Chapter - II
After having coffee, Lallu carried her school bag and ran towards Narayanan. The foam of the filter coffee sticking to the edges of her soft lips creating an abstract art. He wiped the foam with a hand towel and stared at her without a blink for a moment.
"What grandpa, why are you looking at me like this?"
"I'm just observing whose looks you have"
"What do you mean, grandpa?"
"Some people have a face similar to the other, isn't it? Likewise, I'm trying to find whose looks you have." Narayanan explained.
"Twins too are like that only grandpa. Pinky and Pretty in the fourth standard are twins. Both of them are looking alike."
As she talked, Narayanan continued to stare at Lallu. That ridge forehead. That little ear that bends slightly over in the upper lobe. She looks just as a replica of Janaki.
"For everyone in our family, the first child would normally be a girl. I was the only first child to my mother. My mother was the first child to her mother. You wait and see! For our Gopal also, the first child will be a girl." You would be saying this frequently Janaki! I am seeing her right now. But you have gone without seeing her! You were very stubborn. You said that you would not even take a glass of water from the hands of your daughter in law. You did as you said. You are gone now”. Narayanan’s thoughts travelled faster than light.
A voice calling "Uncle" woke him up. It was Janu- Rudra's sister. She was carrying a basket of vegetables with her. She was calling him that way since yesterday evening. It was quite funny for him to think that Janu didn't think of himself as an old man.
"What Janu?"
"My sister will not feed anyone for free, Uncle! Only if you work, you'll get food"
"I will do whatever work that is given", Narayanan smiled and told her.
"Chop these vegetables uncle, take this knife!", she said to Narayanan. "Lallu, Mom has been scolding you for a while. Come and sit in the hall and at least pretend to be studying", she dragged her away.
Lallu left lamenting. Narayanan looked at the vegetables and the thumb of his right hand alternately. One day when a fight broke out between the inmates in the jail, he interrupted in the middle and had a cut in his arm. The jail doctor didn't treat him properly that day. The wound healed but the finger has become numb and hard like wood. It does not bend, doing a job by pressing it, will lead to an unbearable pain.
Seeing that he was hesitant, Rudra came and took away the vegetable basket and knife from him. Narayanan said, " Wait Rudra, I'll chop", but she went with the basket of vegetables as if she has not heard him.
He just tried to relax in his bed.
"Daddy, Why are you not signing my grade sheet? The teacher is asking every day", Narayanan heard Lallu saying that.
"I will not sign", Gopal teased her. "Your English mark is very poor. If I sign, it would be a shame on me!"
" If not, go! I'll get it from my grandpa!"
"Oh! Your grandpa? Yeah, He will sign wonderfully!"
Suddenly, Narayanan felt like someone slapped him at his face.
After that, a great silence reigned the entire place.
Unable to stand up, he lost the strength of his legs. He felt a slight dizziness.
There was an old wood bench outside the kitchen. He sat on that and flipped through the daily newspaper.
"Often you are saying that you have to go to Ponmudi once", she told Gopal while serving meals.
Gopal didn't reply. Rudra continued, "You just can't, but your father is here, you can tell him, right? What for him, he doesn't have any commitments. Let him be there for one or two weeks. If we ask, he will not say no."
Narayanan felt that he could not forgive himself if he still maintained silence.
Rudra came and stood near the door and asked Narayanan, " You bought one land near karamadai in Bellathi before ten or fifteen years ago, do you remember that?"
"Yeah! I remember I gave it to Joseph for rent..."
"That drunkard is not sending any money. Why should somebody enjoy our property? “I’m telling your son to go there once and settle everything and come back... "
"That's not a problem. I'll go and see", Narayanan said. Once, when he went for a picnic with his friends, he remembered being overwhelmed by the lush atmosphere of the Ponmudi. A friend of him said, "You are describing the charm of this place so much. Then why can't you buy two or three acres of land here? " Yeah! That is a nice idea. I'm going to buy a piece of land here", he recollected that moment.
"It would be perfect if you leave today. You can change the tenant or sell the land, that's your choice", Rudra enjoyed saying this to Narayanan.
" That village is a hamlet. How dad can stay there?", Gopal grumbled inside.
"Why? My aunt's house is there. They all vacated the house and it's free now. It was beside that Ganesha temple. The temple priests are having the key. They will give, if you ask"
"That's more than enough. I can cook myself." Narayanan answered.
At this juncture Gopal just passed him to wash his hands. He returned, wiped his hands and dressed up in front of Narayanan. But never told what must be done after going to the village.
At last, while leaving for office he said, " Dad, You don't have a new shirt to wear, right?", Gopal said without even looking at him.
"What's for that? I am fine with what I am having."
"I have two old shirts of mine. Here it is!"
Gopal said the words "Here it is “a little louder to catch his dad’s attention. Narayanan too noticed that. It's not just that there are two shirts hanging in the stand, he also noted that something like a piece of folded paper has been tucked into the front pocket of the shirt. Narayanan understood that he was in a hurry to get the job done within one or two minutes without the knowledge of Rudra.
It looks like he left a few bucks inside the pocket, unnoticed by Rudra. This scene reminded him of the proverb, "Even if one isn’t ready to help their blood relations knowingly, unknowingly their inner mind will force them to help" The daughter in law may be without affection. But, a son could not be like that. Narayanan just wiped away his drops of tears of unmeasured joy.
After some time, he was washing his dirty dhoti underneath the tap. Rudra came with a bag in her hand. Her face seemed to be full of kindness. "Your bag is ready. I have packed your things. It's getting late. What is the need to wash dhoti now?"
He was astounded. "Should I leave now itself… I thought I could tell and leave after Lallu arrives"
"There is only one bus to Ponmudi. That too at 1:05 pm, I guess. It would be appropriate if you eat and leave now."
He rolled up the wet cloth and got up. He heard in his inner mind Lallu asking, "Grandpa, why are you leaving too soon?" "I'll be returning within two- or three-days sweetie", Narayanan replied in mind.
He could not return home even after seven days passing like in a dream. The elegance of the Bellathi village was holding him back there.
He was lying on the floor steps of the temple pool with a dusty and dirty bag as pillow. There was a smell of moss in the air coming from the pool.
Is this the land where the charisma replenishes everywhere before ten or fifteen years? No! It's like the Angel of beauty deserted this place. The village has become like a dusty, torn book forgotten to be read by readers in a library. It seems like the number of people leaving villages for their livelihood to town has increased considerably.
There was only a dilapidated house near the Ganesha temple. He asked the priest about the house and they replied,
"It was an old tiled house. Four years back, it collapsed due to heavy rain. We informed your daughter in law too. They came from Thiruvananthapuram and had a look", the priest said and asked, " I'm having the key. Do you want it?"
Narayanan asked about the tenant.
"Joseph, is it. He is a drunkard. He will come here very rare. But he doesn't have anyone's land now", the priest said.
"Anyway, stay here for two days and ask him if he comes in person," he said but didn't say where to stay.
This small open temple hall is the only way he thought.
An old dog was laying down near him, a few steps away. The dog looked at him pathetically. He remembered that the last ten rupee note with him was also spent.
Suddenly, he got up from the floor and sat down. He hurriedly unwrapped the bag that had been folded into a bundle. He has not yet had the opportunity to wear the shirts that Gopal has given him. He remembered that Gopal put something in the shirt pocket on the day he left.
He took the shirt and searched inside the pocket of the shirt. There was a piece of paper and no currencies, a folded piece of letter.
"To dad, your arrival is like a storm in my small peaceful family. Then, it's your wish- Gopal"
Narayanan read those lines repeatedly. Tears that rolled down from his eyes washed away the words in that letter as if they want to wash away the sins of his only son.
Days back, in prison-
"Look, sir! We will face numerous problems once we have been released. But don't be discouraged or depressed, remember that we should support each other at any cost," he recollected what George said.
"George! Where are you? What are you doing now dear?", Narayanan's mind tried to predict.
