Directly From Heaven

Amit was was a happy boy hailing from a remote village. He had everything but not a girl after his own heart. He was not supposed to go for a job neither government nor private, since his father was a wealthy spice merchant operating from a small town nearest to his village.  

After graduating in commerce from the local college, he had arrived in Bhubaneswar to do his master's. He appeared simple and shy. At college he was so heavily preoccupied with his studies that he hadn't given any thought to falling in love. A brilliant student, he was full of spirit and determination. He was lodging with his maternal uncle for the time being till he got his allotted room in the university hostel. But now he had almost become resolved to reside with his uncle for ever. What was the reason? For the first time in life he had seen a girl so beautiful and gorgeous that he was ready to do anything to have her forever. He had once told a friend that she was 'directly from heaven. '  

The girl had caught Amit's fancy so completely that he was hardly able to concentrate on his studies. The girl's name was Kamakhi Mishra and she was an executive engineer's daughter. She had just completed her engineering studies and was aiming at a career in software engineering. But he had managed to collect the information about her from the boys living nextdoor. He thought she would agree to marry him if he proposed to her. His supposition was absolutely correct especially after she came to know about his father's social status and wealth. They met two times and she always encouraged him to devote all his time to his studies. To the girl, one's career had to receive more importance than anything else. Anyway, he was sure he was going to marry the girl.

One day Amit was shopping at the nearby bazaar. He saw Kamakhi's father quarrelling with a fisherwoman. She had told the old man something insulting when he started haggling over the price of a kilo of fish. She insisted that he must pay him rupees one hundred a kilo but he stuck to rupees sixty per kilo. As Amit was watching the argument, he was puzzled to know that the old man wanted to buy only one fourth of a kilo of fish costing him only twenty-five rupees! He was embarrassed that he was thinking of marrying the old niggard's daughter. But then he reasoned that in his village too there were old people who couldn't help bargaining with the poor vendors who visited them every now and then. Those old men and women were not poor either.

Those days the girl would ride a rickety moped and Amit wondered at this fact. As they had proceeded a little far in their relationship, he asked her once once:"Why don't you ride a better scooter?" She had said:"My parents are simple folks. They don't like the glitter and tinsel life of the city. They even want to go back to their ancestral village and spend their remaining days there in the pristine countryside. "

A small boy named Rama used to do errands at Kamakhi's house. The boy was very thin and short. Amit knew the boy well. Rama was very much affectionate and always ready to do whatever they asked him to do. This was not liked by Kamakhi's parents. Amit had heard them reproaching the boy for this reason once. One morning however Amit was horrified by a most scary spectacle.  

That early morning Amit heard noises and screams outside. He went downstairs barefoot because of the hurry. He saw Kamakhi's father beating the boy with a switch broken from the hedge nearby. The boy was begging pardon with folded hands. Kamakhi's mother appeared on the scene with a ladle in hand. The people there were trying to prevent the angry old man from beating the boy. The old man dealt the boy a kick in his abdomen. The boy screamed:"Oh. . Oooo. . . !I am dying. Kamakhi came out and started pounding the boy with a badminton racket.

The old man who was trembling with anger was aiming a kick at the boy's chest.Amit flew to the spot and dealt a very hard punch on the old man's face. Kamakhi's mother was trying to hit Amit with the ladle. Amit caught her hand and growled:"Are you a woman..!You are a black stain on the character of the whole race of women...!" The woman tried to bite Amit's hand as he was holding her hand tightly. Amit slapped her hard across the face.She fell down and was abusing Amit.Her husband was bleeding.The old man had lost a duplicate front tooth but blood was oozing from his mouth drop by drop.

Now  the colony people had rallied to the brave young man Amit's support.Two old women and some others were discussing in detail the previous cases of torture of servants in their house.Amit led the boy servant into his room and took him to the city hospital for treatment. He ignored Kamakhi's parents who were threatening to report him to the police. 

When Amit's uncle heard of what had happened,

he scolded his nephew because he was scared of the old couple's lodging a complaint with the police. But Amit was absolutely daring and irrepressible. He said he had done something which the old couple fully deserved.

Amit visited the city hospital regularly.Rama's mother who had reached the city was present at the boy's side.In a week's time,the boy got fully recovered.The woman and her son wondered what to do.She needed to engage her son somewhere in the city. But that didn't happen. The son and the mother were taken to Amit's village and were placed under the care of his mother.Amit's parents were generous and compassionate.

After a fortnight,Kamakhi came to Amit's room and her face blazing with anger said:"Do you know what you have done?You beat my parents..?Will they ever allow me to marry you..?"

"But I no longer have any interest or inclination to marry you or any other city girl...I consider it beneath my dignity to have any kind of contact with you and your family.You have human forms but you and your parents not even one percent human. Never..come here again!Out of here..I spit on human beings like you and your parents..!"