The silence and darkness inside unsettled Anish a tad as he unlocked the main door. He had entered his empty home after a long day so any sign of activity would rather raise alarm bells. A faint aroma of the morning’s incense stick still hung in the air due to lack of ventilation. He switched on the light and found the house exactly how he had left it. Mechanically hanging the keys in the key holder, he removed his shoes, and placed them in the rack, while his hopeful eyes quickly glanced around. “What was I expecting?” he shrugged and stepped in.

Anish hadn’t yet adapted to this new life he had been forced into. His parents lived in Pune and were never pleased to enter the chaos of Mumbai. It served him well too. He could make excuses to escape their calls but despised painful face-to-face conversations about why he got divorced. What could he say? She had made up her mind, consulted a lawyer, and discussed the future course of action even before involving him. Five years of married life and it ended in a blink. He had no idea what went wrong and would’ve tried to save it if only he knew how.

“Alexa, play my favourite song, on repeat.” He called out and gentle chants of Achyutam Keshavam filled up the room. A smooth breeze caressed his face as he opened the living room balcony door. Hordes of people were on the street buying fresh groceries and other household items from the weekly market creating immense cacophony. A few weeks ago he had been one of them. Now he hardly ate at home and tried not to store supplies much. They had a shelf life. ‘Did his marriage have one too?’ He wondered.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on a toddler tugging on a lady’s, probably his mother’s, dupatta and pointing at a popcorn cart nearby. She was busy haggling with a vegetable vendor and asking him to wait while he restlessly went on. Anish’s heart sank at the sight. If his wife had not suffered a miscarriage three years ago they would have a child of that age today. God had other plans though. Was that when it all started falling apart? Hadn’t he taken good care of her after that? She wasn’t at fault. He knew it and had said it to her several times. It didn’t matter now though.

To avoid going down that spiral again Anish turned around and got in. The chants calmed him and he proceeded to his daily routine of showering and lighting a diya in his home temple. He smiled for the first time. “Kanha, I don’t understand your ways. Ever since I was a child I talk to you every day. You were my best friend and confidant and comforted me whenever I was sad. I even wanted you to sleep with me in my bed! Remember how Ma was worried that I was going crazy? If only she knew that I sorely missed having a sibling. They said Dad’s travel job made it impractical. I was so lonely then.. and… I’m again… so lonely now….”

He wanted to go on but strangely the child’s face appeared in front of his eyes and distracted him. Just then his phone rang. “It’s Ma.” He sighed and unwillingly took the call. An hour later he had downed the reheated Veg Pulao and raita that he had got packed on the way and settled on the couch. Achyutam Keshavam was still playing and Anish gently hummed along with it. Wanting a break from screens he kept his phone aside and didn’t bother to switch on the television. He closed his eyes and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

He was running after someone calling out “Please wait!”. A piece of red bandhani fabric flying between them obstructed his vision. They were on an empty street similar to the one he lived at. It was dark and all the shops were closed. There wasn’t another soul in sight. Who was this person and why was Anish trying to reach him? Far away he saw a flicker of light. Suddenly, a child’s joyful giggles filled the space. The fabric flew away revealing the child from the street earlier. It slowed down, turned around, and gestured Anish to come closer.

Hypnotically, Anish walked up to him, picked him up, and took him towards the light. It was a popcorn cart, alright. The child danced excitedly in his arms and took a pack from the vendor. Anish smiled. Unexpectedly, the child caressed his cheek and said in the most melodious voice, “Anish, never consider yourself lonely. You’re named after me, my dearest sakha. That makes us name buddies! Life is full of struggles but we have to keep going. It’s time you moved on. I’m proud of how well you’ve conducted yourself and am always there with you. Please keep talking to me. I love listening to you every day.” Saying that the child hugged Anish warmly.

Anish woke up with a start. Did Kanha appear in his dream and talk to him through the child? He rushed to his home temple and his heart skipped a beat. How did he not see it? He had dressed Kanha in the same red bandhani poshakh that day. Was he reading too much into a mere coincidence? No, it was definitely more than that. Anish’s eyes filled with happy tears. Yes, he wasn’t alone. Kanha was watching over him.

This post was created for the Blogaberry Creative (Monthly) Challenge.

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

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