Hard
eight months have elapsed by now. Aditi stays separated from Sekhar with
Rohan, her three year old son. Aditi had to be strong enough to take such a
firm decision when nothing was really working fine between her and Sekhar. She had
been trying for a decade almost to adjust with the robotic IT Manager, but of
no use. And that was one wrong decision she had taken when nothing could she
fight back anymore to stay under the same roof along with her machinelike
husband. Kind of experimentation, she thought of conceiving which might help
the couple to glue back together like before. But even that failed. “Instead of
worsening the life of this innocent child amidst such regular screams and
punches and fights, it will be at least better to stay apart”, quirked Aditi’s
heart to her. And after her last fight with her cold man, she left the house on
the very next morning and moved to her parental house along with her son.
The orthodox views of her parents could
not save her initially. Hence they ended up crying and sobbing. They could not
swallow the fact easily that their beloved ‘married’ daughter had left her
husband’s house and decided to settle down with them. They were more concerned
about the neighbours and the relatives and also about what would play in their
minds once they would come to know about the truth. Aditi failed to let them
understand that staying single may turn up a success rather than pretending to
be staying as a couple of no relationship and emotion. They were more scared of
being blamed for the break-up by their daughter and everybody as it was an
arranged marriage. Daughters are still accounted as liabilities even after man’s
landing foot on the moon. But Aditi was mature enough to understand the fact
that it was not their decision but the nature of Sekhar that had taken the two in
the doorway of finishing up everything. She has always believed in the destiny
and the lucky stars adoring it. ‘Who knows if she wouldn’t face the same if
married to Purab?’ She knows it’s the only way she can console herself that her
life with Purab after a tie could also turn the same turmoil-mechanical ‘habit’!
Her sight gets blurred as her eyes become wet with tears.
Weekends are the only days of the week
Aditi is allowed to do whatever she wants to. The rest is dedicated to her
office. But weekends --- strictly for her beloved cutie pie. Frolic visits to
shopping malls and fun-rides on escalators or in elevators make the duo’s day a
fulfilled one. Or even surprise dates to some nearby restaurants and grilling
themselves in tasty milkshakes or ice creams just cannot have a substitute at
all. Sometimes pleasure plans also roam around freaking amusement parks or movie
theatres. This week Aditi decided to surprise Rohan with a visit to the
city-zoo. Rohan was super excited to venture to a zoo for the first time with
his mom. For him, nothing can be more fun and adventurous than a day out with
his mother.
Aditi has successfully erased up little
Rohan’s past memories with Sekhar and clambered the status of a single parent
satisfyingly. She most significantly plays the role of both the father and a
mother at a time without much difficulty. The best part is how easily she is
always being able to switch over from one to the other and becomes the only
faithful pole for her son in his own world of dreams. She dreams him to climb
up the future with ease, de-struggled. Aditi believes Rohan is the best
compliment to her life added as a part of her journey she has begun to move to
the bigger slice of the life. She knows, Rohan will be the ever loyal partner
of her life to reach to the challenges she has decided to take further. Her
bundle of joy is the only one who through his innocent appeal and notoriety
helps her instilling new hopes within, promising her dream world to be in
reality soon. Rohan is presently the only reason for her to live.
The winter holidays at Rohan’s school
started the day before. The following Saturday morning was little lazy being
under the warm quilt. The thin mild sunbeam refracting through the glass slides
of the adjacent balcony, bathed parts of the cosy bedroom. A few streaks
touched Aditi’s closed eyes warmly too. She frowned and turned towards the
table clock on the side table. Her half-closed eyes noted the time...Nine!
Rohan was sleeping peacefully in the warmth of her breasts and the comfort of
the wool quilt. She ran her fingers through his hair and planted her regular
morning kiss on his forehead. Aditi got down off the bed and went to the
kitchen to prepare breakfast. The newspaper was still hanging on door lock
outside. A mug of hot coffee in one hand and a glass of milk on the other,
Aditi raced inside the bedroom and tried waking up Rohan of his whining cries.
She knew the bait of taking him outside would ignite little Rohan certainly.
Rohan was excited to see the crowd of
people outside the zoo. It looked like a colourful fair, with balloon sellers
and ice cream pedlars around. They took their turn in the queue and got inside
the zoo. Almost after a long twenty years, Aditi made her way to the rendezvous.
She still remembers how they had so much of fun visiting this place again and
again every year during her childhood. Reminiscent of her early days, Aditi
took Rohan to her favourite cage of the monkeys to the near left. The joy of
relating all the animals to his scrapbook was clearly reflecting on his bright
face and shining eyes. Every moment, Aditi fell for her lust of discovering
this arc of smile on his lips and her return gift – surprise kisses from Rohan
every now and then!
Being little tired after excited walks
from cage to cage and exploring animals, the mother-son couple decided to hang
on a few licks on their favourite ice cream cones and waddle near the bird
cage. The blue peacock had just taken his valour to display his beautiful tail
and mesmerise the visitors. Messy crowd with big eyes and astonished comments
had sheathed the cage. Aditi was not able to let her little Rohan take a look
at the beauty. Aditi along with Rohan was getting restless of having their eyesight
trapped in the mob. People were getting busier to not miss a single moment of
his stature. And so was the tall man with a hat on his head. He seemed to be a
professional photographer from some magazine or so. Aditi twice and thrice
tried to tap him on his back to move on the other side and let his son
experience the wonderful sight of the peacock in his full bloom. But her
strength could not win the rowdy crowd. Rohan turned a sulked face and looked
at his mother.
‘Let’s not go there now. After a while we
can again make it in there and enjoy the peacock and birds. Huh, Rohan?’ Instantly replied Aditi, trying to console her
sad son, patting on his back.
‘But then the peacock will go to sleep.
He will be tired and we will miss his dance!’, complained little Rohan being
unsure of his mother’s promise.
‘Worry not dear. Momma will again make
him dance. We will give him ice cream and he will show you his tail and dance.
Doesn’t that sound cool? Huh?’ Aditi smiled and said and kissed on his button
nose.
‘Hey ADITI!!’ a very known yet an
unidentified male voice poked in the conversation.
Aditi looked up with her eyes broadened.
As soon as she looked up, her eyes frowned in disbelief. ‘PUR-A-A-A-B???’ The
silent scream in her heart echoed as she uttered the name.
‘The same sparkling eyes, the same messy
jungle of hairs, the same bright shining smile and the same appeal in his
voice’ --- her Purab after a decade. The only thing that has added to his
attire is his unshaven beard, possibly to hide the dejection from life and
love.
‘Chatterbox_4u’, that was how Aditi got
introduced to Purab. The virtual world of fantasy and social networking
relationships made the two young hearts meet in their college days. After a
many prolonged chats for just two months, when they both surrendered to each
other that they were getting addicted and possibly falling in some unnamed
relationship they decided to meet. The
thin tall young Purab could only attract Aditi with his nonsense chirps and
stupid jokes. The aimless Purab had only one reason to live in – his
inexpensive camera. He always wanted to capture every moment of his life and
steal the zest by his camera. And few stunts of Aditi’s wide dark eyes were
also captured many a times casually. Every exciting learnt of Aditi’s life from
smoking a cigarette for the first time to take a sip of beer or hanging out at
the city’s darkest theatre to bunking college for the first time began with
Purab’s assistance and guidance. Her first kiss or her first passionate goose
bumps were also stimulated by the first touch of Purab on the first showers on
an afternoon after the summers. ‘Purab’ though never would match to the
significance of his name to many, but he was like a bright sunrise for Aditi.
The first ‘name’ that would come to her mind to whom she could share her
unspoken thoughts was always her capricious ‘Purab’. An uncalled longing used
to tie the two for each other. It was Purab who even at the middle of a heavily
raining night did never bother to race to the hospital when Aditi’s father was
admitted for his cerebral attack. And it was he who at that crisis period of
his life never even cared to donate his blood to her father. Father was saved.
But tied was Aditi ---- with Sekhar ! Aditi was not even intimated about all
the formalities her father had volunteered for her marriage to the handsome
salaried Sekhar. It was too late for the jobless penniless Purab to woo Aditi’s
father in some way for the marriage. Sekhar flew his newly married bride to the
country’s most expensive city Chandigarh to settle down his life and wife.
A consistent gap of long ten years never
seemed too much being absorbed in her newly married life. Purab faded away
slowly like a setting sun and was left on the lees of her thoughts. Her
unconscious mind did never let thoughts of Purab impinge in her newly made
relationship with Sekhar. Being retarded by the fact, Aditi somewhere in her
heart wanted her little Rohan to be as jubilant as Purab. Suddenly it knocked
Aditi: ‘Purab is so silent! Where has gone that effervescent Purab? I miss you
Purab’ her silent eyes struggled to speak aloud and reach his ears, ‘I missed
you so much! Why couldn’t you come to take me away forever and ever with you?’
‘Does this little man belong to you?’
Purab broke the realms of Aditi. Rohan frowned to his mother due to the
unnecessary poking by the stranger.
‘He is Rohan. My guardian!’ Aditi smiled
mildly.
Rohan felt proud and looked with an
incising eye to Purab.
‘Hey do you want this?...ummm..Mr.
Rohan?’ tried to bribe the little boy with his shinning black camera still
hanging round his neck.
Rohan’s face at once turned bright and
blushing. He moved fast to him and very curiously asked, ‘What’s that Uncle?’
Aditi felt good somewhere inside. Her
eyes were following the two, how her old sweetheart best friend was mingling
with the kid bridging the new bond with his same old warmth and amity. She
dipped in the sea of memories. She remembered the naughty leg pulls and stupid
pranks on that afternoon at Purab’s house when his parents were out for a
weekend trip. The prank turned to passion. She still remembers when she had
closed her eyes and Purab softly planted his wet kiss on her velvet lips. Aback
she opened her eyes; Rohan was still in the project of learning photography.
‘So now you are a celebrity? Huh?’ stroke
Aditi with her words as they started to walk briskly to the zoo cafeteria.
‘ Naaaaa.... Come on! Nothing’s like
that. Just that I have been hired by them. The company is big doesn’t mean I am
big too...’ Purab squeezed an eye to Aditi.
‘And... ummmm... I mean... Family?’
Aditi uttered in a low voice. Aditi wanted to say ‘wife’ but promptly managed
to replace the word with ‘family’.
‘Baba and Ma met with an accident three
years back. Baba died there itself. Ma could not survive for more than two
days. She had several organ failures due to the accident. Prabhu is now settled
in the U.S. Last year he got married to an American lady. And me?... I am still
striving through my hard earning bread and butter and.....’ Purab sighed. Aditi
tried to post-mortem his silence.
‘...and...LIFE!!!’ replied Purab
followed by a roar of laugh.
Something was missing in Purab. He
laughs alike, but lifeless; he stares bright, but with queries; he talks words,
a silence that is only heard! He is vacuum. Aditi several times tried meeting
her eyes to Purab who kept himself involved with Rohan. Aditi wanted to answer
his so long unrequited questions, but Purab was silent. Aditi wanted him to
take her in his arms and hug her tight like before, like when she used to be in
low mood; but Purab was indifferent. Aditi chinned down to concentrate on the
pavement, her teary eyes blurred her sight. Her sobs wanted to burst out and overflow
her heart and lungs. She felt heavy. She had mislaid Purab. She had left him
astray. And she didn’t even know why she was lamenting today. It was she who
could not go to the top of her father’s choice with the onset of her journey to
her new life. She had lost him now forever. Purab had changed himself to like
any other common person in her life, or a just a mere passerby on the same busy
road --- ‘A known, but a stranger, all anon!’ Aditi tried hiding her tears
rolling down her cheeks, as she closed her eyes to take a deep breath. She looked at her front --- the site of the
new bond and togetherness of Rohan and Purab exploring the camera ameliorated
Aditi’s weep. She headed in haste to follow them to the cafeteria.
****