Chapter 3"Thank you", she said with all her heart.
"Thank you? I should say that. It has been 2 days since I talked to a human being. You reminded... me that I exist in this world", he said and sipped his bottle. It seemed that he had went very far from his drinking limits. The rain had stopped and sun was setting. He asked her to go home as her people would be looking for her. 'Going back home' - the words should have made her feel better but they gave her anxiety. Going back home meant that she was going back to staying between the familiar walls of her room; she was going back to being tired of crying alone without a shoulder to lean on. But what else could she do? She cannot stay there for long. Her parents would have already started searching for her.
She should be grateful that she could find comfort through a stranger at least for a day. As she stood up and took few steps, it started raining heavily and the rain drops fell on her like stones. Getting drenched in rain wasn't new for her. She had considered rain to be helpful to her as she felt comfortable crying in rain. But she didn't want to get wet in rain this time. She looked back at his home. She wanted to be there for few more minutes. By the time she went, he had fallen asleep leaning on the wall. She sat opposite to him leaning over the wall with her legs closed and her chin resting on her knees. His unshaven pale face and wrinkled clothes clearly indicated that he had been like this for days. She felt bad for his mother for not being lucky enough to live with such a son. It was getting darker and she decided to go home finally. She looked at him. She didn't want to leave him like that but she couldn't hope that she can drag him inside. She went inside his house and it was darker than outer space. She moved her hand over the wall in an attempt to find the switch for the light. She switched on the light only to find a dusty and messy house. She managed to get inside a bedroom and take a blanket. She realized she needed something else too and started searching for it.
By the time she came out, she saw him lying on the floor besides the steps. She heard him say something while covering him with the blanket.
"Sorry mom. I wouldn't come home drunk next time."
He pulled the blanket up to his neck and turned aside.
She walked straight into her room when she reached her room not answering the stares that her parents were giving her. After few minutes, her mother came in and switched on the light of her room. Seeing her daughter sitting on the bed with her back facing the door made her lose the little patience that was remaining.
"How long will you be like this? We thought that you need some time to forget the pain. But you are getting worse day by day. Going out and coming back anytime. This is not a hotel. What do you think of yourself? That you are the only one suffering in this house?"
She stopped her rant as the reason for her frustration turned towards not finding the towel.
"Look at your room. Things are not at their place."
She found the towel lying over the shelf and came in front of her daughter. She started drying her daughter's wet hair using the towel.
"Why don't you understand? There's no use in being like this. Everybody has problems. You have to learn to face them R.."
"Am I troubling you a lot?", she asked her with tears in her eyes and her face up looking at her mom.
"It's not like that. But you should also know that I and your dad are also suffering. You are crying for your son who lived inside you for 9 months. Then you should also know that how painful it will be for us to see our 26 year old daughter like this. What is this behaviour? Going out and roaming streets for hours. Not eating and sleeping properly. You are not just hurting yourself by this.."
She pulled her mom closer for a hug pressing a side of her face on her mother's stomach.
"I love you mom", she said sobbing and her mom caressed her head.
She got reminded of his talks about being a problem to his mom. She asked her mom whether she could sleep by her side for that night. Her mom looked at her wet eyes for a second and agreed.
"Change your clothes. They are so wet", her mom told her but she didn't leave her mom's hand and it was clear that she was refusing to move anywhere.
"Please..", she pleaded her mom and her mom couldn't do anything else than accepting her daughter's request. Her mother went out of the room for a couple of minutes. Her mom turned off the lights as she came in and lied besides her. Her mom started sleeping while she was still wide awake. She cuddled against her mother like she did when she was 9 years old. But strangely she got reminded of him hugging her and her crying on his shoulders. She prayed for his happiness as she closed her eyes to embrace sleep.
He woke up the next morning as some rays of sunlight escaping the clouds fell on his face. He was confused as to why he was sleeping outside and faintly remembered that he was talking to a lady the previous day. He found a note lying near him and took it.
"Be responsible even when your mom is not around. She will be proud of you"
He got reminded of the previous day's happenings and smiled.
"Did she tell her name?", he tried to remember as he got up from the floor.
She woke up with a light heart and climbed down the stairs to the hall. Her mother was complaining about the milkman not bringing milk that day.
"I will go", she said.
Even though her mom and dad were surprised, they had the same reaction. Both of them didn't want her to go out. Her father said that he would go and left home. She went to the terrace and looked at the carrot farm nearby. A lonely drop of tear escaped her eyes but the tear wasn't much bitter as before.
To be continued...
Edited by -Nive- - 9 years ago
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Mangal Lakshmi
18