Paradigm Shift

Paradigm Shift

  ****

  By Akhadya

  Copyright 2017 Akhadya

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  Preface

  After sacrificing all personal likings, she attained the status of a demi-goddess in the eyes of the family members, relatives and colleagues. In the process, she had to suffer a lot, physically and mentally, to maintain her demi-goddess status in the peer groups and family. What happened next? Please read the story to know about the lady and her subsequent actions.

  This is fictitious story. So, if you find any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is a cheer coincidence only!

  Author

  Chapter I: An Ideal lady

  A beautiful lady of forty plus, mother of two talented boys aged 16 and 12, ideal English teacher of a Government School, with doting husband and cooperative in laws, Radhika tried to elope with a colleague half of her age. Unfortunately, she was caught by a team of dedicated police officer, due to timely reporting by her children. Everybody, who knows her for years, was surprised by her action.

  According to her husband, she was a dream wife, any husband wishes for. According to her students, she was like an elder sister to them, and for seniors, one of the most disciplined and reliable teacher. For her children, she was everything and for her in laws, she was like their own daughter. Then what happened so drastic, that prompted her to take an extreme step?

  Immediately, steps were taken to inform everybody known to the family that, she was actually abducted by a group of persons whose mastermind was the school teacher who worked with her. They did it for ransom money. Every family member was engaged for damage control.

  But, what had happened in reality?

  Actually, she became fed up with playing the role of ideal wife, ideal mother, ideal daughter in law, ideal teacher. She respected every ones’ sentiment but in the process, she stopped thinking that, she was also a normal woman, yes normal woman who needs both physical and mental space, both physical and mental attention from her husband etc. Everybody had taken her for granted. She had been put at pedestal of a demi goddess who only could do good for someone, nothing else.

  She had never been seen as a woman, but as a mother, daughter, wife, teacher and so on, nobody tried to realize that, she was also a woman of flesh and blood. She seldom got time to talk to her husband on films or any other subjects- which were not related to welfare of children or welfare of the in laws. In school, no joke was shared with her as she was thought to be a serious (worship-able) lady. She was associated with prayers and ‘satsang’/ havan etc. only and advices were solicited from her for match making, solving household problems by junior teachers and senior teachers alike. By the time, even love making with her husband had also become a serious matter as she became a respectable mother of two!

  She stopped respecting her needs of her body and mind. She stopped caring her beautiful curves on her body, which her husband had stopped appreciating long back.

  Chapter II: Arrival of a Colleague

  A young teacher Pratul joined the school as a French teacher where Radhika was an English teacher. The young boy of twenty-four has a magnetic power to attract anyone who talks with him for few minutes. At first, Radhika wanted to avoid him for his un-necessary talks. But he was different from ordinary talkative person. He noticed that the middle-aged lady teacher was avoiding him. One day, he confronted Radhika.

  ‘Madam, whatever may be the reason, you are trying to avoid me. May I know the reason.’

  ‘To be frank, I do not talk un-necessarily and I do not like to talk anyone who talks un-necessarily.’ Radhika told Pratul candidly.

  ‘I know. But in my opinion, there is nothing un-necessary talks as such. Every, apparently un-necessarily talks actually energize any person to do necessary works in life. But do not worry, I shall not talk to you in future, if you think I talk un-necessarily.’ Pratul said with a smile. Then he left her to herself.

  Radhika felt bad about her own behavior. She realized that she hurt the young man. She wanted to mend her ways.

  When she met Pratul on the next day, she wanted to talk to him. But Pratul did not show any interest in speaking to her. She felt insulted. She told herself, she would never talk to him.

  Radhika noticed, Pratul became friendly to everyone except her. She felt alienated and humiliated.

  Chapter III: Flirting Itself Cost Nothing

  After a week, the Principal called Radhika and Pratul to assign a work. They were asked to accompany the selected students for a tournament to be held within the city from the next day. Coming out from the Principal’s room, Pratul told Radhika, ‘It will be difficult for me to control the students as none is serious about me. I am happy that you will be with me. Everyone in the school is fearful about you!’

  Radhika could not understand whether Pratul was praising her or taunting her by saying ‘fearful person.’ She did not react immediately.

  To her surprise, while boarding to the school bus, all the students greeted Pratul with a smile and she was greeted with serious faces. All the students were friendly to him; but they follow his instructions meticulously.

  ‘Madam, I know what you are thinking! But time is yet to be over for you! You may also have another innings!’’ He smiled meaningfully.

  Radhika could not understand what he actually had meant by another innings. She innocently asked, ‘What do you mean by another innings?’

  ‘Madam, you still have a very beautiful body. You can still attract young men like me. From the very first day I am mad after you.’ Without removing his eyes from her eyes, he said.

  Radhika blushed for the first time, after many years. She could not find an answer to his flirt. On seeing her mum, Pratul said again, ‘I am not joking. You are really very beautiful. That is why I was avoiding you. I am preventing myself from falling in love with you. If I love you your husband may kill me.’ He smiled again.

  Radhika thought to rebuke the young man. But she could not do so. She started liking his flirting. She realized, flirting might be so beautiful from the young man. She thought flirting itself might not cost anything. Perhaps she made a Himalayan blunder there itself.

  Chapter IV: But I Am a Teacher

  After one month Radhika realized that she fell in love with the young man. Now without talking to him, she cannot pass her time. Even when she was in midst of her family, Pratul’s face and talks started disturbing her.

  Initially, she was not sure, whether Pratul was also in love with her or not. She did not dare to ask Pratul whether he had also same feeling as she had for him. She feared, a rejection from Pratul might demolish her heart.

  Pratul was smarter and courageous than Radhika. One day after school he asked Radhika, ‘Madam, I decided to call you as Radhika. After all, I cannot call my girlfriend as Madam.’

  He did not ask any permission from Radhika to address her by name, but informed his decision. Radhika was surprised to see his audacity. But she liked his approach.

  From that day, onwards, he called Radhika by name outside school. One day he invited her for a cup of tea to a restaurant. While in the restaurant, initially he started touching her hands and then her sleeveless arms. She thought to oppose his advances, but she failed to do so due to some unknown reasons. Rather she liked his touches.

  Embolden by her silence, one day he invited her for a walk to a nearby park. As they were walking in the park, taking advantage of absence of any person nearby he embrac
ed her and smacked few kisses on her cheeks. Again, she could not resist his advances.

  Another day when strolling in the park, he kissed her on her lips, she realized he had gone too far. But still she could not admonish him.

  Finally, one day Pratul was able to persuade her to accompany to a nearby town on the pretext of sightseeing. After taking lunch he proposed Radhika to take rest in the hotel room where they took lunch. That hotel cum restaurant was infamous for letting out to illegal couple.

  Radhika smelt something wrong in his apparently innocent proposal.

  ‘I am a teacher and you are also a teacher. We should not cross our limits. Further, I am a wife of a senior officer and mother of two.’ She admonished Pratul refusing his proposal.

  Pratul said with his ever-enticing smile, ‘I am not going to eat you up. I think you need some rest that is why I booked room for you. Just take rest for just half an hour; otherwise my money will go waste.’

  She obliged Pratul thinking he would lose some of his hard-earned money. That was grave mistake she had committed.

  Once she was inside the room he flooded her with kisses on her face. Then he kissed her lips caressing her body slowly. She could not remember, when he made her undressed and mounted on her.

  Chapter V: The Drastic Step

  Next day when she met Pratul, she avoided him. He tried to talk to her. The stalemate continued for one month. The other teachers also observed this. One day, Radhika was told by another teacher that Pratul had resigned from the school to join another job.

  After a month, Pratul met Radhika outside the school and proposed her to elope with him.

  ‘No, I cannot do that. Go away and forget me forever.” Radhika sternly told him.

  ‘Now, you are saying that we should stop here after coming so far. I cannot return back from here. I want you. I want to marry you.’ He said.

  ‘I cannot leave my family.’ Radhika told him more sternly. She did not wait for his answer and left the place.

  Radhika returned back to her boring life once again. She felt nobody had cared for her likings or disliking other than Pratul, whom she had dumped for the very family who never cared for her. She thought deeply about herself, ‘I have to think for everyone; but none thinks about me!’ This negative thought took over her mind and soul slowly but steadily.

  Her unhappiness towards her married life continued to grow day by day.

  Finally, one day she took a decision to return to Pratul and telephoned him to take her away from her family.

  I cannot authenticate veracity of the story, as it was told in a cocktail party two years ago, with lot of salt and spices by a friend of that particular family.

  I also cannot say what is right or what is wrong, but in my opinion, one should keep something (may be anything) exclusively for oneself. One should keep some space where nobody except himself/ herself should be allowed to venture and respect himself/herself also along with others before suffocation becomes intolerable.

  His earlier publications are:

  No difference if used or new

  My Persuasive Friend

  Sagarika

  Death of a Relation

  I may not you my child