27 MAY 2013 - THE MISSING ENGAGEMENT RING

Blog Fiction Story No. 45

27 MAY 2013

THE MISSING ENGAGEMENT RING

Short Fiction - A Love Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

I found the envelope hidden at the bottom of her jewellery box, below her ornaments, when I was clearing her private cupboard.

The envelope was open. There was a letter inside:

Dear Anita,

Since you frankly told me everything about you and George last evening I could not sleep all night.

I thought over the matter. I also talked to my parents.

I have decided to break my engagement with George.

I think this will be best for all of us.

I am enclosing inside this envelope the engagement ring that George gave me.

This engagement ring now rightfully belongs to you.

I wish you a happy married life with George.

I have decided to go abroad to my aunt’s place in London for a few months to cool off and get over this sudden disappointment.

My parents will inform George and his parents about the broken engagement.

Yours sincerely,

Rita

27 May 1963

Yes, it was Rita’s handwriting – no doubt about it.

How can I ever forget her typical cursive handwriting style?

And below her signature, as was her typical habit, Rita had meticulously written the date: 27 May 1963

Dear Reader: You guessed right – I am George.

Today is the 27^th of May 2013.

50 years have passed since Rita wrote this letter which I am seeing for the first time in my life now.

Till this day, I did not know that Anita had met Rita on the 27^th of May 1963, just one week after my engagement with Rita.

I don’t know what terrible lies Anita told Rita.

Anita must have told Rita such devious and vicious lies about me that it made Rita take the extreme step of breaking our engagement and dumping me so cruelly.

I can never forget how stunned, emotionally wrecked and vulnerable I was when Rita broke our engagement and dumped me brutally.

I almost had a nervous breakdown.

Yes, I was so emotionally devastated and vulnerable that I naively walked into Anita’s compassionate and welcoming arms.

And just imagine – all these years I thought that it was my wife Anita who was such a caring and kind-hearted woman that she had rescued me from my heart-breaking depression and pulled me out of the abyss and given me a new life.

Yes, every day of all these 50 years I was deeply grateful to Anita for her act of kindness.

I thought that Anita had done me a big favour by marrying me.

But now I know that Anita was the devious woman who had intentionally torpedoed and sabotaged my engagement with Rita.

Anita had made me emotionally vulnerable and trapped me into marriage.

I hate Anita – bloody scheming bitch …

My blood boils …

But I control the train of my thoughts – there is no point thinking ill of the dead.

But what exactly did Anita tell Rita?

I will never know.

Anita is dead.

And Rita – she disappeared from my life forever.

50 years have passed.

Maybe Rita is dead too.

And even if I do meet Rita, what is the point of asking her now.

Will she believe what I have to say?

It is all over. 

I will never know. 

I will have to live with this burden for the few remaining years of my life.

But hey, where is the engagement ring I had given Rita?

It was an exclusive diamond-studded solid-gold engagement ring which had cost me a fortune. 

Rita’s letter says that the ring is in the envelope.

I look inside the envelope.

There is no ring in the envelope.

I search Anita’s jewellery box, her cupboard, everywhere – but I cannot find the ring anywhere.

Anita must have sold it – yes, that cheap woman must have sold the expensive engagement ring.

What a terrible woman?

Not content with breaking my engagement, Anita even sells the engagement ring.

How wicked can a woman get?

And just imagine – all these 50 years I thought Anita was such a loving and caring wife.

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. 
© vikram karve., all rights reserved. 

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional  and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
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Email: vikramwamankarve@gmail.com

      

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