Mohit could not quite believe his ears, he slumped down on the chair, drippy and distraught with agony, paralyzed in heart wrenching affliction. After what had just happened, his entire world seemed to crumble down like a sand castle wiped away by a hedonistic wave.
But the truth had to be conceived; just because someone refuses to take it does not mean the truth could be dismembered.
The baby was stolen.
His 9 hours old baby who had barely made its advent into the world was as lost as it was before its birth… the difference lay in the fact that its absence now had the potent to decimate good many lives.
And they had searched every nook and corner of the hospital…. every ward, every door, every cradle had been raided with dismaying failure.
Mohit had his face slouched over his palm, his tears hot with anger, desperation and madness. How could the hospital be so careless, he needed answers but he needed few minutes to gather himself for the aftermath!
On the other side, the news got delivered to the mother.
The revelation came like an explosion for Shilpa… Her senses resigned and refused to operate for what seemed like hours. When she regained, her feelings were opposed to Mohit’s, for she suddenly felt that God existed and prayers could be answered.
Only few hours had passed since she had last held her infant daughter with fetid abhorrence. It seemed to her the life she had given birth was a constant reminder of the life that had been wrecked out of her. The memory came like a slap on her face. Yes, she was that malign, selfish mother who did not want her child. In fact, she had never wanted it. From the moment she knew someone was growing inside her, all her happiness were deported. She wanted to get rid of it but Mohit was too implacable to let her do so. He had every reason to stop her for it was after 5 whole years of their married life that they were being bestowed upon with such a blessing. But for her, this baby who was desperate to make its entry into their world was an impending danger to her career, her ambitions and her dreams. While the entire family rejoiced, Shilpa winced and recoiled in hatred.
Why would not she, after all the time, it was only now that she had received promotion at her work and was about to fly New Zealand in a month where she would be the manager for a newly developed technology. Mohit had agreed to quit his current job and find a new one in New Zealand. Just when all her dreams were coming alive in the best possible manner, just when life was falling in its place and her world of friends and relatives were about to look at her in envy, she was bilked by her own fate. She cried, revolted, begged and did everything but Mohit was stubborn. He wanted the baby at any cost. Period.
She tried to remember the conversation she had before the baby was born. She was half sedated and was about to be carried to the maternity ward.
Mohit had held her hands and said, “It’s all gonna be alright Shilpa… In few minutes everything would be fine….I am with you and..”
“Stop it Mohit… I know all you care about is the baby, not me… and once you see the child, you would not give a damn about me”
“Shilpa come on; please don’t start now… You are in labor and you should not be thinking like this….”
She was crying both in pain and exasperation.
“You gave me no choice Mohit, you ruined my life for this baby…………. I will never forgive you for what you have done to me….”
Mohit tried to console her,
“When you see our baby, nothing would matter Shilpa, trust me”
But he was wrong. When she had held the baby for the first time, her hatred had not left her. She despised the little one like it was an anathema and was not in a mood to even feed her. Mohit pleaded and she did only after the scornful looks she received from her family.
And now, even if she wished, she would not be able to hold her daughter anymore. Was her hatred so evident that her daughter decided to break away from her?
And that night she felt it… the smooth satin skinned feet brushing her and the little hands stroking her face, oh it was so cute, so adorable…. She looked at the tiny bundle in surprise and wondered how such a beautiful thing was born out of her. Embraced with euphoria and boundless joy, she was about to kiss the forehead when she felt it being snatched away from her.
“It can’t be yours…” she heard a voice.
“No…. Don’t…” She shouted.
“Yes… you never wanted it….” said the voice.
And it was gone. She woke up startled by her dream. And then she cried for the first time.
Days passed and their baby was never found. Dark grief settled in their house while pain and remorse took turns to attend on the couple. One fine day,
“Shilpa, there is just no point in living with this turmoil. I received a call from your director and he is still willing to send you to New Zealand….”
She looked at him abstractedly and said nothing.
He continued with an inflexion engulfed with desolation,
“May be you were right…. I should have listened to you… we could have started a new life in New Zealand and then should have given a thought about having children. I am sorry I put you through this…” And he broke down.
She rose from her bed and dashed towards her husband and hugged him for the first time since she was pregnant.
“No Mohit…I am sorry… I am sorry for everything…it’s all my fault… if only I had shown little love; our baby would not have left us….I am the meanest mom in the world, the worst mom to hate her own child… that’s why our baby left us Mohit…. “
Mohit held her and consoled her, “No sweetheart… Please don’t cry, maybe she was not meant to live with us…I hope she is alright somewhere”
“Mohit, I thought you would be angry at me for what happened. I even felt that you would accuse me of wanting this to happen so we can leave New Zealand. But trust me Mohit, I wish to go nowhere… How can we leave our daughter here Mohit…. We need to find her….Let’s try hard… we will somehow trace her… we will….we have to…”
And they did. The baby was found after a month and was reunited with its parents. The police had tracked down the woman who had stolen the baby. Luckily, she had not sold it to any third party as the baby was found safe and healthy.
Shilpa insisted on seeing the lady who stole their baby.
She was the same nurse who had been with her throughout the labor. She never seemed like someone who could do this.
While the woman expected Shilpa to assault her with spiteful curses and blasphemies, Shilp’s calm demeanor took her by surprise.
She just looked at her and said, “What you have done might be the most unforgivable thing to do, but I forgive you. I am not just thankful to you for not hurting my daughter but… nothing! Let me warn you… do not do this with any other mother.” They kept looking at each other, Shilpa’s glare combined a stern warning as well as a peck of gratitude which no one but she herself would understand and the nurse slowly lowered her glances and waited till Shilpa left the place.
She was taken back to her chamber in the jail where she sat down with contended smile and satisfaction. Well, her job was done. She had fulfilled her promise to the baby.
She was a witness to all the heated arguments between the young couple where one partner disdained giving birth to the baby while the other tried hard to placate the contempt. She felt sorry for Shilpa. If only she had known what it is like not being able to be a mother… if only Shilpa experienced a life similar to that of an infertile woman whose heart craved to be a mother but medicine regarded her as impotent…..
And when she stole the baby from the nursery, she knew too well that she would be caught…… but by then she would have accomplished her unfulfilled desire of nursing a child, being a mother even if it was only for a short period and by the time the child will be returned to its mother, things would have changed.
It will get the love which it would have never got otherwise… It would get a mother who appreciated her blessings, after all, no child deserves to be hated…. is what she believed!
–END–
