Weird and Wonderful

Chapter-5

Present Year

Swasti was indeed beautiful! It was the second time when Saarthak saw her, but still he could not take his eyes off her. She looked exactly like Miyoko. No one would believe that the famous writer, Saarthak Sharma, was stalking a Physics lecturer but he had no other option. How could she know about that poem? How could she be connected to it...How? There were numerous questions in front of him but no answers. But he would get the answers, at any cost.

Saarthak felt like calling his elder brother, Harshit Bhaiyya. Harshit was wise and mature. He would definitely have a solution for that problem. But how could he? He was not talking to his elder brother since eight years.

Year - 2008

Saarthak's brother Harshit had come home on the festival of Diwali. He had a lucrative job at a leading IT MNC in Bangalore. Saarthak was playing the tune of Memories on the Casio which his father had gifted him on his eleventh birthday. It was the only thing Saarthak was good at.

"Miyoko will definitely be impressed after listening to it," Harshit winked at Saarthak.

Saarthak gave a coy smile. He had a crush on Miyoko, the female protagonist of the anime Painful Strings. He used to wonder how someone could love a dead person so much. He craved for the unconditional love which Miyoko had for Akihito. The love which cares neither about looks nor about intelligence-the love which is eternal.

"Harshit! Send your brother here. I want to talk to him," Saarthak's father's voice boomed in the house. Saarthak was too elated after playing his favourite tune to notice the threat in his father's voice. He could not wait to display his musical talent in front of his father. For the first time in his life, Saarthak felt that he had achieved something, something his father would be proud of. But he was wrong.

His father's face was red with anger. At first, Saarthak thought that his father had found out about the incident at school.

"What is this?" Saarthak's father said, handing him his Math test paper, "You have failed! Here I am working day and night so that you can become an IITian and here's what I get after my hard work!" Saarthak looked at the floor.

"Can't you speak? Look at your elder brother! I could not afford to send him to coaching class, still he cracked the Engineering entrance exam. And look at yourself. I am ashamed of you. God knows what sins I have committed so that he gave me a good for nothing son like you!"

Then Saarthak's father took out his leather belt and woosh! Saarthak could feel the full force of the belt on his body. Fighting back tears, Saarthak continued looking at the floor. Another woosh and crack! Now tears were rolling down his cheeks. He could not resist crying now.

"Oh my god! This boy's crying makes me sick!" Saarthak's father said with contempt, "One more time I hear you crying and your punishment will be worse than what it is now." And the belt beating continued in full swing. Saarthak closed his mouth with his hand so that his father could not hear him crying. Each time when he was whipped, he tried to think about Miyoko and her unconditional love for Akihito. Someday he too would be loved like that and that day would erase each scar of his suffering.

When Harshit saw that the lashing would not stop, he came between his father and younger brother. "Stop it, Papa," he said, "How can you do this to him? He is so young." But Saathak pushed his brother aside.

"Stop it, bhaiyya! Stop your drama of being the good boy!" Saarthak said, "I have to endure this just because you are so perfect. You are the reason why papa does not love me. You are the reason why no one likes me. Everyone compares me with you. Harshit was this, Harshit was that...I hate you, bhaiyya. For God's sake, stop coming between me and papa."

Harshit was shocked. He had never expected his younger brother would say such things to him. He silently went outside the house.

Present Year

Saarthak wished that he had never said those things to his elder brother that day. He was the only person who was with him every time he needed him. He had unconditionally supported him when he was a failure. Still Saarthak had hurt him in the cruellest way. Maybe what happened to Saarthak afterwards was a punishment for that day.

Saarthak knew that his father loved him, though his way of expressing love was harsh. He never ate food for two days whenever he hit Saarthak. This was his way of punishing himself for hurting his son. Until now, Saarthak's whole life had revolved around only two people, his father and his elder brother. But now there was a third person intruding into his heart.

Saarthak could not take his mind off Swasti. Everything about her, be it the longing in her eyes or her absent-mindedness, reminded him of Miyoko. But why was he feeling attracted to her? That girl could destroy her life. She was a problem who should be tackled; he could harbour no feelings for her.

Why was life playing such games with him? Why the only girl for whom Saarthak developed feelings had to be connected with his past? Why was he not able to get his mind off her? He felt an uncontrollable urge to meet Swasti, to hear her voice, to know more about her. He wanted to see her smile; something told him that she would have a beautiful smile. He wanted to talk to her. But he could not. He could not risk his well-established career over a stupid emotion. He could not risk his father's love over a stranger. A battle was raging between his mind and his heart. But who would win the battle was yet to be decided.