rajveer naina - fated

chaptet 7

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

They had been waiting to meet him as soon as the graduation ceremony had ended, and immediately his Abu had hugged him warmly, tears in his eyes, while his mother cried openly, kissing him on both cheeks.

"Today you continue a proud family tradition."His Abu had told him,

"Whatever you do, remember that your country's honour and safety always comes before your own. You are an officer in the Indian Army now, your country must always come first."

Hussein had nodded seriously, feeling every word of his father's advice."But most of all, never forget that you are upholding the beliefs of the man you were named after."His father had continued,"And that no matter what the cost, you must fight for truth and justice, you must support what is right."And Hussein had looked up at the photo hanging on the wall of fame, the photo which had watched over him every day of his two years at KMA, which had always given him strength in difficult times.

He will uphold the traditions of Captain Rajveer Singh Shekawat, he will bring glory to his namesake's memory.And he will never, ever let his parents down.Because he knows that for them, keeping the principles andbeliefs of their lost friend and mentor alive is all that's allowed them to survive all these years without them.

Because more than anything else, he feels the weight of the responsibility attached to his name upon his shoulders.He will prove to his parents that he is worthy of his name./

There are two days of the year when Hussein's mother always cries, from the time she wakes up until she finally falls asleep, exhausted and still sobbing quietly. On these days Hussein's normally calm father will cry as well, even as he tries to comfort his distraught wife.

When he was small, Hussein had never understood the reasons why his mother wept. He would hug her, placing hissmall arms around her comfortingly, while she would kiss him repeatedly and try to tell him that she was alright.On these two days, Hussein's Abu and Ammi always take the day off work.

Some years Hussein's aunts and uncles would also join them, depending on where they were all posted at the time. On these days the first thing that his family would always do without fail was to visit both the mosque and the gurudwara, to offer prayers and give charity.It was when he was eight years old that his father finally told him the truth.

"For only two days of the entire year, your Ammi allows herself to truly feel her grief." His Abu had told him, "For the rest of the time she stays strong for the sake of all of us."
"But why does Ammi cry?" Young Hussein had asked his father, "What is she so sad about?"
"She cries because today is the anniversary of the day her best friend, your Aunt Naina died." His Abu had explained."And what about the other day that she cries?" Hussein hadasked."That was the day that Captain Rajveer Singh Shekawat died, Rajveer Singh Shekawat who you were named after and who made your Ammi and I what we both are today."
Up until this point, Hussein and his sister had always heard stories of their parents' academy days, their friends, pranks and fun. But it was the first time that death had ever been mentioned.

Every year from that point onwards, his parents had revealed more and more of the story to their children. Hussein and his sister Anjali had asked to be told the storiesagain and again, slowly memorising them by heart
He had never met either Naina Singh Ahluwalia or Rajveer Singh Shekawat, having been born after both of their deaths.

Yet he had felt as if he knew them, as if they were friends and guides whose example he could look to in order to show him the right path in difficult times.And their faces… he could picture their faces even when he closed his eyes because every day their faces had been one of the first things he saw in the morning.