A wife gone missing for 40 days and returns home with her clothes drenched in blood. What happened to her in those 40 days? How did her husband redeem her and their life? – An emotion filled short story of love and kindness, taking over rage and revengeful nature of human minds.
This is day 40. I searched for her everywhere, but unable to find her. I am not going to give up on her. She is my wife. She is my love. With the same hope I passed all these days, since that night she disappeared.
“Ting…” Somebody’s at the door. I walked to open the door.
I am frozen. Yes. She is back. Her dress is full of blood, eyes full of trauma.
“Honey are you okay? What’s this blood?” I checked her and my eyes are already filled with tears.
“Do not cry, it’s not my blood, but do not ask me anything. Please..” her voice is so depressed.
“You are back, that’s enough for me sweetheart”, I gave her a warm bath and cleaned the blood everywhere. There is no wound anywhere in her body, I am somehow relieved because of this. She just remained silent, like never before. I made up mind that I am not going to disturb her now, by asking anything.
Just as I fed her some food, she kept her head on my lap and slept like a baby. I just looked at her face whole night. She seemed extremely tired and probably sleepless for days.
Now it’s almost a week past after her return, still she is sad and not talking as usual. She was the most talkative girl I have ever seen in my life, in fact, it was that nature of her, which made me turn my attention to her, eventually fallen in love with her then and we got married. Apart from her father’s demise, I do not know any reason to make her sad like this. I am concerned about her, I want to help her, but without making her feel bad. I am not going to question her anything, but I must find out why she is like this and help her come out of it.
She is sleeping now. I never did this before, with no option I searched her cupboards for some clue. I found a diary. She does not have a diary writing habit, so I got curious that it must have some answers for me. I walked out of our bedroom and started reading her words in that.
“Dear, I know you would have searched me everywhere during those 40 days. I thought I could return to you after finishing what I had in my mind. I should have listened to you and forgave him.
You know how much I loved my father. In fact, it is the character of my father, the same what I have seen in you, made me fall in love. I never thought that any man could love his wife, more than my father. I had never seen my mother’s face, so as my father after she passed away. Every known relatives blamed me those days, that I was born and killed my mother. Only my daddy who stood for me then. He has always seen his beloved wife in my eyes and he often says that I am the last boon that his wife gave to him.
Thereafter daddy never remarried. Just lived his life for me and some social works. You are the man who proved me that, there could be another man than my daddy to love a girl so much. I was so scared when I was about to introduce you to him.
Do you remember that day? He too loved you so much and he surprised us, “When do you want to marry my princess?”. I never knew any father in this world to understand his daughter so much like he did. That’s supposed to be a happy life for us. But why that tomorrow arrived in our lives, dear?
He knew that, we talked till late night, daddy did not want to wake me up. So he went for morning walk alone. But never returned home.
“Being righteous is the most dangerous affair in the world, ” he told me many times. But he always advised me to choose that risky true path and live life with dignity. We know he had so many enemies, all bad people, whom he brought before justice. But we never know that someone will go up to an extend to kill him.
Everyone consoled me, you have been there for me ever since he left me. You filled his place in my life, married me. But I missed my father, I would not feel bad if he died of age, but someone snatched away the only relationship in my life, the one who lived for me.
For the outside world, he was a past news “A social activist killed by unknown paid henchmen, police still investigates”. That news no longer will come in the news.
You and I knew who killed my father. You wanted at least to save me for the rest of our life. You advised me to let the issue go, as we could hardly win such crooked man in the courts. Then they will try to continue the revenge again. You asked me to forgive the one who killed my father. That time all I saw was, even you were unable to understand me.
I should have listened to you. Instead, I walked out while you were sleeping that night.
Who knows you better than me? hmm, I knew where and all you will search for me. I did the miserable mistake of my life by choosing the wrong path, to take up violence to take my revenge. I emptied our bank accounts to hire a few henchmen, I planned with them to kill him.
When justice could not help me, why not I take it on my own terms? Why not a woman fight back for her father? You admired me a lot, even my father admired a lot about me that “I am a brave and bold girl”. I thought it was my time to prove it.
I told my henchmen that I wish to kill him with my own hands. I Don’t know from where such rage and revenge arose in my mind.
That night, as I planned, he was alone, he got into an ATM, there were no security. I waited in a car, as the henchmen surrounded the spot. The power went out, favouring us. We thought that was the moment. The man walked out of the ATM, the henchmen jumped onto him and their machetes sliced him in no time. I felt how much my father suffered after listening to his scream. I smiled wickedly.
“Madam quick, you finish him!” one of them handed a knife to me, as I stepped out of the car, the power came back.
“Who are you? Why? Why?” that man was begging at them for mercy.
“Hey, It’s not him” the henchmen shouted and they fled away from the spot.
I went near him, he might not know that I am the reason behind this. “You look like my daughter, please save me, at least I wish to see my daughter’s marriage next week…” his words were more powerful than swords and pierced my soul.
What a terrible mistake I have done! My revengeful mind brought me a sin that I cannot wash away forever. Even my father would not forgive me for doing this to an innocent man. He should have been entered the ATM center before the one, whom I planned to kill.
I was on my knees, lifted him in my arms. Everywhere there was nothing but his blood and his cry. I looked at his face; he was no stranger, but my own father.
I could feel how my father would have cried his last moments, how much he would have missed me! All he uttered was that he wanted to see his daughter just once and that was his last breathe. His soul died in my very own hands.
I hugged him and cried, I have seen no stranger, but my daddy in him. My terrible rage has made another daughter to miss her father forever! I shouted out my pain and tears.
I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder from behind. It’s the one whom I intended to kill, the one who killed my father. He already picked up one of the bloody machete in his hand, left by the henchmen.
“Do you want to kill me too? Please do it. I do not deserve a life anymore” I shouted.
“Even if I ask a billion sorry, it will not be enough to heal your pain or bring back the life of two fathers, whom I killed. I am the reason behind this. It is my madness, which taken your father’s life, now this man is another victim, It’s not you who killed him. It’s me, I am the one who do not deserve a life anymore. I am the one who must be punished. You please leave this place immediately. I will confess to this murder too.” he has fallen on my feet and cried.
“What should I do? Run away with this sin? How can I live peaceful hereafter?” My mind questioned me to remain silent.
“I did not know that death is so much painful, not just because of the blood, but the separation from the beloved ones. It was just the one and only life, which I took from your father without any mercy on my soul. This stranger is no one to you, but you lifted him in your hands as your father. Your tears explained me what life is! What love is! You deserve to live. It’s me who forced you into this situation, so must I take the blame”, he pulled me up, dragged and forced me to get into the car.
“Nobody seen anything here, you leave this place“ he forced me to leave. My eyes were fixed to that innocent man who carried so many dreams about his daughter’s future, a few minutes before, now he is dead. I was reluctant to leave that place.
“Your husband is waiting for you, you must go. People may come anytime, please leave” he pushed the car. All of a sudden, I realized what I have done in your life too. What would be your fate without me?
Leaving my heart there, just for you I drove the car back home.
You did not ask a single question about the blood in my cloth. You did not ask a single word on my whereabouts for the 40 days. You simply hugged me with tears. All you asked me was not to leave you anymore like that. You bathed me, cleaned all the blood on me as well as some part of my burden from the guilty soul. Still, I have you by my side, with no question, but your beautiful heart full of love.
The next day, the same media and the police shared the news “Double murderer surrendered to police”. I know soon the people will forget this too.
But how could I forget that night? I wish to meet that innocent man’s daughter and ensure she marries as he wished. I cannot give back her father, but just wanted to see her from a distance that her life goes on. Will she be healed? I lost my peace of mind. If she is at peace, if she lives a life happy, then I may try to let peace in our life as well.
I am searching her nowadays, after you leave for the office. Yet I am unable to find her anywhere. Forgive me, for not being normal with you. Please bear with me, forgive me. Once I find her and assure she is leading a peaceful life, I will come back to you as your good wife. I will confess everything to you.
I trust you more than I trust myself, that you will redeem me from all this some day.
All I have is guilt now, dear, please forgive me….
I could see a lot of teardrops drenched those pages.
I am sitting next to her, waiting for her to wake up. She slowly opens her eyes. I am with her diary in my hand. She is wordless and unable to face my eyes. She held her head down.
I lifted her face to look at her eyes, “Look, dear, look at me!” Still she closed her eyes.
“Everything is ok, I am there with you. Nothing is there to forgive you sweetheart, you did nothing purposefully, everything just happened. We will find her and she will be fine.”
I hugged her, she kept her head on my shoulders, I could feel her tears drenching my back. “It’s ok baby, whatever life brings, I am with you” I whispered in her ears. She hugged me so tight and cried out her burdens.
– Words by Din
Genre : Fiction
Written by : Dinesh Kumar Radhakrishnan
All rights reserved © Propel Steps 2014
