Adultery Fervor Regained by pinuram-Completed

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Chapter 1. Mater Dolorosa. (#1)

The dark monsoon clouds were jostling and rumbling overhead. The sky was gloom since morning. Cold moist winds were whistling all around. The weather was heavy with each passing second. The shower was eminent but probably waiting for some beckon for the torrential downpour.

It was last period and Ambalika sat absent minded in the class. She was chewing the back of the pen between her pearl studded rows and was looking blankly outside the window. Few crows sat on the shade of an old building nearby. Professor was teaching inorganic chemistry but not a single word entered her in her brain. The humid air beckoned her with open arms. She should be happy but she was lost somewhere. The dark clouds reminded her beloved mother who left for heavenly abode few years back.

“Amba, what happened?” Piyali, her bosom friend, nudged her and asked.

Ambalika wiped the corner of her eye looked vaguely at Piyali. She gave a painful smile. Piyali fathomed the pains of Ambalika. She was there on that day, when she lost her mother. She fathomed the disturbance of her soul.

“Nothing.” answered Ambalika with a sleek smile, “I am doing fine.”

Piyali knew that her friend was not fine. Few years after Ambalika’s mother passed away, her father married a much younger lady. She bore the thought that her stepmother took away her father. With each passing day, Ambalika wandered away from her father. Gradually a huge wall came between father and daughter. Her father was a renowned cardiologist. He wanted his daughter to be a doctor. Nevertheless, Ambalika was furious when her father remarried. Submerged in angst and pain, intentionally she did not clear the medical entrance exams. She took chemistry honours. Her father was furious but her stepmother persuaded her father. That day, for a moment she expressed her gratitude to her stepmother. She felt all alone in that huge palatial building. He father was always busy in his profession and she could not stand her stepmother. One day she tried to commit suicide but a faint babble restrained her from committing that sin. The babble of a new sapling; her toddler brother. She embraced that cub with all her might and solace returned in her bereaved heart.

“Today is your brother’s birthday. Cheer up and smile.” Piyali nudged Ambalika by her shoulder.

Ambalika sported a sleek smile, “Yes and dad has asked to bring Niladri.”

“Really!” Piyali exclaimed, “Then you should be happy. Why are you looking so gloom then?”

“I wish my mom was there today.” She said in a calm voice. She looked outside the window and murmured, “I wish my mom took me along with her.”

Piyali understood that the conversation was growing heavier and thought not to stretch more. The weather was getting heavy with each passing second. It started drizzling outside and Ambalika wandered in the barren caverns of her heart.

Piyali pinched Ambalika and asked, “Is Niladri coming today?”

She bit her lower lips and nodded her head. She knew that Niladri would be waiting for her after college. Probably he was standing at the college gate. The mere thought that Niladri was waiting for her, quickened her heartbeat. A bashful smile floated on her lips.

Her father did not object much about the relation between hers and Niladri. Niladri was an architect and was employed in a renowned architect firm. They both knew that their future was smooth. They planned to get married after few years. Ambalika was very head strong and independent girl. She wanted to complete her masters and pursue her career as a teacher. Whenever she was with Niladri, she felt autumn breeze in her bereaved soul. She counted minutes in her wristwatch. The second hand seemed to scroll at a snail’s pace.

Just then, the peon of the college came to the lecture hall and asked for Ambalika. Professor listened to the peon and looked at Ambalika. Everyone in the class looked at Ambalika. Ambalika stood up. No one knew as what happened, why the principal summoned her. Her heart was thumping loudly in anticipation. Although she was a good student, she could not find the reason. She asked the peon but the peon kept quiet. As she entered the principal’s room, she found a security officer officer there. She was astonished and stood there. Principal asked Ambalika to take a seat. The security officer officer told her that she has to accompany with them to the hospital. She asked the reason. The security officer officer kept quiet for some time and informed about an accident. A truck rammed into the car in which her father was travelling along with her stepmother and stepbrother. He did not divulge much only asked her to accompany. She felt a turbulent wave crushing on her. The whole world around her began to rotate. She gave a bereaved look to the principal and the security officer officer. She was about to fall down, just then Piyali came inside the office and held her in her arms. Everyone of her class gathered around the principal’s room. Ambalika regained herself and gave a glassy look to everyone. She forgot to wail, she lost her voice. Her world was once more shattered.

Ambalika came out of the college building accompanied by Piyali. Niladri was waiting for her at the college gate. Their eyes met, but Ambalika could not utter a single word, only her lips twitched in pain. He came running towards her. She stood like a stone effigy. Niladri asked the security officer officer and came to know about the accident. He took her in his arms and tried to console but she was then nothing more than a cold stone effigy. Piyali stood nearby watching them with tearful eyes.

All three of them accompanied with the security officer officer reached the hospital. On reaching hospital, she came to know that a truck hit their car from side and the car rolled into a ditch after hitting a tree. The steering wheel stuck inside her father chest and he lost his breadth immediately. Her stepmother’s head hit the windshield and her head was smashed in pieces. Upon hearing, the news as her heart was anticipating her eyes welled with tears. The security officer officer then asked Ambalika to identify the bodies. She identified the bodies of her father and stepmother.

She gathered herself and came out of the morgue without shedding a drop of tear. She stood silent for few moments and then asked, “Where is my kid brother, my darling Rishu?”

The security officer officer answered, “By the grace of God, he is out of danger. No one knows how he survived the fatal accident. He has only few bruises on his cheek and hand. Other than that he is fine.”

Doctor took her to the paediatric ward, where little Ambarish was admitted. Ambalika stepped in the ward and saw that little Rishu was lying on the bed. Little chubby Rishu was unaware as what all was happening around him. When he saw his sister entering the ward, his face beamed with a tranquil smile. He knew he was in safe hands.

He asked his sister in his kiddy voice, “Where were you?”

She bit her lower lips, drank all the tears that welled in her big black eyes and sported a calm smile. She clasped him across her lap and soothed, “I am here to take you home.”

He asked, “Where is mamma? These uncles are not letting me to meet them.”

She lost vocabulary as what to answer. She gathered her composure and smiled, “Mamma and dada has gone to buy more balloons and sweets for your birthday.”

He was inquisitive, “But our car tumbled?”

Ambalika feigned astonishment, “Really? When?”

“Yes, our car tumbled and after then I was brought here. I could not find mamma and dada.” He asked again.

She consoled him, “Dada and mamma has gone to buy a new car for Rishu. So what will be the colour of the new car?”

He jumped they were going to have a new car. His face beamed with joy, “This time red.”

She was able to hear the sound of her broken ribs, yet she did not express those tears and blood to that innocent foal. He was ignorant that his father and mother was no more in the world. She pressed her lips on his forehead and kissed his chubby cheeks, “Ok this time it will be red.”

She took her on her lap. He asked her, “Can we go home now?”

She looked at Niladri and asked him to arrange transportation to take her parent's body home. Although her head was spinning, but she knew that she won't be able to show her tears in front of that kid. She took another cab to reach home along with little Rishu. Both the bodies were kept in the ground floor. She kept her brother in her room, away from all the grieving family members. He sat there on the bed playing with his toys, while everyone was busy discussing about the unforeseen accident.

Rishu asked his sister, Where is my cake?

Amba ruffled his silky hair and said, "I will bring your cake in a jiffy and then we will celebrate your birthday.

She came downstairs where everyone was present. She looked at her parents’ body, covered in white sheet, lying on the floor. She called Niladri and asked him to bring a birthday cake for Rishu. Everyone was taken aback by her word. Relatives asked her as what she was doing. However, she was adamant on her word.

She said to them, "It is fate, not in my control that I lost my parents today. However, it is in my control that I can keep my brother smiling. Today is his birthday, I earnestly request you all to behave like that. Please do not speak of any bereavement in front of him. We can cremate only after Rishu falls asleep.

Most of the relatives opposed to her decision however, she stood her ground. Most of the relatives left except few near and dear ones. Niladri stood beside her all the time. A chocolate cake was brought and Rishu's birthday was celebrated. The people present there stared at Ambalika who was smiling constantly and tried everything to make her kid brother happy. She showered so much of affection that the cub did not felt that his parents were missing. She cuddled him close to his heart all the time. After celebrating his birthday, it was time to put him to sleep. Little Rishu asked for his mother then. Ambalika told stories, sang lullaby to put him to sleep. He fell asleep peacefully in her arms. He knew that his sister's lap was the safest place on earth.

After Rishu fell asleep, Ambalika crept away from his side. She had to cremate her parents. In the dead of night, with help of Niladri and her close relatives she cremated her dad and stepmom. The fire burnt her parent’s body to ashes. She had no tears left to wail, she was turned to stone. She was blank unable to think anything about her future. She was all alone in the world. She returned home in the wee hours of morning. The huge mansion gave her a haunted look the walls cowered on her. She sat in her father's practice chamber for a long time. She opened the drawer and found a picture of hers with Rishu on lap. It dawned then that she had to live; she had to bring smile in his brother's lips. She can't divulge to that kid that he lost his parents. She made up her mind to live for Rishu. She wiped her tears and entered her room where Rishu was asleep. She crawled beside the cub, cuddled her brother tightly in her arms and fell asleep.

The next morning brought a new dawn for the brother and sister. She appointed a full time nanny to look after Rishu for the time she was in college. She was altogether a different person then. The jovial girl was lost somewhere. She transformed herself to young Mater Dolorosa, taking care of her brother. Every night she told a new story so that Rishu do not ask about mom and dad.

Few months passed, Ambalika completed her graduation. Every evening, Niladri used to visit their house to meet them. One evening he asked her hand for marriage.

She gave a painful smile and said, "Niladri, I think you should forget me.

He was bewildered by her answer, Why what happened? I give you my word that I will share every pain of yours. I will be always by your side.

I can't leave my brother. He is the apple of my eye and he needs my undivided attention.

He pleaded, Amba, I am not asking you to leave Rishu. He will stay with us.

She answered, "What you are saying is quiet not possible. Have you ever thought what will your parents say? After marriage my responsibilities will increase, I had to look after many things other than Rishu. How he will get my undivided attention then? You have only thought of your side, few months back I also thought only about myself. I dreamt to marry, have a world of my own. I had my mother beside me for ten years and dad was there for twenty years. For my brother, there is no one except me. I have to be his father and mother. Everything has changed, Niladri, please try to understand. Please forget me.

He stood silent; her words pierced his soul like a bunch of arrows. He fathomed the helplessness of her heart he understood her situation. He tried to persuade, My parents didn't have any objection to have you as their daughter-in-law. Regarding all other matter I will discuss with them and I assure you that they won't oppose.

She was madly in love with Niladri. She knew that he would be able to convince his parents. Nevertheless, she was sceptical about future, a time no one has seen. Her closeness with her brother might not go well with her conjugal life or her married life could cause hindrance in the affection she had to give to Rishu. She asked Niladri to give her some time to think. Niladri went away that day saying that he would return with a positive note.

Ambalika made up her mind to leave the city, go somewhere else where the reminiscences of her parents or her love would not haunt her anymore. She divulged nothing even to her best friend Piyali, as she knew that Niladri would somehow come to know about her plan. She arranged to sell the property with all assets. She collected all the money, invested wisely in gold and deposited a good amount in fixed deposit. That sudden impulse made that jovial girl to an intelligent woman. She only took three pictures of her parents, except that she sold everything.

Little Rishu asked his sister, "Didibhai, where are we going?"

She answered, "We will go to a new place. There you will be with me always. No one will come between us.

Then one night, she packed her bags and left the city along with her brother. Before handing the key to the new owner, she took a last look at the huge mansion where she spent her childhood and her youth, the place where Rishu was born. The house bears several memoirs. Not even, she told to any of her relatives as where she was going. She boarded the train and left the city forever. There was a little bead of tear as the train chug out of the station but she had to leave.

A new town a new life for Ambalika and Ambarish. For first few days, she stayed in a hotel and searched for accommodation but all went vain. It was hard to find accommodation and a respectable job for a single girl with a kid on lap. She tried in vain to convince people that he was her brother. Everyone assumed him to be her kid and everyone assumed her to be a fallen girl. Fortunately, she bumped into an old friend of her dad. That person helped her to find accommodation.

In that new place, in a new house they started a new life. Ambarish was still a kid then, so Amba could not go for any job. She started teaching kids in her rented apartment and over a period of time she opened a Montessori college in her apartment. Thus, she was able to keep an eye on him and earn livelihood. She knew she had money but she saved all those for rainy day. Every night Rishu slept peacefully in his sister’s lap. She weaved a lie, a tale that their parents had gone to a far away land in search for medicine. They would return when little Rishu would grow up.

All that Rishu knew that his sister was his world. Ambalika admitted Rishu to a nearby college. On the first day at his college, she stayed for the whole four hours in front of the college. She took a picture of Rishu in his first college dress and kept that picture close to her bosom. That night when Rishu went to sleep, she took out three photos of her parents and showed them the picture of Rishu. She promised to her parents in a hushed tone that one day she would make him a doctor just as her father dreamt of her. Years passed, Rishu was a good student. On every festival or occasion, she flooded him with gifts and present. She filled his life with all love and affection. He stopped asking about his parents, he forgot them as he grew up. She was happy to have her brother close to her. It was pleasure for her to watch her kid brother to grow up. She cherished all the naughty deeds of her brother. The first prize when he came first in class, the first kiss to a kid girl in is class, the first lie that he told, the first story that he made up. She gave her wholehearted attention to all those little things of life. Her eyes used to get filled up with joy and every night she took out her stepmom's picture and used to narrate those to her. Every day he came from college with some new act up his sleeve, covered in dust and sometimes had leaves or some insects in his pocket. He never finished the whole lunch and it was a routine to thrash him every day. He was fussy about bathing during winter and she used to lure him with chocolates to take him to bath.


Continued...