As she entered the room, a hundred eyes turned around, as if there was some despair removed, they paused their conversations, a few glasses slammed the marble floor, musicians stopped playing music and the one who entered, felt she had not entered at all.
Quick flash of memory. She had entered a similar hall, the groups were more or less the same but the situations were different. She had 'him' by her side. People had wished them good luck for life, unparalleled happiness and a great career. Their wishes seemed to have lasted for a medium term, may be they were not strong enough to last for a life time, forget some uncountable number of lives. It was after 3 years that she had come to a social gathering. The 12 years with him - she called them 'golden' and the strong memories like these and many more, she thought, would suffice for the rest of the life.
A few got up from their seats, striked the normal conversation that we generally do with a stranger. What more could she have expected - a stranger treatment was more than expectations. Warmth and love and care were not for betraying everyone in the last 3 years. She was finally out of the house arrest. How she had stood before the mirror, trying to smile, it was an old affair with smiles now, she did not understand as to how so effortless was it back then. It looked artificial, weak, the gums (which were loose and erupted blood) showed up a bit too much. She tried for a good number of times before giving up.
People stood with their glasses and plates to get more servings. She moved ahead to get something for her own self. As she was helping herself with some pudding, she noticed how thin her wrists looked. Her favourite bangles were slipping and were trying to leave her hand. 'You also want to leave me now' is what she thought. Ignoring all that went inside her, she moved closer to the table where the desserts were placed. There was something oddly familiar about the fruits, especially the apples, the way they were cut and decorated. A light crossed again. She had said 'Could you tell me what did Adam tell Eve on the 24th of December every year?'.. He had giggled and replied 'It is Christmas, Eve'. He had taken out the apple from the fruit-basket and had worked with the knife for the next 5 mins. At the end of it, he had said, 'Could you be my apple? Would you mind spending the rest of my life with me'. She had said 'Happy Christmas-Eve then... well, it wasn't as bad as she had expected' and both of them had laughed again and again.
There was some insane thing done to the apples today. Few years back, perhaps she could have called that creativity. Everything was too hard to accept, he was almost everywhere that she went (except physically). She ran out to swallow some air.
