Ornamental Memories

New start

Palak, “When a girl loves, she loves with everything, once she leaves, she will be confident enough to walk away, you are really misunderstanding me". They hired a car and reached the station together, Deepak, “Our train came". Palak, “Look at that correctly, it's going to Jalpaiguri". Deepak, “finally departing". They were not willing to go away from each other. From now on, taking the advantage Aishwarya started to interfere in everything. Suman came to know about her and visited Deepak to tell the truth. But Deepak behaved normally. He couldn't forget his grief of Palak's going away from him. Suman, “Aishwarya had tried to offer money to Palak to move out of your life, you won't believe, the lady didn't stop she also warned her if she didn't do according to her instructions, she would sell their house." He became very angry and hurriedly went to talk to Aishwarya's parents. Suman went with him, “Being her parents, you people also joined hands with her, how could you all be so cruel, I have no words to express, didn't expect this at all".

Aishwarya’s father, “We should have scolded her earlier, she has gone beyond our control now, she has become so desperate that she wouldn't think for a second before attempting suicide." Deepak, “I was sure she had a revengeful mind". One year had passed away. Deepak's family was thinking to call her once in Durga puja. Palak had a baby boy by then by a medical method. She had the wish of being a mother. Her friend also lived with her, she was informed by her grandaunt that Deepak's mother had sent a letter inviting her to their house, it was also written, forgetting all that had happened in the past if she could think to start a new life. She was angry hearing this last statement, and denied for it. Her friend tried to make her understand. She was quite happy in her own world. She was hesitating how should she say infront of all as she had a child now and there was no need to go back from what she had felt. Noone else could make her feel that she had not the right decision for her. They had mentioned if she gets late, they would reach to pick her up. She had called them but couldn't say no as she didn't want to hurt their feelings. Sneha was too stubborn to bring his sister back. Whenever someone from Deepak's house visited her, she was not to be found at home. She was continuously running away from the past. Aishwarya's parents one day went to Deepak's house to give the proposal of her long due marriage. His mother clearly told on their mouth that its no more possible. Once they had committed a mistake by separating Palak from him, they couldn't ruin her son's life this time. Deepak respects Aishwarya just as a friend. But she had decided to stay over there until Deepak accepts her. Her parents tried to make her understand that everything could not happen forcefully. Pradeep, “We could not allow you like this, this could make Deepak leave the house. Give him some time to get over”. Cries of a woman and shouting could be heard from the house beside theirs where Palak had shifted, some days later on everything was silent. It was almost three weeks, She was watching her companion, her roommate dull and had started to remain sad and silent. She thought it was better to leave her alone maybe she would be better in some days, but she had high fever and her condition began to detoriate day by day, she had no other way but to take help of someone, so called Deepak and told everything and took her immediately to the doctor. She was released in a few days. After Coming back home, she was afraid of something. At first she didn't want to tell anything but when Deepak went away in a few days her roommate thought she should tell everything to Palak. One day she called her to sit beside her and started narrating, she had gone through domestic violence in her first two marriages, so she left believing men. And she also told the reason behind the cries of the woman in the next house. She had seen the women's death infront of her, everyone knew about them, that's why she was behaving like that, "She was taken for the marriage. She was chosen by her in-laws. Priyam was happy. She didn't know what love is. They talked to each other and Dipam asked her for money in every week. The girl's family was rich. After marriage they had asked for money. They happily gave. Whenever the neighbours heard, the girl screamed. Whenever she came, there were bruises and cuts on her body. Her parents asked, she ignored by saying it was kitchen accident or she had slipped. Her parents were worried but believed her. Some confusion was there. The demand of in laws increased day by day. Her in- laws parents now had began to torture her. Her husband now everyday bet her when she did a slight mistake also. She was subjected to mental torture as well. She was tortured with kitchen tools and beaten by straps. Her parents understood something was fishy but the girl was totally helpless. Everyone was shocked. It was seen one day blood was dripping from the bed. There was a rope seen hanging from her room. The in laws refused to confess anything. Nothing was left to be judged. There were police cases for some weeks during which her in-laws told that she got ill and died. Nobody knows suddenly why it was stopped. She was getting every news from her friend who also stayed in this colony”.

Sitting idly for sometime, Sneha was thinking about the good old days about their relationship, she remembers about them, a couple who had met in their school days, about their continuous calls for long hours. Those little words were like flowers on a thread stringed together, in her mind.

Sneha joined as a nurse, became very friendly with the patients in a very small time. She used to come everyday in the morning and ask her patients specially the old people and the children in their way. She had to do overtime but was known all over the hospital for her kindness and simple behaviour. Some children wanted to be feeded by her or an old man wanted to take medicine only when she arrives. All the doctors used to respect her. In some critical situation, she would handle it wisely. If there is an accident case, she would immediately send the patient inside for treatment without delaying, making the receptionist understand she would take the responsibilities and when the operation started she would complete the formalities. Her treatment was unique than the other nurses.

Palak remembers that it was Sunday morning, a holiday, having cheerful mood, she was reading the morning newspaper, suddenly felt like visiting the old bookshelf. Actually that was her study room. Everyone calls her a bookworm. When she was a child, she used to save the money but only used to pay for travelling, and save a little and buy books and besides studying, she used to find time to read story books everyday. She found a few old diaries in the old pile of dust on the bottom rack. She had another hobby. She started writing diary from her school days but due to the pressure of studies, again started writing journal in the college days, when she was in the third year. Each page was written about the different stages of her life. She found some poems written by her when she was small, some house designs, some dress designs like she wanted it to be. Today she is a successful woman after finishing her degree in management. Today she lives away from her parents. But that torn page of the diary reminds of life's many failures, ups and downs, distance from friends, the growing up, some success stories. Palak had kept herself busy all the time to forget all the past incidents, she has collected good memory from those to remember every single thing.

Deepak’s chapter was closed from her life permanently. Suman and Palak had become bestfriends. Her grandaunt often told her to marry again, but she was afraid as she had seen how a man could change.

From nowhere, Palak started getting involved in her own family matters, when she got to know that her cousin brother had met with a terrible road accident and his bike was drowned in water. The people there on the street had seen that the bike was going at a great speed, it seemed he was in a great hurry and there were no traces found of where he could be, whether he is alive or not. The family waited for him several months, the relatives came to make them understand that their son would never return, because a person who is lost never comes back even after so much prayers to God.

And Palak also had a firm believe that his brother would return, she was feeling that she was losing everyone. She can’t afford so much. She and Suman had a pure relation of friendship, he was ready to help whenever she needed him in any crisis. Sneha wanted that Palak settles for herself, everyone is not the same in the world.

But she wanted her child Ayushi to grow up as a good human being. She used to feed, besides her job tried to give time to her, sometimes Ayushi used to get offended. But when Palak used to bring any gift for her, she used to get happy. Palak had taught her daughter to adjust, not to demand for things which they can’t afford, to be independent. But whenever Ayushi used to ask her about love, she frowned and diverted the conversation.

Ayushi tried to question her, but she used to get busy in her works. Palak told, “when you were in my arms, the small thing, I decided to give all the love to you. When you grew up slowly, I wanted to see you successful, and I am sure one day you will be and then I will show to the world that we both are so happy. But if you marry, I will be again left all alone and I don’t know how will I bear the pain.”

Ayushi hugged her mother, “I will never leave you.” Palak, “the children say like this but when they fall in love, they leave their parents and go somewhere else. I have created a new world with you. The second time again I had the courage to see a new dream with eyes open. But don’t know for how long this will exist? We never complete a dream as we wake up in the middle.”

Ayushi was sixteen years old, she asked, “but why does it happen?” Palak, “I have no answer to this, but as you are growing up, I can share somethings with you, you are my dear friend. I have no one else. Who were there in the past, they have gone afar from me.”

Ayushi says in her mind, “I will bring back those people in your life.” She joins college, her mother always advised her to be careful. But she reacted angrily to her mother’s words, “I can take care of myself, don’t treat me as a kid.” Palak thought, “she has changed so much.” But didn’t say anything, Ayushi after sometime understood that she has unknowingly misbehaved with her mother and went to apologise to her.