Time Travels but Love Stays (Part 6)

Mum was listening to him with apt concentration. Time passed in a jiffy and we had no clue. All three of us were engrossed in the past.

The past slowly merging with the present creating a gradient of beautiful colours of love, expression and emotion.

He continued with the tale, “We enjoyed life to its core and soon the best thing happened to me as if all the present happiness wasn’t enough. I was soon to become a father. The day she told me, I went crazy with happiness. That was the only day I remember myself going insane out of joy. My joy knew no bounds. I called up my parents and told them the good news. They were very happy too. My parents came to Mumbai and stayed with Netra for help. They bonded really well.

Her beauty increased day after day. She looked fresh and gorgeous.

My heart filled with excitement and joy just waiting for the big day. Finally the day arrived and she was in pain and her pain translated into my heart beats. I prayed to God till her cry stopped. I could barely sit for a second. Finally the screaming was over....

.... And I thought she will not have to be in pain anymore.

I heard a small baby crying...I felt a sense of responsibility just hearing the voice of my child.

The future flashed in front of me. Netra watching our cute little baby play. All three of us having the best possible time. Even the thought seemed to give me a lifetime of happiness. What I wasn’t aware of was that I will have to live with that one moment of happiness for the rest of my life.

We knew that it was a complicated case but this was the least I had expected. I lost my wife forever. She was no more. She died... s..h..e di...e..d”

His expressions changed all of a sudden. He was in deep trauma. He stopped speaking. He could not say anything. His eyes filled with tears. He looked down and covered his eyes with his hands. He wiped the tears that showed no signs of slowing down as though he wanted to wipe his pain with his hands. His tears sparkled in the light.

The love for his wife was flowing from his eyes in the form of tear drops. He squeezed his eyes tightly and tried to control himself but he just could not. He broke apart and burst into a cry like a small child.

Looking at him cry, mum felt pity for him just like me. She got up from the couch and sat beside him.

He sat on the couch holding his palm tightly together. Mum touched him softly on his shoulder.

He took his hands apart and looked at the floor as if he was brought back to this world. His eyes were red. He wiped his tears and took a deep breath. I could not see him cry. Unknowingly drops of tears fell on my hand from my eyes. I could feel his pain.

For the first time ever I wondered how my mother would have looked like. I wished to see my father and give him a hug and cry on his lap. I felt like something was cutting me apart from within.

I felt chill and numb. I was thoughtless for the first time since I had seen Akhil. I just waited till he spoke.

He gathered all his courage looked at mum and he spoke, “You know Shruti, but she gave me a beautiful fairy to cherish all through my life. She was my lovely daughter. The treasure we all were waiting to arrive into our lives.

But the least did I know that I will lose the biggest fortune in my life, my wife. I could not forget Netra. Her absence left a vacuum in my life. And every time I was lost in her thought, my sweet little fairy called out for me.

She looked just like her mum. It did not take much time for her to get into my life. I loved her unconditionally. One month passed by and it felt like years. But my little daughter had magic powers and she healed my wounds very quickly.

I had moved to Ahmadabad and stayed with my parents after Netra passed away. My parents started convincing me to get married again. But I refused straight away. I defended strongly to any of their methods to get me married again. I could never forget Netra.

  Now my life revolved around my daughter. She was at most importance to me. I doubted if anyone else could give her that unconditional love that I gave her. I wondered if any other woman could love her the way Netra would have loved her. As time passed, my doubts turned into facts. I knew that my daughter will have to grow up without a mother.

  After a few months I had to go for a project to London. I went half heartedly. Not only because it was the first time was I going away from my daughter but also because I was going for a long time. I was worried about my little one. The day I left my daughter, was very painful. It took me a lot of courage to leave her and go.

  I would hear her voice over the phone for a few months. But after a couple of months due to my haphazard work hours, I could not hear my daughter over the phone for many a days. Every time I asked about her, my mother said that she was asleep or has gone out to the neighbourhood. I never realised what was waiting for me.

  One fine day my mother called me up. She sounded nervous over the telephone. I was worried to hear her speak so nervously. When I forced her to speak the truth she said that my daughter was sick from a few days and they thought her health would improve but unfortunately it did not. She suffered from severe diarrhoea and it got worse with each day passing by. She was admitted in the hospital in critical condition when my mother called me.

  Immediately I started making arrangements to leave for Ahmadabad. Two days before I reached home I got news that my daughter had passed away. I was completely dumbstruck. I was torn apart, I felt lonely, shattered and devastated. She was the reason I was happy, I was alive. She was my secret angel, but she no more existed. The very thought of not having her by side brought shiver down my spine.

  I came home and still my eyes wandered around in the house looking for my little angel. I was waiting to get a glimpse of her, which I knew I would not. My mother broke into tears looking at me. She said she was extremely sorry that she could not take good care of my daughter.

I could not even see her face for the last time. All I had was her memories.”

I was constantly looking at Akhil. I felt I was a part of his life. I could feel his pain.

  He stared at the floor and sat on the couch like a rock. Slowly a drop of tear flowed on his cheeks. He looked withered. He was torn apart from within.

  He lifted his head and looked at mum. His eyes still red. He said in a choking voice, “My daughter wasn’t dead.”

Mum looked down and a drop of tear dripped from her eyes on her peacock blue top.

  I was now confused, totally taken aback by his statement. I craved in my heart to know the truth. I could not more remain silent. I was eager to know what happened to his daughter.

I immediately asked, “So, Where was your daughter?”

  He spoke helplessly, “All I knew then was that she was alive. I had a ray hope when a couple of months later I met one of my college friends, Jinisha, who also happened to be our family friend.

  She had been to our house a few days before I came back from London. She told me that my daughter was absolutely fine when she met her.

  Looking at my condition she felt pity for me and revealed that my parents could have sent my daughter to an orphanage. For a minute I had lost my mind. I doubted her intentions. But as she started explaining to me I realised that my parents had made the biggest mistake in their life.

  Jinisha was a teacher for disabled children. So my parents enquired to her about the best orphanages in town. They lied to her that they wanted to make a donation. She did not have a clue what they were planning for.

  I rushed home and said that I knew everything. I asked mum to reveal the truth. She was silent for a long time. I screamed and pleaded and ultimately she burst into tears. She thought that my daughter was the reason that I did not get married. And that if she was out of my life then I would have a new beginning. They felt that way I can be happy again.

  What they did not know was that, I was happy and my daughter was the only reason I was alive. She was all over my dreams. I could not have a better life without her.

  She was somewhere in this beautiful planet. But she was taken away from me. I tried contacting the orphanage but they said the child has been adopted. They said it was against their rules to reveal the details.

  I tried everything but I could not find any information. I knew that my daughter was safe and I was sure that I will see her some day.

  And years later I learned to live my life on my own. I kept trying to know any clue where my daughter could be. I imagined everything possible under the sun. I kept dreaming about how she would look. I celebrated her birthdays alone. I yearned to see her more than anything else in this world. Since then I moved to Mumbai.

I speak with my parents over the telephone, but in my heart I still carry the burden of separation. My heart pounds when I think of Netra!”

  I asked him shocked! “You still do not know where she is?”

  Akhil took a deep breath and said, “And now after so many years I met one of my college friends “Nisha” and hearing my story she could not tolerate my pain and she said one of my college friends had adopted my daughter and she has name her....”

  “Netra”, mum cut him short.

Tears rolled from my eyes uncontrollably. I had heard something that I was suspecting from so long.

  “You adopted my daughter”, he said in a low deep voice, looking at mum.

Tears flowed and flowed from mum’s eyes. Just like me, she could not stop but cry. She knew what she had done.

  Netra! That is what I heard last. I could not believe my ears. I wondered, is he my father? I was in a deep disguise. I was saturated with emotions and all I could see was my father.

He was my father.

  He looked at me and said, “My dear daughter! Netra, I love you so much dear. I missed you... I missed you.” He wept.

I had never thought I will ever see my father. I kept staring at him. The halogen light lit his face. His eyes were moist and his skin was soaked in tears.

  He looked at me and said, “Shruti named you after my wife, your mother, Netra, who is no more.”

I was jolted back to reality.

  I stood up and walked towards him. Kneeled down and asked him, “Are you my father?”

  He looked into my eyes, his vision penetrating into my mind, he said, “Yes dear, you are my fairy little daughter and I am your father.”

I touched his hand as tears of joy kept pouring down my cheeks.

He quickly grabbed my cheeks in his hands and kissed on my forehead.

I was so much overwhelmed. I laid my head on his lap and cried till my heart was relieved of the agony and shock.

  While we were immersed in this daughter – father drama, mum on the other hand was sitting quietly. She was definitely happy for us but she carried a sense of fear on her face.

Dad got up and sat besides mum.

  “So, finally you get your daughter... a drop of tear rolling down her cheek.”

Holding her hand dad said, “Don’t worry Shruti, I will not take your daughter away from you.”

  He smilingly said looking at me, “I can see how beautifully you have grown up my daughter. I doubt if I could have brought her up so well. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart to have taken care of my daughter this well.”

Mum looked at him surprised. She thanked him even without saying anything. Her eyes spoke everything.

  I have no words to describe how good it feels to have such wonderful parents. I held both their hands and thanked them for being such great parents who understood me so well.

  I kept looking at dad and kept smiling. I asked dad slowly, I want to see my mother’s photo, can I ... holding on to mum’s hand tightly.

Mum gently patted on my hand and smiled at me acknowledging that she was alright.

  “Sure dear, why not?” He said and he opened his valet and there was a beautiful young woman along with dad. With brown eyes and fair skin, she looked amazing.

Wow! She is my mother? I wondered. I smiled and gently touched the photo as though I could feel her.

  “If she was alive now, then she would be really proud of you dear,” Dad said breaking into my thoughts.

  “I wish she was alive,” I said.

  “I too wish the same dear.”

Mum grabbed my shoulder and said, “I am sorry dear, you will be alright, don’t worry.”

  I looked at the clock and it was 4:00 pm already. I was surprised how time flies by....I had just disembarked from my past memories.

  Mum said, “Then I should start cooking lunch! It is too late.”

  “Oh! I thought we were fasting today,” I said naughtily.

Everyone burst into laughter.

  “We should celebrate our union ...dad...what about having lunch outside? ... I want a treat,” I chuckled.

  “Anything for you sweet heart!” replied dad smiling.

Actually I was waiting to share a lifetime full of memories with dad. There was so much more to know about him....