Forty

                                    

                                          
Sakshi sat at the breakfast table playing with the oatmeal. She had lost all appetite to eat but she had to. She needed the energy to handle the kids and the house and the business proposal for her NGO. 
"Will you help him with the exercises?" She asked Veer and Veer pointed a finger at him as he was shocked. "Who? Me?" He then shook his head. 
       "Nope, I might punch him again if I see his face again." 
Sakshi slammed the spoon on the table. "He is sick! And how can you say what you said yesterday? You told him he should've died!" 
He groaned and Janvi glared at him. "Don't start now. I have already heard this lecture once." 
She looked at Janvi who nodded at her and then she pointed a finger at Veer, "Go help him with his exercises and use that time to apologize!" 
"You're literally not the boss of me." He said.  Sakshi wanted to groan. Sometimes, Veer acted so childishly despite them being the same age, she had to act like a big sister. How was she the father of children? She wondered. 
"Veer be serious!" Janvi scolded him too. 
"What? Was I wrong? He said rude things to you. How could a man even! And don't think I missed him saying he caught you cheating." 
At this, Sakshi saw Kushi grimace and say, "Okay. I'm out. I have to be at the hospital." Kushi left the table with her bowl. 
"What? I didn't mean it like that." He told her and Janvi who was glaring at him. 
"I just meant you never told me he caught you cheating. I think he deserved it." 
"It's between us. Can you not? Just apologize."
*** 
    Siddharth waited on his chair looking at the watch. It was 8 a.m. His legs were giving him a hard time. He guessed it was due to him climbing up and down the stairs last night. He grimaced when he remembered what he had said yesterday. He should apologize, he thought. He should've calmed down and had a conversation with her. 
The door opened and he subconsciously perked up. His high hopes crashed when he realized that it was only Veer. 
"Where's Sakshi?" 
"She's not here because she doesn't want to be here." Veer told him. 
"And you want to be?" 
"Nope. But I'm here so let's just get this over with." 
   Siddharth felt sad and he felt his irritation rise. The last thing he wanted to be was a burden to anyone. 
"Like hell, I don't want to." 
"Whatever suits you, man. I'm off then." 
When Veer left, Siddharth felt like he was the loneliest person in the whole world. And that was always what he had felt like. The feeling was so familiar that it was suffocating. It crowded his chest and his heart. His family hadn't even bothered to visit him. He virtually had no friends. His wife hated him, rightfully so. And his wife's family hated him too. 
He shook his head, giving in to melancholy wasn't a good idea he knew. He tried to do the exercises by himself. And then the doctor visited him. 
"The progress is amazing. Who would've thought? Mrs. Sandhini was ready to pull the plug but by a miracle, you woke up." 
Siddharth could say nothing as his throat clogged. The words of Veer repeated in his ears. Why had he woken up? He had woken up half the man he was and been a burden on everyone he knew.