Beast

The beast is always present. It depends what behavioral aspect one presents to others, the incumbent's character is accordingly prescribed. I remember Gudiya as a little girl when she was plagued by a difficult household from where she belonged.

 Her father was an alcoholic as he used it as a medicine to forget his sorrows. But over the years of consumption had made him a slave to the bubbly. Now he drank anything which intoxicated him and made him forget his sorrow. Gudiya 's father was forced to surrender to the bottle. His life was once happy and joyful. Gudiya was the apple of his and his wife's eye.

But then their world turned topsy-turvy. Gudiya' s mother would fall sick often. No doctor could cure her. Gudiya 's father became worried. He had no vices till then. The Medical cost was draining all his income and savings. His income was also no match to meet the king-size expenditure of the disease. After some years doctors were not giving much hope for recovery.

Slowly Gudiya 's father was becoming despondent. He began losing hope. His daughter was small, just a teenager by now. She had a decade-long period of education before she could go out and earn money. Till then her father would have to pull on. His alcoholic life was taking its toll on his employment side.

Of late Gudiya had to face other problems. She had to take all the care of her mother. This required lot of patience as she could see how her mother was suffering. Then she had to manage the meagre income of the household, from which she had to bring medicines for her mother. As her father stopped doing his bit for the family. He just spent the full day at the country liquor shop. Later he would come home in a heavily inebriated state. Gudiya did not like to see her father this way.

She had so fond memories of her dad

He was her real hero at one time. But now she just despised him regretfully. She felt a lot of pain inside. How her idol had fallen.

Her father was deteriorating health wise. Now it was difficult to tell who was more sick, her mother or her father. Her father had now huge temper tantrums. In his intoxicated state he for the first time hit Gudiya. The little doll of his, the darling daughter had now to bear her father's beatings. Gudiya bore all of it stoically. . Because she still loved him. Her mother silently cried from her sick bed seeing her precious daughter getting hit. But she was helpless and without power to protect her.

'Please bear with him darling, this would pass,' she would console Gudiya later. But Gudiya knew this was her destiny. Her fate and spartan life had taught her life's many secrets. She still after so much torture bore no ill feeling for her dad. People called her dad a beast but Gudiya just shrugged it off. 

Time will not stop Gudiya knew. So she also did not pause. With great financial burden she finished her school and college. Now both her parents were bed ridden. She knew any time they would die.

But fate was kind to her some how. Her struggling education brought her rich dividend by way of a government job. She now could pay for the Medical expenses of both her mom and dad. Slowly with good medicine and care her parents came back from the edge.

A young doctor took pity on Gudiya and came visiting to check up her parents for the last couple of years. Gudiya and this young doctor Neil got romantically inclined. They were blessed with marriage by both family elders. Now Gudiya 's parents were almost back to their earlier healthy days. The beast had been tamed. 

Gudiya now started her new life with her doctor husband. The young doctor was good and kind, who cared and loved Gudiya. She now felt that the long period of suffering had received the necessary soothing balm. 

But the doctor husband had lot of doctor friends both male and female and they all got together on weekends for drinks party. That party was no holds barred. It continued till well past midnight until every one was fully inebriated. Even the doctor ladies enjoyed the ambience and the drinks. 

Initially Gudiya got a rude shock. Was her story being repeated once again. Her husband was however gentle and never behaved like any beast that Gudiya was familiar with. She was in a dilemma. How to get over the beast forever and bury it. Would she have to join the drinks party and become a beast herself?