Chapter VIII
She has a paranoia disorder! To say frankly, she is half mental! They had safely locked her in the house! I set her free! Now I will be blamed for that …. Thought Narayanan.
Narayanan was shocked to see already a heavy crowd has been collected on the spot. He looked around him, the village that showed no sign of inhabitation for the past two days is now fully active and energetic. He could not understand what they are talking as everyone was talking at the same time.
"From where did this old man came from? Where did my Raji go? What happened to her?” he only heard Raji’s mother’s lamenting after searching the whole house for her. With the confusion of having done such a thing in an unfamiliar place and the embarrassment of being targeted by the eyes of so many people made him feel distressed.
“You look like an educated man? Why did you do this?”, one of the person in the crowd asked very rudely.
“I...I don’t know anything. I just went to lie down on that porch. Inside the house, I heard the voice of that woman crying…”
“Oh! Then out of sympathy you went and set her free ,ha-ha and should we believe your words gentleman?”
“No,Son,I just asked her what has happened and she said that her husband had left her locked up like this...”
The crowd was making fun of Narayanan and were laughing loud.
“You immediately broke the lock?”
“I didn’t break. I took a nail and put it inside and turned . It opened immediately”
“That girl immediately touched your feet, thanked you and got your blessings, Is it? , a guy asked and said “Look here old man, Tell me the truth.” he asked grabbing Narayanan’s shirt. “Did you snatched the gold chain she was wearing?”
“Yes, Sukumar. That might have happened. She is mental. Will she tell ever this old man has snatched her gold chain?” said another. "Please listen to me. Honestly, I did not do that” Narayanan yelled in vain but no one was bothered about his version of the story. “If we check his pocket, we will know”, One man started searching inside his shirt pocket and the handbag.
Tears welled up in Narayanan’s eyes, which he tried to stop with all his might. He remembered the day, during his son's wedding, when the hall-full of relatives stood shocked and when the sound of the children’s and the noise of Nadaswaram faded at an instant, he felt humiliated as if he was made fully naked in the middle of a thousand people. This incident tormented him more than that. No one questioned him that day, didn’t stare at him, didn’t examine him, He glanced at his son and daughter-in-law in the wedding hall and apologized by mind. The next moment, he was taken into the police jeep.
But today…!
“Please listen to me! I took nothing from that girl. If I had taken, will I stay here until everyone arrives? Check me out well,” he said as he drop-out his dhoti down. “There’s my bag on the porch, check that too,” he said.
Suddenly a youngster came making way into the crowd, he was shouting” Leave him! Don’t hurt him he is innocent”, when he came shouting at everyone, it seemed to Narayanan for a moment that he knows that young man and he has met him somewhere.
"Dinesh, you don’t interfere into this you don’t know what has happened? Don’t show mercy on him because he is old”, someone in the crowd tried to stop him.
“Go on. Fools! You can't even figure out where that mad girl would go. You have come to mediate.”
The man who was holding Narayanan’s collar left him and asked Dinesh,” Oh! My ’intelli gentia’ Now you come and find out where she is?”
“Whether or not I am finding out her, now go to the mangroves and see !”, he replied. The girl's mother pushed everyone away and came running and asked, "Where is my Raji? Where is she? Where?" She asked nervously.
“Go to the mangroves and look. She is there. I have locked her up in the gardener’s cottage. And here, you are hurting this old man without any shame!”
By the time he had finished speaking the crowd had started to disperse as if their duty is over. Narayanan thanked the young man who had saved him from that dangerous situation.
“Sir! Don’t you recognize me sir?” he asked.
"I don't remember you son," he said, looking at his face more closely. “Whoever you are son! For me now you look like an angel.”
“What sir? Why are you saying big words… Okay, come, sir, my house is nearby only. How come you are in this remote village, Sir?”
“You never said who you are?”
“Leave that sir. They said that you were in the village for the past two days. If I had known that you could have stayed in my house.” Saying this he walked in front of Narayanan. “I worked as an office assistant under you for three months Sir, in that good for nothing company. My name is Dinesh”
“Oh yes. I remember you now,“ Narayanan said. “Once, I issued a suspend order for misbehaving with the typist, am I right?
“Oh! You remember that , Sir?”, he said and continues. “Betraying someone as good as you would lead to destruction. They sent you to jail, Sir, after that the company's position became very bad.”
During a crisis, the joy of meeting someone known slowly vanished from the minds of Narayanan. He walked behind Dinesh with looking down.
He didn’t notice the mentally ill girl who is coming with her mother and others in the opposite side. He heard someone excitedly saying “The girl was caught”. He was really worried about meeting someone who knew his past which he was trying to forget.
Going around the temple pond, Dinesh entered a small street. “I didn’t want to work in that office. So I resigned. Why do you look, worried sir? Did I say something wrong Sir?”
“No, not at all”, he answered. He would have spoken more to comfort him if he had not remembered of his grandchild upon seeing that scene.
One villager was standing before a petty shop with his grandchild sitting on his shoulder. The child was pestering her grandpa to buy her something.
What Lallu would have been doing now? It's 7.00 pm. She would be sitting before the little folding table with her mathematics notebook. She may be doing her homework scratching her head with the tip of the pencil. Those wide eyes of her roll back and forth as she raises her head to ask her doubts to Rudra. Will she ask,” Where is grandpa, now”. Narayanan’s heart beats raised. Only one day, just a few hours. The kid bonded herself well with him! I came here without repairing her doll. Lallu, forgive grandpa, dear.
He was able to recollect that when the investigation, appeal and everything was over, one day, Gopal came to inform that a girl child was born to him. Just for name sake with mindful of hate, Gopal would come to see him once every two months.” A Granddaughter for me?”, overwhelmed with joy he asked, “What is her name Gopal?” Gopal answered “Lalitha”, he happily repeated that name like a mantra all day long. His memories travelled back faster than light.
It was only after Dinesh said that “This is my house Sir, bent down a little and come inside sir, please take care of your head ” Narayanan understood that it is a tiled house. "Please wait a minute Sir," Dinesh said, with a matchbox and kerosene lamp he vanished into the darkness. He put a torn mat on the floor and said, "Sit, sir." As Narayanan sat leaning against the wall he felt like that he was relieved of all his suffering in a minute. “Whatever it is Dinesh. I didn’t even buy you a single tea when you were working with me. But you are expressing so much affection towards me.”, Narayanan said.
“Does affection mean giving money for tea, sir? Many a time you have spoken to me with love and support. Even if you forget all that, I have not forgotten.” Dinesh told him. “What would you like to have, Sir? Shall I prepare a tea, Sir?”
“It’s okay, Dinesh I don’t want anything now dear”, Narayanan replied. “Where is your family Dinesh?”
“My wife went to town, sir......She is carrying, sir.”
“Oh, congrats”,Narayanan said. ”What are you doing in this village?”
“I didn’t like to work with that company after you have left Sir, So I resigned.”
“So what? Why did you resign? Getting a job now is a big deal dear!”
“It’s good to leave that disgusting job Sir. If it is not there somewhere I can get a job , Sir!”, he said.
Dinesh lit the kerosene stove. “I cook myself Sir. I’ll prepare tea first, you take that. Meanwhile I'll prepare rice and gravy within half an hour, and we can have food Sir.....”
“I will never think like that, dear you are like my son,” Narayanan said. “ I thought why should I trouble you, okay, Dinesh ,I don’t need tea, please go ahead with your cooking,” To tell the truth the pain of hunger was taking over him.
“Where are you working now Dinesh?”
“It’s good if there is a job which is related to agriculture in the nearby town”
“Why ,Dinesh, What happened?”
“ Pity on my bro! He has been trying in vain for the past one month for some packs of compost. His crops are withering, and he is begging to that officer for that but nothing happened,”
“Oh my god! Who has to sanction it?”
“My officer, sir. It is enough if he writes and just sign and my bro will get the compost packs. We can go to the store and get it. Looks very simple!”, Dinesh got up and slammed the door shut and took a letter from the pocket of the shirt that was hanging in the hanger. “You have come here at a right time, Sir”
Narayanan could feel something odd in his speech, in his voice. “What are you saying Dinesh?” He showed a letter to Narayanan. The letter was beautifully typed in the office letterhead of Dinesh. The order to release the five bags of compost was the content in the letter as he said earlier.
But in the bottom of the letter there were no signature.
“I have everything ready, sir. I have been trying for that sign for the past four days, but it’s not coming.” He showed another letter. It was a letter for some other purpose, but it carried the original signature of Dinesh’s officer.
“This is it, sir If you don’t mind could you please help me?”
