Can I Close My Eyes?

3.

Aravind has never expected to be in a situation like this, where he would be bawling his eyes out standing in a corner holding his four years old daughter Avika, little girl is completely clueless about everything that's going on in the house.

Aravind has zero idea that heart break would be this crappy.

With his wife's death he don't know how to survive, the past six years they spent together were going into soil along with his wife prasanna? She has been ill from the past two years but he was not ready for this day, he had been strong, he has put all he has in making his wife a healthy person through good treatment.

He was ready to be the thorns around rose, to watch over those soft frangible pale petals from being eaten away by ravenous herbivores. He was prepared to fight for the wilting rose to get it's colour and life back,be it tearing animals skins or bleeding inhumane human who loves plucking flowers out to impress their loves he was ready to save her.

He can discern the way his inlaws are crying for their daughter's loss, it's not something he has ever thought of visualising.

He used to live in hyderabad with prasanna and daughter Avika. Now with prasanna gone to heaven he fell in hell all alone with his daughter beside. He don't know how to manage things from now on, he don't know how to function correctly.

After few days he has to go back to hyderabad, he feels very lonely even while staying with his family, everyone's eyes spills the same, sympathy for his loss. He didn't like it here in vijayawada, his home town.

Taking care of his daughter alone is difficult, he starts consuming alcohol to forget the reality.

After five months his parents forces him to marry another girl who is way younger than him.

"I want you to take care of my daughter like your own" The young girl named Anjali draped in a cheap silk saree nods while looking at the floor. He presumed that she is very shy as she is just eighteen years old while he is in his early thirties. His past inlaws were not happy about this. It's been just five months since prasanna's death and he is already ready for another relationship with a girl who is very young and from a poor family?

Anjali didn't study much, she lost her parents at very young age, she has three elder brothers who are happily married so she lives with her grandmother's sister in a separate village in krishna district itself.

On the day of Aravind's second marriage Avika is very excited. The poor soul is still recovering from her blood mother's death but now she is happy about getting new woman as her mother.

Avika is busy playing with her cousins within the temple premises while the marriage is taking place inside temple. Aravind is indecisive, he is marrying her as his parents said so, like how can a man bring up his daughter alone without help of a woman beside, and being superstitious Aravind accepted without denying them. He is educated but old brained.

On their wedding night Anjali gets anxious, it's her first time and that too with a man who she knew nothing about and is way elder than her. Her childhood was not easy there's no correct person to understand her needs or heart. Her grandmother's sister who she calls mom is not someone who understand this generation youngsters, hearing Aravind has enough money to make her grand daughter happy the old woman didn't give much thought about little girl Avika Or the age difference between the new couple, poverty and responsibility is a hell and Aravind came like a god into their lives.

Anjali is playing with her white saree ends anticipating what's gonna happen on the night. Aravind steps inside dressed up in cream colour kurta and pants, she stands up seeing him and brings glass of milk to him.
He takes the milk and drinks half of it and then forwards the remaining half for her to drink.