Flash Fiction " Tomorrow is Another Day"

 Tomorrow is Another Day

Joya, a 35- year -old devoted housewife , lived in the suburbs of Sidney.She mothered  two boys, Noah and Adam and a girl, Lin.She was a supportive mother with marginal health.She was 22 when she started  having lingering headaches, and pressure in her head.She went to her general practitioner who checked her eyes and pushed it off as Migraines and stress.She suffered those fits for years,yet that didn't stop her from being an awesome mother and a caring wife.She did her best to meet the needs of her family despite all the pain she had to put up with.She was supported by her doting husband,Ralph, a 45- year- old decent, self-disciplined man, who worked as a project manager in the city.

Ralph and Joya fell in love at first sight as they met in the Opera House 9 years ago. Joya was studying art at the National College of Fine Arts.Both were fans of sublime art.That passion first drew them together.They bore quite a semblance.They loved movie going, sightseeing and listening to classical music.The used to share heartwarming moments together.Their relationship grew tighter as time passed.After dating for about a year, they decided to get married.Ralph was well off , so he could afford to  purchase a mansion in the suburbs .He didn't favor getting married to a working woman .In other words,he preferred a housewife who would dedicate her time to him as well as to their children to be.She was so docile that she consented forgetting all about her dream of becoming a famous actress.

Upon marriage, she abandoned urban life to embrace a tranquil rural vicinity.Being a passionate artist, she was dearly charmed by the heart-filling landscapes of the countryside . Amidst natural scenery, she got poetically fertile. Nature provoked the poetess in her.That saturated her soul and occupied her wandering soul.However,she had a nonstop yearn for stage.She missed days she used to perform plays at college.That feeling kept kindling passion in her parched soul.It was time to do what should have been done years ago: Back to her lover ,the Theatre. That love affair that has never been consummated kept her on fire.She could recall every single word he whispered to her.His scent..the lecherous scent of wood..lured her senses.She was the adulteress who abandoned him for the warmth of somebody elses's bed. She was the Hester Prynne of Nathaniel Hawthorne's  "Scarlet Letter",However,did she sin or was she sinned against?Was that an act of  transgression as she got indulged in the profanity of leaving him behind..cold..void..dying?! All those thoughts boggled her mind.Her restless soul kept rambling trying to descry lucidity  but all was otiose.Thus,she made up her mind to spark a change!

On a Sunday morning,Joya felt it was the right time to spill her guts. As they were having breakfast on the terrace, she said curtly,"  I wanna be back to stage ." Awkward silence prevailed. That lasted for minutes.Ralph , as usual, squinting with  bulging eyes, kept his mouth shut. Only Lin's disruptive  words could alert Ralph and bring him back to normal.Ignoring what Lin said, Ralph swooped on Joya armed by a hail of  questions," What the hell did you say?Haven't we  discussed this issue before?! Haven't we reached a compromise:  I support the family financially..you raise kids and do housework! ?.."

She couldn't buy that absurdity !Bewildered, she stumbled for words. She toiled to summon her courage to retort."Am the maid then! What about my dreams!!you know..I've always wanted to be an actress. I studied all those years to end up doing housework!! That would trigger my demise", sternly responded Joya. Ralph wasn't that flexible, easy-going man , and Joya was fed up with her meaningless,aimless life with him."OK then..we're done here..it's the end of us.I think it's better if we get divorced. ", Joya beamed  with decisiveness as  her lips parted to that final threat!Wholeheartedly,she wished he would go lenient this time and allow that to happen.

However, Ralph was a  man who preferred white and black to gray areas, so he couldn't accept any negotiations. Divorce was the best solution for their dilemma. Heart-wrenched, Joya had to go through the excruciating process of divorce.She had to put up with all sorts of meltdowns. She was constantly enervated and dispirited.She did miss her kids.She missed laughing..playing..dancing..preparing them their favorite meals.They were her most precious gift.The gift she gave up on voluntarily!!  She didn't really want that to happen ; however, her hands were tied.Her rebellious spirit was aroused as pain accumulated through out  the years.She had to make a choice for life.She considered life with broken dreams as death incarnate, so she opted for a new life..a new dawn that would quench her thirsty soul and give her craving spirit a fill.

 A year upon divorce, Joya started rehearsing for her debut on stage.She was too thrilled by the idea of restoring her lost identity.She worked her heart out to prove to herself  that she was capable of fulfilling her long-awaited dream.She practiced day and night to show her real talent.She didn't get enough sleep, so unbearable migraine fits hyped. She resorted to painkillers but that was futile.Pain got way more severe. It wasn't until she had a seizure did she find out  that she had anaplastic astrocytoma, stage 3 brain cancer!!