"Chhavi! Where are you going?"
"Mom! I have told you umpteen times. I'm not going to share table with this man"
"Chhavi ... "
Before Alka could complete her sentence, he got up with his plate and went into the bedroom. She looked at her daughter who had sat down and started eating. Her face was cold, impassive.
It wasn't something new for him. There was a reason he used to return home after 8 only. By that time Chhavi would have had her dinner and retired to her room to study for forthcoming board exams. He was at home a bit early today and agreed to share the table with her on the insistence of his wife Alka. However, it was very clear that the bitterness in Chhavi's heart had not subsided.
"Babu ji. Please buy some flowers from me. I need to pay the fees in my daughter's school."
He glanced at the 9-10 years old girl busy with arranging different types of flowers in the basket as her mother pleaded the people passing by to buy them from her. The girl suddenly looked up and smiled. He smiled back after a couple of seconds and bought some flowers.
Chhavi did well in the boards and the entrance exams for various graduation courses. She finally secured a seat in one of the prestigious institutes of the country. He was very happy and proud that day. Very soon the time had come for her departure to her place of study. Chhavi hugged her mother and both cried. He also wanted to embrace her, but just couldn't gather up the courage. Her eyes were still devoid of any emotions when she looked at him. Her parting words - Take care of my mother.
Almost 5 years had passed since Chhavi had left for her studies. She would come home twice every year and their life would become colourful for few days. She would have a lot of things to share with her mother. He would just stand outside her room and listen about her experiences, adventures and other happenings in life, and smile. Chhavi wouldn't speak to him even now, but she didn't object him sharing the table with her.
"Hello Uncle!"
He was surprised to listen to her voice. For past one month his eyes had been searching the woman and her daughter. It had never happened in past 5 years that those women had kept their shop closed for so long.
"Where were you?" He asked her "And where is ..." he didn't go further. The swollen eyes, the dropped shoulders and a sad face were telling the whole story. The girl was now all alone in this world. He didn't know how to comfort her. He just bought the flowers and left.
"Chhavi" he was surprised to see her name flashing on his mobile. She called him only when her mother had failed to pick up her phone.
"Hello"
"Mom isn't picking up my phone" She spoke in her usual straightforward way "Tell her that my convocation date has been fixed. I will be getting a gold medal and so I want her to be present that day. Please get the reservation for her"
"OK!"
She didn't disconnect the phone. There was a slight hesitation in her voice when she broke the silence few seconds later
"You can also attend the convocation" She was gone next moment.
He was, perhaps, the happiest person on the planet that day. Sweets were distributed in the whole office and he spent the evening in buying some stuff for Chhavi and Alka. It was already 9 in the evening when he was walking back home. It was then that he saw 4 goons trying to molest the girl selling flowers.
"Uncle! Please help"
He remained rooted to his spot for few moments. Then something from the past flashed before his eyes.
An inebriated young clerk, rape of the daughter of tenant, a huge uproar, pregnancy and the eventual wedding between the perpetrator & the victim
Alka forgave her eventually, but his daughter Chhavi couldn't. She could never bear this cruel fact that her father was actually the person who had raped her mother. All the right things that he did afterwards were never really enough to compensate for the heinous crime he had committed.
The girl's cries for help had intensified. He couldn't stop himself anymore. He swung into action and hit the first guy with his bag. Before other guys could understand what was happening, he had punched the second goon in face and the third was down as the girl kicked in his groin. Suddenly more people appeared on the road. Seeing that their attempt had failed, the goons retreated. But before that, one of them took out a knife and stabbed him in the stomach.
The intense pain reverberated through his body as he fell on the floor. Very soon darkness began to engulf his senses as he lost blood. The girl was right beside him, crying and asking him in frantic voice to keep his eyes open. All he could see was his daughter's face smiling back at him as she stood on the podium with gold medal in her hand. And then he felt he heard the word he was longing to listen for long.
"Dad"
He closed his eyes. He was finally at peace.
