Swastika
There was a crowd in the temple. Kavya was standing in the queue. Something caught her eye. It was a key made of glass and shaped like a heart and with rings. It was dangling from the pocket of a man who was standing ahead. Kavya had given a similar key chain to Dharmendra on his birthday. The rings had some small scratches. It didn’t take long for Kavya to realize that the person was Dharmendra. Kavya began recollecting the stories associated with the key chain.
“You know Kavya. Some of the folks in my office have started a key club”
“What is this key club?”
“All couples dine together. They play some games and in the end, all the car keys are collected and the light is turned off. All the ladies pick a key each. Every woman has to spend the night with the person whose key she had picked. “
“This is such a disgusting game!”
"We can also try this and add fun to our life."
" I can never think of joining such type of game."
“It is not mandatory that we play. We can go as a guest couple.”
Kavya finally relented after Dharmendra pleaded with her many times. Kavya and Dharmendra began to mingle in the darkness of that room. They had become aware of each other’s faults within a few days after their wedding. Now they began to search the good things in others.
“Have you seen Vivek’s car? Five cars like ours can be bought in price of his single car. He gives so much respect to women.” Finally, the thing happened that was expected. Both of them got divorced and separated from each other.
Kavya began a relation with Vivek. But in a few days, the difference between a fleeting relation and a lifelong relation became obvious. Dharmendra’s behaviour was much better than Vivek’s two-faced behaviour.
Kavya, who was always an atheist, now started to believe in god. People who have lost everything in life find solace in god. She went to the temple on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi. Of all the vehicles standing near the temple, a white car caught her eye. The car still had the swastika symbol that she had drawn. Seeing the seat next to the driver’s seat, all the old memories of innocent love came flooding back. It need not be said what happened to her eyes.
“Sister, your plate is tilted. The flowers and the kumkum may fall.”
“Yes Yes...” she said as she balanced the plate.
The heat was taking a toll on everyone. Dharmendra took a handkerchief to wipe away his sweat. He never realized in the crowd that the key chain had dropped. Kavya let go of the plate, took the key chain and walked towards her car.
‘Sir, your key chain had dropped but that woman took it”, informed a man to Dharmendra.
“No, after many days, she has now taken proper key chain”, said Dharmendra as he saw Kavya walk away. He bowed down thanking to the deity.
