Week 5 Story: Controlling Kaikeyi
"Tonight?"
Dasharatha was looking down, hand rubbing the back of his head, thinking. He looked up at his young wife, Kaikeyi. She had her arms crossed and a frown on her beautiful fair face.
"I've already told Rama that he could borrow my car since his is in the shop. Plus, I thought him and I could go out for a guy's night."
Kaikeyi raised her eyebrows and slowly closed her eyes to contemplate what her husband just told her, obviously not happy with her husband's decisions. Her best friend Manthara had told her that he'd say this. Manthara believed that men should obey their wives at all times, and after numerous talks Kaikeyi also began to believe this. She believed it was her wifely duty to push her husband toward what she believed was the right thing.
"We never have family time, Dasharatha. You need to spend more time with your son. You'd rather go out with your friends rather than stay at home with your family?"
Dasharatha turned around and rolled his eyes so Kaikeyi wouldn't see how annoyed he truly was. Every night the three of them would have dinner, watch a movie, and then be in bed by 9pm. It wasn't that he didn't love his family, it was more that he felt smothered by his wife. He needed a night out.
Turning back around, Dasharatha slowly began to barter with his wife.
"Honey. I love you. Please let me go, and I promise to be back by midnight."
Infuriated, Kaikeyi said rather harshly, "Absolutely not. You owe me this, Dasharatha. You can tell Rama he can go with Lakshmana. You're staying here."
With that, she turned to go toward the living room, but before she could reach it the phone rang. She picked it up.
"Hello?" Her voice became softer as she heard the voice on the other line. "Ah, Rama," she said with a smile, "we were just talking about you. Dasharatha wanted me to tell you he won't be able to make it tonight, but he's sure Lakshmana would love to go with you. Tell Sita I said hello. Maybe we can all get together sometime later."
With that, she hang up the phone, smiled sweetly at her husband, and quickly turned around to get their movie started.
"Well, okay."
Rama looked at Sita with a puzzled look. "I guess we'll call Lakshmana and see if he'd want to come." He searched for his brother's name in his phone, and when he picked up he almost immediately agreed to come. "Of course I'll come, and if you need to, you can borrow my car," Lakshmana said. Rama smiled at Sita while still on the phone and said, "I think we'll be alright."
Back at Dasharatha's, he sat next to his wife while his son, Bharata, laid back in the mahogany colored La-Z Boy chair. His mind started to wonder as he stared blankly at the TV screen. What was Rama doing? What if he had stood up to Kaikeyi? He felt bad for leaving his family, but he desperately wanted to leave. He continued to blankly stare at the TV as Kaikeyi began to doze off.
(Rama, Dasharatha, and Kaikeyi, Kaikeyi telling Rama of his banishment. Wikipedia Commons)
Bibliography: "The Scheming of Kaikeyi" by Sister Nivedita, from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
**AUTHORS NOTE**
In the original story, Kaikeyi is convinced by her servant Manthara that Kaikeyi's son Bharata deserved the throne and that Rama would kick Bharata out once he became king. Kaikeyi forced Dasharatha to banish Rama for over 10 years and to have Bharata sit on the throne. Dasharatha only did this because Kaikeyi had saved his life and owed her. I decided to change this around to a more modern dilemma. I believe in many relationships one partner tends to dominate the other's life, whether it be telling them what to do or guilt tripping them into something else other than what they want to do. I personally know of a couple like this and it really hurts my heart, so I wanted to create this story to kind of give a life lesson; what you want may not be what others want, and you should not dictate other's lives.
Dasharatha was looking down, hand rubbing the back of his head, thinking. He looked up at his young wife, Kaikeyi. She had her arms crossed and a frown on her beautiful fair face.
"I've already told Rama that he could borrow my car since his is in the shop. Plus, I thought him and I could go out for a guy's night."
Kaikeyi raised her eyebrows and slowly closed her eyes to contemplate what her husband just told her, obviously not happy with her husband's decisions. Her best friend Manthara had told her that he'd say this. Manthara believed that men should obey their wives at all times, and after numerous talks Kaikeyi also began to believe this. She believed it was her wifely duty to push her husband toward what she believed was the right thing.
"We never have family time, Dasharatha. You need to spend more time with your son. You'd rather go out with your friends rather than stay at home with your family?"
Dasharatha turned around and rolled his eyes so Kaikeyi wouldn't see how annoyed he truly was. Every night the three of them would have dinner, watch a movie, and then be in bed by 9pm. It wasn't that he didn't love his family, it was more that he felt smothered by his wife. He needed a night out.
Turning back around, Dasharatha slowly began to barter with his wife.
"Honey. I love you. Please let me go, and I promise to be back by midnight."
Infuriated, Kaikeyi said rather harshly, "Absolutely not. You owe me this, Dasharatha. You can tell Rama he can go with Lakshmana. You're staying here."
With that, she turned to go toward the living room, but before she could reach it the phone rang. She picked it up.
"Hello?" Her voice became softer as she heard the voice on the other line. "Ah, Rama," she said with a smile, "we were just talking about you. Dasharatha wanted me to tell you he won't be able to make it tonight, but he's sure Lakshmana would love to go with you. Tell Sita I said hello. Maybe we can all get together sometime later."
With that, she hang up the phone, smiled sweetly at her husband, and quickly turned around to get their movie started.
"Well, okay."
Rama looked at Sita with a puzzled look. "I guess we'll call Lakshmana and see if he'd want to come." He searched for his brother's name in his phone, and when he picked up he almost immediately agreed to come. "Of course I'll come, and if you need to, you can borrow my car," Lakshmana said. Rama smiled at Sita while still on the phone and said, "I think we'll be alright."
Back at Dasharatha's, he sat next to his wife while his son, Bharata, laid back in the mahogany colored La-Z Boy chair. His mind started to wonder as he stared blankly at the TV screen. What was Rama doing? What if he had stood up to Kaikeyi? He felt bad for leaving his family, but he desperately wanted to leave. He continued to blankly stare at the TV as Kaikeyi began to doze off.
(Rama, Dasharatha, and Kaikeyi, Kaikeyi telling Rama of his banishment. Wikipedia Commons)
Bibliography: "The Scheming of Kaikeyi" by Sister Nivedita, from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
**AUTHORS NOTE**
In the original story, Kaikeyi is convinced by her servant Manthara that Kaikeyi's son Bharata deserved the throne and that Rama would kick Bharata out once he became king. Kaikeyi forced Dasharatha to banish Rama for over 10 years and to have Bharata sit on the throne. Dasharatha only did this because Kaikeyi had saved his life and owed her. I decided to change this around to a more modern dilemma. I believe in many relationships one partner tends to dominate the other's life, whether it be telling them what to do or guilt tripping them into something else other than what they want to do. I personally know of a couple like this and it really hurts my heart, so I wanted to create this story to kind of give a life lesson; what you want may not be what others want, and you should not dictate other's lives.
Hello Cheyenne,
ReplyDeleteWow this story is very intense. I think you did a great job at making this story your own. You also did a great job at making this story modern with the cellphones and the relationship. In all these stories usually the man is in control but now the woman is. The story was a little intense and made me nervous. I felt so bad for the husband being dominated.I think in every relationship there is a balance. I wanted to read more and more of your story. You did a great job.
Hey Cheyenne. Your story here is very well written. I like the modern take on the Ramayana. It is neat to see how you brought the situation to a socially relevant setting. Reading your author’s note, I have also seen this happen many times in relationships. I think your story does a good job of showing how a relationship can get dominated by a single party, and the other suffocates. Well done.
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