aurore - an unusual love story √

part twenty seven

The night seemed longer than usual.
Jai paced up and down the lounge, at 1 in the night.

What went wrong with her, so drastically?

Jai always felt that Sonara was different. Much different from women belonging to her standards, and the particular religion.

A woman who didn't faulter sheltering a stranger for a night, a lady who didn't let him entrap himself into womenfolk of her chawl, someone who didn't hesitate walking into a posh flying club in a worn out salwar, a girl who didn't trade her self respect for anything....

...did the same woman just prove Jai wrong, exposing herself to be a cunning sly opportunist who used the goodness of a supposedly rich son? 

Jai couldn't think any longer.

The words of Raghav Raichand echoed through his ears, once again very prominently.

No matter what, elders were always right. Because they had a thing called experience.

He cursed himself for having given into a lot of Sonara's lectures. The truth was, she was much more shrewd than he could even guess ever.

Sounds of footsteps behind made Jai turn.

Raghav Raichand stood, staring at him.

" What's wrong son? 
These days we hardly get to talk to each other. You stay out mostly when I'm home and vice versa.

It's one in the night and what's bothering you, may I know? "

Jai slowly walked towards him, and staring straight into his eyes, he uttered distinctly,

" Dad, I need to know something. "

" Sure!! What does even stop you? "

" I need to know the exact reason why you hate Muslims. "

The color on Raghav's face disappeared much. He stared intently at Jai.

" What's the reason of these sudden questions regarding that particular community, from your side, may I know Jai? "

Jai nodded vaguely.

" Dad, I too hold the same notion about that particular community as you do. Just that my hatred needs to be much more solid, so that I don't fall trap to them.....once again. " , Jai ate back the last two words.

Raghav tried to judge his son for some more time.

Then, he slowly settled down on a sofa.
Gesturing his son to sit next to him.
Jai did too.

He cleared his throat for some more time.

" I really don't feel like talking of things that hurt.

Siddhi knows.
I don't feel like sharing sad stories of my life with my children.

But unfortunately, my children pester me to share this particular thing with them, in one way or the other. "

Jai sat silently, staring at the floor.

Raghav began, finally.

" I was in standard three when my father, Shekhar Raichand expired.
In the year of 1971.

My father, as you know, was not a business man. He was a school teacher. In Kolkata. He taught in the same school he admitted me in. And he was extremely liberal a human.

Those were the times when Hindu Muslim riots happened like rituals here and there..

Yet, my father had always taught me to be friendly with every human belonging to any religion, cast and creed. I followed my father and was extremely proud to be his son even at such a tender age.