Orphan?

Although Shambhu was as knowledgeable as a graduate but he did not have a graduation degree, as he couldn't afford one. Thus, he could manage to get a job in labour intensive sector only. Well, a job is a job after all. After job comes the time to get married, usually.
When Shambhu got married he had a good monthly income to sustain a small family. But destiny took an ugly turn and he got into an accident losing his legs and therefore his job. What now? No doubt, he had an extremely intelligent brain but in the age where knowledge was measured in degrees, his intelligence weighed nothing. Wherever Shambhu went, he was mocked or pitied upon but not selected for the job. The problem was that unskilled jobs required strength which Shambhu had lost and skilled jobs required degrees which he did not have.
When economy is not in your favour, even the happiest of the news sounds curse. Shambhu was shocked when he came to know that there will soon be a new member in the family. The next one year passed like ages with no proper source of income.  Shambhu tried countless number of jobs but in vain.
In the mean time a cute little girl child was born. He was clueless as to how will he sustain a child. Relatives were helpful but only for a limited time. There were times they had nothing to eat and the colony people sympathetically gave some milk for the baby.  But how would this work in long run.
One night he said to his wife,
"Rekha,  do you think Riya will grow up healthy this way? "
Rekha who had been asking herself this question a hundred times every day,  broke into tears.
Shambhu consoled her, " I have got an idea for her sustanence."
Rekha wiped her tears looking towards Sambhu with an eager face, as he continued, "I think we should give her to an orphanage and..... "
"What? Please don't say like that. She is my daughter. How could you even think of such a sin" Rekha interrupted him with a sheer shock.
"Please calm down dear. I too am her father. Let me complete. "
Rekha listened with her face held away from Shambhu in anger.
He said, "We shall give her to the orphanage and get her back after we are in a sustainable financial condition. "
"As if there is no chance of anyone else adopting her. " Rekha at once replied.
Comforting her, Sambhu said "Don't worry. She won't be adopted by anyone else. I have already talked to the headmiss in this regard. "
Rekha abruptly turned towards him, staring at him with fiery eyes. The fear of losing her daughter maddened her to an extent that she did not even bother what she was saying, " You have even done all the arrangements for your sinful act. Tell me. If it has become so difficult for you to sustain us, should I also go to some place where you can buy me back when you have enough money? "
"Shut up Rekha" Sambhu shouted with his hand held in an agressive gesture. But it remained held there. He did not throw it on Rekha because he knew how difficult it would be for a mother to take such heartbreaking decision. He took her hands into his own and wiping her tears said, "Okay dear. The choice is yours. I will proceed with this decision only when you agree. "
Rekha had to agree very soon when the very next day Riya felt extremely ill and a good old lady from neighbourhood told Rekha that her kid would not survive if she doesn't get proper nutrition.
Rekha with stone on her heart gave her assent and thus the other day Riya was taken to the orphange. Sister Asmita, the headmiss, was very kind and was the sister of Sambhu's friend. She comforted them with the promise that Riya wouldn't be adopted by anyone but them. When they were leaving, whole orphanage was in tears. The orphanage had fostered shunned daughters from roadside, their doorsteps and even dustbins but to take away the daughter from a mother who has come to leave her like her own beating heart seemed like a sin. Rekha would run back from the gate to see her again and again. Seeing this Sister Asmita asked Rekha,
"Would you like to work in our orphanage"
Rekha's swollen tearful eyes abruptly began to shine," Can I do that? "
"But Sister how can you employ anyone without proper permission from.... " another staff intervened but was interrupted.
"That I shall see." then turning towards Rekha Sister Asmita continued, "But I can't give you anything in lieu of your services"
Rekha smiled faintly and said, "Sister you don't realize that what you offer me is itself too precious to repay. "
Sambhu stood beside content at heart.
As if the burden of problems had pressed Sambhu's wisdom and when he was relieved he started thinking of ideas of income.
Finally he started giving tuitions to kids in his colony. Rekha also helped him. And their life began to improve.
Intelligence, when rises like a sun becomes visible so clearly that no one dares to ask it..." Hey! are you a star?"
Same happened with Sambhu. His students began to perform so well that parents began to hunt for that specially abled tution master. In the next one year he was in a very very good condition to bring Riya back and they were waiting just for Riya's bday. All arrangements were made and Rekha was the happiest lady of the world at the moment. She made a list of all the stuff she wanted to decorate Riya's room with and went to the market to buy them. She could imagine Riya dancing in the dresses she bought and playing with the toys she purchased and every time she imagined her she effortlessly got a tear lining. She was returning from the market with dozens of toys and dresses for her piece of heart still lost into her memories and so couldn't notice the reckless speeding truck just behind her. With a explosion sound, the truck fell over the footpath swallowing her completely. The toys and dresses lay around her, stained in her blood and her dreams.
Sambhu was as numb as an idol. Not a single drop of tear fell from his eyes. He was as non living as Rekha. He did not know what to do. For a few days he felt to have nothing left but then he realized that he had a piece of Rekha's heart growing up in the orphanage.
At the orphanage Sister Asmita was already waiting because he had told to come a week before. But while he was telling Asmita all that happened, he did not know that this is going to give him the greatest pain ever. She heard with grave shock and with an extremely tensed face stuck to silence for an unbearable interval of time. After which she somehow uttered, "I am sorry Sambhu."
"It's okay Asmita ji. Who can change the destiny? But please give me my daughter,  my last trace of smile. " requested Shambhu.
" I m sorry for that itself Sambhu. According to the adoption rules a girl child cannot be adopted by a single male. You cannot adopt her now. " said Sister Asmita gloomingly.
"No. Please don't say like that. I will die. Why can't I adopt my own daughter. I am her father. " stressed Shambhu.
"But she is in the orphanage. I hope you know what that means. If you marry again you can.... " Sister did not know this advice would enrage Shambhu.
"Oh Asmita ji. Can you please shut..... Oh I am sorry... Sorry.... I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Please I beg you, please give her to me. "
That was the first time Sambhu had tears in his eyes. But what else could he do. He sat there silent,  tears rolling down.
Sister Asmita got up from her seat, took a glass of water and giving it to Sambhu she said, "Sambhu see. I can do just one thing for you. We have special passes for our regular visitors and donors. I can give you one of them. With these passes you can come to meet your daughter any number of times a day. "
Sambhu kept silent and slowly began to wipe his tears. As if in the utter darkness someone had lit a tiny candle, which though did not make the room shine, made it easier to wait for the sunrise.
From the very next day after his ever growing classes he would toil his wheel chair, though motor fitted now, to come up to the orphanage.
His Sundays began to be special everytime as he got a complete day to stay with Riya. Slowly Riya had grown up enough to utter some words and she first said, "Pa.... Paah..... Paaaappaaah". Shambhu witnessed this blessed moment. He picked up Riya in air and began playing with her in the open field with Riya running around his wheelchair.
One day she came running to Shambhu with the bottle of shampoo and said, "Is that your name uncle? "
Shambhu laughed like hell and said, "Yes yes... Oh my god... My name on this bottle.... Wow....Yes beta... That is my name." That day onwards Shambhu was Shampoo Uncle for Riya.
Times changed a lot. Shambhu's intelligence got due recognition and he was employed at a reputed academic institute at a very respectable post. His visit to the orphanage was now taken as a matter of great pride as he had become a big donor. Riya had also grown up enough to understand what does it mean to be at the orphanage. She was never told that Shambhu is her father because Sister Asmita thought that she was not mature enough to take this shock.
Well, the grown up Riya was as intelligent and creative as Shambhu and thus this annual function she had a surprise for everyone. A self written poem.
As audience, including Shambhu sat in the big auditorium, Riya came on stage. Shambhu was beaming with the pride of being her father. Not that it was her debut performance but actually it was the first time she came all alone that too with a surprise. She began,
"Welcome to this beautiful place
I greet you with a smiling face
With shining eyes I see around
With curious ears listen to the sound
Of bird singing the tune of nature
and squirrels sitting in a jolly gesture"
Shambhu was quiet but his beaming eyes themselves were shouting with the joy of being the father of such a talented girl. He heard with utmost attention as Riya continued,
"I thank God for this beautiful world
But I have a little complaint "
Shhh...The auditorium became as silent as an idol. Riya continued without a trace of heaviness in her throat.
"I thank God for this beautiful world
But I have a little complaint
Which new goggles has he bought
That he can't see my pain.
Why did he take away from me
What had to be my identity
And if my parents had to leave me here
Why at all was I born as a smear.
Why Papa you couldn't afford raising me?
Why Mum? Did you have a problem?
Why I lie alone at this place
With never ending boredom? "
Shambhu wanted to immediately run and pick Riya up in arms, hold her close to his chest and make her feel that his father is still alive and loves her very much.
On the other side, Riya couldn't hide her choking throat anymore and with a very heavy stammering voice she said
"Why can't I dream of a world of my own?
Why can't I dream of a miracle?
Why can't I dream of just a father
As loving as my Shampoo Uncle? "
With this sentence she looked straight into Shambhu's eyes, who too was crying like hell. As he tried to move forward, he lost balance and began falling from his chair. Thank God the people around supported him back to his place. At this Riya came running towards Shambhu and clung to him. The scene was too emotional to be witnessed without a wet eye.
Many such emotional moments had made the Riya Shambhu...oops... I mean Riya Shampoo duo famous.
Shambhu had by now become rich enough to get a prosthetic leg and Riya was flying like a bird on seeing him walk. A hundred thanks to Sister Asmita who made it possible for Shambhu to foster Riya, if even in an orphanage. That was the reason probably that Asmita was intensely bonded with Riya, who called her Ammu ma.
Don't know how the calenders got flipped off so quickly that Riya became tall, beautiful and dynamic girl in her 20s and Shambhu had an invasion of grey hairs in a jungle of black ones.
Riya had already been transferred to the adolescent section from the juvenile section and then with her hard work and Shambhu's proper guidance, she got a respectable job.Her first job was a special moment and Sister Asmita had thus called her on her room that day for dinner. She had some special attachment with this girl.
"I called you at 8 Riya. When will you become punctual." Sister Asmita reprimanded sweetly.
"Ammu ma I'm early. " she said with a shock over the reprimanding.
"Exactly. You come too early and don't let ME prepare the meal. I don't understand whether it's me who invited you or you who invited me. " she said.
Riya began to laugh.
"No need to laugh. Sit down quietly here. You don't have to come to the kitchen. You have got my swear. " she said firmly.
"Okay okay. As you wish. May I read your books." Riya asked with a smile.
"Don't behave like a stranger Riyu. You know when you were small, you used to sneak into my room to have the cakes." she said with a frown.
"Oops... Okay... Sorry" Riya whispered biting her tongue.
And as Sister went to the kitchen, Riya began scanning the books.
"Which is your favourite novel Ammu ma?" asked Riya
" Lost in the woods" she said from the kitchen itself.
Riya moved her fingers on to the books, stopped at the novel, took it out, and a letter fell out of it. Like a good girl she kept it back on shelf and turned. But wait. Did the envelope have Shampoo uncle's name? She took it back. Yes it was. She did not want to be a bad girl but her curiosity could not resist reading it.
The letter read-
"Sister Asmita. I am sending you this letter through my driver. Though I should have talked to you about this in person but I am very sorry as I am undergoing an operation for the artificial legs. I heard that you got a family for Riya. Please Sister Asmita. You promised me you will not let her get adopted. Please I don't want her to go to any family. Please wait until I come back at least. I need to talk to you in this regard. "
Riya was in extreme confusion, anger, disappointment and even in a trace of hatred.
"Why? Shambhu uncle wanted me to remain an orphan all my life? I thought he was so good. Why did he do that?"
"Riyu! Can you help me take this food to the dining room." Sister Asmita shouted from the kitchen.
"Coming Ammu Ma." she answered somehow hiding her heavy throat. She quickly wiped her tears and hid the letter between the pages of the novel.
The food seemed tasteless. And after somehow finishing the dinner, she said, "Ammu ma! I am not feeling well. May I go back now. I shall come to meet you tomorrow again... Please... May I? "
"Why not dear. But wait a minute I have got a gift for you" she said giving her an old worn off carton,  "It looks old. But it's extremely precious. Do have a look."
Riya smilingly took it and asked, "May I take this novel also?"
"Why not. It's heart-touching. Right? " Sister asked curiously.
"Heart piercing rather" Riya said with a stoic face and left.
Back to her room, she broke into cry. "Even Sister Asmita did not tell me. " and in anger she threw the old carton on the wall. The carton broke revealing all the letters in it. She had not expected such a present. As she collected the splattered letters and read them her anger was washed away with her tears. The whole story was before her. The letters were informal thus were never documented.
Riya was relaxed like never before. She has a father. Oh my god that feeling was so beautiful. Love is something that can turn a frown upside down in a moment. Same happened to her. She lied down in the bed thinking of surprising his Shampoo Uncle... Naah.... Papa... with this open secret when he comes to visit her tomorrow morning. But then her phone rang. The screen showed the name 'Shampoo uncle'.
"The first thing that I will do is to change this fed name to Papa" she thought as she picked up the phone.
"Hello. Riya bitiya"
That was not Papa.
"Hello. Who's it? "
"Bitiya. I'm Shambhu's friend Rakesh. Actually he asked me to message you that he will not be able to come tomorrow. But I thought it would be better to tell you over call. Actually we brought him to the hospital this evening and got him admitted." he said in a slightly worried tone.
"Hospital but why uncle? Is everything fine? " Riya at once felt the unfortune standing on the door. Her heart was sinking.
" Beta, he strictly asked me not to tell this to you but Beta...." Rakesh couldn't speak.
"Say Uncle please. " Riya was growing impatient.
" He got a heart attack in the evening." Rakesh exploded the bomb.
Riya was shivering head to toe but she did not panic. She quickly asked the address, took her purse and went to take permission from Sister Asmita to go out of the premises at this hour. Sister was quick in granting the permission and Riya reached the hospital in next one hour.
The tears that had waited a long to come out peeping through the corners of the eyes splashed like a waterfall when Riya saw Shambhu.
"Paah... Paah.... Paah... Paah.. " like a little girl she approached towards Shambhu with little innocent, dwindling steps.
Shambhu who lay unconscious probably could feel the positive vibes and slowly opened his eyes with a faint smile. He slowly whispered, "Aww... Mera bachcha... You have come!!!...Now in peace I can ddd... "
Riya quickly but softly kept her hand on  his mouth lest he should complete the sentence.
"I shall never talk to you if you speak like this. " Riya said with a child like anger.
"Oh!!! I mean in peace I can dive whole of my life. Right? " said Shambhu mischievously.
"Right. " Riya said blinking her eyes and  the tears reached her father's cheeks, the destination they had always longed for.

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