You are my Theme for a Dream

Chapter 7

In the month of March, Covid started spreading its wings all over the world. Her father's sales started seeing a deep decline due to travel restrictions, social distancing, restrictions of sales of some commodities & customers resorting to budget cuts & putting projects on hold. The growth of the economy suddenly slowed down due to shutdown  of different production channels.
Within six months financial problems was becoming acute. The rent was three months overdue & the only reason they were not evicted was the landlady who was captivated by Shalu's father & his grandiose plans & inventions. But he was still cheerful, optimistic self, that Shalu could see behind the frayed façade. The marvelous, careless charm that had given a platina of gaiety to everything he did not eroded. He reminded Shalu of a small boy in a middle aged man's body spinning tales of glorious future to hide the shabby failures.
                          In November, Shalu's mother died of a heart attack. It was Shalu's first confrontation with death. Friends & neighbors filled the large buanglow, offering their condolences, with the false, whispered pieties that tragedy invokes.
Death had diminished Shalu's mother to a tiny shriveled figure without juices or vitality, or perhaps these hard days had done to her, Shalu thought. She tried to recall memories that she & her mother had shared, laughter that they had together, moments when their hearts had touched; but it was Shalu's father who kept leaping into her mind, smiling & eager & gay. It was as if her mother's life was a pale shadow that had retreated before the sunlight of memory.
Shalu  stared at the waxen figure of her mother on the bier, dressed in a simple light green colored salwar-kameez. And then, she was taken away far from her sight to be cremated.
                            Days lingered on, but the grieving of Shalu for her mother never ceased. Her absence was like the sky spread over everything. Daily she would stand in front of her mother's picture & murmured
" Thankyou for always loving me & guiding me. You are always in my heart. I love you & miss you dearly."
                             Months passed & then one night when she was trying to sleep, the thoughts of Rahul suddenly flashed into her mind, that how he was responsible for half of the miseries she was, & had been. The thoughts of taking revenge, for what she had gone through made a strong impact on her disturbed mind. She knew,  by now Rahul must have been released from the jail.
The next day morning she called up Rahul on his mobile phone. Surprisingly Rahul accepted the call " Hey, bitch, you still alive?" Rahul answered the call laughing.
" Well, this is to inform you that Karma comes after everyone eventually. You can't get away with screwing girls over your whole life. I'll hurt you for this. I don't know how, yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think  yourself safe & happy, & suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth & you will know the debt has been paid" Shalu replied back angrily.
Rahul started laughing heartedly hearing this & said " An empty threat from an empty girl "
Shalu rounded on him, turning red faced with anger & teeth flashing " I'm not empty. I'm full to the brim with murder & revenge. I'm overflowing & I do not think you wish for me to overflow on to you."
" Oh!! then let's see what you can do to me. I'm not a coward to be scared by your bloody blusters" Rahul screamed back.
" Mind it, you gutter class Romeo, I've sworn on my knees at the temple that I will kill you. It's an oath you made me make in my own blood. And now I've returned to give you the promised blade" she called out loudly in a fit of rage & cancelled the call.
Rahul was left to ponder in silence the depths to which Shalu would sink to get revenge.
                          Shalu was quite upset after having a heated talk with Rahul & just to soothen her mind, she went out for a morning walk in the park nearby, lost in deep thoughts. When she returned home, her mind was still in turmoil. She took out her writing register & started jotting down to soothen her disturbed nerves.
            I walk alone, lost in my thoughts,
         Planning how the battles will be fought.
      The cool breeze, just like a lover's kiss,
      A caress on my skin, I've felt a bliss.
     But the mist in my eyes isn't ocean spray
      Only the tears that threatened to fall & stray.
   I don't want to be sad, I love my solitude.
  But why do I have a heart with an attitude,
   A heart that betrays me at first chance,
    Treacherous friends laughing at my expense
  And I can never tolerate this nonsense.

After writing a few lines, she felt a little relief, went to the kitchen & made herself a coffee & a sandwich.
Munching at the sandwich, she called up her best friend Neetu to come down when free as she was feeling upset & depressive.
Neetu turned up in the noon. Shalu took her to her bedroom & confided in her, " Neetu, I want to have revenge with that bastard who had inflicted so much pain to me physically & mentally."
" But, Shalu, anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. So, better avenge his deeds but don't take revenge & don't take law in your hands."Neetu tried to pacify her.
" But Neetu, Shakespeare was one of the few philosophers who too believed in revenge" Shalu took the plea.
" Yes Shalu, he was a romantic " Neetu reverted, laughing at her statement.
" Romantics always believe in revenge, because romantics love harder, suffer loss more painfully & hold onto a grudge that has shattered their hearts & lives. Their hearts are of the greatest importance, above all else—— body, soul or mind " Shalu argued like a lawyer in a court.
" Okay, Okay you win Shalu " replied back Neetu with a scowl on her face.
" But, such people should  either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage, they will get their revenge, but if you cripple them, then there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance " Neetu advised .
" Yes, I'll kill him like a dog, the one who howls when badly wounded!!writhing on the ground & growls, watching the blood flow from it's veins & arteries, seeing the bone that sticks out from a stump, watching it's guts escape it's open belly, feeling the cold as death is about to take them. Then, & only then will evil begin to beg, 'Have mercy! I regret my sins, I'll be good, I swear! Just save me, do not let me waste away!' Shalu replied with anger clearly writ large on her face.
" Yes exactly, there's the way to kill the evil & it is best when it has already forgotten, when it feels safe. Then, pay it in double, in triple. An eye for an eye? No!! both eyes for one eye! A tooth for a tooth? No! All their teeth for a tooth. Repay the evil. Make it wail in pain, howling, until it's eyes pop out from it's sockets" Neetu replied with a scowl, anger clearly taking the place of a calm & smiling face.
" But how Neetu? how will I succeed making it happen & that too foolproof!" Shalu asked enquiringly.
" Don't worry Shalu, it's very simple. No need to buy a pistol or a dagger. Just go, buy half a litre of concentrated Sulphuric acid or Hydrochloric acid which is available in the open market for less than
₹ 50 a bottle. It will be foolproof as there are no licensing laws for those who sell or purchase these deadly chemicals. This will be enough to ruin him forever ."
" But, how do you know all this, Neetu? I'm really feeling so astonished hearing all this from you" Shalu asked .
" Ha ha ha ha Shalu, you forget that I'm an avid reader of crime stories & also watching the crime series on TV with great interest"
" Just befriend him somehow or the other as now you don't resemble your old self after these plastic surgeries. He will soon get entangled in your net as he seems to be a gutter class Romeo, according to you" Neetu continued, laughing & looking straight into her eyes.
Shalu nodded her head in approval giving out a broad smile to her.
And then, Neetu left complaining that she was already late.