MISFORTUNES NEVER COME SINGLE

Perumal alias Peter was at cross-roads and was in a grip of utter confusion. He was holding his daughter Sherlie and was wondering what should be his next step. His ex-wife so sarcastically lashed out her tongue that rendered him speechless. “You both husband and wife are made for each other. You ditched your first wife and picked up another one. And now you see, she did the same to you. She deserted you and went away with another guy. Now it is your problem how you take care of your child. Thank God! She left you with only one kid to bother about. Whereas look at me! I am fending three children, including this Praveen.” Rohini had a whipping flog on her tongue. She lashed out very casually as when she got chances to do so. Perumal had to swallow. He realised that this devilish woman was far different from the one whom he ditched and dumped.     

Sherlie, the baby in his arms, did not recognise her father. Taking him to be a stranger, she cried aloud and tried to come out of his hands. Goodluck for her! Praveen was there to put her to bed and pat her and see to her comforts. Peter was miserable in many ways. His immigration issue got him entangled in an unwanted imprisonment. His credit worthiness in his business circle was badly affected by that. He lost his circle of friends as they construed him to be a wayward criminal. Whomsoever he called, either they cut off his call or made themselves unreachable. He felt irritated. He unnecessarily co-related it to that wretched woman Rohini, his first wife. From the time she landed here in America, there was one or the other problem chasing him. He was otherwise happily going around in his own way. Life was easy and cosy with Susan.

He fondly remembered his good old days with Susan. While chewing the cud, he went back to those days of courting her friendship. He was carried away by her flamboyant lavish style and it suited her very well. He was naturally drawn towards her. He also was very confident that if by chance, he could win her hands and get settled in life, all his dreams of settling down in this land would come true. His attempts in trying to woo her were in his true love interest coupled with a selfish motive. He had a crush for her. Winning her heart was his first aim. He wanted that it must happen in the most natural way. Unlike his first marriage with Rohini … back in India. That old episode was an arranged marriage with no love from either side. The marriage was more of a contract of ‘give and take’ between the parents of both groom and bride. ‘Why bother now with unwanted memories? Let bygone be bygone.’ He brushed aside old unwanted pains.

He set his mind on current issues.

He loved Susan and married her. She filled his life with mirth and merry.

During his early days, he realized that he was being drawn towards her. Susan was kindling his nerves and setting butterflies in him to flutter by. When one day she was admiring the moon, he instantly complimented her that she was far more beautiful that the one on the sky above. “Oh! you are awesome, dear. Even thousand moons may not be equal to you.” He remembered his matinee idol film star MGR cajoling the heroine in a film, by addressing her -- Oh you thousand moons! In another instance, a famous director Bharathi Raja too showcased a film depicting moon in every droplet of water in a small pool by splashing the water. Peter took no chance. He corelated. He brought down the moon shining up above the world so high, right into her hands by just holding a mirror and capturing its reflection on it. Obviously, she got thrilled.

“This one moon is more than hundred red roses for me. You are so nice. You are very witty and wise. Surely, you have something special. Day by day I am getting drawn towards you. Like a magnet I am pulled to where you are. I keep thinking about you even when you are not with me.”

He pulled her to himself and whispered in her ears. “Yes dear, I am also drawn closer to you. I love you. I love you very much.” Saying this, he hugged her in a tight embrace. He felt so elated that almost half the hurdle was already crossed. Almost on cloud nine, … closer to heaven. 

Someone said foolishly about Kashmir “If heaven is there, it is here, it is here.” But if anybody asked Peter or Susan about heaven, they would say in one voice pointing towards each other, “It is here, it is here.” Their mutual attraction was like the waxing moon, growing larger by each night. Peter thought it would be wiser to tie the knot and make their bonding tighter in a wedlock. Susan too felt the same way. She had great dreams of her honeymoon and nursed fanciful thoughts. With starry eyes she narrated about having a honeymoon under the sea or at least on snowclad mountains.

Peter was not that crazy about where their honeymoon should be. He craftly worded his thoughts and convinced her on having it along the beachside seashore hotel. Those few days were wonderful. Time hanging on them endlessly. They enjoyed their every minute of togetherness. Their marriage was thus a blissful consummation. Reluctantly, they had to come back to their town and resume their work-life balance.

Peter learnt very soon that Susan was a costly bargain. But he remained silent. He had to achieve one more thing through her. His citizenship, a status of no go-back from America. For this purpose, he approached an agent who bungled things. The mismanagement of the case proved very costly. Result – Peter was caught and put in jail. One leading to the other… his very life was in a mess. His citizenship was out of question. On the contrary, his jail imprisonment took away his business and left him with a questionable credit worthiness. His livelihood also in doldrums. Now he had one more burden on his shoulders. His dear wife Susan eloped.

He found himself all alone in a solitary island with no escape. His wife gone, his love life gone, name and fame gone, his bread and butter gone, his child a bigger burden on him and added to that, one more to bother about …. Praveen. This boy also had to be looked after. All issues falling on him only because of that one wretched woman Rohini. What an ill-fated day it should be when he went to airport to bring her to his home. Misfortunes never come single.

Proved again. For the first time in his life, he cried. He cried aloud. “Oh! God! What is this you have done to me? Peace of mind …. where is it? Show me that. Take back all your curses and drive away this waning moon. I need my waxing moon. Give me my waxing moon.”

Prayers are the fetters that binds the man to his hopes. Peter is waiting for his prayers to be answered.