Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“I don’t think so.” Vinod said. “Rajesh’s father asked her the reason for her keeping them away like that but she did not tell anything at all. We came to know about it through Rajesh while he was under hypnosis. She would not have said the reason about keeping him away like that at any point of time for whatever reason.”
“Vinod is right. I am sure under any circumstances she would not have told about it to anyone else.” Rajesh said.
“Alright, alright. What happened next? Have you straight gone back to your place?” Vinod asked him again.
“No. As soon as I have come out of that house I was blocked by Ratnakar. He started pleading with me to understand grandma. I said I do understand her and never come to this house again but asked him to tell me the reason for my grandma’s odd behavior.” Rajesh said.
“What Ratnakar said to that?”
“He pleaded ignorance. He said he really did not know why grandmother was trying to keep us away from her like that but she never would do anything without some reason. He said grandmother was a very good woman and she has lot of love and affection on me and I need to understand her.”
“Have you felt that he was telling you the truth?”
“Yes, I felt that he was telling me the truth.” Rajesh nodded his head. “I am now also feeling that Ratnakar really did not know about it.”
“Alright, I agree that there was a valid reason for grandma to keep you away from her like that. But what would be the problem to her to show some love on you while you were in her very presence?” Tanuja asked her.
“She felt fear.” Vinod said “She felt fear if she showed any love and affection on Rajesh he would be tempted to come to her again. As Ratnakar said she has indeed love and affection on her son and grandson. She just could not show that out.”
“You are right.” Rajesh nodded his head. “She sure did have lot of love and affection on my dad and on me also. Something has prevented her from expressing it.”
“I can say one thing for sure.” Neeraja said. “In her life, especially after the death of her husband and that Nagaraju, your grandma suffered from a psychological disorder. If she has been shown to some psychologist or psychiatrist in those days she would have been certainly cured.”
“I am also feeling in the same way.” Rose said.
Vinod did not say anything.
“What is your opinion Vinod? Are you also feeling in the same way?” Rajesh asked him.
“I cannot comment anything on this. It is just because I don’t disbelieve paranormal as these both psychiatrists do. I am thinking that there might be some paranormal reason for grandma’s behavior like that.” Sighing heavily, Vinod said.
Rajesh was about to say something but then there was an earsplitting thunderstorm nearby reminding them that the sky was not clear yet. Immediately there was a downpour again.
&&&
“You are appearing quite moody, what happened?” as soon as Sameera and Sunanda entered into old woman’s room, Sameera asked her.
“There is nothing. I am my usual self.” Forcing a smile onto her lips, Sunanda said.
“If my best friend is worrying about something I can know about it instantly. Tell me what happened?” looking straight into her face, Sameera asked her again.
“Oh, how can I convince you? Everything is usual with me.” Sunanda went near to the wall there and leaned on it. “Don’t pester me with questions like these.”
Sameera also went near to the wall and leaned on it just beside her. “You know my weakness very well. If you are worrying for anything I just cannot tolerate. I am sure that you are worrying for something and tell me about it.” Sameera was stubborn.
“My dad and I shared some matters about my mom in the upstairs room.” Sunanada said.
“Yes, what then?” Sameera asked her. “It is quite natural that a father and daughter talk about daughter’s mother.”
“I came to know some shocking things about my mom first time in my life.” Sunanda said with a small voice.
“There is a shocking thing in our lives Sunanda and that shock was absorbed long time back. Are there more shocks to you?” Sameera became straight on the bed and knitted her brows together.
“My mom’s mother was a prostitute. She has to sleep with men to look after the welfare of the family and my mom’s education.” Sunanda’s voice shivered while saying that.
“Was it so?” there came a shocking expression in the face of Sameera. “How pathetic! No one has to lead a life like that.”
“My mom has to sleep with a sixty years aged person to fulfill her dream of studying medicine. In fact she was also a prostitute.” Tears were flowing down on the cheeks of Sunanda.
“This was what your dad has told you on this day? Is there any necessity to deliver this information to you now?” with an irritating expression in her face, Sameera asked her.
“My dad did not tell me any of this all by himself. I have pestered him to tell me about my mom, so he did. There is no mistake on his part at all.” Sunanda said.
“Alright, what’s then? It was all history and it happened a long time back. Is it is not better that you forget about it and lead a happy life?”
“Sameera, you did not feel much surprise when I said what my mother did for studying her medicine. That means you really expected something like that with her, are not you?” looking into her face, Sunanda asked her.
“Will you please shut your mouth?” Sameera said angrily. “No I did not expect anything like this with your mom or her mom. But I did not feel much surprise. When women are in utter poorness, the society forces them to do things like these. If we were in such condition, we also would be forced to do that. It is not the mistake of the women folk. It is the mistake of the society.”
“Alright, I am relieved a little hearing you like this.” Sunanda said. “But there is one other shocking thing here to tell you.”
“Oh, don’t put me in suspense and tell me about it.” showing impatience, Sameera said.
“My dad expressed the same doubt which you have expressed on one day at me.”
“What? Your dad expressed the same doubt I expressed at one time? If you don’t tell me what it is immediately, I kill you here itself.” Showing full irritation in her face, Sameera said.
“I don’t know how you react if I say that to you.” Hissing out heavily Sunanda said.
“You said I also have expressed the same doubt. Then it is not something to make me feel surprise. Just tell me what it is without bothering what would be my reaction to it.”
“Have you ever considered about the resemblance between us both? We both are with the same complexion, same height, round faces, same eyes the difference is only in the noses.” With a small voice Sunanda said.
“What the bloody hell the resemblance between us both would do anything with this?” Sameera irritatingly said but suddenly there came some realization in her. “That means…that means…your dad is also doubting that you are the daughter of my dad.”
“Yes, my dad is doubting even he is not confirmed about it. The most surprising thing here is, he does not bother even a little about it. There is no difference to him I am either his daughter or your dad’s daughter. He just wanted me to accept him as my father in my heart all the time.” Sunanda said.
“My god! I just cannot digest two things here. One, that we both are the daughters of the same person. Two, your dad has no feeling whatsoever about it.” with a shocking expression in her face Sameera said. She remembered what she and Aravind talked in between themselves in the verandah. They just talked about Vinod. “How he can remain like that?”
“My dad is a great man, a great personality. He understood the human weaknesses better than anyone. I am really proud of my father.” Sunanda said.
“I agree” Sameera nodded her head. “He is the best psychologist in my opinion. He understood the human psychs better than anyone else.”
There was some silence between them both until it was broken by Sameera “But there is no necessity to you to be moody like this. I feel even more happy if you are my own sister.” She involuntarily laughed after saying that. “But whether whose daughter you are really does not matter even a little when your dad himself accepted that so. Just do in the way your dad asked you. Accept him as your dad wholeheartedly and forget about everything else.” She said.
“So it is almost true that I am your own sister.” Sunanda said.
“The resemblance between us both is proving it like that. If you have not resembled me like that we would not have got a doubt. But we both are almost the same in many of our features. If we examine ourselves carefully we can find many of the features of my dad in both of us. So we really need to doubt little about it.” sighing heavily Sameera said.
“I am not feeling very much good about it. I am feeling quite odd.” Sunanda closed her eyes and said.
Sameea hugged her strongly placing her both hands around her neck and kissed on her right cheek perfunctorily. “I asked you to forget about everything. We think about only our future now.”
Then they both were put themselves into talking until there was an earsplitting thunderstorm followed by heavy downpour.
“I think by now both of our devils finished eating of the minds of their dads fully. They need replenishment and we have to offer ours.” Getting off from the bed Sunanda said.
“You are hundred percent right.” Sameera also followed her.
&&&
As soon as Sameera and Sunanda came out of the room, Arjun and Madhuri ran towards their respective mother’s and they have been taken into their laps immediately. With them on their hips, Sameera and Sunanda found two empty chairs among them and slumped themselves in those chairs. Rajesh was saying something and they both started hearing it carefully.
“After I have said so to my grandmother and came to my residence, I stopped taking the help of her completely. I asked the help of Aravind’s father then and he gladly came forward to provide it. But grandma did not leave me like that for long. That Ratnakar did not let me even breathe until I accepted grandma’s help once again.” Rajesh said.
“That itself is proving that grandma is having lot of love and affection on you.” Vinod said.
“You are certainly right.” Rajesh nodded his head. “My life was like that. I cannot say whether I am lucky or unlucky. I have means. I could do whatever I wanted. I wanted to become a doctor and I could become a doctor. Very few people could fulfill their dreams like that. The other thing…” he paused a moment and looked into the face of Tanuja. “I so desperately wanted to marry this woman and I could marry her. Not all people could marry the women they love.”
“Need you tell about it here?” Tanuja’s cheeks were blushed.
(I hope that you enjoyed upto here. I shall publish the next chapter as soon as possible. Please don’t forget to rate and review.)
