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An evening to remember
​I was not aware of cancel culture. But lately I felt it. It started when I walked out of a verbally abusive home and started on my own.



Since that moment, the number of people who want to be in my life started reducing . I had expected a bit of this. I saw my mother raise me alone and be blamed for a father's abandonement. I never understood what the society expected her to do. Chase after a man who remarried, cutting all chords. In my childhood , it was me , her and my grand parents.



May be that was why I stuck on so long to this failing relationship. My husband did not however leave. He was a physically weak man, he simply tormented mentally. I who was quite strong, a practising doctor and surgeon, tolerated , till he targetted my twins. So the twins and I made our little world.



What hurt was the whispers that my school friends initiated. I was the class monitor and a must in all parties and get togethers. They made me a topic of gossip. I stopped associating with them. They still called and asked for assistance and medical opinions for free. I obliged and died a little inside as I knew they will go back and gossip. I was looking for a bit of understanding. One evening a colleague who I treated as an adopted sister, invited me to her house. She was my junior, a doctor who was not very good at her work. Someone I helped in her career. She was having a house warming. I dressed my twins and got dressed and the phone rang. In a false jolly voice she said, her event has got cancelled. She will treat me tomorrow.



I looked at my twins. Beautiful boys, just five, they were happy playing with each other. I disconnected the call. She called back as I had not acknowledged the message. I disconnected again, turned the phone to silent, opened a lavish gift I had bought. I looked at the bright coloured saree and matching bangles.



That evening we enjoyed ourselves. I let go of any expectation of people. We three like three musketeers played with building blocks, cricket bats and balls. We laughed and laughed , And planned to visit grandmother and grand aunt. The two ladies have started home farming and had an ox. Someone sold them an ox for a cow. They were novices and then they fell in love with the ox. The ox like the proverbial Nandi stood guard infornt of their entrance often protecting them. He was also growing to be the largest ox I have ever seen. Today on our video call, he peeped in to see what was the commotion about.



My mother understood that my plan fell through. But wise as she was , she never raised the topic.



Next day I turned up in the practise in a red saree with lovely bangles. The entire reception looked up stunned. There was a time pre wedding, I was considered an attractive young girl. Their attention reminded me of that girl. My colleague came stuttering excuses , till they turned a bit into , you did not take my call.



I ignored her and asked her to do her bit for the day of seeing patients and not leave early. She looked stricken. I had always taken over when she had to rush back home. There was much in life than standing for people who cancelled you.



Later in life looking back I always thanked that evening. Whether in my flourishing practice or in my time off with mother , aunt and Nandi and my twins.. I knew that evening woke me up. It stayed an evening to remember.
@meanderingsoul
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