Life, Written Softly

The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, casting a golden hue on the dusty road that led to the hills. It was a long-awaited road trip—a promise made, postponed, and finally fulfilled. Reva had been looking forward to this getaway for months. It was a long-awaited plan, a quiet week in the hills with her husband and their 8-year-old son Wriddhayan. It was supposed to be a time for bonding, a break from the grind of their city lives. But a shadow loomed over Reva’s excitement—a suspicion she had been trying to ignore for weeks.

Her husband seemed different lately. He was distant, spending more time on his phone, his laughter fading into a polite smile. The late-night work calls, the sudden change in perfume, and the new-found enthusiasm for fitness and shopping—it all added up, but Reva had no proof, only a gut feeling she wished she could shake off. As they loaded the car, Riddhi ran around excitedly, oblivious to the tension between his parents. Reva forced a smile as she handed him the last bag, watching him tuck it neatly into the trunk. His eyes met hers briefly, and she thought she saw a flicker of something—guilt? It was gone too quickly for her to decipher.

The road wound through the countryside, the city slowly fading into the rearview mirror. Riddhi, in the backseat, the poor little thing had already dozed off into a lazy siesta while Reva stared out of the window, lost in her thoughts.

Her husband kept his eyes on the road, humming a tune she didn’t recognize.

“Remember that tea garden…Royal Aroma?” Reva asked, trying to fill the silence. “I believe we took this same route on our first trip to the hills by car, isn’t it?” He nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Yeah, it’s been a while.”

It was the same road, but the journey felt different. There was a time when they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, when road trips were filled with laughter, music, cozy coffee breaks on the way and stolen kisses often. Now, an invisible wall seemed to separate them, one built brick by brick over months of unspoken words. As they ascended the hills, the car climbed steep curves, surrounded by pine trees swaying gently in the breeze. They decided to stop at a quaint little café overlooking the valley for a break. Timboor on the Trail…a must visit every time they came this way. Reva chose a table outside, hoping the fresh air would clear her mind. While Riddhi busied himself with his favourite grilled sandwich and his comics, Reva took a sip of her coffee, watching her husband scroll through his phone. She could see the aqua-green glare of the screen reflected on his glasses as his fingers danced over the keyboard. She noticed a slight smile playing on his lips— the kind that hadn’t been directed at her in months.

“Who are you texting?” Reva asked, trying to keep her tone casual.

He looked up, surprised. “Just work stuff,” he replied, too quickly.

He set the phone down and picked up his coffee mug, his eyes avoiding hers. Reva felt her heart sink. She had heard that tone before, the one that carried a hint of defensiveness. She bit her lip, choosing not to press further. Not here, not in front of Riddhi.

Back in the car, the silence grew heavy again. Reva turned to look at her husband, trying to read his expression. His face was impassive, his focus entirely on the road. As they approached the guesthouse they had booked for the stay, Reva decided she needed to clear her head. “Let’s go for a walk after we check in,” she suggested. He nodded. “Sure, I could use some fresh air too.”

They left Riddhi at the in-house kids’ room, happily playing with his new toy truck, and set off down a woody path. The sun was starting to dip behind the hills, casting long shadows on the ground. They walked in silence for a while, the only sound being the crunch of leaves under their feet. It was slowly starting to mist at the end of the hills.

Finally, Reva couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

He looked taken aback. “What do you mean?”

Reva stopped walking, turning to face him. “You’ve been acting distant. I’ve noticed the late-night calls, the messages. Who is she?”

His face hardened. “What kind of a question is that? there’s no one, Reva. You’re imagining things.”

Her eyes welled up with tears she had been holding back. “Don’t lie to me, please. At least show me that little bit of respect. I can feel it. You’ve changed.”

He looked away, running a hand through his hair. He let out a sigh, long and heavy, as if he had been holding it in for ages.

“Okay, well if it has come to this, I might as well speak my heart out! I’ve been talking to someone,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “Well, she is Ritu, I met her at a work party. Frankly speaking, I was a little reluctant in the beginning, didn’t really know what was happening….but then… well it has been going on for almost six months now”.

Reva felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces, she felt a sudden gut twisting pain that made her shake…somewhere down in her being she had expected it, but hearing it now, outright, in those hard hitting words made her feel like being pelted by stones.

Reva didn’t allow the tempest in her body to shake her voice, in an icy tone she asked, “Who is she?”

“It’s not what you think,” he said quickly. “She’s… just a friend. We’ve been talking. The fact is I was lonely, I felt invisible, talking to her made me feel like myself.’

“I’ve been struggling, Reva. We have been struggling.”

Reva stared at him, disbelief mixing with the pain.

“You’re struggling??? with us??”

….and you turn to another woman? How does that make sense?”

He stepped closer, trying to reach for her hand, but she pulled away.

“I didn’t know how to talk to you,” he said, his voice breaking. “Every time I tried, it felt like we were miles apart. Even before we started to talk it felt like the conversation was pointless. You were busy, I was busy…we both were under pressure, but you seemed to completely ignore my efforts, you always seemed disgusted and irritated by my presence. I needed someone to listen, and she was just… there.”

“I ignored you? I did not see your efforts???!!! Do you realise…ever…that all you ever did was focus on your work, your career. Since the day Riddhi came into our lives, he has been my responsibility. His school, his studies, his well being….didn’t I have a life, don’t I have a career? How much of my efforts do you even recognise??? let alone appreciate??”

The anger flared within Reva, hot and blinding.

“And then, you say you couldn’t talk to your wife? The one person who’s been here for you every step of the way?”

His shoulders slumped. “I know I’ve hurt you, Reva. And I’m sorry. I should have come to you first. But I didn’t know what to say!.”

Reva replied, “You always knew you were hurting me, every step of the way… you knew this would hurt me… from the moment you started this!! This was a choice you made…consciously…please don’t make excuses for a conscious choice you made, while you didn’t care a fucking damn about my feelings!”

She turned away, wiping her tears. She wanted to scream, to shout at him for betraying her trust, but all she could manage was a whisper. “What now? Where do we go from here?”

He was silent for a moment, looking out at the valley below, the sun now dipping behind the mountains, casting a golden glow on the trees.

“I want to fix this,” he said. “I know my words my be hollow to you now but I don’t want to lose you, Reva. I want to try, if you’re willing to give me a chance.”

Reva took a deep breath, her heart heavy with conflicting emotions. She loved him, but she couldn’t ignore the betrayal she felt.

“I don’t know if I can trust you again, what’s the point!!” she said quietly.

“I know,” he replied, stepping closer. “But I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

They stood there in silence, side by side, staring at the sunset. Reva felt there was a big hollow in her chest now, where once her heart stood and the chilly mountain winds blew right through her being, making her shiver.

Hope was faint, like a tiny flame in the wind, but it was there. She didn’t know if they could rebuild what was broken, but for the sake of their son, for the sake of the love they once shared, she was probably willing to try.

As they walked back to the guesthouse, the evening air felt a little lighter. He asked, “Should we go for another cup of coffee?” Reva didn’t say a word, she just gave out a long sigh and they both walked towards the ledge that housed the cafe.

It wasn’t the perfect turn, but it was a start. And sometimes, that’s all you need to begin again.