The door bell rang, bringing Vaidehi out of her noon siesta. It was winters and she dozed off while reading a newspaper in the balcony. She first thought that it was Siddhartha. He had went to the Market to run some Holiday errands with their son.
She stood up slowly, her spinal chord a bit stiff. It was like that since the birth of her youngest son but the pain was bearable if one thought of what would have happened that day. God was merciful on them. Everything went of well twelve years back and she believed everything will go well from then onwards. Her belief was firm and unshaken. Any disturbance in the way life is today will spell doom for her. She was happy now. She was contended. She wanted to be that way. Vaidehi loved stability. She loved being sure of things even before they happened.
As she opened the door, she was surprised. She saw her daughter, Devyani, beaming from ear to ear. She looked serene, with her calm eyes, beaming smile (just like Siddhartha). Clad casually in a blue worn out jeans and casual ill fitting white shirt with a back pack on her back, Devyani, her child, her first born. Devyani's presence always assured Vaidehi that everything was all right. She was calm, stable and not like other teenagers she used to see. She always had been "The Good Child", "The Good Daughter" who had a transparent face and was as innocent as that mountain spring. Her existance assured Vaidehi every time that everything will be as good as it is now. Only if she had known the turbulence in the midst of all this calm. But it is not to be known.
"You were supposed to come a fortnight after." said Vaidehi with a motherly smile.
"Ask your husband, he told me to come." said Vaidehi with child like playfulness entering in the home.
"You have grown very naughty."
"Yes, I know." said Devyani as she placed the bag in her room.
"Now what do you want from the fridge?"
"I am hungry, Ma. Is there something to eat?"
"Wait, lunch is ready."
"All right, will have it when Dad comes. Where is Abhi?"
"Gone with your Dad."
"All right."
"Where are you coming from?"
"Agra, why are you asking?"
"Nothing, just like that. Where are you going?"
"To take a bath."
"You didn't bathe while coming here?"
"Yes, but I feel like to have it once again."
As Devyani entered for a bath she thought of Mrinal. She knew he was falling for her. His eyes told her this and this made her uncomfortable to the core. She didn't want to be loved. She just wanted to be "used and thrown" time and again till the time his words, Arghya's words dissolved in her unconscious. Till the time she felt like she had punished herself enough for her innocence. Till the time her love......
She again started to feel the heat building up under her skin. Every single pore of her skin was set on fire. She was burning. She rubbed her palms against her palm, her stomach but it burnt more. She pursed her lips in pain and tightly closed her eyes holding her pain. When all of a sudden she remembered something. A voice, she heard this morning played in her brain.
"This bag is too heavy, can I hold it for you?" said the stranger in the train who sat across her as she started walking towards the exit gate at Gwalior Railway station. He was smiling pleasantly and that made her smile back.
"No, Thanks."
"Are you sure? By the way I would love to see you tumble down with this load."
On this she laughed aloud.
She opened her eyes. The shower water was falling on her. The pain had gone. The memory of that voice somewhere soothed her.
She dried herself, dressed hurriedly and came out of the shower. Jumping and Bumping into things she took her bag, sat eagerly drawing the bag to her lap and frantically fished out for the ticket. She searched and searched but couldn't find it. She took out all her clothes one after another and finally she found the ticket, snugly sitting at the bottom of the bag. She took it, it was crumbled. She opened it in a haste and at the back of the ticket she found a number. She took her note diary and a pen and quickly copied the number, tore the ticket and let out a sigh of relief.
"I am going to call him" she said with a feeble smile.
To be continued.......
She stood up slowly, her spinal chord a bit stiff. It was like that since the birth of her youngest son but the pain was bearable if one thought of what would have happened that day. God was merciful on them. Everything went of well twelve years back and she believed everything will go well from then onwards. Her belief was firm and unshaken. Any disturbance in the way life is today will spell doom for her. She was happy now. She was contended. She wanted to be that way. Vaidehi loved stability. She loved being sure of things even before they happened.
As she opened the door, she was surprised. She saw her daughter, Devyani, beaming from ear to ear. She looked serene, with her calm eyes, beaming smile (just like Siddhartha). Clad casually in a blue worn out jeans and casual ill fitting white shirt with a back pack on her back, Devyani, her child, her first born. Devyani's presence always assured Vaidehi that everything was all right. She was calm, stable and not like other teenagers she used to see. She always had been "The Good Child", "The Good Daughter" who had a transparent face and was as innocent as that mountain spring. Her existance assured Vaidehi every time that everything will be as good as it is now. Only if she had known the turbulence in the midst of all this calm. But it is not to be known.
"You were supposed to come a fortnight after." said Vaidehi with a motherly smile.
"Ask your husband, he told me to come." said Vaidehi with child like playfulness entering in the home.
"You have grown very naughty."
"Yes, I know." said Devyani as she placed the bag in her room.
"Now what do you want from the fridge?"
"I am hungry, Ma. Is there something to eat?"
"Wait, lunch is ready."
"All right, will have it when Dad comes. Where is Abhi?"
"Gone with your Dad."
"All right."
"Where are you coming from?"
"Agra, why are you asking?"
"Nothing, just like that. Where are you going?"
"To take a bath."
"You didn't bathe while coming here?"
"Yes, but I feel like to have it once again."
As Devyani entered for a bath she thought of Mrinal. She knew he was falling for her. His eyes told her this and this made her uncomfortable to the core. She didn't want to be loved. She just wanted to be "used and thrown" time and again till the time his words, Arghya's words dissolved in her unconscious. Till the time she felt like she had punished herself enough for her innocence. Till the time her love......
She again started to feel the heat building up under her skin. Every single pore of her skin was set on fire. She was burning. She rubbed her palms against her palm, her stomach but it burnt more. She pursed her lips in pain and tightly closed her eyes holding her pain. When all of a sudden she remembered something. A voice, she heard this morning played in her brain.
"This bag is too heavy, can I hold it for you?" said the stranger in the train who sat across her as she started walking towards the exit gate at Gwalior Railway station. He was smiling pleasantly and that made her smile back.
"No, Thanks."
"Are you sure? By the way I would love to see you tumble down with this load."
On this she laughed aloud.
She opened her eyes. The shower water was falling on her. The pain had gone. The memory of that voice somewhere soothed her.
She dried herself, dressed hurriedly and came out of the shower. Jumping and Bumping into things she took her bag, sat eagerly drawing the bag to her lap and frantically fished out for the ticket. She searched and searched but couldn't find it. She took out all her clothes one after another and finally she found the ticket, snugly sitting at the bottom of the bag. She took it, it was crumbled. She opened it in a haste and at the back of the ticket she found a number. She took her note diary and a pen and quickly copied the number, tore the ticket and let out a sigh of relief.
"I am going to call him" she said with a feeble smile.
To be continued.......
Waiting for next part !
ReplyDeleteThanks Ananya! Hopefully you have read the previous Chapters too. :)
Delete