Hanging Out with My Hyde – Redemption

After eons, it seemed, I saw him again.

He was lounging on his swiveling chair, just as I remembered, wearing a suit that fitted him like a glove, sipping his double chocolate milkshake, and offering me his most disdainful smile as I walked up to his table.

"So, Master Aech, how have you been faring since the last time we met?". Sarcasm dripped from his words; he knew full well what hell I've gone through. He was a part of me, after all. A part I had never wished for, but a part all the same.

"You know full well, Hyde, of the life you drove me to.", I replied with venom in my voice. "You did all you could to ruin me". There wasn't enough hatred in the whole world for what I felt towards him, then and there.

"And I would have succeeded too,", he replied calmly, pointing towards an approaching figure, "If it hadn't been for her."

As she came nearer, I was able to make out details about her. She had the face of an angel, her cheekbones softened with light, but carefully applied makeup. The kohl intensified the fire in her eyes, and I wondered, not for the first time, that how could anyone possibly resist falling for this perfect beauty. Her dress was a long white, with silver embroidery covering the entire front. A long shawl covered half her head, and trailed past her shoulders along her back, all the way to her calves. Her feet were adorned by silver heels which complemented her dress, and in her hands, there was a matching clutch purse. Her beauty and poise took my breath away, and as I stood there, my mouth hanging open and my brain befuddled, she smiled that shy smile of hers, and I was giddy with joy as I stepped towards my bride.

I helped her into a chair, and as she settled into it, I saw her glance uncertainly towards Hyde. She didn't recognise him! Breathing a sigh of relief, I took the remaining chair between them.

As always, Hyde was the one to speak first. "Welcome, Mrs. Aech. Its a pleasure to finally meet you". The look in his eyes was one of mockery, and though he appeared languid, there was an unmasked hostility in his demeanour. I knew the reason well enough but she didn't, and hence it wasn't a surprise when she placed her hand on mine and whispered, "Who is he"?

"My lady, I'm . . . ", he began in his glib tongue, and for the first time, I cut him off. "My dear", I addressed my bride, "he's me. Or rather he was, before I met you. I don't know what he is now. A remnant of a life behind me, I suppose?"

"I still don't understand...", she said, bewildered, as he chuckled behind me.

Steeling myself with a deep breath, I took her hand in mine, and began my tale...

--

"I had a life before you too. A continuous, monotonous cycle of the trivial: eating, sleeping, studying (and later, working). There was no margin of leisure, no concept of freewill. All was preordained for me, and following it meekly was the only way I knew. My imagination lacked inspiration, and my actions were without aspirations. Then you came along, and lit this spark of spontaneity inside me. A spark that transformed into a raging fire by the time you committed yourself to me. And now I look back and think: That’s when I was really born.

I dreamt before you too. Dreams of a long and happy life, a job where I would be at home, a small cottage by the sea, beside my café, where I would lie down in a hammock and play my guitar, or sit on the beach and pour my heart out on paper. I used to dream of a companion whom I would respect and care for, and who would always be there for me. However vivid they might have been, they were still mere dreams, and when mornings came, I woke up to the same humdrum lifestyle that I hoped to escape. And then one day, those weren’t just my dreams anymore; they were my goals. Our goals. I started to hope, to believe in a better life. I put my faith in us, and now when I look at us, the reality is more beautiful than any dream my mind could conjure up.

I loved before you too. Entering each relationship bravely, willing to give my all in exchange for quite little: a smile that would belong to me, occasional attention to my condition, and hope for a better future. Time after time I failed though, because I didn’t know how to love. Love, as the world taught me, was just a tool to get almost anything done. Love was a poison, meant to act slowly, as you work to obtain what you need from your beloved. And after that, once you satiate your greed and acquire what you came for, you just have to get up and leave. You turn your promises to maybes, your devotion to deception, your smiles to smirks, and just disappear. And after a stumble too many, when I decided I was ready to pay the world in kind, I met you. For a while, I didn’t know whether you would be my final hope, or my first victim. I was selfish and rude, taking my frustrations out on you. Yet you never left me. You purged me of all the hatred I had for this world, and filled me with your essence. You became my salvation, and now I when I look back, I think: You really saved me."

--

By that time, I had run out of everything: things to say, air to breathe, and strength to look at her. Now that she had seen what I was before, she may not like me anymore. I feared I had lost her forever, when she squeezed my hand in reaffirmation, and just like that, all was right with the world. I looked at her, and I couldn't help but smile as I marvelled at her beauty, her courage, and the trust she had in me.So lost were we in each other's eyes that we did not even notice Hyde wave at us as he vanished in the cool afternoon breeze. Nor did we feel the warmth of the perfect winter sun, for we were too lost in each other, hand in hand, and ready to begin a new life with each other, full of love, happiness and adventure. And as I held her face in my hands, the whole world seemed to stop, letting us savour this new sensation as we came close...

Hanging Out With My Hyde

"I don't do friendships anymore", he scoffed as he sat back and sipped his milkshake. I tried to hide my aversion as I asked him why.

"You know all about me, so I don't have to recount everything I've faced. In fact you've faced it too, but have been too coward to do anything about it. So I decided to act by taking over". Here came another sip of the milkshake, and suddenly my very own Mr. Hyde smiled at me, sending a shiver down my spine.

"For years, I watched on, while you brought us both hurt and disappointment. You trusted everyone, even when you knew deep inside that they'll betray you. You always kept you word even if it meant being on the losing end. When you cared, you gave all you had; when you loved, you failed to see their dark side; when you befriended, you refused to hear anything negative, even when you saw the proofs of their inner darkness. You, Master Aech, have overlooked the truths of life while you held fast to you juvenile belief that everything is either black or white, and with that, you ignored the acres of grey areas that lay in between, simply choosing to ignore them. Not everyone keeps others' best interests at heart, my boy, and since you haven't done anything about it, so I'll step in to show you how to do it". The wicked gleam in his eyes terrified me, but I managed to stammer: "Wh- what have you planned?"

"Oh, don't worry", he chuckled. "I have sentiments too. Things will be pretty much same with me in charge".

"Then what will change?", the question burst from my mouth before I could think it through. However, my Hyde just laughed. "Well, I told you I don't do friendships. We have been betrayed too many times to trust this sentiment. Granted, we have found some pretty cool friends on the way, but how can we believe that they won't hurt us eventually? No, its too big of a risk." Another long sip of milkshake before he resumed. "Alliances, are what I have in mind. They work like friendships mostly, but whenever we'll feel that things are looking down, we'll simply move on instead of sticking around to help. And..."

"That's horrible!", I yelled, not believing it was actually a part of me saying all this. "We can't be like that, no matter what anyone else does!"

"Nonsense, Jekyll. Its karma: we'll pay the world back in the same currency it has been dealing us all these years. We'll show them what it means to have your hope extinguished just when you need it the most. We'll start tomorrow, when you're up. Now go, and rest."

And with that, he got up and calmly strode off, leaving me to wonder what the future will be like...