Maya.

“It’s just that I feel terribly lonely these days.Kabir and I hardly communicate.He doesn’t seem to notice that there’s anything amiss at all….He doesn’t notice that I toss and turn sleeplessly at night,that I have lost weight,that I have dark circles around my eyes….There are days when I don’t get out of bed at all and have terrible headaches throughout the day”…Maya’s voice quivered as she spoke the words pretending to talk to her mom over the phone.But,the truth was that she couldn’t bring herself to talk to anyone about this.

And then there were the ants. The ants just wouldn’t stop coming.On some days,a few of them would crawl out of the nooks and crannies of her house,from the corners of the doors and cupboards,below the kitchen sink,behind the photoframes..Maya would always be on the lookout,ready to squash them or spray on them with insecticide….always alert to spot them marching in a straight line along the wall with military

precision.Annoyingly,her house help pretended not to be able to see them.So she took it upon herself to deal with them.

Tranquility slowly descended  on her like a veil after Kabir left in the mornings.This was the time of the day that Maya relished the most,when there was nothing that demanded her urgent attention and she had a couple of hours entirely to herself.She settled down with her cup of tea and sifted through the newspapers.Everywhere,there was depressing news…accidents,natural disasters,terrorist attacks,crime against women,rising prices,farmer suicides…At the other extreme were the pictures of glitz and glamour belonging to a world far removed from the one where most of the inhabitants of the country reside.As she pushed away the papers,one story caught her eye…that of an ongoing trial of a couple who had allegedly murdered their own daughter.She perused the report,but try as she might,she could not recall reading about the actual incident.’How is it possible?’she thought,’surely such an incident must have been splashed on the front page of all the newspapers when it occurred.’How could it have slipped her attention,she wondered.Maya closed her eyes and gently massaged her temples.’What is happening to me?Why are there gaps in my memory?’She realized that she was becoming increasingly forgetful these days.She would keep on checking the fridge door,the gas burner knobs,the main door to make sure that they were secured…

She would often forget where she kept her things.She even forgot to have her lunch once or twice.

Her head buzzing with these thoughts,she slowly drifted off to sleep..only to be startled awake by Kabir shaking her arm.It was then that the dam broke and Maya sobbed uncontrollably as she poured her fears out..

Kabir gently stroked her hair while making soothing sounds, promising to take care of her, no matter what…always.

(10th October is World Mental Health awareness day but awareness must be there everyday.)