Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“She shared everything of her life and I did the same to her also. But her past is not very much glorious. You may better not know about it at all.” sighing heavily Vinod said.
“In whichever way it may be I want to know the every detail of my mom dad.” Once again making her voice firm Sunanda said. “Just tell me, tell me everything you know about her.”
“Your mom’s dad died in her childhood itself. Her mother all alone has to look after her. She used to work in the other houses for income and it might be enough if it was only for their food and shelter. But your mom’s mother has to look after education of your mom also. So she has to….” Vinod paused.
“Tell me dad, don’t hesitate. What she has to do?”
“Prostitution.” That word has come out of his mouth like a bullet.
“My god!” however much Sameera expected to hear it from her father, she could not remain without saying it.
“Your mom was a very brilliant student. She got very good marks until her intermediate. Your mom so much wanted to study medicine. But the income her mom was getting was not enough even for the formal education. How she could study medicine? But studying medicine was your mother’s very much strongest desire. She expressed her desire to her mother and asked her to find a way to make her study medicine.” Vinod paused again.
“Did her mother find a way at all to her to study medicine?” Sunanda’s heart beat increased.
“Yes, her mother found a way to her to study medicine and Malathi used it and became a doctor.”
“What was that way? How a poor woman like her mother could find a way to her daughter to study medicine?” Sunanda knitted her brows together.
“That way was she has to sleep with a wealthy aged person of their village and he would provide the means for their maintenance and for her studying medicine. Your mother agreed to it.”
“My god, my god! I just don’t know how to understand my mother! She was a prostitute! Her mother also was a prostitute!” Sunanda’s voice shivered while saying like that.
“She and her mother did that only out of necessity. Why it is appearing that much bad to you?” looking straight into her face, he asked her.
“But dad they slept with men, it is adultery! How it can be supported?” Sunanda asked him vehemently.
“If it is so, you also have slept with boys before your marriage, why you yourself not consider so?”
It was like a whiplash to her. Sunanda did not know what to say and she hung her head.
“Sorry Sunu. I did not want to make you feel bad. But your mother and her mother both were innocent poor women. When they did have no other way at all, they used what they have. They did not cheat anyone. They provided something and took something.” Vinod said.
“Sorry dad. I did mistakes in my life agree. But I cannot take prostitution as easily as you are taking.”
“You need to have more maturity to understand this point. It is indeed helpful in two ways. There are so many unfortunate folk in this world who cannot have sexual pleasure through spouses for many reasons. What about widowers at early ages, men who remained unmarried for several reasons? Would not they have any urges in them at all? These prostitutes do provide it to them and get the money they needed. It is just giving something and taking something.” Vinod said “Just think in a cool manner when you are free. You can understand this point more better then.”
“Sure I try to do.” Sunanda once again hissed out heavily. “Still I cannot digest what I have heard.”
“Sure you can gradually.” Vinod said. “My opinion on your mother did not change even a little when I have heard it from her. My love and affection on her have been intact all the time and they would be so forever.”
“I am feeling really very much proud to hear you like this.” Sunanda said with appreciation in her eyes. “Mom was really very much lucky that she has got a husband like you.”
“It is vice versa. We both were fortunate in having each other like this. The only most unfortunate thing is she left us in such a way.” Vinod said.
“But dad” Sunanda asked him. “Have you been having the same love and affection on me always even you do have a doubt in you that I am not your daughter but Rajesh’s?”
“My love and affection on you never does change and it remains the same forever. I have felt the same love and affection on you even I have got that doubt in me all the time. What all I want is; only I have to remain as your father in your heart.” Vinod said.
“Oh, how do you think it would be changed?” she got off from the chair and put her right hand around his shoulder and said “Poor dad, you are worrying for it? Just be sure I am always your daughter and nothing can change that. Come, we both now go downstairs. My uneasy feeling is becoming more and more here.”
Vinod nodded his head and got off from the chair. Then Vinod and Sunanda came down stairs.
&&&
“We have to spend another fourteen hours or so here” Rajesh said.
Once again Rajesh, Tanuja, Rose, Neeraja, Vinod, Anand, Aravind and Emily were assembled in the verandah. Arjun and Madhuri were with their respective fathers. Sameera and Sunanda were in old woman’s room.
“With pleasure! It will be interesting!” Neeraja said with a smile on her lips. “The day passed so fast here. We did not do anything but talking in ourselves but I enjoyed it a lot.”
“I felt fear that you people do get bore here. In fact I have a plan to take all you people into the village and show it.” Rajesh said.
“What is there in this village to show? There are only two small temples.” Tanuja said.
“There are our lands in this village. I would have shown them to these people. But it has always been a downpour or drizzle. How we can go anywhere even we want? We may try that tomorrow if there is no rain. We may start from here after seeing the temples and our lands in this village.” Rajesh said.
“Rajesh ever you did go to that Ratnam’s house? He and his father helped that much to your grandma.” Vinod asked him.
“No I did not go.” Rajesh said. “In fact it is only my third trip to here. The first trip has been turned out like that. The next trip you know.”
“What about the first trip Rajesh. You did not say much about it.” Vinod asked him.
“This is indeed your fourth trip to this house. Have you forgotten your visit to this house with your parents?” Tanuja reminded him.
“You are right, yes.” Rajesh nodded his head. “But I was only just four years or so old then.”
“Still you need to count that.”
“Alright, alright this is my fourth trip” Rajesh nodded his head.
“I read about it in that book. Really very much pathetic! You lost both of your parents in such a tender age! How you could cope with that situation then I cannot understand.” Neeraja said.
“I don’t know whether I can say this or not. But I am really feeling very much interesting to know how your grandma felt knowing the death of her son and daughter in law.” Tanuja said.
“What the bloody hell you are talking? How she would have felt when she came to know such a ghastly thing?” Rajesh angrily said.
“I am not thinking that she did have any human emotions. If she has any, how could she put her own son and grandson away like that from her?” knitting her brows together, Tanuja asked.
“Have you remembered how she has felt when she came to know about that news Rajesh?” Vinod asked him.
“I did not remember anything what took place immediately afterwards. You have to hypnotize me and take me that long past once again to know about that.” Rajesh laughed and said.
“There is no necessity to do such a thing to know about those unfortunate matters.” Tanuja said.
“I am not going to venture that now even Rajesh is interested, don’t worry.” Vinod said.
“But later I was put in a family. I don’t know how grandma knew about that family. They did not look after me very well. After few months I have been put in a hostel and joined in a school connected with it. Both the hostel and school were very costly ones and there is no doubt that grandma expended considerable amount for it. Later-on my staying was only in hostels but in expensive ones.”
“That means your grandmother was a rich lady.” Neeraja said.
“You need no doubt in it at all.” Rajesh said. “My grandma’s family was indeed a very rich family. She was very rich. She helped the villagers also a lot. You all have heard what Ratnam has said.”
“But poor only in love and affection.” Tanuja said.
“It is not so that she lacked love and affection.” Rajesh said. “There was something that she could not express to other people made her behave like that.”
“That Nagaraju’s spirit was here. It was a bad spirit and it particularly aimed to do bad to her close relatives. So she did not let her son or grandson stay with her.” Aravind said.
“It is indeed a very absurd talking.” Tanuja angrily said.
“Atleast she thought like that.” Vinod said.
“I agree with what Vinod sir said. Grandma believed like that. In her opinion Nagaraju was here and he would do harm to her family members. So, she kept them away from her like that.” Neeraja said.
“What about your second trip here Rajesh? How you have been received here?” Vinod asked him.
“I already told you people about that was not I?” Rajesh said. “I could not feel even a little happiness in her face that she was seeing her own grandson. She did not offer me even water to drink. But that Ratnakar I just don’t know how he came to know about my arrival here, came here. All the time both of those people said only one thing to me. Go back and never come here.”
“How much surprising! Shocking indeed! How could she be like that?” Rose said with a surprising expression in her face.
“That was my grandma.” Rajesh nodded his head helplessly. “Even after I agreed that I would not come here, my grandma did not want to talk with me anything. She did not want to know what I was studying either. I felt very much angry. I said to her rashly that she need not help me anymore and I could make my own arrangements. Then I stormed out of this house.”
“Have you seen into her face while you were saying like that?” Vinod asked him.
“Yes I did.” Rajesh said. “I suddenly saw some distress in her face. She tried to say something but I did not listen to her at all.”
“Why did you do so? You should have listened to her. She might have told you the reason behind her asking you like that.” Tanuja said.
(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.)
