Choices

CHAPTER | 14

Aarthi sat on the floor with her knees drawn closer to her. It looked as if she would cry a river all over again and that wouldn't be enough to put her grief out.

Her eyes had shrunken in just a day, her hair was disheveled and unkept, and the nerves jolted up every now and then, making her jump in fright. But her mind... it was the only thing that was working over enthusiastically, imagining the worst cases possible without much energy.

Vijay sighed when Aarthi startled again. He wanted to console her and let her know that it would be fine – no matter what the doctor had to say. Then again, he didn't know if his words would console him or her.

As a mediocre, Vijay didn't have high unreachable goals in his life. At an age of six, he had seen his father beat his mother as she fell on the floor with a gush of blood decorating her colorless lip. At an age of fifteen, his father had been beaten up by the goons from whom he had borrowed money. And when his father had died, he had seen his mother stand up graciously without a tear as his body was burnt away.

In all those ages, he had only a few goals that he wanted to reach. At six, he wanted to protect his mother. At fifteen, he wanted to earn so much that his father didn't have to put his hand forward to ask money from anyone ever again. At twenty, when his father had died, he wanted to be stronger than his mother.

Now, looking back, all he could be was as strong as her. After all, hadn't she taught it to him?

Over the years, since he had moved away from his village, the contact between him and his mother had almost gone nil. Except for a few occasional calls that only relied on her health, Vijay had run out of topics to talk about. Suman had neither understood what kind of work would be there for him at the office other than writing nor did she want to understand.

She only wanted her son to come back to village and settle with Aarthi, Vijay had noted with frustration.

It wasn't that Aarthi was a bad choice. She was pretty, caring and compassionate. Everything that he wanted his future wife to be. But the ways in the city had ruined him for good. And Aarthi deserved something better and that was not him.

It had taken him several calls to make Suman understand, but his mother had been influential to make her son understand.

The girl crumpled in the corner, shuddered again. "Aarthi," He sighed. "Go home and get some rest."

"No, I'm not going anywhere!" She almost screamed, etched with horror. "I'm not leaving Maaji when she needs me the most."

A pang of guilt wrung around him like a cold blanket, making him utterly exasperated and jittery as an icy block seemed to settle down with a loud thud echoing everywhere around him.

He had to be there with his mother like Aarthi was, taking care of her when she needed him the most. But what had he done instead? He had got a caretaker and had left without another backward glance.

Though his initial intensions were purely to make sure that his mother was okay with all the modern facilities, he wasn't there to make sure if she needed them. He hadn't stayed back to see his mother smile or cook his favorite meal or even see her read his articles.

What right did he have on his mother now, when he wasn't there to give him a few words of solace in her times of need?

"You need to rest." Vijay stressed, suddenly wanting to take claim of his mother who was struggling in the ICU.

Aarthi's eyes widened in horror. It was as if Vijay was snatching away a part of her in her lowest state.

"No!" Aarthi's voice hoisted from being sad to anger in a matter of seconds. "I'm not going to leave here until the doctor says something. I'm like her daughter and I'm going to stay here. She would want me here."