Family Man

"What is it papa; why did you call me at this odd hour, are you feeling unwell?" —said Niki, my youngest daughter looking at me.

"I'm perfectly fine but I have a premonition that I won’t last long, please call your sisters, I've something to tell you all." —said I looking at my surprised daughter.

"Are you serious papa?" —said Niki who was a bit perplexed.

After my wife's sudden demise all my three daughters with their families attended her funeral. Meera and Devika went back to their homes but Niki decided to stay with me for a while. It was half past one in the night and my youngest daughter was calling her sisters to comply with my wish.

At three in the morning, all my daughters were in my study. Niki made some coffee and offered it to all of us. All alike me everyone refused to take the coffee; only Niki was sipping her cup holding in her both hands to cope with the winter's cold.

"Sorry kids to bother at this odd hour......but I have things to tell you. I kept quiet all my life but this is high time to tell you the dirty secrets of my life." —said I avoiding the confused faces of my daughters.

"Kids, Like the young boys of my age I also fell in love with a girl. The girl Ruhi was from a moderate family, on the other hand, my rich family had several restrictions; like mingling with only people who were of our social strata." —I took a deep breath and paused.

"The girl was deeply in love with me but my needs were just physical. I used that girl like a toy for months, it all stopped when I was engaged to your mother and was trying to cajole your mother." —said I stopped to press my chest which was aching badly.

"One summer noon Ruhi came to our house and declared that she was pregnant. Fortunately, there were no family members in the house but some servants. She was pale and she told me that she was pregnant with my child. I was shocked, I tried to convince her to abort that child, but she cursed me and left." —said I and stopped for a while as the chest pain was increasing.

"Are you alright papa?" —said Meera and Devika in unison. On the other hand, Niki has stopped sipping her coffee, the disgust in her eyes was apparent.

"I'm fine; let me finish." —blurted I and continued. "After two months one of my friends took me to a city hospital where Ruhi was on her death bed. She looked at me with a fade smile and gave me wrinkled hand written paper......" —said I and stopped again to cope with the chest pain.

This time none of my daughters show any concern about my chest pain.

I continued— "It seemed that the paper was written long ago, it said—Wish you could ever see how the parents of a characterless daughter die to see their daughter's pregnancy; but I love you and wish you that you have good daughters who respect you and never let you down. Before I could fold that letter Ruhi was no more, she had died with my unborn child."

There was pin drop silence in my study. My daughters who had tears in their eyes left one by one. Suddenly the chest pain grew and I tried to get up but fell on the wooden floor of my study. The withered letter was in my hand and I was creeping on the floor like a worm; death was laughing at me. Soon it was over and darkness of death prevailed.