An untellable secret
(Some secrets may better remain secrets for ever)
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“It is indeed very pathetic. I just cannot understand why this beautiful girl ended her life so.” Menaka’s mood changed a lot after she saw the photograph of Nirupama and heard the story.
Just half an hour before she entered into the office of Smaran and he not only explained everything about the investigation but has sown the photograph of Nirupama also.
“Not just you, her parents and her close friends also cannot understand it. I am hired to know about it. Particularly her father wanted to know the reason that compelled his daughter to commit suicide. He firmly believes that there was a strong reason for his daughter’s committing suicide like that.” Smaran said.
“I am also thinking in the same way.” Saying so, she looked at the photograph of Nirupama again. “See. How beautiful she is! Appearing very intelligent also. I never believe a girl liker her commit suicide for a silly reason.”
“You just strengthened my belief. Yes there is a strong reason that compelled her to commit suicide and you and I are going to discover it.” With a convincing voice Smaran said.
“What should I do in the whole of this?” throwing the photo into the envelop Menaka asked him.
“I tell you. Be patient.” Smaran leaned back in the chair and hissed out. “You need to go to that Ranganath’s house and stay there for some days.”
“What should I do there then?” Menaka knew her uncle asked her to do that with some reason. “I know that you don’t ask me to stay there without some purpose.”
“Observe carefully. Especially that Nirmala. You have to give to me reports occasionally over phone or by coming here. That house is also not very far from here”
“I do it.” Menaka smiled. “When I have to move myself into that house?”
“Tomorrow evening. Tell your mother that you are going to be away from your home for some thirty days or so.”
“Do I need to stay in their home that long?”
“The time I have given to solve this assignment is one month. The fees that has been agreed is two lakhs. I am going to give you fifty thousand rupees out of it to you.”
“I am not money minded. I am doing it mainly to help you.” But her face was lit with pleasure when she heard it.
“There may be some more things you need to do. I tell you about them when the time comes.” Smaran said as if he did not hear what she said.
“Alright. I will do as you are going to ask me.” Menaka nodded her head. “Anyhow, the first task is I have to land myself in their home by tomorrow evening.” She said.
Smaran nodded his head. They discussed some more time on that matter then
***
“I don’t think that Nirmala does agree to this girl to stay in our home.” When Smaran said about Menaka’s staying in his home, Ranganath said. “How she would? She is imagining my late daughter Nirupama in our house alive and your Menaka’s staying with us proves that is wrong. She would be disillusioned.”
Smaran smiled and said. “First let me put my request before you both and see what happens. I think she would agree to it.”
“I have no objection.” Ranganath nodded his head. “Moreover I shall feel happy for this girl’s staying in my home. She is appearing just like my daughter.”
Menaka smiled sadly on hearing that.
***
“I am very happy that you have come to our home again.” Looking at Smaran and Menaka, Nirmala said. “May I know who this girl is?”
“She is the daughter of my sister. Her name is Menaka” Smaran said. Menaka smiled at Nirmala.
“The daughter of your sister?” suddenly there were frowns on the forehead of Nirmala. “Its alright. But the last time I forgot to ask. What about your family? Where they are living now?”
“There is no family to me.” With the same expression in his face Smaran said. “When my wife was third month pregnant, she died in a road accident. After that I just did not like to marry again. The only relatives in the whole of this world I have are this girl’s sister Madhuri and this girl. My sister’s life also is not very much happy. Her husband used to practice as an advocate and when this girl was just four years aged he died with a disease. After that this girl has been just like a daughter not only to my sister but to me also.” Smaran said.
Then Ranganath looked into the face of Smaran with a surprising expression and Smaran nodded his head indicating whatever he said was true. Ranganath’s heart filled with sorrow.
“I think you are going to stay in my home atleast two or three days now.” Nirmala said. “My husband is your close friend you said.”
“I am sorry, there are urgent works to me to attend.” Smaran said. “Anyhow I came here to make a particular request to you people.”
“Oh, don’t talk like that.” Nirmala said with little anger in her voice. “Just simply say what we have to do for you.”
“My sister is working as a bank manager and she has to go out of staion on some urgent work. She has to stay away for minimum one month or so. Till now she never let her daughter to stay all alone in the house. I just cannot say where would I go and when I do return to my house because of my business works to keep this girl with me. So I want to request you both to let my niece to stay in your house until my sister returns home.” With a requesting expression in his face, Smaran asked.
“Is it is something that you need to request us like this?” this time the anger in Nirmala has become even more. “Why cannot you simply say that your niece is going to stay in our house for one month or so?”
Quickly Ranganath and Smaran exchanged glances and there was a smile on Smaran lips saying he knew it before itself.
“Shall we give her the downstairs room then? It would be more comfortable to her.” Ranganath asked Nirmala.
“Why downstairs room? Don’t you remember that our daughter went to her aunt’s home and she would not come back until one month or so over? This girl is going to stay in Nirupama’s room itself.”
Everything was so surprising to Ranganath. Why he could not understand his wife as Smaran did?
“You take these people and show Nirupama’s room. First of all this girl….” Nirmala paused and looked into Menaka’s eyes. “What is your name?” she asked her
“Menaka” Menaka threw her charming smile again.
“Indeed nice. Oh, yes. This girl should like that room first. If this girl does not like it then we think which other room to give.”
***
“I cannot understand. Why my wife is behaving like this? Every time she is inventing a lie to keep her daughter alive in other people’s thinking. Is she is really believing that her daughter is alive?” Ranganath asked Smaran with surprise.
“Yes and no both.” Smaran laughed.
“Uncle you are as much confusing to us as that aunty. Tell us straight.” Menaka asked him.
“Yes, she is right. Please tell me why cannot I understand my wife as you understand her?” there was distress in the voice of Ranganath.
“Deep inside her your wife knows your daughter is late. She is no more. But her conscious mind cannot accept the truth. So she is willfully imagining her daughter as alive. She invents situations in such a way that keep her daughter alive in her imagination and in others’ thinking all the time.”
“My god! I just cannot understand! How long it will be like this?” Ranganath nodded his head helplessly.
“Still pathetic. I am feeling enormous pity towards her.” Menaka’s voice filled with sorrow again.
“We are still at the doorsill. Shall we go into the room and see it?” Smaran asked as if he had no feeling whatsoever.
Ranganath led those two deep into the room.
“This is the room of my daughter. That is the photo of her.” Ranganath said showing an enlarged and life-sized photo on the wall there.
Smaran and Menaka remained staring at the life size photo of Nirupama. This was infact a replica of the photograph Raganath gave to Smaran which was enlarged and framed. She was appearing more beautiful, more intelligent than in the small photo they had seen before.
“This is the ceiling fan to which she hanged herself.”
Menaka felt a shiver through her spine. For few seconds she had seen that girl hanging from the ceiling fan. How that old woman would have felt finding her daughter hanging like that from the ceiling fan? What is the surprise that she turned mad like that? Menaka thought.
“Can you stay in this room or do you want a change?” observing carefully the expression on Menaka’s face, Smaran asked her.
Menaka breathed deeply and hissed out. “I am going to stay in this room itself.”
“Are you sure?” Smaran knitted his brows and asked her while looking into her face.
“Damn sure, of course.”
“I am happy that you are not feeling fear here.” Ranganath said with a small voice.
“Why feeling fear? Until few months back she was a young, energetic and intelligent girl. For the reasons only known to her she ended her life. That does not make her something that we need to feel fear. As long as I stay here, I do stay only in this room.” With the same firmness Menaka said.
“Alright then. We go downstairs and report the same to your wife.” Smaran said.
***
“So you liked the room. I am feeling happy. Don’t feel shy to ask anything.” Nirmala said.
“Why am I? I am feeling so close and near to you.” Menaka said. Her heart was becoming more and more heavier observing the old woman so.
Nirmala hissed out heavily. “You are in all respects just like my daughter. I don’t get the feeling of missing my daughter if you stay in my home like this. Whenever she comes home, I have no objection whatsoever.” Saying so she left that place.
“I think you do remember your assignment.” When only they both were left Smaran said to Menaka. “Try to give me reports as frequently as possible. If there is anything important don’t delay to tell that to me.”
Menaka nodded her head. “As you say.” She threw her charming smile again.
&&&
“Yes, we both intimated with each other a lot.” Niranjan said. “She used to share everything of her life with me.”
“You are the reason for her joining in psychology post graduation.” Smaran made himself more comfortable in the chair which was opposite to Niranjan in his study room in his house. There was a vacant chair beside Smaran’s chair and a table with files and paper weight between Niranjan and Smaran.
“You are right. I did not ask her to join in psychology. But she got lot of interest in psychology after seeing me.”
Smaran did not feel surprise. Niranjan was appearing like an interesting figure. There was strange calmness and intelligence in his face. His odd black spectacles were in their place.
“The interesting thing here is; her acquaintance with me increased a lot only after I settled in this town. Even though I was an uncle to her, I always was in a far away place and she just knew about me. After my retirement while I was thinking to settle where, Ranganath insisted me to buy house in this town and settle here. Not just that he located this house for purchase and did everything except paying the money to make it my own. So I am here.” Niranjan laughed.
(I hope that you enjoyed upto here. I shall publish the next chapter as soon as possible. Please don’t forget to rate and review.)
