Darkness had spread, not completely though. The moon outside sent a sliver of light which entered the room, but it lacked the intensity to overcome the darkness present within the walls.

A match was struck and the wick of a candle became alive with a small dancing flame around it. Dhithi took a moment to find the peace that followed a candle when lit.

Electricity cutouts were not frequent in the area unless a major fault had caused it. The cutout had been long enough to empty the inverter battery of it charge and the candle had to be lit as the Sun set. There was a torch somewhere, but its location was difficult to ascertain due it not having been used in a long time, rather a candle was well within the reach.

Dhithi looked at the closed book in her hand, she had to stop reading it when the sunlight had started to fade. It would have to wait till the arrival of electricity or perhaps the next day.

Dhithi placed the book on a side table, looked around and sighed at the emptiness that was present in the house.

Dhithi and her husband were the only ones living in the house. They had to shift a year ago when Dhithi’s husband secured a job with a good pay in the city. Dhithi did not like it at first, she had to leave her job of 4 years to come here and was yet to find a job here.

However, there was contentment as well, after all this was their dream to begin with, a house of their own, a life of their own and when the time was right, perhaps work of their own.

Dhithi’s husband was yet to return from job. A passing neighbour had called out to Dhithi, letting her know that electricity will be back within an hour.

Dhithi had made up her mind to order food instead of preparing it. She went through the food menus of several restaurants in a food delivery application before placing an order which had about the right balance of the food Dhithi liked and the ones her husband did.

Dhithi picked the candle by its stand and made her way towards the balcony of the house. The flame of the candle reflected its light on several photographs which were placed on the wall. Dhithi made an effort to focus on one in particular. It was the photograph of Dhithi and her mother-in-law.

Dhithi’s mother-in-law had lived her life as a housewife, but it had never been a barrier in her quest for knowing more about the world. Books, newspapers, magazines, she would read them with great concentration absorbing all the available knowledge. People who interacted with her were amazed to know the depth of knowledge she possessed. It was something unusual in the era where internet wasn’t a common household availability.

Dhithi moved on before her mind could comer to the part where her mother-in-law suffered from an illness which eventually became the cause of her absence in this world.

Dhithi was about to reach the balcony when there was a knock on the door. Was it the food delivery man? Was it her husband? How could Dhithi know, she suddenly realised she had never heard her husband knock at the door. This could possibly be the very first time when Dhithi would become familiar with this distinct sound.

Dhithi carefully carried the candle towards the door and just as she rotated the door knob, the electricity returned and the lights spread throughout the house, even the table lamp that Dhithi used during reading lit up. The door opened and in the light, the face of her husband shone. He was carrying the food Dhithi had ordered. Apparently, he had met the food delivery person in front of the house.

Dhithi blew out candle and smiled, and the smile was returned with the same emotions.

Written by Anuran Chatterji

Hey, Connect with Us:)

• WordPress
• Instagram
• Medium
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest