The Democratic Despot

It was a Friday, and I was relieved. I could sleep in peace, without anyone disturbing me. I sat near a window and enjoyed the sight of the tiny restless droplets that were impatient to meet the ground, once they did, the ground had an aroma that couldn’t be described in words. The sight of this pleasant phenomenon, brought a soothing effect, which I really needed at the moment. The formation of a puddle was interrupted by a car which I failed to recognize, I couldn’t see the driver due to the fog collected on his window. His radio wasn’t working properly as the abrupt silence and resuming of the song was heard clearly despite the rain. The driver, without a care in the world, shut the door and put on his hood. Even though his back was turned to me, I recognized him. I prayed for him to go away. But as if God, had turned a deaf ear to my pleadings, the next moment he rang the door bell. I opened the door and was expecting it to happen all over again.

Five years ago, my mother had tried to abscond with me, but unfortunately we were caught. Since then, every year my mother tries to run away either herself or with this man. She stopped asking me to go with her as I took a firm stand on my decision to stay.

She did all this to get away from my father. My father is a very callous man, who enjoyed no amount of exuberance. He was more of an oppressor. When got violent, it was considered to be dooms day. My mother on the other hand is a free spirit. She loved the world and hated my father for trapping her. Every time she ran away, my father seemed to have the perfect idea of where she would go, even though she went to different places every time.

“Oh, John, there you are!! I have been waiting forever” my mother said to the man.

“well, your husband took a long time, didn’t he? So anything new?”

“Oh humour me! Nothing, absolutely nothing”

“then let’s go!” My mother already had her luggage packed and was looking at me, as if for the last time. I laughed.

Well, it was funny because, she will be back in a week’s time. But she said, “I won’t be back, I promise and remember that I love you” I smiled and said, “aren’t you bored of this? I will see you in a week”

She gave me a last smile and got into the car. I had a bad feeling this time, what if she was really going to go?

My father returned after a week, “Not again!!”, he yelled. After he had interrogated me, he did the inveterate. The police and my father were about to go in search of her, when on impulse I forced to go along with them. No amount of cajoling would make my father yield to my wishes, but I was insistent.

We reached an old warehouse. It was dark on the inside, there weren’t any lights. I was given a torch. We went around in search of her. Suddenly I heard a noise from a room or maybe something that looked like a room. I opened the door and I found my mother bleeding profusely. I screamed and asked her to stay awake.

She was rushed to the ambulance. In the hospital, before she was taken for the surgery she told me something, which I listed with utmost patience.

In an hour or so, the doctor came out and said, there was nothing they could do to save her, she had already lost too much blood. My father wailed and even I was sobbing on the floor. It was the first time I had seen him cry.

After a few days, at the funeral, my father had written an elegy in her extol. As soon as he opened the file, he found a note.

 

 

Dear Charlie,

 

I’m sorry but I cannot stand your truculent behavior. I know you love me and I love you too Charlie. I am going away for the last time and you can’t follow me now, because I am dead. I have looked after your daughter with a lot of love. I love her more than myself, that is why I am taking her along. I won’t aggrandize this time.

 

Love Emily

 

My father came back to his senses and noted my absence. He asked everyone to search for me. When he had reached the hat stand near the door, he saw me and the lady, I believed to be my mother. He asked us to stop, but it was too late.

“If you are not my mother, who are you?” I asked as we entered the car.

“When time comes, everything shall be told to you” she said, as we saw the Church and our home for the last time in our lives.