An Unwanted Issue

The day Vijay was born his father knew he would be the ideal son, his mother knew she would choose his wife , his sister knew she would be mercilessly neglected except when to be married off and Vijay knew how to “Burp”.

He was an unusually quiet child with an unexpectedly calm disposition. Many apprehended he would go against his genes but he did not dishearten his parents.

His father could proudly boast of a government employee, his mother did choose his bride aligned with the highest dowry payer and his sister indignant with the expected treatment towards herself ran off before her marriage day. What M. Aggarwal did not face in a devoted son was duly compensated in a rebellious daughter. But Vijay loved her.

Again quite contrary to neighbourhood laws, the siblings shared a beautiful relation. Her address, after the escape, was only available to Vijay, who had actually advised and later helped her to flee. Against public speculation of a clandestine affair  leading to her elopement, Rajneeta, Vijay’s sister had fled to study.

She was going to be four when Vijay was born. Even in those initial years, her ingenuous self was witness to a pronounced resentment from her father’s side. Her mother’s eyes were disappointed at such a result from her earnest endeavors to deliver a boy. She was apprehensive of replacement and focused on producing the right result the next time.

Rajneeta was thus raised with disgust and neglect. With Vijay’s arrival, she was sure she would be as inconspicuous as the corner stuck spider web and even more undesirable than it. But he was perhaps a God send angel to safeguard her sanity.

With the supreme task of giving birth to a boy being completed , Vijay’s mother had fulfilled her destiny. She was now waiting to choose the daughter-in-law and enjoy her hard earned reward as she gets served devotedl. Vijay’s father was a single-minded persistent fellow who channelized all his energies to raise the perfect son. In spite of their conscious abandonment, Rajneeta was completely complacent in Vijay’s company and never did once she resent his fate over hers.

Maybe except now.

Rajneeta stood at the well familiar 22B Bhowanipur lane in front of the iron gate and hesitant to go in. A many years had passed but some wounds never heal. A push came from behind and startled her completely. It was a child clad in white who asked her to come in. She was about six and her face was still flushed with signs of tears. Rajneeta recognized her. Vijay had shown her picture before they took the transfer to Chennai, she was her niece, Rai.

As she went in she noticed not much had changed inside the time inappropriate Bhowanipur House.  Mr.Aggarwal had a bookstore in College Street that had now announced its presence in the web. It was a second hand books store and had seen its fair share of struggle. The house had been expanded according to the old design and a second story was in the making. Vijay’s birth had been simultaneous with the flourishing of the Aggarwal business. Hence what can be easily inferred as a correlation was promptly declared as the causation ( not a rare mistake) and hence Vijay emerged as the uncrowned prince of the Aggarwal household. As Rajneeta passed by some dolls, she smiled wryly, she was the only  girl in the neighbourhood who never had a single toy. She flew kites with Vijay, played cricket and later played his video games. Passing the living room she met with familiar aged faces of her relatives whose repulsion towards her had softened with progressive age. Back in the time, she had been a nuisance whom her parents hid while these relatives visited their house. Her mother’s failed attempts to make her daughter docile and Rajneeta’s habit of looking in the eye drew flak from the entire family and her father vivid with rage. She loved it. At least then they accepted her presence.

On her thirteenth birthday her mother braided her hair; the frolicking birthday girl refused to take down her braids for three whole days. Finally her mother combed her tangled up braids and washed her hair. That was her favourite birthday. But the joy was short-lived as when she attained puberty ( shortly after her birthday), her father’s repugnance became unbearable. Her very presence abhorred the man. Her mother’s stance became understanding. She was even sorry at her condition.  Rajneeta had to help with all the domestic chores and seldom received the delicious buys. The chocolates and sweets were only for Vijay who at times took a few more to give his sister on the sly. It was not until she was fifteen that Rajneeta could know why she was so untolerable to her faher. Her birth was marked by a raging storm that again due to their confusion with correlation and causation was interpreted as a bad omen. Her father’s business suffered huge losses by the wrath of nature and dear Rajneeta had to bear the blame for it. It was also that year that her grandfather passed away cementing the theory of her portentous presence that would bring in dire fortunes for the family.

After her infamous house escape both Vijay and her mother kept in touch with Rajneeta. To her father she was good riddance but in a very improper way. His ignominy resulted in a vile temper and an ardent death wish for his daughter.

But the future is hardly predictable and almost never desirable. The sudden demise of Vijay cascaded into a series of unfortunate events. The six-month pregnant Vijay’s wife went into a state of shock and ultimately left for her husband, leaving behind an orphaned girl and a grief-stricken parent. Rajneeta had to come this time.

Initially she wished she would adopt her niece and leave from the mourning house as soon as she could but it was not that simple. She hoped that her family’s distaste for females might tilt the situation in her favour but once in the house she could not even dare to breach the subject let alone do it. After a week’s stay Rajneeta had successfully befriended her niece ,whom she had not seen in three years after Vijay’s transfer, and was pleasantly surprised at the changed dynamics back home. Rai had not been as unfortunate as her. Rai’s parents were not at all abominable but were rather compassionate and understanding. Vijay was aware of the unpleasant treatment that his daughter might face and thus never entertained any such comments from neither of his parents. The Aggarwal’s not getting their son’s attention had to mask their disappointment of a girl child and made an effort to like her. The result was a pleasant one. The anti-female ambiance of what Rajneeta remembered was much less hostile now. Vijay eventually took a transfer to prevent his wife from pestering relatives to give them a boy and all was well for the next three years. They had to return after Mrs Aggarwal passed away. Rajneeta did not come at her mother’s funeral. She was barred from entering the Aggarwal residence. But she had met with her mother in the hospital. Mrs. Aggarwal held her daughter’s hand, “ I am so sorry. I could not protect you,” her tears fell on Rajneeta’s palm as patted her mother. The distraught Mrs Aggarwal only asked for forgiveness even in her final hours. The relatives wanted her to attend the funeral but Mr. Aggarwal was unflinching on his words, “ she is dead to me.” He had actually performed her last rites after he saw her on T.V. being commemorated for her work on girl-child domestic abuse.

That would be a month back. After that things went out of control. Mr. Aggarwal’s doting son revolted against him and severed all ties with him for his inexcusable harsh behaviour with his sister and not respecting his mother’s dying wish, “I detest you. I am ashamed I am your son.” Vijay stormed out of the house vowing never to return and returning on four shoulders. Mr. Aggarwal felt no rage; he was baffled by the turn of events and completely devastated by his son’s death.  

Along the week Rajneeta had carefully avoided her father but the encounter was inevitable sooner or later.

As she prepared herself, the harrowing memories came back all at once splintering her mind yet again. The agonizing hours of disgust, contempt and undesirability trapped in this house she had always tried to escape wishing each night to be her last night here and then came the last one.

That day was ingrained in her mind forever. The following day was her marriage and knowing her temperament she was locked inside her room. With the help of hairpins and understanding cousins she picked the lock. The men of the house had gone to the bar to celebrate their accomplishment and Vijay was with them. He would stall them till 1 a.m. by the time Rajneeta would  flee with the decorators who were generously bribed and nobody would know before morning. But again fate was well against her. Vijay called at 11 to inform that they were thrown out of the bar after uncle Anshu started a brawl and he could no longer delay the return. He knew Rajneeta was determined to escape from this hell-hole and if she failed she had the poison to escape life. He called upon the decorators promising to double the bribe and asking to set up a ladder all the way upto Rajneeta’s  balcony. Vijay’s insisted on entering last and locking the gates behind him so fervently that it aroused Mr. Aggarwal’s suspicion.

Rajneeta now stood in front her father after 13 odd years and asked the question that had bothered her that long, “ Why did you let me escape?”

Mr. Aggarwal was suspicious and had at the back of the house to check. He had seen a shadow jumping across the wall but he had not alerted anyone then.

Crumbled up in guilt, worn down by sorrow Mr. Aggarwal sighed, “ I was not as bad as you think. We believed you were an omen  who foreboded  bad fortunes. My mother had to shave her head and leave for Kashi after father died. We really thought you were a curse on the family. We were ostracized from all family events till Vijay was born.” He took a deep breathe, “ I am sorry. I know it means nothing. But I truly am. When I saw you on T.V., I was relieved that you were doing well but I had to shut up the relatives once and for all and thus did that circus of a funeral. You had an indomitable spirit and I was not worthy of you. Rajneeta had not realised that she was crying, she hoped it all was a nightmare and Vijay would come to console her like the olden days. Tiny fingers pulled her dress and as bend down, the fingers wiped her tears and gave her a kiss.

“ I want you to come with me,” she announced quaveringly not meeting her father’s eyes.

Her father was shocked, he had not expected this in the least, “ But why?”

Rajneeta got up and squeezed the tiny hand, “ Not for you. She deserves a family whatever is left of it.”

Mr. Aggarwal’s guilt overwhelmed him with sincere remorse, he looked like a shrivelled creature begging for forgiveness. The despise he had once shown was now haunting him. Rajneeta did not loathe the man anymore, she felt pity for him. Reflecting at his last rueful years in anguish she said, “ I am sorry I can not forgive you. But I can try. For I too hope to find respite from this despise and have a little peace for myself.”