Prerna had a weird sense of deja vu while listening to her husband, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. There had been an influx of fresh graduates in his company which brought a breath of fresh air. The sight of wide-eyed freshers always kept the oldies on their toes, wanting to look young and energetic while imparting their wisdom from experience. Apparently they had some freshers in Aniket’s department as well. As a Senior Lead, it was his responsibility to put them through an orientation and help them identify a career path.
Prerna and Aniket were a happily married couple with a daughter and son entering college. Their married life had been fairly uncomplicated. She had been a copywriter in an advertising agency while Aniket was already climbing up the ladder in his IT company. Once in the family way, she chose to become a homemaker.
It was a pleasant evening with light showers. She loved these quiet family times with her family chatting in the living room, while she got busy in the kitchen. It felt so warm, cozy and just perfect. She got the expected enthusiastic response when she announced hot samosas and tea. Though her son followed-up with ‘just one for me Amma. I am cutting down on oily food’; and her daughter ‘me too Amma. I had a late lunch.’ That’s alright. She will save the balance for another rainy day!
She suddenly heard rolling laughter from her husband. Apparently one of the freshers was a very witty girl with a healthy humor. Prerna was suddenly taken back to her younger days. She was one of the college freshers hired as a copywriter in her agency. She hit it off with her Senior Lead, Rajesh, from the get go. After every witty remark, she always looked out for that chuckle from Rajesh. Slowly she gained confidence and interacted more directly with him. The extended coffee time, perfectly timed water breaks, stolen glances, unnecessary virtual chats….all came back to her. There was definitely some chemistry between them, though it never went beyond the office walls.
She quickly stole a glance at her husband, when he happened to look her way. What was that look on his face? Guilt? Did he have a crush on this girl? If so, wouldn’t he keep it a secret? Why talk about her? Did Rajesh ever talk about me with his family? Was I the topic of a light conversation on a rainy evening? Or a guilty secret he never revealed? What did he even think of me?
Oh come on………..why fret over something that happened so long ago! It hardly matters now. But why is it suddenly so quiet in the living room? She noticed her husband lost in his own thoughts, her daughter pushing her snack around the plate while her son hadn’t even looked at his plate. And suddenly she felt a gush of cold air…
Author’s Note:
Deja vu is a French word. It literally means ‘already dreams’. It is a feeling of having already experienced the present situation
[zombify_post]
