She hummed a ditty as she drove her car on the wide and
wind-blown road with gorgeous scenery surrounding her. This was bliss, she
thought, enamored by the visual delight of profusely flowering trees, colorful
bougainvilleas of every conceivable shade covering the walls of villas by the
roadside, a blue, cloudless sky and a cool breeze that promised her a new life
at the end of this journey.
She thought
about John and herself. She imagined themselves as a normal, happily married
couple, bickering and making-up, having kids and raising them together and
growing old together comfortably. She was very, very happy. Life was looking up
for her. The Doctor had told her that she could meet John in his presence,
after she completed her novel. Thus he could determine whether the characters
in her novel still held her in their hold or had freed her of their shackles!
That was a very reasonable suggestion, she thought pleased with the way the
Doctor was handling the situation. He was surely the best psychiatrist in town.
Who else would go out of his way to ensure the well-being of his client? He
hadn’t even billed her as yet!
When she
reached his apartment complex and parked her car, she got her heavy suitcase
and purse and lugged it to the lobby. She took the elevator to the floor where
his apartment was situated, walked crisply to his neighbor’s apartment and rang
the bell. As if on cue, the door opened immediately and the eager and nosy
neighbor gave her the keys. “Oh, have you come for a longer stay this time?”
she remarked. As a defiant retort arose in her throat, Martha checked herself
and said as coolly as she could, “Yes. Thank you.”
Seeing that
Martha wasn’t about to divulge any information about her stay at the Doctor’s
apartment, she just watched her from top to toe and back to the top. Martha
knew that this was a deliberate ploy to undermine her self-confidence; hence
she gave her the brightest of her smiles and smartly walked the few steps to
the Doctor’s apartment. She could feel that pesky lady’s eyes on her back long
after she had closed the door.
She lugged her
suitcase to the guest-room where she had stayed earlier and came back to the
living-room. She called the Doctor. “Doctor, this is Martha. I have reached
your apartment. May I make coffee for myself and have something to eat from
your refrigerator, if you don’t mind?” “Please stop being so formal, Martha.
Feel at home and help yourself to anything that you want. Take rest for a while
and then start writing. You’ll feel better then. Happy writing! See you in the
evening.” As he disconnected the call, she felt warmth spreading in her veins. He
was so kind and considerate!
She did
exactly as he said. She got cheese and bread from the kitchen, made some coffee
and relaxed on the couch in the living room. She watched some television show
featuring a rock-band and enjoyed the diversion. It had been ages since she had
watched television. Then she walked around the huge apartment aimlessly,
admiring the objects de’ art, beautiful original prints on the walls and the
exquisite furniture. When she came to the balcony, she was amazed at the view
from there. She could see far into the distance.
Fishing boats
bobbed on the placid waters of the bay, white clouds scudded lazily across a
clear blue sky, the road that wound to the beach was covered with small shacks
and people going about their chores; and lastly the unending waves gently
lapped the shore. She shivered as it gave her a sensuous feeling, like a lover
kissing his beloved, gently with unending yearning! Immediately she remembered
John and blushed, happy that she was alone. Yes, solitude was indeed bliss. She
could be herself. She was happy that the Doctor was not around, constantly
analyzing her actions and expressions with those piercing, hawk-like, bright
eyes. She decided to be alert when he was around.
Feeling
slightly drowsy with the exertion of driving the car, now washing over her; she
decided to take a small nap. She wore a gown sensibly, just in case she
overslept and had to open the door for the Doctor! Then she fell on to the bed
and was soon fast asleep. She awoke when her cell-phone rang. “Martha, it is
me,” said Dr. Hussey. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you, but I just wanted to check
on your well-being. I will be home by around 7.30 p.m. Then we’ll go for
dinner. Will that be fine?” “Sure Doctor. Thanks a lot for all the trouble that
you are taking to make my stay comfortable!”
She glanced
at the bedside alarm clock. It was 4 p.m. She was refreshed and raring to go.
She could write continuously for 3 hours without a care in the world. No chores
and no interruptions. A dream for a writer! Sara, Juan, here I come, she
declared loudly to the walls and unpacked her suitcase, got the folder and
located the sheet on which she had last written. The date was one that was
three months ago. She’d have to read a little of the last chapter to get a hang
of the story or rather where it was headed to and then continue writing, she
decided. She started reading…..
To be continued.....
The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
