Love Has No Boundaries

  

A dozen ladies of the village were near the village well, filling their brass pots and generally enjoying some village gossips. At this time Sita, heavily pregnant, reached the well with her pot in hand. Spotting her at a distance itself, there was peals of laughter and funny comments about her. Knowing well this daily drama, Sita walked with an impassive face towards the well.

As she was close enough, Jamuna, the most talkative lady of the village said with a faked sympathy, “Oh God, Sita, walk carefully. Even otherwise the pregnancy at this age is so difficult. Added to this if you slip or fall it will be hell. Please wait there it only, don’t come down near the slippery well. I will fill your pot and give you”

As everyone hardly bothered to hide their suppressed giggles, Jamuna walked three steps towards her and collected the pot from Sita. She tied the rope on the pot and dropping the pot inside the well started drawing water.

Another older lady Mangamma asked Sita, her voice with forced concern, “Sita are you taking proper care of your health? We know that when things are so costly now, it will be a big strain on you and the Ram Shastri to manage the house. What to do? God always troubles only a good person!”

Sita did not reply but smiled gently. Jamuna gave her the filled pot and without a single word of the conversation, she walked back. Once she started walking back, there was a loud laughter noise at her back. But Sita patiently walked away without looking back.

For the past two months, since Sita’s pregnancy started showing outwardly, the village had gone into this mocking and gossiping mode. Sita’s husband Ram Shastri was the poorest man in the village who was a temple priest. They had two daughters. In spite of his poverty somehow he had managed to get both of them married and they were well settled. He was taking some Sanskrit slokas classes besides his temple income and the husband and wife were just managing their life living from hand to mouth.

Now at the age of thirty-six, Sita was pregnant again. This was the cause of the villager’s gossip. Firstly, she was too poor and cannot afford a child. Secondly, when her daughters are already married off, she was an old lady, and it was shameful to get pregnant. Sita was very patient for all the gossips, which irritated the villagers more.

One fine morning when Sita reached her eighth month of pregnancy, she and her husband packed off to the town and the villagers assumed that she had gone to one of the daughters for her delivery.

Months rolled by and after four months Sita came back with her husband. There was no child. When one day the Jamuna enquired about the child Sita told that she lost the child as it was stillborn. Very rudely Jamuna said, “It was good that God saved you from the burden” Sita smiled without replying.

Shastri was listening to this and said, “Sita, I am so sorry that you have to put up with this type of villager’s thrash just because of me. I sometimes wonder if you should have...”

Before he finished the sentence Sita rushed to him and closed his mouth. She said with a loving voice, “You are my life and as long as you are there nothing can affect me”

One year ago it happened. Shastri thought about the events that happened that day when Sita took him for a checkup for his breathlessness. The doctors told them that he had a thick blockage in the artery and an operation has to be performed. The operation charges were about four lacks.

As Sita sat on the hospital bench shocked, one of the young lady doctors Shyamala, who happened to be the classmate of her daughter during schooling days, came out and recognizing, sat near her and fell into a conversation. Sita with teary eyes explained her helpless situation.

Comforting her Shyamala took her to her consulting room and had very long conversations.

First Sita was shocked. But Shyamala said, “Aunty, you are still in your productive age and have good health. By agreeing to my idea, not only you could save the life of your husband but, you are also helping a young desperate couple to have their own baby which is almost like a huge charity. After a long prolonged discussion, Sita agreed to accept the offer.

From the ten lakhs promised for the surrogacy, she got 6 lakhs as an advance and Shastri's was operated and became well. Same time Sita was impregnated with the donor sperm.

Eight months she carried the baby with all the care and went back to the hospital in the town. The lady doctor gave accommodation to her and her husband and took care of her final days before the delivery.

After one month she delivered a healthy baby. The baby was handed over to the couple. The childless couple touched her feet with tears in their eyes for her service. She returned home with a substantial credit in her bank.

Shastri thought heart in heart. In mythology, they mention so many great women like Savithri, who got her husband’s life back from Yama, the God of death. But his wife Sita is a real Savithri, who without bothering about the gossiping world, single-handedly stood by his side and got his health back without borrowing money from anyone.

Sita came with coffee and looking at his husband deep in thought, she asked, “What are you dreaming about?” He smiled and said,” I am dreaming of an angel I married”