Valentines Day

A SHORT STORY

VELANTINE’S DAY

Dr. T. Vasudeva Reddy

It was Valentine’s Day with a pleasant morning, neither cold nor hot. Morning rays of the sun seemed to caress the body. Traces of withering winter and ushering spring could be felt. As it was a village, most of the men had gone to the fields and women were busy with their household work. Raju, a middle-aged man, temporarily free from normal duties, was sitting idle in the verandah, partly browsing through the daily Telugu newspaper and partly reflecting on his present plight of loneliness. His daughter had gone to school and his wife left the world three months ago.

Hearing the disturbing sound of the footsteps, Raju looked up and spoke with an enquiring look at the other person standing in a seductive way in the portico: ‘It is you, Rathi, how are you? What has brought you here so early? She replied with a smile’ No specific work. Many days are over after my last coming here. On the ceremony day I came and worked here till dusk. Afterwards, I couldn’t come to the house deprived of my sister. I have come only to make a courtesy call’. ‘Rathi, where is your husband? Has he gone for work?’ ‘Now a days he doesn’t go any where. After so many days, he could get some work today. He has gone.’ After a couple of minutes she spoke again.’ Daughter has gone to school, I presume. Where is the other girl? Has she gone to fetch a bundle of sugarcane leaves for the cattle?

‘Yes, My daughter left the house at 8 a.m. itself. The other girl Rangi must be coming . It is time she should be .

‘This house, such a big house, has become lonely and pale after the passing away of sister. With her exit, the house lost its lustre and glory and the spirit of life.’

‘I am not fortunate to have my partner with me. Everything depends on the will of god.’

She stood there silently for a few minutes; and her silence was intriguing to the house owner and it was like the nature of calm water before the brewing of a storm. Then she said with an assumed smile with a silver-lining of faint uncertainty. ‘Please open the other door, the old door’. He asked with an air of suspicion. ‘The old door! Why’? ‘Please open it a little, I will come that way and I have to talk to you privately.’

Raju went in, passed through the central hall, entered the verandah, unlocked the door and opened it. As he opened the door, she stepped into the verandah and closed the door, then she asked him to come inside the hall.

He said, ‘Rathi, what do you want? if you want to tell me anything, you can speak here itself’.

With a twinkle in the eye, she spoke in a tone of persuation, ‘No, no, you come inside. I have something personal to talk,’ So saying she went inside the hall.

As he hesitantly entered, she closed the door in a swill way and said. ‘Abba, I know how much you are suffering from this loneliness ever since sister had departed. Many times I saw how sister and you loved each other. You never left her. Whenever you left the house, she would be anxiously waiting for your arrival. In these three months, after her departure, how are you able to bear this loneliness?’ Apprehensive of her conduct to some extent, Raju said, ‘Rathi, it is all our fate. I am not fortunate to have her and to be with her. God himself was envious of our love and with a cruel hand he snatched my other half, my better half away from my life. I have to surrender meekly to my fate and live with her memories.’

With an outward feeling of concern, she spoke, ‘you are not old, and it is very difficult to control the physical desires. I personally know how difficult it is to control it. Relations are strained between my husband and me. Three months are over since we have talked to each other. I have not allowed him to come near me and I know how difficult it is to control the natural urge.’

So saying she smilingly caught hold of his shoulder and said, ‘come and enjoy. How long will you suppress the strong urge. Last night for hours I was thinking of you and of your loneliness. With much pleasure I wish to fill the vacuum created by sister’s exit.’

Raju was stunned and for a moment became dumbfounded. Although he expected something of this sort, he couldn’t expect this type of direct approach, rather a direct encounter. He thought she was going to request for a loan of high amount, as she was facing financial difficulties in completing the construction of their house. He knew quite well that she was a woman without character or decency. That is why when she closed the door, he imagined that she would fall before his feet and implore for money. Still in a corner of his mind he had a remote sense of rightly surmising her conduct. With a quick recovery of his senses he gently released his shoulder from her lustful grip and said ‘leave me alone, don’t touch me. Even in my dream I can never think of doing injustice to my wife. I can never betray her, more so when she has left this world. You know how my wife and I loved each other and how devoted we were to each other. Had I gone astray while she was alive, I could have sought her forgiveness. In her loving company I drank life to the lees with both joys and sorrows, and we enjoyed life to the full. I can live the remainder of my life with the memory of the bliss of our marital life.’

Paying a deaf ear to his words and embracing him, she said, ‘of course you cannot forget her. I knew you lived like a pair of doves. That is why this separation must be unbearable to you. You need not get worried or disturbed or distressed. I came here to give you pleasure. You can use me as you like and whenever you want me I will be before you. It will be strictly between ourselves.’ Raju became very serious and felt the situation very awkward. He pushed her, threw the door open which faced the street directly and said in a stern voice, Rathi, don’t be foolish. Don’t behave like this and never repeat it. I have suppressed all my physical desires and in fact all such desires vanished with the exit of my wife. All my carnal desires were burnt in the flames of my wife’s funeral pyre. Now I have only responsibilities to fulfill. First, I’ve to see that my daughter is happily married. My action must give peace to the soul of my departed wife. I cannot deceive my wife alive or dead, wherever she is, whether in this world or in the other world.’

She was so taken a with this totally unexpected turn of the situation that she could not get words for a couple of minutes to speak. Then with a forced smile on her disappointed lips, she said, ‘I see now you seem to hesitate lest others should see us. There is to see us here. For years I had so much of liking for you. My heart was full of happiness whenever I saw you and sister together. You appeared as if you were made for each other. You never left each other for a moment. That is why I felt this fateful separation must be unbearable to you. Even now I very much like to give you my company for some time. If not today, any day you want me, you can call me and I will be extremely delighted to share pleasure with you. After all we are not that old not to have such desires, nor we Rishis.’

With a firm tone of finality, Raju said, ‘Look here - that situation will never arise. One man and one wife in a life time-that is all. We thought we were born for each other. But God unkindly cut her life and cursed me to live even after her departure. When God wants me to suffer, I have to suffer. That is all. I have to accept the punishment given to me. Yes, I shall live all my future in my past, in the sweet memories of our loving past. Rathi, don’t entertain such a thought in your mind.’

She spoke in the middle, ‘you are extremely sentimental. Those who have passed away will never come . As such we can’t always think of the departed. We have to forget them and live and enjoy life as it comes. My advice is you forget sister. Even if you think of her everyday, you can’t get her . You should be bold and happy. If you are happy, your children will be happy. That is why I volunteered myself to satisfy your starved desire’. Raju said, ‘Rathi, go away and leave me alone. Never come here with such an idea. I can’t deceive my partner. Oh, I see my wife standing before me with eyes oveflowing with love. Radha, my dear Radha, I am always yours. As long as I breathe in this World, no one can separate us. Not even the god.’

Rathi had left the place rather unnoticed. Raju heaved a sigh of relief at her exit, had his bath, put on a clean dhoti and entered the prayer room. He lighted the wick of the oil lamp, placed a burn­ing incense stick before his wife’s photograph and expressed in a low tone ‘Oh my dear, I stand be­fore you having washed myself from the defiling touch. You have left me alone in this desert. You are my best and choicest friend and you have made your exit suddenly. To whom else can I open my heart and express myself? Yes, I can open my heart to you alive in the photograph’. Imprinting a kiss on the inspiring cheeks of his lady love in the photograph, he spoke to his love as his powerful feelings found a spontaneous outburst:

‘I wish to reach you and pray the Lord
that after fulfilling the task you left
the moment my pining breath stops
my searching soul should unite with yours
before His lotus feet in the world unseen’