Suddenly,there was this hissing 'shhhhhhhh..'sound that brought her back to her senses when the steaming,frothy milk began to overflow.
She drank her coffee and rushed to the temple and later to Shekar's ward to clean the room and give him his bed coffee.She didn't even bother to wake him up and left after performing her daily tasks!
Upon her return after 2 hours,she saw her dad's friend Sathyamurthy's TVS-50 parked outside their house.As she slowly trudged across the side of her house,she could hear some heated arguments between her dad and his friend,which she didn't bother to listen.She went directly to the back of the house to wash her feet,when she saw her mom beat the crap out of her younger brother,for refusing to wash his clothes.
She immediately mediated screaming..
"Amma..vendaam!Naa wash pannikaraen!Never beat him please!Naanthaan irukaenae..I shall take care everything!" as she fondly kissed her crying brother on his forehead!
Chepp..tup..chepp...went the tunes for the next 15 minutes as Apsara slammed the soapy water laden clothes on to the stone,which was interrupted by an equally loud 'Phatt" - a slap that landed on her cheeks from her father as he yelled..
"Maanankettavalae..Vekkamaa Illa?You are a disgrace to the whole family!How long have you been doing such shameful things?"
Apsara stood stunned and did not even feel the pain from the slap,but got a shocking pain go through her body upon hearing her dad's accusations,as she softly spoke..
"Appa..what wrong did I do?"
She could not control her tears when she heard her father speak in a dirty language linking her and Shekar,solely based on what his friend had said!For the first time in her life,she understood the evil face of the society,which had branded her as an immoral and unethical woman merely based on rumours and unacceptable stories.
An hour or 2 passed, as the sun shone straight over the lone 'Arasa Maram',with the Ganesha idol and Apsara seated beneath it.Apsara got up and rushed,as she remembered that poor Shekar would have been starving all this time.
As she entered the ward,Shekar smiled at her and in the most unsual manner,the next 15 minutes was filled with striking silence as she folded the blankets,replaced the towels,opened the old bandage and started dressing it with new cloth!
Shekar,who had chosen that day to reveal his intentions,started sensing that something was not normal with his Apsara,whom he had expected as any other day to enter the room bubbling with joy,enquiring about his wounds and scolding him for not drinking his cup of coffee fully till the bottom of the glass.
Not minding the unusual aura surrounding his angel and the frightening silence around his ward,Shekar started speaking..
"Hey..Saraa...Naa rombo naala unta onnu solnumnu nenachaen..
U know,I have had an entire world of time thinking alone for the past 20 days,and upon considering all factors,I am saying this..
Please..I repeat Please..don't feel bad about yourself for whatever I am going to say!
I ve been an orphan all my life and now,I feel I have found a sister,a mother and even sometimes a grandmother,not to forget the ever-guiding father,in your form!I know I am being greedy,but would it be a mistake if I say - I truly adore you and selfishly request you to be my life partner?"
Apsara,who was seated on the floor all the while,bending her head and dressing Shekar's wounds,suddenly looked up straight into the eyes of Shekar,as tears rolled uncontrollably.Her face turned red from the shocking revelation as she remained silent for the next 2 minutes and upon completing the bandage, left the room without speaking a word,putting Shekar under a state of total embarassment and guilt!
To be continued..
-Raapi
Posted by rajesh | 
« Home | Apsara - 4 » //-->
Add a comment: