Beneath The Mask

I sat at the threshold of the room, given by the school management for us to stay. The house in which I stay, is little away from the school. It connects the school as well as the road. I could see students cheering for the dance programmes and burning crackers. I felt something was moving and I shifted my eyes from the school ground to my room. I saw my five year old son holding a disposable bag, he was trying to move it. I got up and rushed to him to take the bag from him. By removing his little fingers from the disposable bag, I placed it aside and asked him if he was hungry. My son understands sign language as my husband and I have been teaching him. I saw him nod and held his fingers and took him with me. I was sweating a lot than usual while I was preparing food for our dinner. There was a kind of unknown pain in my heart but I somehow managed to smile at my son. I fed him and made him sleep.

I opened the doors of my house early in the morning. While I was done cleaning my house and my surroundings, a woman nudged me. I turned to my side and saw that it was my neighbor, she gave me a Piece of paper and I read it, "You went to your mother's house a few days ago and as soon as you returned why did you start cleaning the house early in the morning? Should've taken rest."

I took the pen from the woman named Rincy and wrote that, I was fine and added that, I had to sweep and mop the floor because of the burnt crackers from the previously night.

"Did Neil go out of station again?"

I nodded with a dull smile and told her withy hands that he had work.

"Don't worry, he'll be back soon," Rincy smiled.

Rincy is my neighbor and a good friend of mine who is elder to me. She never treated me different. She always helped me and took care of me and my son during Neil's absence.

"I will miss you for sure," I read.

"I will miss you too," I replied.

Neil and I decided to move to another place and start a new life. We will be shifting in few days. Neil told me that he searched a house for us to stay and he also told me that he found a new job. I went back to my house and started to prepare breakfast. The day passed and the dusk fell early as it was Autumn. Like any other day, I sat near the threshold and looked at the street and saw a vehicle approaching my house. I saw a vehicle and was shocked when it stopped in front of my house. I got up when a police came and asked me, "Are you Mrs. Alison Taylor?"

I didn't reply even though I knew what he asked me. A man came from behind him and passed a not to me. I read it and nodded.

"Where is your husband?" The man showed me a note.

"Why are they asking about my husband?" I thought.