sumnima

IT was when Sumnima sat down for breakfast after sending her children to school that a heavy knock startled her. Behind the door, she found a man who she had never wanted to see ever again; her ex husband. Memories from two years ago flashed before her eyes.

She was returning home from her mother's place which was in another district. There was one thing that bothered her lot upon her arrival; her son's strange behaviour. He just wouldn't look at her in the eye. She decided to confront him about it and only when he finally looked up in her eyes, she saw how he had tears in his. Before shaking his head and walking away, he had whispered with pain, fear and guilt, "Aama..." It was heartbreaking!

A few days later, she confronted her husband and he confessed to her his sins. He told her about his affair with this woman, Neelam and how much he loved her. Then, he explained that he brought her over when Sumnima had been away. Every night at nine, only after the kids slept off, they'd come inside. He continued by saying that when their eldest son caught him, he confronted them but soon quieted down when he was threatened to witness Sumnima get beaten up.

Her husband had said all this in such a monotonous way, as if it was no big of a deal. But what shocked her most was when he told her that he wanted Neelam to come live with them. You see, Sumnima was an illiterate thirty one year old living in a society where divorce was looked down upon. But, there was no way she'd accept this. It took her about two months to file for divorce, pack everything and get settled in her brother's home with her three kids. That was the last time she had seen him. Seeing him now confused her more than it shocked her.

"May I enter?" His polite request brought her back to present time.

With uncertainty, she nodded and opened the door wider.

He walked in as if he was an inspection officer, observing every single detail of her two bedroom apartment. Sumnima, internally, huffed in annoyance. Did he seriously expect her to be living in a place that looked like a five star hotel? She was a receptionist who had three kids with no support from the father; she couldn't afford all those luxury!

He sat down on her two seater sofa upholstered with an elegant floral cloth while Sumnima sat on the opposite sofa. It was her turn now to observe him. She noticed how the top of his head was now balding. His once rigid eyes now looked tired and drained. He had started wrinkling, too!

When she had filed for divorce, one thing made her glad was the fact that they never got the opportunity to fall in love. They were married off in their village in Lamjung when she was nine and he was twelve. Only two days into their marriage and he had already left for a boarding school in Kathmandu. Sunmina never felt like his wife. She felt like a respected form of a servant. She was his heir making factory, his cook, his cleaner and his overall caretaker.

Snapping back into present time, she asked, "Would you like to have tea?"

He muttered a small 'no' while still looking around.

"Is there anything specific you wanted to talk about or..?" Sumnima asked with a hint of aggravation.

"Yes!' He said quickly, "M-mother's health is deteriorating..."

That caught Sumnima's attention. She straightened up in her seat.

"She keeps asking for you..." He added rather uncomfortably.

"Oh?" She tilted her head.

"You know she didn't really accept Neelam..." He paused, "She wants to meet you. She says it is her last wish."

"I-I..." Sumnima stammered as the room got tenser.

"She loves you. She's still upset about the divorce."

Sumnima remembered the days she had spent taking care of her husband's newborn siblings with her mother-in-law. They had bonded well doing the house chores but once she moved to Kathmandu with her spouse, she lost all contact due to the lack of infrastructures. She couldn't write letters like other people,; she was illiterate!

"Please, Suma! You have to come." Him calling her by her old nickname took her by surprise.

In her shocked state, she nodded slowly.

He stood up abruptly. "I must leave now. Thank you for having me. See you soon."

He handed her his business card and headed for the door. In no time, he was gone.

Sumnima slumped on the sofa, my mind clouded with confusion about what had just happened.

***

unedited