The Phone Call, by ElsaMarie DSilva, Mumbai

Born, raised, and currently living in Mumbai, Maharashtra, ElsaMarie believes that women are the untapped potential that the world needs to heal and prosper.

I called her up to chat. She was my classmate, and I had not spoken to her in ages, even though she is my Facebook friend. We were having a great conversation talking about our work - she is a furniture maker, and I am a gender activist, but in the past, we were flight attendants. We were reminiscing, joking about the eccentric passengers we had encountered on our flights, the crazy times we had during our training, and suddenly, in the midst of a sentence, she stopped speaking. The silence was deafening.

I asked her if she was ok. She uttered, “Yes,” in a monosyllable. Her tone of voice changed. Where there was laughter and joy and carefree abandon just a few seconds ago, there was a strain, a tenseness and discomfort. I could feel it at the other end of the line.

I asked her once more if she was ok and continued talking. I told her that I would ask her questions and all she needed to respond was yes or no. 

I asked, “Are you safe?”  

She said, “No. “

I asked, “Do you need help?”

She said, “No. “

I asked, “Are you in immediate danger?”

She said, “No. “

I asked, “Do you want to continue talking?”

She said, “No. “

I told her, “Please, call me if you need immediate help.”

She said, “Yes.”

I disconnected the call and spent the rest of the day thinking about her and the millions of women around the world locked up in their homes with an abusive partner, during the shadow pandemic.

_________________________

(This story was prepared for an “Imagine Another World” online storytelling workshop held October 14, 2020.)

Protect yourself and others from COVID-19: wear a face covering over your nose and mouth, practice physical distancing from other people, and avoid settings that are crowded, indoors, or involve close contact. More information about how to stay healthy.