Justice after all............

Image Source

After almost a year, she had stepped out of the house today. It was a year and it almost seemed like yesterday.

Pranav had been extremely busy with his new business venture of late and had taken extra strain and stress on himself. She had complained to him often about it but he just wouldn’t stop. He was extremely passionate about his business venture. She would often find him logged on to his computer late at night designing proposals for clients. And when there was a long weekend ahead for them, it seemed like a welcome break for her and Pranav to catch up. Pranav was still trying to master the art of driving, but he had coaxed her into taking their car for their weekend get away. It was their first out of town drive in their brand new car. Those 3 days were blissfully spent in a wonderful resort. Having their daughter with them was like an added bonus. She got more time to spend with Pranav and she was very happy about it.

The drive back was a little strenuous for Pranav because it had started to drizzle lightly and they had left right after a heavy lunch. She had warned Pranav to be a bit cautious while driving and he was driving slowly as well. But the heavy lunch took a toll on Pranav and his eyes closed for a fraction of a second at the steering wheel. Unknowingly he stepped on the accelerator and the car steered out of control. She tried to take control of the steering wheel but the impact was such that she was thrown out of the car. The car steered to the opposite side of the road and was smashed into pieces by a passing lorry right before her eyes. She went into a state of shock. The wailing sirens of the ambulance, police jeep, visit to the police station, hospital mortuary nothing was registered in her mind. All she could remember was her daughter’s face through the window yelling out at her.

She tried invariably to get that thought out of her mind. She shut herself completely from the outside world. She stopped taking calls from her well wishers, friends, and relatives. She had even come to the extent of ignoring calls from her own parents. She was hurt and no words anybody could say would lessen the deep scare that was left on her heart a year ago. She even changed her city because she dint want people dropping in to her house and sympathizing with her. Yet she was not able to bear the grief and pain that came from within. She was in a state of depression. She had thoughts insider her head which she couldn’t share with anybody. The anguish she had felt in the last few months was something which she couldn’t explain but they tore her heart from within.

With great difficulty she had got dressed that day and stepped out of the house to buy groceries. The strong sunlight pricked her eyes as she has spent the last few months in darkness. As she was walking back from the nearby market, she passed a compound with high walls. She could hear children yelling from inside and it reminded her of her daughter. She tried to stop the tears that were welling up inside her eyes. She heard children enjoying. She heard them giggling and laughing, but there was one distinct giggle which stood out for the rest. She couldn’t help from being drawn towards the gate. As she stepped inside, she saw her………………She had the same beautiful light brown eyes, the same smile and the same dimple like her daughter! She was taken completely by surprise by such a sight! She dint know for how much time she had stood there staring at the girl, seeing her giggle, laugh and play with her friends. She wanted to hug the child and kiss her. She tried calling out to the girl, but the girl did not hear it amidst all the din. She reached out to the child a tried speaking to her, but the girl just gestured something. She then saw the board hanging above “School for Deaf and Dumb”

That moment was a new awakening for her. All those months spent in feeling of guilt of not having saved her daughter vanished as a new horizon opened up before her. She felt her calling and decided that she would enroll in the school as a teacher. As soon as she made this decision, it started to rain. It was like God giving his approval for the decision she had made. She was not ecstatic with the decision she had made, but she did feel a strange sense of contentment and happiness within her. It was like she had breathed for the first time in her life. She saw the world through new eyes.

As she walked back to her house, she waited for the dawn to bring a new beginning in her life, a new start, a new chapter.