Mute… Unmute

She had waited for this day for the last one year.  She had prepared for it all thru her cooking, bathing, cleaning, and during her drive to office. The most awaited talk show was scheduled to be shot on the Mar 23rd 2020. The fateful day when the world-wide lock-down began due to the unprecedented Covid situation. The organizers had promised to get back to her.

 

Reena, was the CEO of a leading company based in Australia, “happily-settled" mother of two and all the baggage that an India wedding that weighs the woman down. She was no different to the lock-down blues. It had brought in several new challenges. Her parents had flown back to India just weeks before the lock-down had started. With the schools closed and working from home being the normal, she was also adjusting to the nuances as was her husband Virat, of 15 years.

 

Finally, the meeting was scheduled for the 14th of May. A co-incidence, it was her 15th wedding anniversary. She was supposed to have mock interview a day before the actual meeting. Ms. Lee called her to discuss the on-goings. She had a beach background setup as her virtual background. 

 

Something about the background Ms. Lee had… Reena felt a strange nostalgia. In between mute and on-mute she was battling her emotions, the old memories kept flashing before her eyes. Her thoughts went back to her hometown in Mangalore, a quaint little village near to the beaches of the Sasihitlu. Her childhood, her college and how she had met Virat on the way to her first interview in Bangalore.

 

Her thoughts were coming to the present when she would unmute, her present - her children, work, how she had built herself to the current role as a CEO. But then silently she would slip into her own world when she would mute herself. What had gone wrong, why were we the way we are today. In between her maiden speech of raking up her accomplishments, she felt a strange loneliness. She was viewing a lot only from her point of view, oblivious to Virat's feelings.

 

Ms. Lee repeated - "Ms. Reena are you able to hear me? I think you are on mute; can you please unmute yourself? “

 

She was brought back to the present, trying to mute the voices in her mind, she unmuted herself. She saw Virat answering the doorbell. He walked past her and laid out something on the dining table. The kids were giggling silently in the background. A glistening smile and she finished her call, as fantastic as ever.

 

The kids were happily setting up the table, giggling all the while. Virat was silent, like he has been from past few years. She sensed a familiar smell. Virat had ordered a special fish curry made from the finest "kani" fish sold only on the Mangalore beaches, Reena's favorite, and a bottle of champagne. They enjoyed a good meal, mute in some sense, but loud, happy chattering from the kids. 

 

Once the kids slept, Virat opened the champagne, they had few silent moments, like how they used to have during their early days of courtship, with several relatives around them. She lent out her hand to him for a dance to one of their old fav …I want to grow old with you…

 

Maybe things are only as bad or as good as our imagination, why live in the virtual world after all. Just unmute your true self to the see the world. And she went to bed with a peaceful smile on her heart.