#ShortStory - Putting Pieces Back Together - 1

With folded shoulders close to the neck, a bent head and tensed eyebrows pulled towards the hairline, a meek and scared Divyanka walked in through the gates.
"I'm going to sleep well tonight", she procastinated.
It was a tiring day for her at work today. In fact she had been having tiring days since many months now.

"Dinner's ready", shouted her mom from the kitchen. Her little brother ran to her for his evening treat as she handed him a perk. 

"I'm not hungry ma, I'll just go sleep."

"You must eat well Diva, skipping meals everyday isn't good for...", the voice faded as she closed the door behind her.

"I've indeed become ugly and lean", she said to herself as she looked in the mirror and splashed her face with water, "I'll follow the schedule from tomorrow".

She pulled out some notes from her bag and began to read it as she lied on her bed. It was a schedule she had made for herself so that she could stay busy, get her life on track again and put her broken pieces back together.
"Yoga at 6, temple at 7, breakfast at 730,  why did he do it...?" (uh oh) (sobs) It had become her routine now. She couldn't fathom what had happened to her and why!

Beeep! Beeep! The alarm was always on time, she never was. She turned it off and went back to sleep. Her days were spent more despairingly in bed and lazing around now. She had a decent job but she wanted to quit.

"You'll be late again for work today Diva, its nine already". Her dad was always her saviour, always there in the nick of time.
"10 unread messages" read her phone screen - "All meeting today?", "At Joe's Cafe @5", "Divyanka pls do come" as she went through her friends' Whatsapp group without replying to any of them.

She rolled her blankets and walked lazily into the shower with smudged eyes from last night's tears.

She quickly got ready, denied breakfast as usual, picked up her lunch and rode off to work just on time!

She had married her one true love (she thought), and ended up living the most regrettable and dreadful phase she could. As she walked, the people stared at her, how a vibrant happy girl had turned into a scared depressed anxious being. She had dreams of touching the sky, but now one could hardly make out between her and a rolling vegetable. He had given her such abusive memories that she couldn't withstand her own presence.
She reached and got busy with her meetings and work. It was the only thing that kept her from wallowing into desolation. It made her feel essential.
She was young and beautiful inside out. Her spirited mind always inspired people. But now she was nothing like before!
May be deep inside she was still there somewhere, but too scared to be her true self, too scared to be hurt again.

Will her scars fade away?

Will she make new memories?

Will she be able to love herself or find her own love?
Will she ever be able to revive herself again?

[To Be Continued...]

Note:
We don't understand how long lasting the damage of abuse can be, psychological or physical. It ruins them for life and no matter how hard they try, they can't get over it.
Women mostly tend to become the victims of domestic violence. We have been taught by our elders that adjustment and compromise is the secret to a happy husband and happy married life.
But how much should we adjust and how far should we compromise?
Should we end up losing ourselves in hopes of saving an abusive and unfruitful relationship?
We must be wary of such offenders, or at least caution the victim if we come across one. We must learn to deny anything that seems to be unfavourable to our healthy mind and body.