Nowhere

“What if I leave you forever?” With his eyes twinkling, Appu asked her.   

“Nothing would happen. I will go on my way.” Kayal’s curt reply made him smile again.

“Anyone can live alone here.” Without waiting for him, Kayal jumped down from the wall and walked away.

But days turned out to be worse after Appu left from there. The financial crisis brought down the shutters, and the factory stopped working. The rent from the factory stopped and once again days turned bad at home.

“Mummy, allow me to go for work.” Kayal would plead her mom. For some reason, her mother did not allow her to go for work.

“Your father has to take care of the family. It is not your fate to earn and run the family.” Her mother grumbled.

“But don’t you feel it to be foolish to go hungry for days. Already we eat only once a day.” Kayal could not control her tears.

“Has Appu taken away my lucky days along with him? What is happening here at home? Without nothing to support us, why mom keeps on talking about my marriage only.” 

“Kayal, do you have any old books to be given away? Let me take them to the wastepaper mart and get some money to buy vegetables.” 

“Yes, dad.” Kayal went to the shelf and started to pull out all the papers there.  While she checked the leaves of her old book, she found a small note.

Few lines from a poem. With trembling hands, Kayal repeatedly read through the poem. Tears brimmed her eyes. 

The Nowhere Man

 It hurts to say I am sorry. So let us use unfamiliar words.

The summer has gone; the ground's turned cold. The old

road calls me back again. Another time we shall meet again:

as strangers or as friends, or perhaps as lovers once

again. Now turn, turn, to the rain again.

Pritish Nandy

What has life in store for me? What if I am not born with so much property that does not give me a meal at least once a day. For what karma are we left to suffer like this?

“Kayal” a loud calling brought her to the present.

Wiping away tears, she gave her old books to her father.

“What if” The question loomed big before her.