Short Story of Social Issue – THE MISSED CALLS
Photo credit: greyerbaby from morguefile.com
The pyre is lit and for the last time I see the beautiful childlike face of Taradevi , the lawyer Prajapati Narain’s only legitimate wife. I look around and see the near and dear ones in incessant pool of tears. Amidst the crowd, I also see Prajapati’s concubine who cries the most as if unable to imagine an existence on earth without Taradevi. And why not? Afterall Taradevi has been silently bearing the brunt of destiny inflicted on her in the form of Seema, the concubine. How fake is the world and its living beings? People live and die without even realising how and why!!!!!!!!
I am Prince and the people who know me , best know me as the scalawag. I am bad, evil and have no mercy on anyone. I am devoid of emotions and that is why when I see wailing people at the burial ground where Taradevi is being lit on the pyre, I cast a smile on the whole scenario where fake tears overpower the real, genuine tragedy of a life. And why not? I am happy that I am not a part of that crowd and I am no FAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I encountered Prajapati when I was arrested by the local police for having raped a girl. But after the act, I safely placed the girl in front of the residential flats where the girl lived. I was caught there and handed over to the police. I realised that I might have escaped the law , had I raped her and run away but my human touch made me fall into the hands of the lawmakers and I was to be produced in the court.
I was suggested by my friends that there was a particular lawyer named Prajapati who could fight my case and win too. The only thing that I had to do was to pay him a handsome package and rest all could be taken care by him. And I did so . After a few arguements and eye witnesses, the case fell in my favour and as predicted by my friends, I won it. I took back my pride, and Prajapati, his handsome package. He even demanded that I arrange a holiday trip for him and his family through one of my contacts. I obliged as he was my saviour.
I will be failing in my duty if I do not tell my readers the story of my shady act with that girl called Prema. She was a college-goer and I assisted my friend Shyam in his motor-garage. Everyday she passed through the garage and exchanged glances with me. Seeing her growing interest in me, I started observing myself keenly. I would stand in front of the mirror for hours together to chisle my looks and hairstyle. Afterall a girl was entering my heart and life and I had to prove my best to her.
The days went on and one fine day, I decided to express my feelings in the form of a love letter. With much hesitation but strong spontaneous emotions, I wrote my first ever love letter to my dear divine. That day being a holiday, I concealed the letter in my jacket and waited for the next day. The day soon arrived and I reached the garage much before the scheduled time of her arrival . My eyes eagerly awaited to see her first glance and soon, she appeared on the scene. I mustered up courage and went to her. Without saying a word, I almost threw the letter on her and left the site in haste.
Two days passed and there was no sign of Prema anywhere. My heart was almost bouncing with an unprecedented fear. What had gone wrong? Thousand thoughts cluttered in my mind and with each passing moment, my heart throbbed faster.
“Prince, your father has sent word for you. He wants to meet you.”These were the words of Shyam. I looked at him and left immediately to see my best friend, my father. As I visited my father, Iobserved a certain gloom on his face. For a few minutes , he did not speak to me but after that he rose, hugged me and wept heartily. I still did not know the reason for this act of my father and this was the first time that I had seen him in remorseful tears. “Father! Please tell me what happened.What has happened to you? Please father, speak to me.” My constant requests to him bore no result.
He was now a quiet man. He did not speak to anybody and left the room to sleep. That night my dearest friend, my father consumed poison and died.
The whole house filled with loud laments and it all looked to me like the noise made by the stormy waves in the sea. I felt as if I will lose my hearing capacity. I performed the last rituals and as I was about to leave the house, my mother confronted me. “ Do you know ? He died for you. They came in huge numbers and insulted him in front of the village head.They called yo u the ‘son of a swine’ and threatened to kill you, my son.” I was aghast. What had befallen my happy family? My mother narrated the whole story with disgust.
“ Two days back, we were visited by a group of men. The leader of the group introduced himself as Ramlal, Prema’s father. It seems that you sent a letter to the girl which she disclosed to her father. Prince! My son! They abused your father and hurled such nasty words at him that no noble man can tolerate them. After they left, your father told all of us that nothing would be told to you and he will talk to you in a pleasant moment. But O God! That moment never came and he left us behind.” My mother kept wailing and I experienced a sudden flush of rage inside me. What had I done to the
girl? Wasn’t she responsible to kindle the rested emotions in me? Why the hell did I look at her? I wept with my mother and left the house after a fortnight.
My heart was filled with remorse. I blamed myself for my father’s death. Poor, innocent man who could do anything in life to save his son and his honour and today he was in ashes. The ashes of my ignorance. Suddenly my heart felt like a hard rock. Yes. I must do something to avenge my father’s death, otherwise I will never be able to sleep again. At this thought, Prema’s venomous face appeared before my eyes. What had I done to her? She could have slapped me or warned me of the consequences but why did she ruin my family? The question kept crawling in my mind until I
decided something which had never before preoccupied my mind. PREMA SHOULD PAY FOR MY FATHER’S DEATH……..
I took away her honour but deep in my heart I felt that she too was willing to accept me but had no courage to accept the fact as she wanted to escape her father’s brunt by rejecting my advances to her. However I was now convinced that I had left her all alone with her ruined body and self- respect. I heaved a sigh of relief and that day I realised, I was a changed man but was it forever????????? I didn’t know then…………..
Thus a case was put up against me by Ramlal and I won it as my lawyer Prajapati threw the ball in Prema’s court, stating that it wasn’t a rape but a willing submission by the two-Prema and I. Ramlal and his family left the court , speechless and Prema looked at me as if she awaited a sort of reconciliation with me. I too left the court with the heart of a winner but was I a winner??????? Many months passed and Prema’s family left the place and shifted to a nearby town. As I thought,
the chapter of Prema and me was finally closed.
Our dear lawyer Prajapati was professionally escalating and through him I had learnt that even if one does a heinous crime, there were such lawyers as Prajapati who could actually leave no stones unturned to save a criminal. He actually lived by selling his conscience everyday. Contrary to his character was Mrs. Taradevi Narain, his wife , who was an epitome of simplicity and morality and never compromised them for anything or anybody. I had a deep sense of respect for her and always wished in my heart, “God Bless her! Only if all women could follow her footsteps.”
“Come! Prince! Have a look at my birds. You know ! Very soon the female one is going to deliver a baby bird and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the third member.” I observed the innocence of Taradevi that was akin to a small child. She was full of life and was very happy in her own world despite the fact that she was totally aware of her husband’s extra- marital cords. But Life meant to her something unrevealed and beautiful. She loved everything around her and chuckled at the beautiful sights of either places or things. She once said to me, “ Prince! If you want to be happy in life and enjoy each moment of it, then stop being with people and spend time with nature. You will know the difference.” I never understood the DEPTH OF HER KNOWLEDGE which actually was contrary to the DEPTH OF MY IGNORANCE. However we continued our own lives in our own best ways.
“ Prince! I am very happy today. My only daughter Malati is coming from abroad. She works as a financial expert there. Can you please come with me to receive her at the airport?” One fine day Taradevi called me and said. I unwillingly obliged for it was difficult to say no to her. “Malati is actually in love with our family friend Sahukarji’s only son and they work together in London.” We left the house for the airport and throughout the journey, Taradevi spoke about the girl and the boy. I had nothing to do, so I silently listened to her story and to my relief, the airport arrived much before
the expected time.
The next few hours were the emotional hours for the duo. I stood witnessing the mother-daughter reconciliation and we came back. Malati was not a very beautiful girl like my Prema…..MY PREMA!!!!!!!!! O GOD! What was I thinking and why? I rejected the thought immediately and left the house. Three days later, I read in the newspaper that Prajapati Narain had filed a case against Sahukar’s son for cheating the former’s daughter after developing physical intimacy with her. The
boy had decided to dump the girl. I visited Taradevi but finding her in the worst of her temper, I felt it right to leave the place. The entire town was eager to know the verdict of the case. Sahukar’s lawyer was a very influential person and he succeeded in proving that Malati’s mental condition was not stable and no healthy man could marry her. THE CASE WAS WON BY SAHUKAR.
I don’t know why I felt that Prajapati’s life had come to a full circle. It must have been Prema’s curses that had resulted in Prajapati’s daughter’s stigma. AN EYE FOR AN EYE????????????? I didn’t hear from Taradevi for long. And one fine day, unable to bear the loss of her daughter’s dignity and evergrowing scandals of her husband, Taradevi committed suicide, leaving her family in jitters. It is the irony of the world that a treacherous man always begets a noble woman and never
realises her significance in his life until she stoops to embrace a dire outcome. However , I did not pity her death as she proved to be a weakling at the end.
After her funeral, I walked back home. Suddenly I moved my steps towards her garden where she fed her three lovely birds. The birds chirped loudly at my arrival. I found some bird-food at the corner of the garden along with a bowl of water and as I served the darling birds, I heard Taradevi’s voice ringing in my ears. “ Prince! A man should marry for several reasons. It is your life-partner who understands you the most and a house is complete only with a woman who creates a world of children for you like these two birds who are so excited to look at their baby-bird and do their best
to take care of her. So get married my child!”I left the garden with a smile at the birds.
“ Prema is pregnant with your child.” My mother disclosed the news to me as I entered the house.
“Why are you saying this to me? I have nothing to do with her.” I curtly replied.
My mother kept quiet. That night I could not sleep and Prema’s face kept appearing before me. Was she really going to deliver my child….my young bird??? In the morning, after refreshing myself, I told my mother that I was going out. “Where are you going so early in the morning and without eating anything?”My mother ran after me and enquired.
“I AM GOING TO BRING MY BIRD HOME WITH THE NEW BORN………………….”
