Dark Coffee... (Episode 3)
NOT ANYMORE...
A month passed since this incident. No matter how much Dave wanted to estrange himself from people, the more he did, the further life had estranged him. Dave even stopped responding to phone calls and was mad at himself. He felt like a piece of crap. Dave yelled, “What do you want? Just take the hell out of me”, Dave yelled as the phone rang. Last two weeks had been stressful for Dave to an extent that he did not want to hear any new voice.
Government officers had been visiting and interrogating Dave last week that made him relive the horrific incident repeatedly, that was adding on to his bitterness. The officers from Workers Compensation Board were there to figure out how much compensation will Dave get on a regular basis to keep him going, as WCB has recently declared him permanently disabled and unfit to work.
Dave: No, man, they are wrong. How can they declare me permanently disabled; I am not handicapped. Just a little tumor cannot make me permanently disabled. I am going to improve I will be back to work soon.
Officer: I respect your spirit, Dave; but right now, the report says, it is just 10% vision in your right eye, while the left one is completely gone. With just 10% vision in one eye only, you are unfit to work
Dave: Oh, so that is the script you people have drafted to pull me down. I cannot let this happen until the time I have vision in my eye. My right eye can see. I have to do a lot in life; I still have to finish the car I have designed. I am not going to give up, said Dave
Officer: I respect capabilities, Dave, but there are hardly any chances of improvement, as per the report. We will have to declare you blind.
“Declare me dead! Instead”, yelled Dave.
Officer stood silent for a while and quietly left the place; as he had no answer to it.
Hannah entered the house at the same time. Are you okay? She asked Dave.
Dave: Just leave me, Hannah. Go…. Just go… Stop throwing you sympathy at me.
Hannah knew Dave could not accept that he has been officially declared blind; this disturbed Hannah too. She laid down dinner for both and even waited for Dave, but he continued to sit on the couch. Without saying a word, Hannah too went to bed. None of them could sleep that night. There was not much that Hannah could do, accept being silent at Dave’s ruthless behavior
With each passing day, the silence was getting louder in their relationship; they could now hear the clock tick each second even when they were together.
Dave pretended to be heartless with Hannah and continued to show her that he did not care about her anymore, while he does love her even more because of what all Hannah was already doing for him. Dave was the one who used to wait for Hannah for hours when she used to be at work. He was the one who used to cook for Hannah and treat her like her princess, and he is the one now who tries his best at pretending that he does not have any feelings left for her. Dave cannot see Hannah suffer because of him and wants her to start her life afresh, without him.
While Hannah had decided that she is going to make things work for Dave and her. She understood Dave’s madness was because of harsh medication he was on.
Hannah said, “Not anymore”, to the abuse, to the bitterness in her relationship; and to the neglect. She said, “Not anymore”, to the painful situation both Hannah and Dave were going through. She decided to make every little effort to turn their life beautiful again.
Hannah knew it was only she, who could to make things work for them. It was only she apart from Dave, who understood his passion for cars. Hannah decided, Dave’s vision improves or not, she has to make Dave feel positive and confident about himself. How? She does not know yet.
It was 4.oo am, Hannah, asked Dave if he was asleep. Dave did not respond. Hannah took the photo album out from the Almira and started looking at the pictures of happier times, at the same time she was describing her feelings at each photograph. She still remembered the day when they met in her childhood days and became friends. Remember Dave, how we used to build sand castles together, and the day when you turned me into a sand statue once, on the beach. You made me sit there for hours, covered in sand until a big wave came and you dragged me holding hand so that I am not swayed away.
Remember the countless time we spent in the cafeteria, bunking lectures, and gazing in into each other’s’ eyes for hours; and the time when we used to walk on the beach holding hands. I wish, we relived those moments. It has been long since we have gone out together.
Dave, let us go to cruise this Sunday. What do you say? Said Hannah.
Dave: What do you want this blind man to do on the cruise? Just sit like a handicapped, or bump into people?
Hannah held Dave’s face in both her palms and said to him, “Dave, Officer was just doing his job. Vision improves or not, or it is completely gone, you would still be my prince charming to me and I would still be the prettiest women on earth, whom you love the most and that is what matters to me the most. Right, my princess charming?
Dave: Aghh….prince charming (this time, not that annoyed). I do not want people to pity me or make fun of me.
Hannah: Dave, I understand what you are going through, but it is only we who can make things work for us. Together, we need to be tougher than life and knockback on its face. We have been together in all our happier times; we will be together during this phase too. Let this bother us not anymore, let this ruin our lives not anymore, and let this bog you down, not anymore. Right, Dave?
Yes my princess, said Dave, and screamed aloud, “Not anymore”…