NERVE TACKER AND THE CHALICE OF DEMEANOURS
CHAPTER-4
AFTERMATH
AFTERMATH
Ramesh's life was going on peacefully now because six years had passed since his father died. It was a tragic moment for him because, at that time, he had experienced only seven years of his life. His mother (Sapna) was admirable because only she was handling the past, present and the future of the bright boy.
Her 'tailoring' business did not seem fruitful in the starting but it paid off in the long term. In a year, her occupation was praised by about half of the Dharavi because she had put reasonable prices and she worked with full honesty. But some underestimated her talent because they did not want a woman to work. At that time in the society, people were not open-minded and that was clearly shown in the way they talked to her. They underestimated, abused and even cursed her, for her work. As a consequence, she was not only fighting for her family but also for every woman who was not allowed to work.
Time passed gradually and her mother was able to change the perception of the people of Dharavi. Ramesh had successfully competed with the students of his class. He carried on his studies with full attention. He topped the class every year and that became a common experience for him. Ramesh was now 13 years old and he was in the ninth class.
Teachers were impressed with his performance and promoted him as much as they were able to.
"Today is his sixth death anniversary!", said Ramesh's mother.
"Ya mamma! Aren't you sad?", said Ramesh.
"Yes, I am. He won't be coming back, neither on his birthday nor on his death anniversary" Mother exclaimed.
"We cannot do anythin'! ", said Ramesh sadly.
"I keep telling both of us to move on. You did, but not me.", said his mother.
"YA! But we have to move on and we HAVE to iron out all his memories. IT HAS BEEN SIX-YEARS! Well, it's my birthday too. Can't we celebrate it?? You told me to move on yesterday and today you're stepping back. ", said Ramesh trying to control his mother.
"Please, don't debate on this. I know I did say about it. But when we discussed about that night, I got emotional and today I am not able to control myself. Understand??", said her mother trying to prevent any debate on this topic.
"Okay! But I gotta say, Leave the past behind, enjoy the present and don't wait for the future.", said Ramesh.
It was all going fine but the memories of Sanjay forced her mother to break down herself. She fought bravely but today, she was talking in great contempt. It's fine because she should also get a chance to express herself. Ramesh understood her feelings and he tried to back down.
At night, Sapna came near Ramesh, held him tightly in his hands and hugged him. Ramesh felt comfortable.
"Sorry, I made a nuisance on this special day. My boy is now thirteen years old, isn't he?", said Sapna regretfully.
"I don't mark this day as special. After all, we cannot forget Rajeev.", said Ramesh.
"Never. I still remember the happiness we had in our family when Sanjay was alive... Well, I forgot to give you this cake. Happy Birthday, Mr. Bhatia!!!"
"I knew that you'll surely do it."
"And why did you know that?", Sapna asked.
"Just a sort of experience."
"Leave it... Leader London is really working for the United States."
"I knew that too cause he looked like a good man.", said Ramesh while his mood was fine now. He is really capricious.
"Is that too a sort of experience", said Sapna.
"No, it's a LEAP OF FAITH on my role model."
Sapna and Ramesh had a long conversation on this and time passed and the day too.
Seven days later, when Ramesh came from school and checked his bag; he found a letter inside. It was folded and on the top, his address was written like this-
To Ramesh Bhatia27-A, Sector-2Dharavi, MumbaiPin-400017
Ramesh was flabbergasted to see this. The address was exactly the same as of his. Line to Line it was correct. This was surely not a coincidence. It made Ramesh think that he should unfold it and reveal the secrets behind.
At the moment he tried to unfold it, his mother called him and he left the letter there itself. He did not want to show this to his mother because he knew that it would be a prank done by any of his friends. Eventually, he forgot about that letter and it was still lying on the edge of his bag.
The next day, when he packed his bag for school, the letter accidentally fell from the bag and hid under a bed. The same day, he found one of his friends behaving eccentrically. That created doubts in him but he thought, 'WHO CARES!'.
A day passed and the same routine was going on. Ramesh's mom was now well and she was feeling good today. Ramesh had a competition in school and fortunately, he won that. The day was peaceful but everything does not roll in that way. Today, Ramesh did not come back from the school!!
-To Be Continued
Comments
Post a Comment