The Lone Way
Part 1
This is a story of a young man and a widow who had to make a tough decision …
Renu and Vasu had been in love since their college days and wanted to marry after completing their studies. However, Renu was from a higher caste, while Vasu was from a lower caste. Renu's parents, in particular, were reluctant to allow this marriage due to their caste biases . Although Vasu's parents were initially open to this marriage, later, seeing the attitude of Renu's family, they said, "If you are from a higher caste and considered to be superior, keep your superiority to yourself. I also don't consider Vasu to be a fit groom for Renu. I cannot accept this marriage at any cost."
Renu and Vasu both got jobs in the same office in Hyderabad. Seeing their parents' stubborn attitude Vasu said to Renu “ Even in this era our parents are so caste biased . I am determined to marry you even if our parents don’t approve of our wedding , of course provided you too agree . We can get legally married in a court . Do you agree ? It's time to make a firm decision .”
Renu couldn’t immediately answer and kept quiet for a few seconds . Vasu said again “ Renu, I asked you something very important for us . It’s up to you . Even if you don’t agree, I will remain your best friend forever . I personally will be happy to see you as my life partner . “
After a short silence Renu also gave her nod to go ahead with the court marriage plan .
After completion of the requisite formalities for court marriage they got married in the court . Their friends appeared as witnesses before the registrar . After marrying Renu and Vasu were living a happy life. They both worked in the same office in Hyderabad.
They had been married for about four years. Their parents had not yet approved of their marriage. As a result, both Renu and Vasu were ostracized by their parents. Despite having no connection with their families, both were happily settled at Hyderabad .
In the meantime , a year after their marriage, Renu gave birth to a son. They felt they had a complete family now . They celebrated their son's birthday with great pomp and show. When their son Shaurya was three years old, he was ill for a few days. After some treatment, Shaurya recovered. When he cried during his illness, Vasu would console him by saying, "You'll get well soon, then we'll go to Kashmir for a trip. You must have heard that Kashmir is like heaven on the earth. It will be a lot of fun for all of us in Kashmir ."
Well , Shaurya recovered soon thereafter .Vasu bought a car by taking a loan from the company. There was also a scooter in Renu's name. Both of them also got vehicle allowances from the company. Most of the time both of them used to go to the office on the scooter. Sometimes they also used to go by car, especially when the weather was bad. Sometimes, if required, both of them had to go separately also .
One day, Vasu had to go to the office alone. Vasu left on his scooter, while Renu went by car. Vasu had to pay the electricity bill on the way and also had some work to do at the insurance company. After finishing his work there , he was on his way to the office. But fate had other plans. Unfortunately, Vasu was involved in a terrible accident. He wasn't wearing a helmet that day. He was hit by a speeding truck from behind . The impact of the accident was so great that Vasu instantly died on the spot itself .
A mountain of troubles fell upon Renu. She was almost unconscious for a few days. She had no idea how she would manage her and Shaurya’s life without Vasu . Her father told her “ You can come home but you should hand over your son to Vasu's parents. We will arrange for your marriage with a good boy of our caste .”
“ No , I can’t put my son under the care of a stepfather . “ Renu said
Finally, she gathered courage and decided that she would raise Shaurya on her own. Within two weeks, she started going to her office.
She left her son in a day care and went to work. Whenever Shaurya asked about his father, Renu used to say, " Your papa has gone too far, it'll take a very long time to get back. It is quite possible that you might grow up by then."
She received money from Vasu's life insurance and the scooter was also repaired by the insurance company. There was no shortage of money but there was such a big vacuum in life without Vasu which could not be filled up . She used to go to her office by car because on the way she had to drop Shaurya to day care school .She picked up Shaurya on return from the office .
Shaurya had just turned one when he fell ill again. He had typhoid. When Renu consoled him, saying, "When you get well, we'll go somewhere on a holiday trip," Shaurya replied, "Papa also said so, but we never went anywhere. Take me to Papa, he'll take me to Kashmir."
“ I told you that papa has gone to a distant place and his return could take quite some time . Have patience and I will also take you to a nice place .”
“ No , no I will go to Kashmir and nowhere else .”
“ Okay , I promise I will take you there .”
Shaurya recovered in two weeks. Renu assured him that they would soon go to Kashmir.
She booked a Kashmir package for herself and Shaurya from a travel agent. The agent's car met her at Srinagar airport. The car would stay with her until the end of her trip and then drop her back at Srinagar airport. In addition to Srinagar, the package included Sonamarg, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam.
During the trip, Renu was riding a horse with Shaurya to see a glacier on a hill. Suddenly, Shaurya slipped and fell. But a young man, unknown to him, caught him before he could hit the ground. The young man had dismounted his horse and was walking for a while. Shaurya was terrified and unwilling to ride the horse. Renu, too, was scared and determined to return.
Then the young man gave a chocolate to Shaurya and said, "Son, don't be afraid. You are Shaurya, that means you are a brave child. Come with me. I assure you nothing bad will happen . "
Shaurya was looking at his mom as if waiting for her approval .
“ Sit on the horse, nothing will happen. The snow is shining on those distant mountains. A river of ice is flowing beneath it. We will see it from up close, it will be great fun." The young man said again
After getting Renu’s nod, Shaurya agreed and sat on the horse with him . Renu was on her own horse. When Renu asked his name , he told his name was Sanjay. All three of them roamed together for about three hours. While returning down, everyone was very tired. Sanjay asked them to stop at a dhaba-like restaurant and have coffee. While getting down from the horse, Sanjay extended his hand to Renu and supported her. Even though she was holding Sanjay’s hand to avoid falling, Renu almost clung to Sanjay's chest. Soon thereafter , she tried to comfort and relax herself and said, "Sorry, I had lost my balance."
"It's okay. Let's rest for a while and head down soon. The sky is overcast . The weather is quite uncertain in the mountains."
Within half an hour, after having some snacks and coffee, they went downstairs. After reaching down, Renu expressed her gratitude to Sanjay and said, "I will drop you in my car."
"No, thanks. My bus is waiting." He bid goodbye and left.
Cond.
