Meant To Be

Chapter 17. Her father's verdict

Phaat
Sam felt the same hot and burning sensation, when she had, when her father had slapped her on her 17th birthday and had accused her of having an affair with Boby....but this time not on the left cheek, but on the right. Sam stood there in front of her parents in the same rental home, the following morning, after more than six months of not meeting them (she noticed that they looked old and tired and the grey strands of hair on their heads were clearly visible), with Ranvir standing close by, his hands crossed on his chest and his expression grim. Ranvir parents had been way beyond shocked when they had heard the truth from Ranvir and so never came to talk to Sam's parents. She put her right hand on her right cheek to cool the burning sensation down (which she now felt was growing hotter and hotter as the force of the slap was a bit more than the last time he had slapped) and also to prevent her father from slapping her one more time.
"I knew it! I told you right?" said her father, the letter clutched in his hands. He threw the letter on the floor. Sam jerked a bit, while her mother tried to calm her father down. "Can't you just forget him? Can't you keep a relationship intact?" he continued, his voice growing louder and louder. Sam didn't say anything, but just kept looking at her feet, on which a few drops of her tears were falling, at irregular intervals.
"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Ranvir said, trying to be as calm as possible.
"S-son..." Sam's mother spoke, folding her hands, as if pleading for mercy. Sam looked up a bit and saw that tears were streaming down her mother's eyes and her hands were shaking uncontrollably. This made Sam cry even more. She had never wanted her parents to fold their hands, to bow their heads down in embarrassment in front of anyone. She had tried her best, but she failed. And that day she realised, the pain which one undergoes, when they fail in their life. When they fail others. Their near and dear ones. Even though they had tortured Sam to death, but at the end of the day, they were indeed her parents. Who had taken care of her; brought her up.
     "....we thought that if we reveal this to you...y-you wouldn't have agreed to marry her." her mother continued.
   "Money is not everything. And money can't buy love." Ranvir said taking a deep breath and again trying to calm himself down.
Sam was confused at the reply which he had given. But then, after a moment, everything dawned on her. Her parents had given Ranvir's parents money to marry Ranvir with her. And that was when she knew, why Ranvir had agreed to marry her, why his parents were so nice with her. She felt as if her parents had sold her to someone.
     Sam's father folded his hands and took a step towards Ranvir.
     "Son...we beg you...please..please consider your decision. It's-it's really not a joke. Divorce is a big thing." he pleaded.
     Sam looked into Ranvir's light hazel eyes with expectation. Maybe he would change his decision. Ranvir too looked at her, into her dark brown eyes. Their eyes locked. And Sam felt, as if the world had paused for a moment.
    "I'm sorry, my decision is final." Ranvir said, shifting his gaze from Sam to her father. He placed both his hands on her father's folded hands, stood there for a second, folded his hands and walked out of the house.
     Sam's parents kept looking at Ranvir, as if he'd come back and change his descision. Sam kept looking at parent's devastated faces. She heard the opening and closing of the gate and knew that Ranvir had gone. Forever.
     Sam's father looked at her mother and then looked at her. Sam gulped.
     "I've decided...you won't be staying here after your divorce."Go wherever you want, but you won't stay here." he said to her, pointing his index finger. "You've failed me as a father and her.." he said pointing towards Sam's mother, who was standing behind him. "...as a mother. I don't know what did we ignore in our upbringing." he said, avoiding Sam's gaze. "Don't you feel ashamed? Bringing disgrace and dishonour to our family." He cringed at the words 'disgrace' and 'dishonour'. "That slap didn't even deserve you." he said pointing a finger towards her and emphasising on the word 'you'.
      Sam felt as if the world had started spinning around her. Her feet felt heavy. She remembered all those times, when her father used to say "I'm proud of you, my child." But today it was completely different. It was all her fault. She knew that she wouldn't be able to bear it when people would start gossiping about them, especially the villagers of Khimsar.
      Sam folded her hands and pleaded, "Dad ple- "
      "I. DO. NOT. WANT. TO. SEE. YOUR. BLOODY. FACE. EVER. AGAIN. YOU. ARE. NOT. MY. DAUGHTER." he snapped. Sam jerked away. The words echoed in her mind, 'You're not my daughter'.
     Before she could utter a word, her father caught hold of her arm, and pulled her with him. He took a step ahead, stood there for a second, then looked down. Sam looked down too and saw that her father had stepped on Boby's letter. He picked it up and again pulled her, his grip tight on her arms. Sam winced in pain. Hetook her to her old room and pushed her in. Sam lost her balance and almost fell on the bed. She turned her head to look at her father's  face. He threw the letter on her face. The letter touched her face lightly and then flew back down on the floor, close to her feet. She picked the letter and folded it. A few drops of her tears fell on the letter. She looked at her father from the corner of her eye.  Her father was breathing heavily.
     "You will stay in this room, till your day of divorce." he said. And with that he closed the door and locked it from outside.
    Sam slid down from her bed on to the floor, tears streaming down her face. The collar of her salwaar  had become completely wet, due to the constant dripping of tears from her eyes, which flowed down from her cheeks and ended up either on her feet or her salwaar. Her entire body was shaking. She buried her head in her hands.
She knew that this was the last time she'd be staying in that room, in that house, with her parents.

What will happen now? Where will Sam go after her divorce?