The Dreadful Day

It was dark in the room. But outside, the sun was above the head. It was 12 o'clock. Reba was still lying down on the bed. Although she was an early riser, these days situation was very different. If she tried to get up, it would have been impossible for her, because her body was paralysed.

Reba woke up from her sleep with perspiration and as regular, tried to sit on the bed but she couldn't. Suddenly, she remembered the incident that made her whole body paralysed and started weeping. While she was weeping, her mobile rang. She looked at its screen. 

The name Prakash was flashing. Prakash, her classmate from class V, her fiancé was calling her. It became his daily routine to call her more than 10 times when he would go out of Kolkata for his family business. That day, Prakash also had to go out for the same purpose, Reba remembered. She thought that if Prakash had been with her that day nothing would have happened. She cut the phone in anger and started weeping again.

Reba was very lively from her childhood. Her complexion was fair, long hair and a lean body. As she was the only child of businessman Sanjeev Basak, she got everything on her first wish. Being so pampered, she never insulted others but helped them instead. She had only one bad habit of buying a new smartphone and selling it in OLX every 6 months. She met Prakash Sen in class V and gradually became best friends and fell for him. When they were in college for M. Com., Prakash's parents and Reba's parents who also knew each other before but consented to their relationship only to make them happy. Life was really blissful for Reba until the incident happened.

The phone rang for the second time. This time it wasn't Prakash but her father Sanjeev. On the mobile screen, Father was flashing. Looking at the screen Reba wiped her tears and picked up the phone.

"Have you taken your breakfast, Mamon?" a caring voice came out from the other side of the phone.

"Not yet, Baba," replied Reba with a firm voice. "I've just woken up".

"Ok but don't forget to take your medicine after breakfast," Sanjeev said with a daily reminder voice.

"How long will it take, Baba? I need to stand up, run like before," an impatient Reba roared.

No answer came from the opposite side but only a long sigh. After some pause, Sanjeev answered, “We will all go to a picnic on your birthday next month".

On hearing her birthday, she remembered her early birthday stories. Every year she had a grand birthday party. She would get up very early and go to a beauty parlour for preparing herself for the evening party. In the evening time, she would wear a princess-like dress. Every year her father invited some celebrity to attend the party. But last year her birthday party was not so big because her father's business was running in losses. Even they had to sell their own car to save the business. That time, Prakash's father helped her father a lot.

"If my father hadn't sold our car, I wouldn't have taken the taxi that day," Reba remembered the incident again and started sobbing in fear. Within a minute, her sobbing became so much painful for her that she couldn't breathe properly. She shouted for help and her mother came in the spot. She gave her some medicines but unlike every day, it didn't work today. Reba sobbed more than before. After a while, Reba's mother noticed that some blood was oozing out of her mouth. Without wasting time, Mrs Basak called her husband.

In his office, Mr Sanjeev Basak was in deep thought. His family doctor's advice reminded him that very soon he was going to lose his beloved daughter. He visited a lot of doctors but with the same answers.

"We are helpless, Mr Basak. We can't save your daughter's life. Her all the body parts have been ruptured," Said their family doctor when she was taken to the hospital after the incident. That day, Reba was senseless. Her T-shirt was covered with a pool of blood and torn. Some bruises were spotted on her face. It was bleeding from her whole body.

Mr Sanjeev Basak was in his office that day, working late night as usual and he was thinking about a surprise gift for his daughter. He knew that his daughter was not happy because he couldn't arrange a grand birthday party for her last year. Although Reba never complained, knowing her father's business condition. Suddenly his mobile rang.

"Hello! Who's this?" asked Mr Basak.

"Hello! I'm inspector Borun Ganguly. Is this Mr Sanjeev Basak?" said the other side speaker.

"Yes, is there anything wrong, Mr Ganguly?" said Mr Basak.

"Actually, we found a girl, lying unconscious here in front of an abandoned factory. We found her admit card and there found a name Reba Basak and your name in father's name field with this number," informed inspector Ganguly.

After hearing it, Mr Basak fell down from his chair. He couldn't move for a few seconds. Darkness appeared before his eyes. Only he was hearing repeatedly hello sounds from the receiver speaker of his mobile fallen down beside him.

"Hello!" answered Mr Basak, making himself calm.

“Please write the address and come as soon as possible," said inspector Ganguly.

"One minute," assured Mr Basak. He found a piece of paper and scribbled the address. Then taking his few employees, he went out to bring Reba home.

His mobile rang. Mr Basak was thinking about that day. He only knew how he brought his daughter, admitted her to the hospital and his family Doctor's advice after that. He looked at his mobile screen. It was his wife. He anticipated that the final day had come. His hands started shivering so terribly that he couldn't receive the call. The mobile got disconnected and rang for the second time. That time, he made himself strong, received the call. 

"Hello! Reba is sobbing, blood is oozing from her mouth. I've given her medicine but not working," cried Mrs Basak.

"Admit her to the hospital, immediately. I'm reaching there taking our family doctor," assured Mr Basak.

Immediately, Reba was taken to the hospital. In the hospital, Reba was alone. She was taking oxygen there in I.C.U. She also knew that she couldn't live more. She remembered vaguely again what actually had happened on that day, The dreadful day.

For a few days, Reba was very upset because her darling father was not paying attention to her. Although she knew the reason that her father was trying hard to restore his business again. But today she was happy. Her father had given her some money to buy a smartphone last night. Neither had he given anything as a gift when she had completed her master degree a few months ago nor on her birthday. Even her last birthday was not grand because of the same reason. Her father had sold their car too.

Every time when she would buy a smartphone, she was accompanied by Prakash. But today, he couldn't accompany her. After completing his master degree, Prakash was now busy in his father's business. She also knew Prakash's father was helping her father to restore his business. So, indirectly Prakash was helping his father meant helping her father too. Prakash had been to Durgapur for the business purpose from the day before yesterday. In the morning, he called her and said to wait for two more days but Reba was excited. So, she decided to buy it all alone today. 

Reba was waiting for the metro. It showed 7 at the clock of Chandni Metro station. Today, she departed from her home quite late. Every time when Prakash was with her, he hurried her but today she was free of that. Even she took a lot of time to choose her desirable smartphone. She searched every corner of Chandni Market. Finally, she was happy about buying a new phone again. She was very eager to show it to her father.

When Reba looked at a clock of the metro station, it showed 7:35. She became alerted. She also noticed a few passengers were there.

"All the passengers are requested to return their ticket in counter because someone committed suicide in the metro. We are going to stop metro services for today," Reba heard the announcement.

She suddenly went out of the station and tried to return her ticket in the ticket counter but she found a long queue. After returning the ticket and collecting her money, she looked at her wristwatch. It was 8 o'clock at that time. She finally came out on the road but getting any vehicle soon became impossible for her. As she had a habit of riding in the car, she tried to look for cars ignoring buses. She was refused by many car drivers. After the constant refusal, she dared to walk alone to home.

After walking for some minutes, she took rest alone on an empty road. Suddenly, she saw a car and shouted to stop. The car stopped before her. She found two men including driver sat on the driver seat. Reba looked at the face of the driver. On his face, a long scar crossed from his upper left forehead to his lower right chin.

"Would you like to go to Garia?" sighed weary Reba.

"Of course, madam," grinned the driver.

Without thinking, Reba got into the back seat of the car. The car started moving. While sitting there, Reba noticed that the driver was calling someone and his friend stared at her. She sensed something mysterious and asked the driver to stop the car. The driver stopped the car at that moment. Reba was just about to open the gate, a stranger entered from that gate and another one from the opposite gate. They started pushing her from both sides and the driver started the car again.

 Reba kicked one stranger but he slapped on her face. Meanwhile, the opposite side stranger grasped her tight from the back. Reba tried hard to get rid of them but both of them slapped her constantly. At a point, Reba became semi-conscious. When she regained her consciousness, she found her in a factory and four men talking to each other and drinking liquor.

"Please let me go home," implored Reba.

"Don't worry baby! Just cooperate with us," one of them said.

Reba looked around and saw the car parked outside the factory. She ran toward it and was caught by one of them. He first slapped her and tore her top then thrust her against a wall. She lost her balance and her head hit the wall, bleeding it. Reba fell down on the floor and they together pounced on her. Reba defied them few times but they fractured her limbs so that she could not move. Tears came out of her eyes in agonizing pain. For three hours, they had been tormenting her before the driver suggested them to kill her for their safety. One of them, dragged Reba a few feet but by then she was half-dead. The driver's friend smashed his beer bottle on a wall and came close to Reba for killing her with the half-broken bottle. When he was about to kill her, they heard the siren of a police car. They ran off the place with the car, deserting her. What she last saw was police rescuing her.

Reba cried out in fear and found her in the I.C.U. She felt something was flowing from her body. She uncovered her blanket. It was a pool of blood, oozing from her whole body.

"Doctors, please save me," said Reba.

"Operation, the immediate operation needed," cried out their family doctor after entering and looking at her body.

It had been one hour; the operation was still going on. Mr and Mrs Basak with Prakash's parents were waiting outside the corridor. Mrs Basak had already called Prakash. After half an hour, Prakash also joined them. They were all worried, especially Sanjeev Basak who behaved like a small child, looking for his mother.

Another hour passed but there was no ending of their long wait. Eventually, the operation light went off. Everyone stood up to know the final verdict. The doctor came out of the operating room. Mr Basak was not in a position to ask anything. So, Prakash's father approached the doctor.

The doctor shook his head from right to left twice, seeing him. Mr Basak was watching the doctor from a distance. After seeing the doctors indication, he broke into tears. All of a sudden, the whole family immersed in deep sorrow.

It may be just daily news for some of us. Maybe we react sometimes but forget the next moment. But for Reba's family, it is a never-ending sorrow that they have to bear for the rest of their lives.

'It was not Reba's age to die. But she had to die because of some sex maniac people in our society.'