GLANCES

she stood there waiting in the rain. Her hand gripping the umbrella firmly as if her life depended on it. The other hand was held by a little girl in raincoat who was anxious about her teddies getting wet and then falling sick. A pinkish innocence radiated from her little face. Her eyes had prayers written in them – prayers which had gone unheard as the shower drowned the city.

Those eyes had seen her parents fight. It was a dull afternoon. The tranquility of the place was shattered by loud voices. They went on shouting at each other until her father stormed out of the home – never to return back. She had been at the door ever since. But after it had grown dark even she had lost hope.

A year had passed since then. Neither her father came nor had he called. She did not know what to think. Every night she had seen her mother snuggle into her pillow while sleeping but had always understood that it was only to hide her tears. Even now it seemed that tears had been rolling down her cheeks. But no..they were not tears but mere raindrops. her tears had gone dry after having waited for the man who had once given her the real sense of being and brought joy to her world and eventually who also had brought it down.
she had not known how to trust a man before this. having suffered her father's abuse after her mother died she had given up all hopes of meeting a man who would sweep her off her feet. But God had been kind to her though not as often as she would have wanted. On one such shower of kindness she had come across a man whose love she had craved for all along. it was as if she had come across an oasis in the desert. but it was not meant to be. it turned out to be a mirage. the feeling she thought to be love was a mere act of sympathy on her lover's part. he had eventually moved on to shower sympathy on another distressed woman.

But moving on for her had not proved so easy. she had a three year old to take care of. ......