DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra
See that car. At the STOP light. Next to yours. With the man and the woman in it. She is leaning to the left. He to the right like disjointed windshield wipers. They are a husband and wife and they are returning from a party. You can see the ice patch between them. It is frigid. They have had a fight. She has been embarrassed by him.
He either had too much of a good time or just had too much. Anyway, he said the wrong thing, probably flirted outrageously, embarrassed his wife. Now, she knifes him with stilettos of silence, sharp and etched.
You are so boorish. Not said but implied. I could have married anyone, how could you? Muttered with scathing disdain. Then the final cut. I have never been so embarrassed before followed by the coup de grace, what will they think.
What people think being big on wives’ minds.
He and she left party after forced cheerful goodbye and he said, good fun,huh?
And she said, don’t speak to me, you are disgusting.
He then tried to make up.
She said, don’t touch me, don’t even think of it, how could you?
Since he is clueless about what he could or could not he subsides like beaten boxer into his corner.
They will continue like this all the way home.
She will ignore him all the way from the car to the home, walking purposefully ahead leaving sparks of scorn behind her.
They will go to their bedroom where she will enter the bathroom and slam the door.
He will lie in bed and try to read the same page for twenty minutes as he contemplates his sins of commission and omission.
She will come out like the lead ship in the Spanish Armada, get into her side of bed and he will try to say something pleasing which will be akin to lighting a wet matchstick in a wind.
She will then switch off her sidelight with finality, turn her back to him and ignore his silly efforts.
His bed will turn into a doghouse for the night…maybe longer.
Familiar?