In this short story, Shevlin Sebastian captures the ups and downs of a relationship and how the very meaning of love changes once you have a child.
The message came by SMS: ‘You are requested to bring your son to the High Court on December 2, for a hearing. Hans Muller will attend.’
When Elizabeth saw this, she swallowed her spittle. Her son, Rohan was out in the garden. The sun had gone down. Twilight had set in. The air was pleasant. In her room on the first floor, Elizabeth ran her palm across her forehead. There was no way she could ignore a court summons. She stayed in Chalakudy, 40 kms from Kochi. It would be an hour’s drive to the court.
Elizabeth had met Hans in Fort Kochi. A journalist with a local newspaper, she had gone to interview him at a hotel. He was a well-known sculptor from Germany. He had thick arms and shoulders, and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. While he was fair, she had chocolate-coloured skin with large oval eyes. Her red lips were thick and sensual. Hans was instantly attracted. But Elizabeth, not so.