Betrayal

I braked hard; tires screeched, and car the halted.

I heard a loud cry and then there was darkness.

I woke up with sweat beads on my forehead, my throat was dry. This keeps happening to me all the time.

I looked at the bedside clock; it was 3 in the morning. I went and drank a tall glass of water and returned to bed.

Sleep eluded me.

I got up, pulled the chair close to the table, removed the notebook, and read the list once again.

The large sofa set, table, television, cooking a range, oven, food processor and, were a few more of my belongings which I was about to sell online.

I looked at the wristwatch kept on the table. Without my knowledge, few drops of water came out of my eyes. 

This was the last presentation I got from her.

I held the watch in my hand and turned it around. It was the most expensive gift I ever got from anybody in my life.

I knew, to amass the amount, I have no other option but to sell the watch as well.

I took bath, ate the stale sandwich and drank the cold tea and left.

There was hardly anyone on the road and the few shops keepers were in the process of opening the shops.

Hesitatingly, I entered I looked around the pawn shop; the pawnshop owner lifted his head from the book on which he was writing something and looked at me.

Without saying anything, I kept the watch on the small writing table. He held it and turned it around twice. He looked at me with suspicion and asked without mincing the words.

“Is this yours?”

I did not look like a thief; I cleared my throat and spoke, hardly recognizing my voice.

“Yes, it is mine and I still have the bill, if you want. Tell me, how much you will pay?”

The man looked at me from top to bottom and seemed satisfied that I looked like the owner of the expensive watch.

“No one buys this imported watch, it is too expensive. Anyway, I will pay you a maximum 10,000.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

The amount offered by him was not even 10 percent of the original cost; “if you give 50,000, I will give otherwise, let’s forget this.”

The shop owner looked at me once again and said, “Final amount is 25,000. Not one rupee more.”

My arguments lasting more than 15 minutes yielded nothing; finally, I got 30,000 rupees, pocketed it and left without looking back.

The online sale fetched me nearly 150,000 and I added all my savings and looked at the final figure; it was still short by at least by lack of rupees.

I stood on the other side of the road and peered through the gate.

Children were about to come out to the lawn and play. For the past 10 days, I have been standing in front of the orphanage and observing the ritual.

After a few minutes, I could see the boy, aged about 5 or 6 walking slowly away from other children and sit under the tree.

He looked very much like him!

My eyes started to become blurred even as a few droplets of tears rolled out.

I was busy observing the boy and did not see the two men walking towards me.

One of them was a policeman.

He towered in front of me; he was six foot something and with piercing eyes, spoke in a baritone voice.

“Are you planning to kidnap kids? I am told that you are coming here for the past many days.”

I looked into blazing eyes, tears still coming from my eyes and spoke.

“No sir. I am not planning to kidnap. I am planning to adopt one of the boys. I am coming, rightly noted by you, for the past 10 days. I wanted to observe the behaviour of the boys so came here every day.

Today, I wanted to go inside but you guys came before I could decide.”

The policeman was taken aback by my direct talk.

He looked at me once again from top to bottom and spoke.

“But the orphanage will not give kids to strangers just like that. They will look at your background etc. thoroughly and preferably to parents and not to singles like you. Are you married? Where is your wife?

Anyway, you can go inside, and I will stand outside and wait for you. This man will send signals if they find that you are a troublemaker. Ok?”

I nodded my head without saying anything and followed the other person inside the orphanage.

The visitor’s room was large. There were two sofa sets, a large table with chairs in addition to a small cubicle where two persons can sit and observe the children who were on the other side.

The walls were decorated with colorful pictures and large cartoon characters.

The middle-aged lady walked slowly, sizing me from a distance.

She frowned and knotted her eyebrows and spoke.

“We don’t encourage, leave alone discuss, adaptation process with single persons. Are you married? Where is your wife? Without a lady accompanying, we can’t go further.”

The harshness of her voice made me feel angry, but I controlled myself and spoke softly.

“With all due respect to your mam, the adoption is for a couple only. I am a bachelor. The child is not for me. But… …” my voice trailed off and my eyes became misty again.

“I don’t understand you. You say it is for someone else. Then, why have you come, instead of them?”

I knew the only way I can continue talking with the matron was to speak the truth.

I cleared my throat and spoke, hardly recognising my voice.

“Mam, it is a little complicated. If you would permit me, I will explain everything in detail. Please could you spare at least five minutes?”

She looked at me suspiciously and frowning just nodded her head.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes; the scene flashed in front of my eyes as if it was happening just now though, it happened almost two years ago.

I was annoyed that Preethi was late again for our meeting.

You won’t find a place to park even a two-wheeler on a busy Sunday evening; here I was sitting in a large SUV and searching desperately for a place to park.

Why can’t she come at the agreed time?

Then my mobile phone rang. 

“Where are you?” I virtually shouted.

Preeti laughed and spoke. “My god, Raj, how can you shout at this poor girl? I have been waiting for you for the past 20 minutes. Where are you dear? We were supposed to meet at Coffee Day on M G road, right?”

My god!

What’s wrong with me? I am waiting almost 2 kilometers away and completely forgot where we were supposed to meet.

I started my car and spoke to Preeti at the same time.

“I am sorry darling. It is foolish of me. I forgot the venue and am near Cunningham Road coffee day. Will be there in 5 minutes. Have you ordered coffee?”

In my urgency to meet Preeti, I hardly saw the mother and son crossing the road!

I braked hard but it was too late.

The boy was rushed to hospital and both the parents who were shell shocked were also in the same hospital getting treatment. Mother for injuries and father for a sudden heart attack.

I sat with my head buried between my hands and Preeti consoled me. It was indeed the mistake of mother and son who crossed the road without waiting for a green signal. But, what about me? How could I drive so carelessly?

What followed was heart-wrenching, to say the least.

Father, though survived the heart attack was in shock learning about his wife’s condition.

Both of them got discharged after nearly 15 days and I met the hospital bill as they did not have any insurance coverage.

They refused to meet me or even see my face.

I became recluse. Hardly went to the office and even on those days when I went, hardly completed my assignments. My boss, though sympathetic, could not tolerate my long absence; the end came swiftly.

I remained in my room not answering any calls and not even going out to eat.

There were days when I ate nothing and was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling.

Preeti tried her best to make me feel normal. But her parents won’t even let her meet me.

Even the calls stopped coming.

So, after many days when my phone rang, Preeti simply said two words and disconnected.

Tomorrow is my marriage.

My condition became worst and for days I would just go out without any purpose and roam the entire city.

It was by chance that my car broke exactly in front of the orphanage and while I waited for the service guys to come, I observed the children playing; then I saw him!

The boy aged about 6 or 7 was almost a replica of the boy who got killed under my car.

I removed the photograph I had obtained from the friend of the father of the boy (the parents shut the door on my face when I went to their house) and checked.

I was shocked by the resemblance between the two boys; they looked like twins.

There and then, my head started the planning process. When I enquired about adoption process, was shocked by the price tag.

I had no other option but to sacrifice everything to make sure that the parents who lost their only son, to become normal.

So, here I was sitting in front of grump faced warden and answering questions with newly acquired patience.

I narrated the whole story without a pause. Once I completed it, I looked at the warden.

She was staring at me with a gaped mouth, and it took her several minutes for her to speak.

“Are you telling the truth? Oh my god! What a horrible thing to happen to anyone. Look, if your story is true, then you need to bring the parents here for us to complete the adaptation process. You said you will give the money, right?”

I nodded and contemplated as to how I could speak about my next plan.

“Mam, I have the necessary money that your office said would be needed. In fact, I can deposit some amount today itself. Please this will save the lives of two innocent persons who are grieving the loss of their child.”

The warden looked at me; there was more compassion in her eyes and the words reflected it.

“This is the first time that I have come across an adoption case which is baffling, to say the least. If whatever you are saying is the truth, God knows, I will help you. I am sure, God would bless you. Now, give me more details about the couple and make sure they come to the orphanage and sign all the papers. Because you may give money but legally, the child will be handed over to the couple.”

I heaved a sigh of relief and at the same time my mind contemplated my next and most difficult move.

The doctor looked at me with wide eyes and gaped mouth.

It took me nearly a week to find the doctor who treated the couple who were in trauma after the accident and perhaps my only Saviour. I explained everything in detail, and he was in total silence for a couple of minutes.

“Look gentleman, your objective is noble, but the effect of the trauma appears to have made their mind boil with hatred for you. The minute your name crops up, am sure they will withdraw and perhaps, may even disappear to avoid further humiliation. Yes, any offer from your side will be considered bad for them.”

I had to agree with the doctor. I thought for several minutes while the doctor sat there looking at me.

Finally, I laid down my plan B.

The doctor heard it, and a few lines crossed his forehead while he thought hard.

It is almost a week since I met the doctor. 

He had informed me that it would take time. So, when I called, he did not pick up the call, but called me later. “I have to use all my skills and experience to convince the couple; they are adamant that they don’t want to even talk about their dead son, leave alone adapting another.

I am sorry, Rajesh; you will have to find some other means.” The doctor disconnected abruptly.

I was aghast!

I had made a commitment to adopt the boy and have put all my savings and sale proceeds of all my belongings, now there is no going back. More than the money, I want to get rid of the guilt feeling that’s burning me from inside and has created all kinds of personal problems for me.

There is only one way to solve this; I have to approach them directly, I thought.

The address, I was able to get after prolonged hesitation from the hospital where the father was admitted immediately after the accident, was virtually untraceable.

I spent better of a day to finally find the house, locked.

The late afternoon sun was beating down and the sleepy-eyed elderly neighbor who must have hated me for waking her up from the slumber peered at me suspiciously.

“The next door is locked. The portico is very dirty, and it appears that the house has been locked in for quite some time now?”

I spoke hesitatingly.

The old lady, looked at me questioningly and spoke

Who are you? And why do you want to see them? Are you from Police or what is that? ah…. Insurance company?”

“No mam. I am not a police officer. But the man who inflicted the pain to them." I narrated briefly the accident. "Where did they go any idea? Have they left any address?” I looked directly at the old lady.

She spoke showing her tobacco-stained teeth. “Pain? And why should they live here anymore? What purpose they will have? They vacated the house long ago and left, God knows where.”

I spoke all earnest and missed the sarcasm in the old lady’s voice.

“The trauma had taken its toll on them. Poor mother, she was an eyewitness to the ghastly accident. I am not surprised that they wanted to leave the house and go away.”

“What pain? The lady suddenly thundered. They left, not because of the pain but because they don’t want to get caught. That’s all.”

I was shocked and perplexed.

Caught? By whom? What exactly is the old lady trying to tell me? 

“Mam, did you say caught? Why should they be? And who will catch them? I thought they have left as the loss they suffered can’t be filled by anyone, except perhaps change of place and time?” I spoke, this time, hesitatingly.

“Loss? What loss? They got so much money that they could easily buy a house. Maybe that’s what they would have done. It was all planned.”

I stood breathing heavily; they made money? Where from? I looked closely at the old lady. Is he drunk or something?

“Sorry, mam. I did not understand what you said about money?”

The old lady guffawed.

“You look very innocent. They had taken huge insurance on the life of the boy. When he died, they got money from insurance.” She leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.

“Tell you what, the so-called mother is the stepmother as the boy lost his mother at birth. That lady, I tell you, must have deliberately pushed the boy so that he would die!”

My legs gave way and I slumped to earth!