Rain rain go away

Little rain drops splattered onto her face.

"Pitter-patter raindrops, pitter-patter rain drops!" her 3 year old girl exclaimed happily. Most children were afraid of thunderstorms. But not her Saileen, or Shelly, as people called her. As the thunder rumbled, Shelly giggled happily. Raima took Shelly on her other arm and bolted, stopping for shelter underneath a shop, waiting for the rain to stop.

It was still summer and the rains were unexpected.

'But I guess,' thought Raima, 'a kalbaisakhi is not uncalled for.'

The rain showed no stopping.

She bought a handkerchief from the shop, and putting it on Shelly's head, she sprinted toward her home.

Raima was still not used to being home alone.

But no husband was better than an abusive husband who'd beat her when angry.

It took her three years and a baby to realize that one - she couldn't do this anymore and two - that it didn't matter how much he said he loved her afterwards, for he would do the same thing again.

It was fear for her baby that made her take that final step three years ago, when Saileen was born.

She threatened to give him to the police if he did not leave the house. So finally, he did.

One night, when Shelly was two years old, he had come to their home, drunk, and crying - saying he had changed.

But Raima didn't believe him.

When she told him to get out, he instead took a chair and threw it at her.

It could have hit Shelly, she'd shrieked.

And she handed him over to the police on account of domestic violence.

Raima now was a teacher at primary school. Every day, she would take Shelly to the nursery and go to the school to teach.

Shelly soon grew to become 5 years old.

One day, Shelly couldn't be found.

The head of the nursery told Raima that a man who had her birth certificate had taken Shelly along with him.

In her fear, she had told noone about her abusive husband.

When she went back to her home, she found him playing with Shelly.

"I can be a better father," he said a lot of times.

Shelly said, "He said he was my dada," and gurgled as he tickled Shelly.

Raima was dead serious.

"You can’t be my husband anymore," she said and handed him a divorce certificate for him to sign.

Saif's eyes becamed red and he snatched the certificate from her hand and said, "We will see."

***************

He hated himself for not being a good husband or a good father.

"Come on now," he said to himself.

"Who are you?" asked the head of the nursery.

"Her father. I don't live here," he said and showed Shelly's birth certificate to her.

Shelly came out in good spirits.

Seeing this little child gurgle in happiness, he couldn't help but be pleased. He was sure that she'd do great in future.

Saif scooped Shelly up and went round and round with her as she chuckled with joy.

Two seconds later, though, she said seriously, "Who you? Where mama?"

"I am your dada. Mama has work to do," he explained.

He put Shelly on his shoulders and took her to the ice cream shop.

"Mama not let me have those," she said intelligently.

"I'm not your mama. With me, you can have any number of those," Saif chuckled.

"Dada, tell me a story," Shelly said.

"What kind of story?"

"Any one," Shelly quipped.

With a deep breath, Saif said, "Okay. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful lady. Everything about her was perfect, starting from the mole on her nose to the single grey hair on her head. Every other evening, she would have fuchka from the roadside."

"What is a fuchka?"

"They are a roadside snack. Anyway, as she had her fuchka every other day, another man would see her shyly. One day he got the courage to ask her out and end the day with a fuchka eating contest. If he won, she would allow her on another date."

"The man won, and took her out on the second date at the Victoria Memorial. They talked, laughed, got to know each other well."

Shelly was gaping long and hard and said, "What then?"

"The man never mentioned he had a demon in him. A demon of anger. Everything started out well, but when he was angered, he barely knew what or who did what through him."

Shelly shrunk in front of him.

Saif laughed and said, "That demon is much under my control now. Don’t worry, little one."

Saying this, he took Shelly in his arms and swirled her in a circle up above his head.

This was before Raima found him out.

*************

"Please don't let him touch her," pleaded Raima to the head of the nursery.

"I will not. Child safety is our duty," she said.

Raima spotted him from afar.

"Don't you dare touch my child," she said to him.

"Shelly is my child too. But don't worry, I realize she is safer with you. I am here to give you this," he said and handed her the divorce paper.

"I love you and our child, Raima," he pleaded.

"That doesn't matter if you go on hitting us. Calling you an animal would do injustice to animals," Raima scoffed.

"Then I'll be here everyday to see Shelly when you come to get her," he said.

"As long as you don't touch her," Raima said coldly.

************************

It was another rainy day.

Shelly was six years old now.

She jumped on the road, puddle to puddle as she went to school.

From far away, she had watched her dada follow her all these days.

He never attempted to contact her.

His mother warned her against him, but she could not help be curious.

She watched as the dogs nudged her with their snouts for food.

The man was nice, Shelly had thought.

He gave biscuits to the dogs when he could and they flocked near him, the tails moving to and fro.

Shelly waived. But the man was nowhere to be seen.

**************

Some accident had happened near the school where Shelly went.

Raima rushed to Shelly's school.

Her first thought was "Thank goodness Shelly's okay."

But then she saw Shelly sitting on the pavement, crying.

Looking on at the scene, she realized, this man had pushed Shelly toward safety and died in her stead.

Her ex. Her daughter's dad. He had cared for her after all.

Tears streamed her face.

Little rain drops splattered onto her face.

********************