ocean waters....
BEING STRONG
“that bitch ! that fucking bitch “ he shouted , ramming the palm on the table , shaking the glasses , as he picked up the bottle of whiskey to pour another hard for him , he gulped it in one shot , squinted as it went down his throat and looked at me again , this time a little more drunk than before , as I sat in front of him , worried and restless .
We have shared many drinks together in the past , through our thick and thins , I had seen the monster inside him and I had seen the child too .
But today I was going to witness something totally different , I was scared for him ,scared for myself , and scared for her .
“Still an hour to go for the reception , we‘ll leave a little late . “ he informed , and waved his hand to the waiter to order more booze .
I was still finishing my peg , as I saw him gulping one shot after another . My worries kept me from drinking that day , I was the only one who could hold him at that moment , when he was about to fall , deep inside he knew this too , he knew I would come for him , I would even go down with him to protect him , and he always used me…
The waiter brought more booze , he flung open the cap and poured more , “ you know , she said that she would not be able to fall in love with anyone else now … but “….
“that bitch ! , that fucking bitch “ he shouted again , this time all other tables stared at us ,
embarrassed I asked him to keep it low . “fuck , what ? “ he roared again . I realized it was not going to be of any use , so I finished my peg , pushed the glass towards him , and asked him to fill more , I realized being equally drunk was the only way to save my face in the bar .
Drunk as hell , he walked out of the bar , I followed him , his walk was telling the whole tale , as passers by stared at both of us .
He stopped a rickshaw , told him the address and asked me to hurry up the steps ,
I climbed up , and sat , he rested his head on my shoulder and began in slow voice “ why does it happen to me ? , why is it always me ?”…”whyyy “ he screamed again , the driver looked back in surprise , realized we were drunk and turned back . I had tried every fucking word in my dictionary to console him ,to reassure him , I had to say something.” it happens dude…to all of us…..chill , “…I couldn’t think of anything more than that , found myself at complete lost of words , so I stared at the road as the rickshaw moved on the wet road which sparkled with reflections of street lights and the signboards .
The rickshaw had stopped , the long line of cars , women sparkling with heavy jwellery , and neatly dressed people indicated we had reached the destination .the entrance was decorated with big bright yellow-red flowers , and small bright bulbs , which would switch on and off following the rhythm of the music that played inside.
I found the bulbs too bright , too irritating for my eyes which were half closed by now.
“twenty five “ , said the rickshaw driver , I handed him the money , and realized , he was already on the gates , making his way through the crowd into the hall.
I rushed behind him , caught his hand , pulled him in the side , “relax” I said looking into his eyes , he nodded , I could feel the thick drop of tear in his eye ,
to see a tear in someone’s eye is different , but to feel it , is friendship , I felt weak , I wanted to tell him that I would not be able to support him today , I needed something to lean over , today i needed support.
He pointed his finger to the stage and said,”there “ , “there she is” ,”and that asshole “.
He had started walking in quick steps, I followed him , he stopped , I could see that their eyes had met , I noticed the pensive and nervous expression on her face , trying to smile , as she greeted her guests on stage .
I realized he had read what I had failed to observe, he turned back , I saw her face , her eyes were searching for him , he came to me , “take me out of here “ , we turned our backs to the stage , started walking .
He had been strong , he had held his poise , it was something new , I felt proud of him , I smiled inside , I knew he will be able to bounce back to life.
As we were crossing the entrance against the flow of people, I realized he wasn’t with me any longer , I stopped , looked back and found him standing next to her , she was holding the ends of his fingers , she looked at me and smiled . I realised he was smiling too , it was the child inside him , the same child she had fallen in love with . I finally felt at peace.
I realized she had come down from the stage to see him again.
“ I want you guys to meet someone, “ she said…as we made our way to the stage….
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