STORY OF THEIR HAIR
( A story from the book : Just One More Button Down by Kajal Mehta)
“Look at the floor. Every evening it feels like a roadside hair cutting salon, hair and just hair everywhere. Why can’t you please take care of your hair? If nothing much, please tie them at least.” Pranay was annoyed and wanted Rhea to keep the floors hair free.
“Hair fall is natural Pranay. I hope you don’t imagine me sitting at home plucking hair out of pleasure.” Rhea gave him back.
Pranay took exit from there and tried to find some pleasure under the shower for longer than usual. Rhea knocked on the bathroom door louder than usual in any house. Pranay chose to call that knock a bang.
“Stop banging the door, feels like roadside houses.” Pranay flared up, he was in no mood to be convenient to Rhea today.
“Have served your dinner and if you will not eat it soon you will again find my hair in or around it, which I am sure will worsen the night.” Rhea almost shouted which was sheer display of how hurt she was more than her frustration. But it was misunderstood as anger and frustration by Pranay as usual.
Both of them buried themselves in their books the only thing that could relax them and keep them apart to avoid further sparks between them.
Food was untouched next morning. Witnessing some hair around the plate and a long black strand on the plate too made her feel disgusted. She could understand Pranay’s discomforts about it for the first time. She smiled in the mirror and approached kitchen to make breakfast which can be healthy enough to a starving young man since yesterday night.
Pranay too tried to forget one more bad night and said words of appreciation for food and her efforts to cook such nice breakfast for him. He did not want to start a day on bitter note. He could eat well with relaxed mind seeing her hair tied and a hair free floor made him eat few extra bites.
The evening was confusing for Pranay, he could not decide if the feeling was of shock or surprise.
“You really did not need to do it, I am habitual seeing you with long black hair, and I know you loved them equally.” It took lots of efforts to Pranay to choose his words to react when Rhea opened the door for him in typical boy cut hair.
“I love you more than them. I let them go to gain peace in your life. I am not being sarcastic at all. Seeing them around your untouched dinner plate made me feel the disgust that you are facing since long.”
Escaping to the bathroom under shower from any such situation is all Pranay could do. He came out of bathroom in very short period, it was unusual but after a Long time they ate their dinner together. They didn’t talk much but the night was not as dark and gloomy between them. Pranay managed to look at her hair in between the meals while pretending talking to her over casual house hold matters.
The fights stopped erupting following a roadside salon environment at home. They were in better shape now. They managed to have lighter and happier environment until one more night.
Pranay could not overlook shadows of pain on Rhea’s face. She pretended to be smiling and ok but that didn’t work for Pranay. He put his cutlery down on the plate, “O.K. what is it? Don’t waste time saying there is nothing or going round and round. Tell me what’s about it.” She moved away silently and went in a room hiding her face behind a book. Pranay cleaned the table and followed her, he could smell something burning inside her. He knocked on the door before opening the latch. He sat next to her without saying anything at all. He just stayed there seated till Rhea moved the book away and looked at him her eyes overflowing. She handed over some papers to him which was a proof of her being innocent about the hair fall issue. It was a medical report mentioning horrifying ailment, and hair fall was just one of the consequences. Pranay wiped off her tears and assured her that she will be fine and they will fight it out together. They decided not to cry or stay gloomy about it further.
The hair fall issues continued one more time, till the time the medicines and other treatments turned her almost bald. She stopped going out of home to avoid curious and teasing looks people would give her. Pranay managed many things to make sure Rhea was comfortable but he was not comfortable about her hiding away from the world. Helplessness continued till he found a solution. That evening was Rhea’s turn to get confused over shock or surprise. Pranay stood completely bald in front of her when she opened door for him when he returned from work.
“Now people will look back at both of us. But you won’t hide out anymore. We - a bald family will face it together.” And they laughed. Happiness and smiles remade an entry in the home. Dinners and outings with friends and family became part of their routine. Pranay had never seen Rhea this happy in many years. He felt that ailment came in their life as blessing, as weird as it felt to him he was not ready to let this happiness go from lives of either of them. Rhea was declared hail and healthy after a fight of few long months but that definitely rebonded her and Pranay. They started growing hair together, which was sheer happiness. “You see Pranay the house is really no more like a roadside salon neither like a roadside home.” And they smiled while eating their favorite meal.
Pranay observed his home being roadside salon one more time. Rhea’s hair started finding place in the home everywhere they could-floor, bed, combs, dinner plates everything started developing friendship with Rhea’s hair. Pranay feared something. He decided to talk to Rhea about it next morning. He couldn’t sleep whole night with the idea of anything going wrong with her again. Seeing her going through pain has been a nightmare for him and living that pain was nightmare for her.
A week later he was sitting bald in his balcony when the door bell rang. It was his friend who came to see him.
“Pranay you did your best for her. This was destined and no one can undo destiny. Why did you go bald again? It’s a punishment to yourself, you shouldn’t have done so.” His friend read everything out that he had mugged as consolation speech.
“No it’s not a punishment, it’s a ritual. In our community we shave our head on the loss of a parent.” Pranay said remembering Rhea’s long black hair.
***
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Just One More Button Down by Kajal Mehta
