“Malati, hey Malati. Open the door, open it quickly.” Roma Aaba yelled out
running for Malati from the courtyard.
“What a bimbo! Open it damn.” Being afraid of Roma Aaba’s screaming Malati
hurried up and opened the door.
“What has ensued? Why are you shrilling?” Malati asked Aaba. Roma Aaba entered the
house at once and told Malati to shut the door.
“What to tell you Malati, somehow I escaped.” Roma Aaba told in a gasping voice.
“You escaped? From whom? Has somebody chased you?”
“Who else will be? That ridicules insane Haren.”
“What? But why did he do this with you?” astonished Malati stared at Roma Aaba.
“Does an insane need any reason to harass somebody?” Roma Aaba brusted out of
anger. “I was just walking around, suddenly he ran out to me saying he would not let me
live. What rubbish!”
About this time Suman came out from the room as Roma Aaba was in a loud voice.
“What happened Maa?” Suman asked Malati.
“That Haren, the lunatic one, he has chased Jethai. Ergo, she has come here.” Malati
replied.
Looking at Roma Aaba Suman asked, “Has he done something?”
“No dear, somehow I settled down.” She asked Suman, “When you have come
Suman?”
“I just came today.” Suman was just about to say something, that then somebody
started screaming, ”Where are you wicked lady? I will quaff your blood today. You are
the one who took my lass from me. I’ll count everything today.”
Roma Aaba started trembling, “I guess he will calm down only by killing me. “Suman and Malati tried to comfort her, “Don’t worry Aaba, we are here, he can’t do anything”. But he started shouting louder and louder. Fed up with this Suman said, “Let me ask him to go away.” “What are you saying? Are you getting mad? You are not going anywhere. There is no guarantee with that insane. Let your father comes. He will do something.” Malati inhibited.
“We don’t know when deuta will come. We can’t let him shout like this in front of our house.” Before Malati could do something, Suman got out off the house.
A dusk in front. All is dark. The effigy and Suman. The lights got on, that statue saw suman. Suddenly the fearsome appearance fell short and came down. Suman couldn’t make out anything. She lied, “Roma Aaba is not here. Please leave.” Without asking anything he went like an obliged kid. Suman didn’t get anything and remained the same as usual.
It’s not the first time she is facing this type of behavior from Haren. This is the one thing that Suman never understands about Haren, why he always goes away on seeing her. He shouts at everyone but not at her. Why he looks at her with an unintelligible affection. But now it becomes insufferable. Now she wants her answers by hook or by crook.
At dinner time, Suman asked, “Maa, how did Haren khura become like that? I mean why he lives like that? Is no one there for him?” “Don’t you have anything else to think that you are asking me a stupid question?” Malati replied unmindfully. “See, no one in our coterie is like him, mad, without family and the most important thing is why he always makes his way on seeing me without any reason.”
“I am done, just leave these things.” Malati got up and left. Suman stayed the same with the questions in her mind like always and the dark night swallowed everything.
“I am going somewhere.” Suman said. “Where are you going so early morning?” “I’ll tell you coming back.” Suman did not listen to anyone and went her own way leaving everyone worried. She knew where she had to go to get her answers. She went straight without faltering.
“Jadu koka.” Suman whooped. The man on the cadair, raised his head and called out of joy, “Sunu, hey my dear come, come”. “Lata, see who has come.” Jadu koka started calling his wife. “Sit by me Sunu.” Suman sat beside him. “koka I have come here with a job. I have some questions, I just need my answers.” “What Sunu, about moon and stars” He started laughing. Suman said. “No, about Haren khura.” Then she told him all her trouble with Haren’s behavior. The way he used to go away, the way he never looked at her, everything that she felt odd about Haren. “Why are you worrying about his behavior, he is demented, why do you think it’s something else. Just forget these things and focus on your life.” Jadu koka tried to explain Suman that she was just over thinking. But Suman was not egar to accept it.
Then she told Jadu koka about the pest she had with Haren, “Then why I always notice fatherly warmth in his eyes. Why I feel a connection with him. I just need my answers it becomes so unbearable for me, I am tired of thinking about these.” Jadu koka refused to tell, but Suman brook to refusal. “Ok then, I will tell you, but It will only hurt you. This day will obviously come, but I never thought that all these would happen through me.” He said dolefully.
Haren was the only son of his family. His mother died right after he was born, consequently his father remarried so that somebody could look after him. But the woman turned out to be very selfish, she was little concerned for Haren, she just wanted to secure he life by marrying a man. She was barren, she felt ashamed of that so she told everybody that she had miscarriage because Haren pushed her badly and made her victim by blaming Haren for a mistake that was never made. Some people didn’t believe but what would they tell as Haren was just a little kid and maybe she was right. She never missed any chance to humiliate Haren, she hurt him in every way she could. But Haren never went against her, he obliged her, he appraised her as his real mother. Time elapsed and Haren grew up. After his father’s death he became the servant of his stepmother, and she became the matriarch of the house.
Haren was then a lad, people started to persuade him for marriage. On everyone’s insistence he agreed to the marriage. He married a colleen named Basanti from a nearby village. She was so astute that she recognized the actual intentions of her step mother-in-law. She tried to tell Haren about her aspirations, but he didn’t listen to her. She always duped and made Basanti the sinner. Time rolled, Haren and Basanti welcomed their first child, a beautiful little angel. But how would shoddy people be happy for them. She said everywhere that what would be achieved by giving birth to a girl, only spent of money.
Basanti couldn’t stand it all; they both often came to blow. Haren’s step mother used to prove that she was innocent in front of others and torment Basanti. Haren was not able for doing anything, whenever he tried to tell something to his step mother she claimed to be pristine making Basanti guilty.
Time passed with all these and the little girl grew up. Time arrived for her ‘Annaprashan’. Everything was adequate, but the real spectacle happened in the evening when Haren’s mother accused that she was given her rice pudding with a dead gecko. There happened turmoil all around. She told everyone that it was how she was treated in the house as she was half blood for them. This time Haren stood up and supported Basanti saying she could never do this kind of shoddy job. Then Haren’s step mother realized that Haren was no more in her control, now she had to do something else to get everything in her control. And here, Haren and Basanti’s relation started worsening due to these quarrels. And the stepmother enjoyed by telling people all about these matters.
That day, Basanti had a high feverish; she couldn’t even get up from bed. Haren brought medicines from somewhere. But nothing came out good. Haren’s stepmother realized that if Basanti died, she would not have to stow the house and if not she had to do something for sake of herself. Because she recognized that Basanti would no more tolerate her inane attitude towards all of them.
She did what she wanted; she took something noxious and mixed it with Basanti’s elixir. Haren catered the same to Basanti. After a while Basanti choke down that she started tottering, she tightly closed her eyes, foam emerged from her mouth and after a hard time of struggle Basanti drew her last breath. Haren’s step mother screamed shedding crocodile tears, “Oh God, you mowed down my Basanti, what did you fed her with?” she said these things so loudly that people would come out. People heard her yelping and came. They saw Haren was beside Basanti putting his hand on her head, Haren’s lass was with her grandmother and crying very badly. Haren’s mother started saying, “Don’t know what he fed my Basanti that she is not responding. Again she started crying with a vile grin. When people asked Haren about this he was serene and just gawked at Basanti. Even after everyone asked him a lot but he didn’t respond. Haren’s this behavior made everybody to think that somehow this act made by Haren as everything was no going well between them.
There was a relative of Basanti in their bourg, when he came to know about this. He mustered some people, set out to Haren’s house. They hit Haren very badly because of Basanti’s death. After knowig what happened with Basanti, her family filed a case against Haren. On one side, Basanti’s death and on the other this case with the odds on his daughter with a terrible darkness in her future, Haren was at a cruel state of being forlorn, his mother started behaving more harshly than ever.
The fella who came back after ten years was not Haren, now he totally got unhinged, he became like a man without a bridle. He treated everyone as his enemy. He just wanted his bairn. When he couldn’t find her, he became even crazier. He started to abuse people even attacked on somebody. That’s how it all going on till now.
Jadu koka let out a heavy sigh. “But what happened to his daughter and stepmother?” Suman asked curiously. “The maternal grandparents of his daughter got hold of the girl, but they died after a few months, so a family adopted her. And the step mother still lives in this village.” Jadu koka uttered. “In our vile? Who is she?” annoyed Suman asked. “Your Roma aaba.” He said griefly. Suman couldn’t imagine that Roma aaba could to this much; she couldn’t believe that Roma aaba was the real felon.
“And where is the girl now?” Suman asked. “She is also here in this village.” Jadu koka whispered. At the time Malati came, “What would have happened to you if you tell us you were coming here?” “Koka tell, who is the girl?” ignoring her mother’s words Suman asked. “Which girl? Who are you talking about?” Malati got bothered. “I am asking about Haren khura’s daughter.” Malati was terribly shocked hearing what Suman had asked. “What the blah are you asking? Are you getting mad at these things? Let’s go. Khura, I condone you for these things.” Matali started taking Suman away.
“Stead on Malati. How long we will hide the truth. She has been unaware of the truth for eighteen years. It’s high time for her to know the truth.” Jadu koka interrupted Malati. “Sunu, you are asking me about Haren’s daughter, aren’t you? You will see her now.” “Where is she?” Suman asked being surprised.
“Here in front of me and Malati.”
