you. Please come back. I don’t want to lose you. At least answer my calls.”

I press the send button and it shows my message has been delivered to him. I smile a little. I don’t know why, but I sense something good is going to happen. And whenever I feel such a way, something bad happens in my life. Instantly, my head starts to pain and I feel like vomiting. I go to the washroom and start to vomit. I vomit twice and while returning I think of something. I stop myself from uttering the famous word – Fuck – and I go in the kitchen and drink full bottle of water and wait for some time. As time passes, I see my legs titter. Finally, I go to the washroom with a small plastic container in my hand. I come out of the washroom and keep the container on the table. Now, I have to wait and see if what I think is true or not.

Well, I have to wait for a couple of hours before I jump to a conclusion. For a moment, I forget about him and I check the time. It’s 3.30 A.M.

Another night without sleep. I shall soon get an award for not sleeping at all.

It’s called Chronic Insomnia, she says. She’s back again to torture me. I remain calm and avoid it. 

I look at my phone lay still, not making any kind of sound. Wait! What did I think just now? I used the word sound. Few months back, when he used to call me, my phone used to vibrate and ring. He used to call me number of times and I never used to pick up and let it ring. I never put it on silent mode and that ring used to frustrate me a lot. A day came when I came home and told him, stop calling me again and again, noise of the ringtone vexes me and especially I hate when you call again and again. I told this and soon he left this habit of his.

Today I see myself in a similar situation, I am continuously calling him and he isn’t answering my calls. What one is supposed to do when other person doesn’t answer calls? Be patient. Am I patient? I ask myself. No answer comes in my mind. I glance at my phone again, still there’s no reply to my message. I don’t think he would reply even after viewing the message. While departing he was looking at me, in anger, I stayed quiet letting him out. I think it was my biggest mistake to let him go out. Nothing comes in my mind. I check the time again, an hour has past, it’s 4.30 A.M.I remind myself to check the plastic container after an hour. Covertly, I hope it’s not what I think

An hour has passed and I slowly walk toward the kitchen to grab the plastic container. Once I take it, I look at it with concentration. And I see… 

White foams bubbling on the top of the urine. It means only one thing – I am pregnant. Suddenly, tears start trickling down my cheeks. I feel an urge to cry badly out of happiness and also out of sadness.  I don’t know why, but at this moment I do not feel happy because the person whom I can share this happiness is not with me. I grin and walk out of the washroom and check my cell phone if there are any calls from his side. There aren’t any. Restless me again checks out of the window, expecting him to be standing down there like he used to. Well, don’t go there, baby. I never want to go there. But now I’ve to. No Option.

                

Months ago, I used to make him wait for hours in our porch, and when he used to complain, I used to ignore them. I felt he overacted sometimes unaware that I took hours to get ready while he was over punctual. If we ever do compatibility test, our scores are gonna be worse. Stupidly, I ignored the signs and now he is ignoring me. Wonderful, no? TIT FOR TAT!

                

That’s what I say to people who do wrong to me. I am a girl, who wholeheartedly believes in revenge and I take revenge from people who hurt me. But revenge is not good, it’s ugly. You don’t feel it before you go through it. Lastly, I feel giddiness and I surrender. But only my physical self gives up, not my mind. I rest my back on the pillow and think. That’s what I’ve been doing this night, thinking, over-thinking, and extreme over-thinking! I wonder why he didn’t come back at night. Does he have an affair?  Even if he does, do you have any right to ask him about this personal life? Well, I do have all rights. I have his baby in my womb. 

               

So, are you going to blackmail him to stay with you? The other Me asks.

               

Maybe Last Resort, I answer.

               

After that, I close my eyes, putting efforts to cool down my mind. In that moment, I remember some happy moments I had spent with him, when we both were happy together and we both were smiling and most importantly, we were smiling because of each other, because we were together. I say myself:

               

What if this is not the end? What if he still cares about me and is taking his time to recover from a failed relationship? What if he shows in the morning with bunch of red roses in his hand? What if he changes his mind after I give him this – special news – that I am pregnant? Will he stay or move away?

               

He loves me, I say myself and I smile. This is the same smile, he melted on. But.. Now... no, wait! 

               

Tomorrow, yes, tomorrow it’s all going to change. I don’t know if it’s going to change for good or bad, but I feel everything’s gonna change.

                

I hear my cell phone ringing; it takes me a moment to snatch it from the table. It’s him calling me. I answer the call and I listen. I just listen and I don’t remember when my eyes close, I collapse on the floor, I get hurt on my head, and the last thought I have in my mind is:

               

Tomorrow has already come.

When I wake up with a headache, I find myself on the floor. It’s already 7.30 AM. I worry a little, but now I am able to stop myself. I switch off the Air Conditioner and stroll out of my room. I open the door and observe the usual silence on the road. Not many vehicles move in this area and most of the time, there’s quietness here. I go to the washroom and brush my teeth and then I go to the kitchen to prepare my coffee. While I prepare my coffee, I check the newspaper, if there’s any interesting news report in it. As usual, nothing’s interesting in it except for gossips.

               

I sit on the dining chair facing the window, looking out at the empty road.

               

Just like the road, your life is so empty. She still doesn’t let me live peacefully.

                

“Good morning, mom” He says. 

                

I get up, turning back, I say: “Good morning, son.”

               

I go to the kitchen and start preparing his breakfast. At the age of 10, his favorite is boiled eggs. 

The End