By Seema Gaurav

She finally came to terms with it. It was a difficult decision. She would have never let this happen, but then did she have a choice? From the beginning to the end, everything was his decision. He chose to let her into his life and now he chose to let her go. She was clueless as to what she would do without him. But with time, maybe she would figure it out.

It felt horrible at first, but then she realized that there was no point sticking around. Clearly, not everything was hunky-dory. She still remembered the good-old courtship days. The relationship was new and they both were excited to be with each other. He always made her feel special – like she was the best thing that happened to him. She used to enjoy the attention he showered on her – how he called her every once a while, how he waited for her, and how he enjoyed being dependent on her. Of course, he would never acknowledge it, but he was certainly smitten by her.

But with time, things changed. She felt that he got complacent with having her available at his beck and call. Maybe that was bound to happen… She noticed a pattern. At first, he complained that she was high maintenance. But then that’s a price one has to pay to be with a classy person like her, she thought. Then, he said that there were a lot of arguments. That it was getting to him now…

Of late, there was a scene about how insecure she was. But she didn’t understand why he felt so. Was that because she wanted all his attention? She secretly enjoyed how she ensured that she was always on his mind! Did he need more space? She couldn’t say…

Eventually, he started finding faults with everything she did. She simply ignored his behavior and silently hoped for a change. Instead, things went downhill. She noticed that his calls had reduced. Hoping against hope, she sat there waiting for him to call her. But the calls never came. She was not willing to accept that he no longer needed her. With every passing day, she felt that she had disappointed him. And as she began to ponder, she realized that the situation had only worsened.

“Why is he like this? The man who was once happy to accept me for what I’m is suddenly expecting more from me… Why?” She wondered. On the other hand, he hardly wanted the situation to improve. It was clear that with every day, he found a new reason to find faults with her existence.

Yes, it does take two to tango. So in this case, she agreed that some of his complaints were true. There were times when it was clear to her that some of her habits were annoying, but she just couldn’t mend her ways. Maybe she was wired like that. At the back of her mind, she knew she always let him down. But then, wasn’t that because his expectations were high? Or so, she thought… Naturally, things were bound to fall apart.

She recalled how the fights started. In the beginning, it was always about those small things – like how he didn’t like the fact that it took her a long time to get ready. There were days she took him for granted and ignored responding to his calls. Slowly, bigger issues crept in! With her uncontrollable insecurity, her inefficiency came into light. How he would ask her to run important errands for him, but she would be so confused that she would botch things up. Not just once, but these things kept happening. That’s when it dawned on him that she was nothing but one tangled mess of delusion.

In spite of it all, she always tried to reason it out. Yes, she had some issues, but then who doesn’t? Aren’t we all flawed by nature? Can we not accept each other for what we are and find a way to coexist? These were her musings every day, but she found no answers.

Well, we all have a tipping point. I guess he reached his. He had had enough. Slowly, he started reaching out of this relationship. Word spread that he is now seeing another girl. Apparently, she was way better in every way. Soon, the ‘new girl’ became the talk of the town. It was obvious that the new girl was there to stay. At least, till she’d not get replaced! But that didn’t bother her anymore. What was more important was the writing on the wall. The fact that he didn’t need her anymore! It took some time, but she realized that they could no longer live under the same roof. Maybe they were destined to part ways…

It was very painful for her, but she did it. Today, they formalized their separation. She stood there, taking a long hard look at the Release Notes again. It said “She is going to be a Deprecated API of the Product. The Product will now rely on the ‘new girl’ in town.”

If you are new to the concept of Deprecated APIs, read the article A Newbie’s Guide to Deprecated API.

About the Author

Seema Gaurav works as a TechComm Architect with TIBCO Software, Pune. She has over 12 years of experience in the field of technical writing. She enjoys deciphering technology and simplifying it for her readers. She believes that the world finds beauty and hope in stories which is why she spends her free time as a storyteller.