A Beautiful Nightmare

She was wearing the color red, a big smile on her lips. She took a swirl, put her hands in the air swaying them to the music playing. They had chosen the music together. The walk down the aisle made her feel like a princess. All eyes turned towards her, little children looking at her with awestruck eyes, running towards her. A tear or two in the corner of her mother’s eyes. A look of contentment on her father’s face. Love in his eyes. The sounds of laughter in her eyes. The aroma of delicious food filling her nostrils. Butterflies playing hide and seek in her stomach.

It was her big day. The day she had always dreamt of. A fairy tale wedding was what she had always wanted and this felt no less. She was the princess and he, her princess. A tale they had woven together that they could talk of to their grandchildren. He took her hand and took her to the stage. Together they sat before the fire God taking their vows, holding hands, love filled their hearts. The smile never left her face. Her eyes brighter than the shining lights around. She could not get enough of all the blessings and compliments that the guests were showering on them. They were all so happy. She had ultimately got what she had wanted for all those years they were together. All the efforts they had put in , all they turbulence they had faced , hand in hand.

It was all perfect.

And then her eyes popped open. The wooden floor hurt her back. Alcohol made her feel dizzy. The stench in the house was nauseating. She looked at her bare hands and searched for the red bangles. She touched her hair and tried to feel the vermillion .She looked around to see an empty house with no guests smiling at her. There were no lights, only unending darkness. There was no smile on her lips, only the feel of dried tears in on her cheeks. No red dress, just a red dress he had gifted her years back, she wanted to throw it away. The feel of it sickened her. The feel of anything belonging to him sickened her.

For all these years, all she had wanted was to be with him. To love him. To hold him and to be held by him. It was astonishing how her want had changed, How she wanted just the opposite now. Her heart felt limp as if it had been taken out. Her body felt tired. She had not eaten for hours and yet hunger was nowhere close to her. Love was a strong emotion, she thought, hate was stronger, she now realized.

He had left. Without a reason. Without looking back. Without thinking of her. Everything was not hunky dory, she knew, but she had still wanted to stay on it. But he had left. Gone.

It had all been a dream. A bad dream. Nightmare.