The long drive.

She was sad at the thought of leaving him and the kids behind . It was her first official trip outside the city, and though that would have meant better prospects in her job, she could not feel the excitement in her heart.  On their way to airport, she spotted a small girl selling ‘chameli-garlands’ at the signal. She smiled to herself and asked him to buy one for her. She looked at the garland lovingly, whispered a prayer and hung it on the rear view mirror of the car. ‘It would keep you safe while driving back home’, she said, secretly afraid of the growing number of accidents on that stretch of the road.

That evening, as he picked her up from the apartment, she took the chameli-garland from the rear view mirror and put it in her hair. ‘ I love this fragrance’, she said. He smiled back, the memories of his wife and her prayers tossed out of the window forever.