THE STORY OF LIFE | A 21ST CENTURY RAMAYANA

A FATHERS ANGUISH

Lakshman's hand trembled in anger as he kept looking out of the window, in search of the one nameplate that had brought a ruckus over them once again.

"Lakshman, you haven't slept since yesterday. Please, calm down," Urmila said from his side.

"No Mila," he groaned. "I understand what Shatrughan did to her was wrong, but this is no way to get back! Doesn't he know all of us have already been through enough!"

Before she could begin, the driver stopped behind the other cars ahead and watched them all get down.

"Please dont get too angry on him, he is an elder after all."

"I can't promise anything Mila," he said as he pushed open the door.

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"Sir, why did you do this?"

Ram asked with all the respect that he could, but found an inevitable coldness creeping in when Siyas face flashed along side his.

Santosh Verma sat opposite him on a broken sofa, wearing mended clothes and carrying nothing about him that could speak that such a man could manage to bail out a criminal put into jail by the biggest names in the country. And yet, he had, and seemed to carry no remorse.

"Im surprised youre asking why, you should already know." He coldly replied.

Lakshman took a step ahead, gauging the tension in the room.

"My brother is asking you something very nicely sir. I wont. Why did you bail those bloody criminals out?!"

"Dont you dare raise your voice in my house!"

The room fell silent at his sheer behaviour. He was elder to them, and seeing a man this way distorted their understand of man and motive.

"Where were you when your brother pushed my daughter out without listening to her?!" He said. "Where were you when my daughter couldn't step out of her house because she was called characterless? Where were you when my hard working daughter sat at home without work, crying herself to sleep? And where were you when she tried to kill herself?!"

Siya gulped as with each passing word of his she felt a deeper and deeper pang in her Heart. Looking around, everyones face had turned blue in a weird mix of emotions, and no one had words to respond with.

"My daughter is battling with depression now in a rehab centre, have you bothered to check up on that?" He continued. "She was recovering, but then, you all came back, and your name was all over again. She got so upset that, I have to keep her there now, for what the doctors say another 3 months."

"But do you know what that means?! No, because you simply spoke, without thinking what it would mean to a simple girl like her. She's lost her mother, and I brought her up very simply. Whatever she had achieved was all on her own, with loans and insults. Yet, she stood with her head strong. But when Naveen pulled her down, she lost even that. Both you and I know she is innocent, but will anyone bother to accept the now? Will anything change?"

The man paused for a breath, tears of anger brimming up in his eyes.

"When I heard what Naveen did and why you had put him in, it made me laugh," he smirked. "You can go to the end of the world to save the women you care for, and not bother to even spare a second glance to another? I know your intentions were not wrong, but I could not take it anymore. And so I thought, if you dont have any punishment, and if the woman has to suffer anyway, why should it be my daughter alone, or thousands like mine? And so, I let him out. With whatever money I had left, I let him out. Because to me, letting him out is a way of making you realise that your actions are not your consequences alone sir, they have set an example for others to suffer too."

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The ride home was silent, devastating almost. All kinds of questions ran around in their minds, and they knew deep down they had answers to them all, but to what extent those answers were true, was a question.

"Are up Okay, Siya?" was all that Ram had managed to mouth, and she had replied with an equal nod.

They walked in slowly, tired as soon as the day had started, a burden on them mentally.

"Did you talk with him?" Kraanti asked, in the hope that maybe they could convince the man of his deeds and somehow convince him to repeal the bail.

She waited, only to see Ram sit down on the sofa, his eyes red in a desperate attempt to fight back an influx of tears.

Kraanti slowly walked ahead, making Siya and Maanvi sit whilst Sumitra brought them water. No words were exchanged, everyone still registering what had just happened. For whatever reason it had been, they had never seen the extent of what the world thought about them to their face. But now it seemed, as if a hurricane had knocked the winds out fo them without a warning and all shelter had been displaced.

"But, Naveen cannot join the company now, right?" Shruti managed to speak up in the silence.

"No, he can't but, thats not the point," Lakshman sighed. "This should have never come this far. We shouldn't be sitting here in the first place."

Ram wiped his face quickly, standing up as his words ended.

"We can't undo what has happened, so I suggest it would be better if we think about what steps we can take next. Maa, you two take rest please, and take Siya and Maanvi with you. We will sort it out, dont worry."

"But Bhaiyya we are fine.." Maanvi spoke up.

"I know dear, but its the least we can do for you at this point. Please, go take rest dear." He cast a small glance at Siya, who smiled in reply, as the two walked away.

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