The Blessed Damozel - PART2

Sunday 8:00 am. Vicky was up and awake. Her trained eye was now at work scanning the room. She was yet to spot what she was looking for when Jim awoke. Jim did not appear pleased seeing her in his shack. Jim cursed her in a mumble. Vicky’s profession had taught her resilience when it came to customers behaviors. Jim’s mumble and many other words like that weren’t a curse to her anymore she only looked at him and her mind was preoccupied with something else. She remembered he was smiling the previous night when they were together. Now the expression was demoniac, it was the same with every man, no matter how much they enjoyed the broad’s company, the next morning the men always woke up with a “holier than thou” attitude. The whore is never offered coffee for her previous night’s services, and they are trained not to expect such occurances either, because Jim and every other man on earth are hypocrites. Vicky got off the edge of the bed and was now sitting on the floor pretending to be searching for her clothing while actually she continued to look around. He cursed her again and threw money on her face and was threatening to smash her face if she didn’t get her filthy body out of his place the next minute. Vicky stooped down to collect the fallen notes when she noticed it. It was below his bed glistening, it was his saxophone.

Vicky collected her money and walked out, on her way back her mind raced back to two years ago when Jim had promised the world to her, and she had believed him. Jim was an aspiring musician. He was working on shifts as a delivery man, and practicing his saxophone. He had a dream of making it big in the world of music, and Vicky had her share in that dream, it was their dream. Vicky was a waitress at the bar, and he would pick her after her work. He would play to her his compositions and Vicky thought Jim was the best. Soon Vicky realized that she was pregnant with Jim’s child. Jim had been happy to hear the news and they had exchanged rings. Soon the child was due in a couple of months and Jim began to change. He would come home late at nights, drunk and angry and curse her and the unborn child for having screwed up his career and life. Vicky would cry herself to sleep most nights, and hope things would better. Vicky was being cared only by another co waitress at the bar, who’d come in after Jim had left and be out before jim could arrive. The child soon arrived into the world, a sweet little girl. Jim wasn’t pleased as Vicky thought he would be. Jim hardly caressed the child or cared for its mother. Vicky cried for a change, and the one day it happened. Jim came home smiling in his hand was a pacifier he had bought for the kid.

Vicky was glad to see him smile. She was glad she waited for him, glad that she’d be able to live their little dream. He went up to Vicky’s side on thee bed, held her close whispering little promises of love and finally told her, he needed her help. There was this guy at the radio station who had promised to record his numbers. But he wasn’t going to do that for free. The cash he had saved was used up for Vicky’s and the child’s medical expenses. Both their little savings couldn’t possibly amount to his demand, and that was where Vicky could come in...he whispered the rest into her ear. It was necessary to whisper this part because Jim knew he wasn’t doing the right thing, so he whispered as if the baby would understand his words. Tears streamed down Vicky’s cheeks, she sniffed for about an hour and finally told him that she loved him and would do what he thought was the right thing to do, because she dreamed his dream....

-- Sujay Sukumar

Epilogue:
The Blessed Damozel
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!

Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelie;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!