27-11-2019, 05:54 PM
Prabu’s father stood there, eyes red with anger. He opened his mouth to say something. I immediately closed his mouth with my fingers and dragged him out from the hall. The sounds of lightning muffling the sounds of our feet.
He pulled my hand away with anger and said, “Leave me thambi (younger brother) we will cut both of them to pieces here and now,” he said his voice choking in fury.
I cried in anguish slapping my own face. “What then. After cutting them to pieces what would you tell to the town folks. That my wife cheated on me or your son had seduced another man’s wife.” “By cutting them up our honour is not going to be saved, everyone will speak disparagingly about us.” By killing them I will go to jail, what will happen to my children. Will they be begging in the street.” “You will go to jail, your family would have no men folks left, it will suffer. The whole town will speak very ill of us all throughout the lives of our family members.”
He had both his hands on my chest tears streamed down his cheeks. “How are you able to bear all this and still be standing like a strong pillar .. seeing my son’s bike I came looking for him, worried he would be destroying his life lying in a drunken stupor here after drinking toddy or some cheap liquor .. why have I to see him destroying a whole family .. god please take me away from this earth,” he lamented”
I held his two hands to my face and cried. He suddenly fell on my feet. “ aiya , my god, I promise you, he henceforth will not even look at your wife. If he does that you will find my cut head stuck on a stake in front of the temple.”
My face twisted in agony as I cried. I begged him. “My father is no more, I am asking you as my father, my wife should not come to know that we know about this ugly deed. She would hang herself if it is known to her. She has never been like this before .. she has done this out of some weakness at this vulnerable age. I have the mental strength to bear this pain and live, she does not.
He looked at me with tearful eyes. More tears burst out from him. “Why couldn’t you have been my son.” He then quickly got up and walked away without looking back. The rain from the sky fell on my face mingling with my tears. With lead laden feet I slowly walked back to my car.
I didn’t go home but rather went back to the shop. If I arrived home before Meera came back she would be worried and upset on what to say for the reason she was out of the house. I came back to the house very late. Even sleep became an enemy to me in the night. I thought of all the struggles in life that I had to undergo. Life had always been a very strong opponent to me. It was never easy for me, I had fight to succeed every time. Meera betrayal was only to me, but she had been a good mother to my kids.
Meera was sleeping very serenely beside me after her illicit tryst. I cannot only blame her for her adulterous behaviour. To succeed in life I had immersed myself wholly in that endeavour and had neglected my stunningly beautiful wife. I was also a cause for her vulnerability and hence am equally to blame for this happening. I decided that I had to meet Prabu and bring an end to this affair. One matter in my favour is that both Prabu and Meera respected me a lot. I decided that I should henceforth not let Meera suffer loneliness. Slowly night became dawn. The crowing of the cockerel announced the arrival of the day.
I became busy in the shop. A small child came running into the shop. “Anna (elder brother), Prabu anna asked you to meet him at the dilapidated temple. I was taken aback on hearing this. I handed over the responsibilities of running the shop to my assistant and quickly drove my car towards the building.
The building stood there lonely and abandoned as usual. I entered in and as I passed a few pillars I saw Prabu sitting on the ground dejected, leaning against a pillar. I was surprised at how he looked. Can a man become so broken in a single day? Hair completely unkempt, face smeared in grime, crumpled shirt drenched in sweat .. was this the same man who always used to have a confident on his face.
In a considerate tone I called out, “Prabu.” He slowly got up and sat on a small ledge attached to the wall. His face was swollen as he had been crying. He voiced out brokenly, “Saravana” and as sobbing overcame him again he burst out “Sar..vana…” and sobbing loudly he again fell on the dirt floor. He looked up at me with tears filled eyes. “After knowing everything how were you able to bear that pain without doing anything .. Oh my god .. you saw those ugly sights with your own eyes .. even one’s own brother would kill someone who did the things I did .. Saravana kill me …kill me Saravana , I don’t deserve to live. You had thought about my family’s good name .. but I failed to do that. Lust had made me an unfeeling beast.”
I looked helplessly at my ‘friend’ wailing, holding my feet. I took hold of his shoulders, raised him up and made him sit on the ledge.
“Prabu, it’s not just only your fault or Meera’s fault in this matter, I am partly to blame too.”
He cried out loudly, “No Saravana it’s not your fault or Meera’s fault .. she is not a woman who would fall so easily .. her beauty made me blind to all morals .. I continuously pursued her and finding her vulnerability, I took advantage of her.”
He started sobbing again, “my father cast aspersions on my birth .. how can you be my son .. did your mother beget you through me?? Having besmirched the honour of not only your wife but my mother with my actions, oh god, why am I still alive, “ he howled.
I silently kept looking at him. When I myself needed consoling, what is it that I can say to him. He continued, “I will be marrying my mama’s (maternal uncle’s) daughter tomorrow.”
“Every man would want to spend his last days in the place he was born .. be buried there ..but for how I had betrayed you .. I will never step foot here again .. this is the punishment I am giving myself. I am going back to the gulf, I promise, it’s even possible that my dead body would go missing, but it would never come back here again.”
He looked at me for a minute, “ Please, don’t ever say you forgive me .. this worthless being doesn’t deserve the forgiveness of a good person like you. For unforgivable pain I have caused I have lost my father and my mother forever. My father has even forbidden me to light the funeral pyre on his death.” “I’m going Saravana .. but one thing .. Meera would not behave like this, betray you henceforth .. she loves you dearly .. I know how she suffered in guilt for what she was doing .. don’t suspect her after this, please.”
He got up and quickly left the place without turning back. After two weeks Meera asked me one day, “your friend had suddenly got married and left even without telling you?”
“Who knows what his difficulties were,” I said. Meera just stood there staring at me.
“It’s Friday today, get the children ready and you get ready too. We will go to temple and have dinner outside after that,” I told her. I went in to change my clothes.
I could hear the lady selling flowers calling out. “Madam flowers… I’ve got pink jasmine that you like, shall I give it.”
I could hear my wife’s voice from outside, “ No, give me only round jasmine from now on, the smell of pink jasmine gives me a splitting headache.”
-the end-
He pulled my hand away with anger and said, “Leave me thambi (younger brother) we will cut both of them to pieces here and now,” he said his voice choking in fury.
I cried in anguish slapping my own face. “What then. After cutting them to pieces what would you tell to the town folks. That my wife cheated on me or your son had seduced another man’s wife.” “By cutting them up our honour is not going to be saved, everyone will speak disparagingly about us.” By killing them I will go to jail, what will happen to my children. Will they be begging in the street.” “You will go to jail, your family would have no men folks left, it will suffer. The whole town will speak very ill of us all throughout the lives of our family members.”
He had both his hands on my chest tears streamed down his cheeks. “How are you able to bear all this and still be standing like a strong pillar .. seeing my son’s bike I came looking for him, worried he would be destroying his life lying in a drunken stupor here after drinking toddy or some cheap liquor .. why have I to see him destroying a whole family .. god please take me away from this earth,” he lamented”
I held his two hands to my face and cried. He suddenly fell on my feet. “ aiya , my god, I promise you, he henceforth will not even look at your wife. If he does that you will find my cut head stuck on a stake in front of the temple.”
My face twisted in agony as I cried. I begged him. “My father is no more, I am asking you as my father, my wife should not come to know that we know about this ugly deed. She would hang herself if it is known to her. She has never been like this before .. she has done this out of some weakness at this vulnerable age. I have the mental strength to bear this pain and live, she does not.
He looked at me with tearful eyes. More tears burst out from him. “Why couldn’t you have been my son.” He then quickly got up and walked away without looking back. The rain from the sky fell on my face mingling with my tears. With lead laden feet I slowly walked back to my car.
I didn’t go home but rather went back to the shop. If I arrived home before Meera came back she would be worried and upset on what to say for the reason she was out of the house. I came back to the house very late. Even sleep became an enemy to me in the night. I thought of all the struggles in life that I had to undergo. Life had always been a very strong opponent to me. It was never easy for me, I had fight to succeed every time. Meera betrayal was only to me, but she had been a good mother to my kids.
Meera was sleeping very serenely beside me after her illicit tryst. I cannot only blame her for her adulterous behaviour. To succeed in life I had immersed myself wholly in that endeavour and had neglected my stunningly beautiful wife. I was also a cause for her vulnerability and hence am equally to blame for this happening. I decided that I had to meet Prabu and bring an end to this affair. One matter in my favour is that both Prabu and Meera respected me a lot. I decided that I should henceforth not let Meera suffer loneliness. Slowly night became dawn. The crowing of the cockerel announced the arrival of the day.
I became busy in the shop. A small child came running into the shop. “Anna (elder brother), Prabu anna asked you to meet him at the dilapidated temple. I was taken aback on hearing this. I handed over the responsibilities of running the shop to my assistant and quickly drove my car towards the building.
The building stood there lonely and abandoned as usual. I entered in and as I passed a few pillars I saw Prabu sitting on the ground dejected, leaning against a pillar. I was surprised at how he looked. Can a man become so broken in a single day? Hair completely unkempt, face smeared in grime, crumpled shirt drenched in sweat .. was this the same man who always used to have a confident on his face.
In a considerate tone I called out, “Prabu.” He slowly got up and sat on a small ledge attached to the wall. His face was swollen as he had been crying. He voiced out brokenly, “Saravana” and as sobbing overcame him again he burst out “Sar..vana…” and sobbing loudly he again fell on the dirt floor. He looked up at me with tears filled eyes. “After knowing everything how were you able to bear that pain without doing anything .. Oh my god .. you saw those ugly sights with your own eyes .. even one’s own brother would kill someone who did the things I did .. Saravana kill me …kill me Saravana , I don’t deserve to live. You had thought about my family’s good name .. but I failed to do that. Lust had made me an unfeeling beast.”
I looked helplessly at my ‘friend’ wailing, holding my feet. I took hold of his shoulders, raised him up and made him sit on the ledge.
“Prabu, it’s not just only your fault or Meera’s fault in this matter, I am partly to blame too.”
He cried out loudly, “No Saravana it’s not your fault or Meera’s fault .. she is not a woman who would fall so easily .. her beauty made me blind to all morals .. I continuously pursued her and finding her vulnerability, I took advantage of her.”
He started sobbing again, “my father cast aspersions on my birth .. how can you be my son .. did your mother beget you through me?? Having besmirched the honour of not only your wife but my mother with my actions, oh god, why am I still alive, “ he howled.
I silently kept looking at him. When I myself needed consoling, what is it that I can say to him. He continued, “I will be marrying my mama’s (maternal uncle’s) daughter tomorrow.”
“Every man would want to spend his last days in the place he was born .. be buried there ..but for how I had betrayed you .. I will never step foot here again .. this is the punishment I am giving myself. I am going back to the gulf, I promise, it’s even possible that my dead body would go missing, but it would never come back here again.”
He looked at me for a minute, “ Please, don’t ever say you forgive me .. this worthless being doesn’t deserve the forgiveness of a good person like you. For unforgivable pain I have caused I have lost my father and my mother forever. My father has even forbidden me to light the funeral pyre on his death.” “I’m going Saravana .. but one thing .. Meera would not behave like this, betray you henceforth .. she loves you dearly .. I know how she suffered in guilt for what she was doing .. don’t suspect her after this, please.”
He got up and quickly left the place without turning back. After two weeks Meera asked me one day, “your friend had suddenly got married and left even without telling you?”
“Who knows what his difficulties were,” I said. Meera just stood there staring at me.
“It’s Friday today, get the children ready and you get ready too. We will go to temple and have dinner outside after that,” I told her. I went in to change my clothes.
I could hear the lady selling flowers calling out. “Madam flowers… I’ve got pink jasmine that you like, shall I give it.”
I could hear my wife’s voice from outside, “ No, give me only round jasmine from now on, the smell of pink jasmine gives me a splitting headache.”
-the end-
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