BLUE bruises- #BarAThon

Posted in Abuse, BAR-a-THON, Love & Relationships, Micro Fiction, Parenting, The Couple

The sound of the slap reverberated, creating a hollow effect. The stillness of the moment and the deafening silence that prevailed made the atmosphere all the more ominous.

Smita was dumbstruck, she felt a stinging pain on her cheek as she continued to massage her thigh where she was struck 2 minutes ago and it was slowly turning blue due to the severe impact.

As Rajiv lifted his hand once again to strike her, his eyes flashing with anger as if possessed by an evil spirit, she held up her hands” Please do not hit me, please”.

He was stunned- those words, he had heard them somewhere, he knew them too well. Every night as he cowered in a corner of his bedroom and his drunk father struck his mother ruthlessly as she cried out in pain and pleaded before him. Those words which tormented him in the initial days but gradually he got used to it just as his father was used to hitting his mother and she was used to bearing the pain mutely. Over time, he was no longer affected by it. That’s how women are to treated “Like a piece of shit” ”Show them their right place”. The little innocent Rajiv had died a slow death and in his place was born the savage man.

But today as he heard those same words uttered by his wife, something in him stirred. He looked at her stomach, 4 months pregnant she was. She was carrying his child in her womb, the little one was oblivious to what was in store. Did he want to raise another Rajiv who thought there was nothing wrong in hitting women?

He knew what he wanted. He fell on his knees and cried like a baby.

(Blog post Image courtesy: mattforney.com)

(This post has been written for the second edition of  BAR-A-THON, the fortnight-long blogging marathon for bloggers everywhere!  My theme is “7 colours of the rainbow ROYGBIV”. I present a Flash Fiction in 300 words  based on one colour  for each day of the challenge and blend it with something that personifies that colour)barathon

Published by Akshata Ram

Chartered Accountant, Story Teller, Dreamer, Voracious Reader, Blogger, Mommy to a little munchkin, Shopaholic, Day Dreamer.Passionate about my career in the corporate world and aspire to break the glass ceiling, at the same time nurture my passion for writing. My niche area is short stories, I also write on parenting, sexism, life's experiences, micro blogs and flash fiction. I have won the best Parenting blog post at mycity4kids.com the largest parenting website in India, 4 times and several of my posts have been published in the #MostPopular category on this site garnering millions of views. I also write on Bonobology, Rivo Kids, Women's Web and Youth Ki Awaaz. My blog has been chosen as the Top Indian Blogs for the years 2018-2019,2020 by TopIndianBlogs website and found a place in the prestigious Top 22 Indian Literary Blogs in 2020 @TopIndianBlogs.

26 thoughts on “BLUE bruises- #BarAThon”

  2. I didn’t expect the story to turn like that but you are such a terrific writer, weaving surprises but also sends a powerful message. Cowardice people resort to violence and more so to suppress the voice of a woman. Powerful, Akshata:)

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  3. This story is true for many men like Rajiv who grew up watching violence. I have read somewhere that kids who see their parents fighting mostly imitate the same in their relationships…terrific writing

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      1. Yes, you are right…even girls who see their moms getting beaten up think that is normal and then get beaten up themselves..this is a never ending vicious cycle.

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  8. Children learn from their parents, and this includes abusive behaviour. Glad that the realization dawned on him and he broke the chain of DV which could have spread to the next generation too. Wonderfully narrated story, Akshata!

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    1. Thanks Shilpa! Wish all real life stories of domestic abuse turn out like that where the perpetrator realizes his mistake. Alas it’s not the case. Women need to stand up for themselves

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