Whoever said ignorance is bliss was so true for curiosity killed the cat only when it started smelling the fish from a dangerous plate
Because sometimes,
It’s easier to live with a lie than it is
to carry a truth that changes your life
4pm,
Wednesday, 1st July 2017
“You lied to me!!! How could
you? You knew what I was going through all this while! The pain, the isolation,
the torment, the torture and he constant ups and downs, away from a social life
all this time! I can’t begin to tell you how it feels to be cornered and alone!
I am not angry, don’t defend, I am hurt and heartbroken! It all makes sense
now, doesn’t it? The relatives disturbing us constantly, not a peaceful
conversation with you in almost a year, I have been stripped off any privacy
and you thought you were doing this for my security? You call yourselves my
parents? Take a bow. You’ve just lost my trust forever!”
Pankti and Zubair Zaheer were
patiently sitting in agony on makeshift chairs in Ramen’s room while she cried
a river. A howl of pain here, a dry tear of loss there and a whole lot of
muffled sobs to make it known that her own parents had cheated her! She felt
backstabbed and what was worse that all the feelings of isolated despair came
rushing back to her of the past 10 months that she didn’t think she could take
her parents’ lies anymore.
Pankti walked over to the
bedside and tried to calm her beloved daughter who was absolutely right about
the fact that they had somehow lied to her. She thought on her feet and simply
said, “Ramen, listen, I know we have broken your trust and no, don’t trust us
anymore. But hear us out just once and after that whatever you decide and
however you decide to live from here on, we won’t stop you.”
Zubair Zaheer, “Ramen you’ve
always been this creative eagle and you’re honestly not someone who takes her
jobs as commitments unless it’s upon you to bring bread home. We have given you
the freedom you need to explore horizons and be fearless because of which you
mustered the courage to investigate the horror you’ve been through this past
year. You’re not someone who can be silenced not easily but at all. You’re free
spirited and go to where and when the mountains call you. Before college your
job trajectory was not something you could recommend to follow your steps to
your kids and we, as parents were sick worried about your future security.”
Pankti, “You called your jobs gigs and I know the truth you confided in your sister about your motive to take up a higher education when your career was at a peak. You told her that you were done living the Bombay sheltered life at home and wanted to spread your wings in a city whose language didn’t excite you one bit. It was a joke for you Ramen. It was the ultimate freedom for you to move cities and live alone. You simply went to Chennai because you were “done” with my nagging and deadlines.”
Ramen lay flat on the bed
imagining her life had come to an end. She didn’t even have the strength to get
up and reach the box of tissues next to her bedside night table.
Pankti Zaheer wanted to make their
perspective as parental concern for Ramen’s future clear to their hippie
daughter so she continued, “You bullied your elder sister into footing your
college bills Ramen. Your father and I knew you wouldn’t last a job for a
lifetime with your creative lifestyle and you know we are a simple middleclass
family with no will at your disposal after we’re gone Ramen.”
Zubair Zaheer, “So when you
flew out of Chennai on a fly without attending your placement exams we were
really scared about your future prospects. Then after a day of your arrival
back home, your classmates from college called and informed us that they had an
animated reality show working in progress and you were the protagonist. At
first we thought we would die of an attack. I remember telling your mother that
I would soon get an attack but then they built our confidence by divulging that
nothing out of order would be taped and the show about your struggle to get
ahead with your baby Butterflytalkies would be shown until you succeeded in
monetizing it. We dreadfully agreed because they said there were a million
viewers of you and it the earnings were a great deposit to financially secure
you.”
Pankti, “Your future deposit is
the only reason we agreed and everything was under wraps until the show got
really popular and you started gaining stardom and then like they say that ants
get smell sugar from miles away, that’s when the disturbance began. I was aware
of the relatives’ constant barrage but I thought you would grow emotionally
with that burden but never once did we imagine that the neighbors would try and
take advantage of the situation and pull a fast one on you.”
Zaubair Zaheer, “Ray, your future
is secured financially and that’s the biggest worry that’s taken care off for
you and for us. Please try and understand our point of view.”
There was a lava burning inside
of her and she could barely control her rage when she blasted her parents for abandoning
her emotionally and what did her mother think about the constant mental
disturbance with barraging relatives emotionally strengthening her?
"You guys do know that I can sue you, right?"
"You could but as legal gaurdians we allowed it for your future security."
“So you just heard random people
make a decision about my life and you agreed? Not once realizing what I may
have gone through? Think about if your most vulnerable side was exposed to
people to view and how they would judge you! My friends did and I literally
have no social life anymore! What’s more? Everywhere I go, people stare at me
like I’m a painting walking out of a museum! If this show wasn’t on, I would
have had a job by now and would be perfectly content with it! You were wrong, I
may be a hippie but I can take care of myself! DO you hear me?!!!!”
Pankti and Zubair thought
better than to argue with their fiery daughter considering no one really could
match wits with her when she had had enough, they simply patted her shoulder and
left the room quietly but not without telling her that they had informed the
project managers that they were done with the show. She would cash in the money
earned soon enough and it would all be over now.
Ramen felt useless and she felt
like her life had changed in an instant right before her eyes and there wasn’t
a thing she could do about it. She silently called V in her head and he
appeared next to her. She was so scared she hugged her husband tightly and just
lay there in bed with him for a long time until the sun went down and then V
said, “It’s over. Ray, look at the brighter side – You’re a star baby there’s nothing
to worry about. The worst is over and I have been watching over you nothing
untoward shown on the show just so you know. Get your blog working again and
come away with me forever.”
“Take me with you. I don’t want
to live with my parents for even an instant.”
“You’re mine and tomorrow is
the day we bid goodbye here. Just wait until tomorrow and see the magic unfold
before you my love. Now sleep doll. Just flush it from your system. Tomorrow is
when you will belong to me officially. Just one more night. I promise.”
“You’re a witch V, just make me
disappear right away. I’m done being human.”
“Lol, I wish it was that easy
my hippie!”
“You heard that?”
Pankti was passing from Ramen’s
bedroom when she heard her daughter talking to herself again. She was really
worried about her natkhat daughter and so she asked, “Ramen is someone with
you?”
“Ya, your son –in-law and he’s
a witch!”
Pankti thought she would faint.
To be continued…
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