THE PILL -CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4 – ELLIE’S LIFE .

Life is a gift and to live, is to gradually unwrap and discover what’s inside. Though there is always a fair chance of getting a pleasant surprise, yet sometimes, it might be just the opposite  . Luck plays a major role in deciding what’s in your share. Moments sometimes take years to pass, and at times, the hour ends in a wink. Huh ! Life is strange.

As promised by the weird man in the pharmacy, who was dressed like a wizard, Adam’s dreams were all coming true. He closely watched his thoughts these days and tried to think as positively as he could. So that  if he dreamt , the dreams be good.  He never had to pay much effort to think about Elsa , but, dreams of her just never came true. It was like chasing a shadow- the closer he went , the farther it drifted away from him.  Would he never get Elsa’s love, her attention in this lifetime ? He shuddered even at the thought of it.

The wizard often peeked in his dreams. Adam once asked him, “Why did you give me this magic pill?” The man frowned and answered, “You are the chosen one and I know not how. The pills had to reach their destination. ”

Sometimes Adam felt the man  never gave him direct and simple answers, but, at least for him, there was some magic and fun in his life now.

A few weeks later

At Henry’s residence 

Adam’s mum rubbed her eyes hard. The corners of her eyes were red due to constant rubbing. She tingled with fear as she recollected a past, not so pleasant.

An irresponsible sadist husband who would beat her and Adam at the drop of a hat. He never had any good reason for his atrocious acts . She felt responsible for Adam’s deteriorating mental health. How beautiful things would have been if she never met him ! But, that would also mean, missing the greatest blessing in her life in the form of Adam. A human made of her own flesh and blood, the dearest person to her in this whole wide world.

She shivered as she narrated the chapters closed long ago in the past. All this time she pretended to herself that those days never happened. But, today she realized not even the tiniest part of it has faded from her memories. She was shocked to discover the fact that those moments still affected her.

Introducing Adam’s mum , Ellie .

A shy , young girl who hailed from an affluent and conservative family. A girl who loved books and did not have much friends, who wanted to make a difference in this world through her work. Blonde curly hair, pale skin, skinny figure and twinkling eyes . That’s how Ellie was around 30 years back.

Her visit to the library one fine day and meeting Alan. Looking at each other for the first time and looking away almost immediately. And then stealthily following each other with their eyes. Something felt different.

An urge to go to the library more often, a longing to see him felt like a consistent need thereafter. Soon enough Alan approached her and they went out on a date and in a month from then, Ellie, the most obedient girl of the Graham household turned into a rebel. Coincidentally her uncle knew Alan quite well and he spotted them together. This did not go down very well with Ellie’s family. They tried to coax her and divert her attention from Alan. But love makes you stubborn, or was that love ? ‘Deep infatuation’ Ellie terms it now.

Ellie felt joy when she met him. The independence to do anything she wants – something that she yearned for since years. Being part of a conservative family such freedom was an imagination for her. With Alan she felt like she can fly , she felt life would be different. He was everything that she was not. He could take his own decisions, for him nothing seemed impossible. He loved taking risks and no failure ever held him back. Who knew that this was an illusion ! A trap ! You can’t run away from your destiny.

Believing that you know someone well in a short span of time is sometimes, stupidity. Often you make a decision with your needs in mind and that obscures your view of the truth. She moved ahead with him, leaving her family behind.

The worst decision of her life that was ! Everything changed since then. The little freedom she had was gone forever. Her pale clear skin was now spotted and bruised. The twinkle in her eyes vanished. Many a times she felt anger on herself, for ignoring her family then. She cried confined in a room while Alan would go out with his girlfriends and gamble. This man lied blatantly to her. Taking risk in life for him meant risking all his resources in gambling. He was in deep debt and marriage with her was necessary to partly free him from that. Her jewelry and savings was all he wanted. No one would do so much for a friend, he knew that .

Soon she was carrying Adam. She felt like dwelling in a cocoon of fear and insecurity. She did not know what future she would give to her baby, with a dad like Alan. 32nd week and her stress led her into labor. Adam was a pre-mature baby. Amidst all her struggles, surviving with her son seemed like a nightmare to her. Adam as a child saw a lot of rough fights between his parents. He was four and still he would not speak. He had no friends and spent all his time in isolation.

Finally Ellie decided to part ways with Alan. That was not easy. It caused a huge ruckus as the police and social services got involved. This was the first time she took a stern decision and that too, for her son. It was clear, they had no future with Alan.

She still regrets her decision to be with this man and rob Adam’s childhood by never being able to gather enough courage to opt for separation at the earliest. Finally, the court granted her divorce and absolute custody of Adam. Alan was jailed for fraudulence and domestic violence.

She got a job as a school teacher with the help of her friend, who also provided them with accommodation for sometime. Soon Ellie and little Adam shifted to a rented apartment. Life was more sure now, it felt secure and peaceful, with no fear in mind to face what’s in the next moment. She had to take Adam to a speech therapist and thankfully within 6 months he started talking. How badly a dysfunctional family can affect the growth and development of a kid !

Henry’s dad thoughtfully ran his hands through his beard and scribbled something in his notebook. Then he looked up and gazed intensely at Ellie and said , ” Your fight seemingly has never ended, in fact a new struggle is almost about to begin.”

Ellie clearly panicked as he uttered these words.