Short Story: The Sound of my Anklets

Chink! Chink! The sound that the box made as I shook the colorfully wrapped box vigorously. This was the first present that my boyfriend had bought for me, and I was extremely curious to know the contents of this mystery box. He looked at me with absolute glee and said," I guess you have to open it and see". I ripped open the gift-wrapping paper which revealed a luxurious velvet blue box that sat perfectly in the palm of my hand. My heart started beating fast because I had never been gifted something luxurious before. To be honest, I was panicking slightly because this meant that he was serious about me. Well, I would have to process these thoughts at a later time. For now, I was overwhelmed by the urge to open the Pandora's box that lay in front of me.

I popped open the cover of the blue box and inside I saw a pair of stunning anklets. These were traditional-looking silver anklets. Each anklet was identical and bore an intricate design interwoven with hundreds of the most beautiful and tiny bells. Immediately, I gave them a good shake and heard them make the familiar "chink chink" sound that I had heard previously. "Do you like it? It is a genuine silver antique set, and I want you to have something priceless that no one else has", he said apprehensively as he watched my face. I pulled him into a tight squeeze and told him that I loved it.

He said, " I want you to wear them whenever we see each other. It would make me happy". "How did I find such a sweet guy?", I thought to myself as I handed him the anklets and asked him to put them on me. He stooped to my feet, lifted the hem of my saree carefully, and started to place one anklet on each foot. My boyfriend and I had been together for three months. We had met through mutual friends, and he was extremely sensitive to my needs. Overall, he was quiet, hardworking but very kind. "It's done", he said and leaned back to admire his handy work. I gave him a sweet smile not knowing that these beautiful anklets had sealed my fate.

The days were beautiful since nothing is as beautiful as the beginning stages of love. After my shift at the airport working at the airline's check-in counter for a popular airline company in Delhi, I would swing by his house. Just before I reached his place, it became a habit of mine to wear the anklets that he had given me. Before I reached his door, he would pop the door open give me the widest grin, and say, "I wonder how I knew that you were coming?". We would laugh and leave to go on our date. Some days, we visited the movies if there were any good movies worth watching. Some days, we would sit on the grass in the park area where he would lie down on my lap, and we would talk for hours. Other days, we would explore a new café or places to eat. As I said, there is nothing more beautiful than the beginning stages of love.

Then, a day came when I found that the clasp of one of the anklets had broken. I didn't want my boyfriend to be upset about it, so I decided to get it fixed before he found out. During my lunch break, I made my way toward one of the most popular jewelry shops in the district. Once I entered the shop, a fat and jovial man who seemed to be decked in gold rings and chains approached me. I told him that I had a unique antique piece that needed to be fixed. He looked at the anklet that I had placed in his hands, and he said that this wasn't antique. I gave him a quizzical look and attempted to tell him that he was mistaken.

He kept saying, "No, my child". This further infuriated me because I wasn't a child. Finally, after going back and forth, he said, "Wait a moment" and went into a door at the back of his store. He returned with a display that had a bunch of anklets. My heart stopped as it dawned on me. Each anklet was identical to the one that my boyfriend had given me. The shopkeeper said, "See! This is one of our fast-selling fashion jewelry and only the finish is antique-looking...". He stopped in mid-speech because he noticed the tears falling down my face. He understood that there was more to it than anklets because he made me sit down and asked one of his workers to get me a hot cup of chai. Once I composed myself and thanked the kind shopkeeper, I returned to work with a heavy heart.

Once, the clock struck six, I left the airport and directly went to his house. I hadn't told him that I was coming to see him. For the first time, there was silence as I took the steps towards his front door because there was no cheerful sound of the tiny bells on my feet. I rang the doorbell and waited sullenly with my arms crossed. A young woman opened the door. She looked extremely surprised and said, "Hello! How can I help you?". I was about to answer that I was looking for my boyfriend when I glanced down at her feet. She was wearing the same anklets that he had gifted me. My mind was reeling, and I kept opening and closing my mouth, but no sounds seemed to be coming out.

At this precise moment, my boyfriend walked out from behind her and looked shocked when he saw my face. He quickly composed himself and as though the initial shock wasn't enough, he introduced me as a coworker to his wife. Yes! This woman was his wife. I looked at him utterly shocked and I did the only thing that I could think of doing. I reached into my handbag, grabbed one of the anklets, and threw it at his feet. The wife glanced at the anklet and immediately seemed to understand the situation. I turned around and walked away as his wife began to scream at him at the top of her lungs.

I cried silently as I rode the auto towards my house. I cried as I sat exhausted on my bed. I cried as I took a shower and let the scalding hot water drench my body. All I could think was, "How could I have been so stupid? How could I have trusted someone so blindly and gotten my heart so broken?". I cried when I called my best friend and told her about what had happened. And I cried that entire night. It's been a long time since that night of endless tears have passed.

It's been a year since this nightmarish incident that has scarred me for life. I still have one of the fake anklets in my drawer. My friends tell me that I am crazy for not throwing it away. They don't understand that I don't keep it for sentimental reasons. I keep it as a personal reminder to myself of what people are capable of and to never let my guard down in the future. And, I think it's safe to say that I hate the "Chink, chink" sound that all anklets make since they are the same as listening to the sound of betrayal.