Peacock
She looked at him across the room, nursing her drink rather disinterestedly. There he was as usual, talking to two PYTs who were fawning on him like adoring puppies . It was always like this: he loved to dangle bait, reel in the almost hypnotised fish, and then throw them away contemptuously, as if dead fish were not really his interest. His chiselled good looks that made women weak-kneed, his far-ranging interests that made him comfortably discuss Formula One with the men and the latest spring collection with the women, his sense of humour that made people giggle senselessly at his almost-there-jokes. A perfect package, one might say. Almost too good to be true.
The truth was he bored her. Nobody seemed to see through his strutting and preening, nobody seemed to see that what he hungered for was admiration. All he wanted was to be toasted and feted and fussed over. Everything he did was focused towards that end. He was the peacock in the garden, and when he danced, he expected people to snap to attention.
That’s how she caught his eye. By not paying attention. He was offended and intrigued. He came over to find out what she didn’t find attractive about him. He couldn’t. He thought he would throw her a bargain with marriage, and so strip her naked. He searched and dug deep, but there were no explanations forthcoming. And that’s how they stayed married all these years. He was still puzzled by her; for her, he was a jigsaw puzzle for beginners, solved several times, and now thrown away with pieces missing, but not missed.
He came across the room.
“Darling, are you having a good time?”
“No, I’d like to go home. I have a headache”.
The power she held over him intoxicated her sometimes. She watched his lithe frame as he walked ahead of her to the car. She could almost see the frown that marred his beauty.
“So, who’s the girl?”
He went pale and turned off the ignition.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t be tiresome and deny anything. I know you’re having an affair, aren’t you?”
His lips seemed to weaken and tremble in affirmation.
“I think you know what I’m about to say”.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and she could feel the squeak of his clammy palms against the leather.
“I want a divorce. And it’s final – I don’t want any arguments”.
She felt the sickening surge of triumph as she saw the devastation her decision had wreaked. She would decorate her walls with the peacock feathers.
posted by thoughtraker @ 12:35 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Hmmmm... two insecure people? Nice narration but kinda left a bad taste for early in the morning.. this is the first post of the day for me.. lemme go read your poem.
the final line was simply awesome...but there is something i dont get abt this story...
so she's not interested in him from the start...so why did she marry him in the first place? that part didn't gel...maybe if she was an equally starry eyed one in the beginning and quickly grew bored of his act, then the rest follows nicely, including the sadistic pleasure towards the end and all that...:-))
uh oh, sorry ibl/funny, that u had to read this at inappropriate times
buck/fizz, she is interested at the beginning - she catches his eye by pretending to be disinterested. however, the novelty quickly wears off (beginner's puzzle).
she deliberately pushes him into having an affair - ok maybe i should have thrown more hints there, but it is an indication that she can manipulate him any which way she wants - and then uses it as an excuse to shatter his ego. she is basically just toying with him.
he still does not quite "get" her at the end of it all, and probably will never understand her.
and fizz - why, what did u think i was? inhuman? :P
Ano,
Read it again later during the day.. but seriously I did not get it that she pushes him to have an affair.. guess you should have said a little of the unsaid.. looks like the story did write itself and you did not write it!! :P
thanks funny, for re-reading the story.
i myself had trouble coming to grips with what the story wanted of me, if i can put it that way. it's a strange feeling coz i normally feel in control of my stories!
now that it's out of my system, perhaps i can get on with writing as usual :)
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