The Apple of My Eye
A/N: Hey! I actually came up with this idea some days ago, so I decided to pen this down as fast as I could. I've kept the background character a suspense in this. :)
I won't say much more now, just that this story is a special dedication to Original143 who has always been the one who has openly supported a different type of story, quite away from the usual. Hope I have given the characters full justice! :D
Now, Happy Reading! :D
"Congratulation sir! Its a girl!"
He felt his knees go weak. All this time, he had only anticipated this moment in his head several times, each time thinking about what would be his response to the news, sometimes comical, sometimes blank. But this time, it was really happening. And what an idiot he must have look like. Wait, did he even ask the nurse whether the kid was healthy or no? Urgh, he cursed himself inward.
Getting slowly to his feet, he walked towards the room that now held so much, a part of himself. As soon as he opened the door, he saw his wife laying there in bed, pain etched over every inch of her face, yet he could not have seen her look more radiant and beautiful with all the sweat plastered over her forehead. Taking a seat by her side, he gave her a gentle kiss over her head, and they shared a smile. A smile that spoke ounces.
He felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around. That's when his world changed forever. In the hands of the nurse was perhaps the most beautiful thing he must have ever seen in his life. Wrapped in a blue towel, he could have only described his baby as God's angel. The experienced eyes of the nurse spotted the dumbfounded look on his face and she smiled. She had seen this look almost every single day in the last 15 years of her career and yet it never seemed to lose it's charm.
The nurse gently handed over the baby in his arms, and he felt his breath getting stolen away. Tears sprung up in his eyes, while he gently placed a light kiss on his baby's head. And that's where he swore - he would always be there for his little girl, like her shield, protecting her from all harm's way. He would be there for her no matter what, always holding her finger to show her the right path, always to help her out in all her difficulties. He would pamper her in all ways possible, be her best friend and pal. He felt his world revolve around her from that moment.Always.
Handing her gently to her mother now, he sat by his seat solemnly, still in awe of what God had bestowed upon him in that moment. He couldn't take his eyes off her the entire time he sat there.
Weeks changed to months and yet he could only feel his love grow more and more for his angel each day. His worries seemed to succumb under her innocence filled laughter and his trouble seemed to fade away with one tiny hug from his girl. He could never understand what good he had done to get her, but he swore to himself to treasure her like the princess she is for lifelong.
He still remembered the first time she spoke about wanting to become a CID officer. It was during dinner time. She was studying in the 12th and had her boards coming up. That day, rather than sniffing evry dish and eating it with all the love and adoration she had for food, she simply seemed to play with it, that was quite uncommon of her.
Noticing her restlessless, he casually asked her:
"Sab theek toh hai na beta?"
"Ha... haan dad, sab theek hai, kyun?"
"Tumne abhi tak apne plate ke khaane ka ek niwaala bhi nahi khaya hai."
"Oh..." She looked at her plate nervously and quickly stuffed her mouth with almost half the roti that was there. She however could not get it down her throat.
He noticed it and yet decided not to question further. He knew her well enough that when she felt ready enough, she would talk about the thing that was bothering her. Her mother came to his rescue and put forward a casual question.
"Waise tumhaare Chemistry mein jo woh ek chapter nahi aa raha tha, woh kisi se puch ke kar liya?"
"Ee ... aa"
"Yeh kya, pehle muh mein se khatam karo phir bolo." Gulping down the food with a glass of water, she now audibly replied
"Jee haan... maine Shuti se seekh liya woh chapter."
"Chalo accha hai... waise aaj tumhaara career counselling tha na... kaisa gaya?"
"Accha tha..." She did not speak anything further than that. The family had most part of the renaining meal in silence. Towards the end of the meal, she suddenly said
"Mujhe ek CID officer banna hai."
Both parents had a shocked and surprised reaction. She blindly continued.
"Aaj humaare counselling mein ACP Pradyuman aaye the aur humein samjha rahe the ki hum log agar ek CID officer ban jaate hai toh hamaare desh ko kya kya fayde ho sakte hai. Mujhe doctor nahi banna hai, mujhe ek CID officer banna hai."
Both parents looked at each other with exasperated looks. This was the 5th time in two years that she had decided what she wanted to become and after some days, she got bores with it and came back to square one.
"Beta, yeh tum kaisi behki baatein kar rahe ho. Ek CID officer banne ke liye skill and talent aur desh ke liye prem aur kuch kar dikhaane ki chaah honi chahiye. Thodi na aise hota hai ki aaj bol diye ki CID mein jaana hai, aur kal bol diye ki nahi."
"Maa skill aur talent dono hai... main karate mein black belt hoon aur national level ki swimmer. Aur toh aur thodi bohot akal aur buddhi bhi diya hai aue desh se toh bohit pyar karti hoon. It's the perfect career ma!'
This time her father intervened. His tone was soft, yet it had a finalty in it.
"Dekhi beta, abhi tumhaare boards hai, pehle uspe focus karo, uske baad JEE as well as IAS ke entrance exams honge. Agar tum uss wakt sure ho ki tumhein ek CID officer banna hai, toh theek hai, mujhe koi aitraaz nahi hai. Par tab tak tum iske baare mein zyada nahi sochogi. Deal?"
"Deal." Smiling at finally getting a weight off her heart, she got up from the table things out in the kitchen, while both parents gave each other imconvincing looks."
And of course came the day when his worst fears came true. That afternoon, she came home with a form in her hand. He was in the hall at that time talking to one of his friends on the phone when he caught her expression. Hanging up the phone, he walked towards her and gave her a hug.
"Kaisa raha tumhaara aaj ka din?"
"Accha tha dad..."
"Form le aayi?"
"Haan."
"Kab bharke submit karna hai?"
"Do din baad."
"Chali jaake tum aaram karo, raat tak form aaram se fill kar dena, aur agar kisi cheez ki zaroorat ho toh mujhe zaroor batana."
As he was about to walk away, she stopped him.
"Dad mujhe aapse kuch baat karni hai."
"Haan bolo na beta."
"Dad, mujhe CID officer banna hai."
He gave her a shocked look. He did not expect her to still harbour this fantasy. He had expected her to forget her about it and thought it to be one ofthose passing phases.
"Beta phir se..."
"Please dad, main aaj se pehle kabhi itni serious nahi thi kisi baat pe. Maine iske baare mein bohot socha hai and yehi career ko mujhe apnana hai. Jurm ko mitaana, desh ki seva karna, mere skills ko sahi jagah istemaal karna. This job is perfecf!"
He could not think of anything to say. He felt very infuriated at that moment, not at her, but at the person who had put the idea in her head in the first place. He walked away from there, leaving behind his crestfallen daughter.
On the eve of her form submission, he came to her one more time. Her mother had given her her support, all the while explaining the cons of the job and the risks she would encounter over her choice of career, but he chose to discuss anything but that.
She was arranging some books in her bedroom when he came in. She turned towards him and gave him a sad smile.
"Main aaj form leke aayi CT ka. Maine form bhar diya hai, bas aapki sign ki zaroorat hai." Her voice was so heavy, he would not have been surprised that she must have already shed a tear or two already."
"Beta, yahan aao." She turned herself towards him, where he stood in a gesture of wanting to pull her in a hug. She smiled and threw herself into her father's comforting arms. She just took in her father's comfort, and she did not even in the slightest, shed a single tear.
Breaking herself finally from her father's grip, she smiled at him.
"Dad, main samajhti hoon ki aap kyun nahi jaante ki main yeh career lun. I completely understand. Aap chahte hai ki main doctor banu, toh haan main doctor hi banungi. Air aaj ke baad... main kabhi iske baare mein mention nahi karungi. That's a promise Dad!"
"Mujhe samjha rahi ho ya apne aap ko?" His wise eyes scanned her face while the smile that she put up faded as fast as it had come.
"Meri taraf dekho." She looked at him with hesitation in his eyes. He continued.
"Meri aankhon mein dekh ke jawaab do. Kya tum sachmein ek CID officer banna chahti ho?"
"Haan." The answer was not over excited, neither did it have the tone of wanting to do it out of stubbornness. It had the essence of wanting it truly.
"Tum jaanti ho ke iss kaam mein har din tumhaari jaan jhokim mein rahegi. Kafi kuch sehna padta hai. Abhi toh sirf entrance tests hai. Baad mein extensive training hoga. Aur phir asli job. Kya tum inn sab ke liye tayyar ho?"
"Puri tarah se nahi Dad, par mujhe pata hai ki ek baar main yeh career chunti hoon, toh uske aage jo bhi hoga woh merk responsibility hai, aur min woh responsibility lene ke liye tayyar hoon." There was a strange earnestness in her voice now.
He realized in that moment that forcing her into another career because it was much safer and was any day a better choice would only make her a robot. He still didn't want her to pursue it. He still felt afraid. It was as though he was breaking his promise of protecting her and keeping her away from harm, by throwing her right into the center of it.
But then again he had always decided that he would never impose upon her any of his decisions. He knew his daughter was mature enough to decie what was right for her. And there was no doubt - the career she was choosing had a prestige of his own. Coming from a background with high patriotic values, he wasn't really surprised that she wanted to do something for her country.
Sighing, he simply stated. "Apna form leke aao."
She walked slowly towards her desk and brought back her CT form. He tore the form then and there.
She stood stunned for a moment. And then she felt something warm drip from her eyes. She had started crying. She hugged him once again, letting go of her tears freely this time, something she always hated doing. Separating from the hug, her father looked at her and said "Main abhi mere dost se baat karke tumhaara admission ek acche se Criminology course mein karwaaunga. Graduation kar lo fir ICS exam de dena apna. Tumhaare paas bonus mein aur teen saal hai fasla karne ke liye. Agar teen saal baad koi bhi reason ke wajah se tumhein lage ki tum yeh naukri nahi chahte, toh bas, phir lawyer ban jaana. Scope toh usmein bhi bohot accha hai hai."
"Waise agar tum aise hi roti rahogi, toh entrance tests dene se pehle hi tujhe bhaga denge!"
Laughing at her father's poor attempt at a joke, both father and daughter went together to tell their voice of reason the good news, who was, unknown to them, hearing them already from quite a distance.
The phone fell down from her hand. It was in the night. He and his wife were having a debate goibg on about their angel's marriage when the call came. She answered the call with gusto at first, thinking it was her daughter's phone to confirm her plan for the next day, but what she heard on the phone was enough to shatter her from inside out.
He looked at her afraid, seeing the way she broke down, for she was not a woman to cry on the smallest of things. Snatching the receiver from the ground, he angrily demanded on the phone who was speaking, when the person opposite only said one sentence that was enough to chill his insides.
"Main ACP Pradyuman bol raha hoon. Aap please abhi isi wakt City Hospital aa jayiye."
He could not understand what was happening. His wife was reaching hysteria, while he asked her to shut up and not assume anything without knowing the actual reason. He felt angry. The first thing he could think about was to call Vivek while he and his wife both got ready to head for the hospital.
However, the person who answered the phone was not Vivek, instead it was Freddy. Keeping the phone on speaker, he spoke, so that his wife could hear at the sane time.
"Sir, Vivek iss wakt... kya baat hai?"
"Mujhe abhi ACP Pradyuman ka call aaya tha aur unhone mujhe City Hospital bulaya hai. Kya hua hai meri beti ko?"
"Sir woh... "
"Bolo Freddy please! Mujhe aur Sarita ko bohot tension ho rahi hai! Sab theek toh hai na? Woh theek hai na?"
"Sir woh... case ke dauran... use goli lagi thi... aur woh... ab... iss duniya mein... nahi rahi." The line was barely over that Freddy started crying vehemently.
But no. He could not believe it. It was just not possible. He had spoken to her just 4 hours before, she had made plans to come home this week end. This was all a mistake or a joke. He would not believe it, absolutely not.
"Yeh kya bakwaas kiye jaa rahe ho!" He could not say anything further so he cut the phone straight away. The rest of the journey was a blur for him. The only thing he could remember was the continuous sobs of his wife beside him.
He was being escorted to the morgue by the doctor. He still couldn't understand all the hullabaloo. Or rather he didn't want to. As soon as the door opened, he had a strong impulse to run away, yet he stood rooted to the spot. Talking steps towards the body the doctor walked towards, he instructed the wardboy toh take off the sheet off the face, while both parents looked at it with fright.
As soon as the cover came off, he felt his knees go weak. He didn't even come to know that he had crashed in his knees. There his angel lay, the same look on her face as the first time he lay his eyes on her. He never realized when tears started escaping his eyes. And only one thing escaped his lips
"Tasha..."
He broke. Inside out. What sin had he done, that his angel was taken away from him? How had he hurt Him that she was taken away from him, so young, so brutally? He had broken the promise to protect her. He had failed to do his duty as her father. He failed. He felt enraged. Was he so stupid that he had willingly allowed his daughter to enter this career? He should have forced her into somethong else. She would have been unhappy, but atleast she would have been alive.
He could not get hinself to look at her anymore. His heart brimmed with guilt as he thought about her. He was the worst father there could ever be. What father would throw his daughter in harm's way? He looked at his wife weeping over her lifeless body and stood up to support her. He expected her to throw his hand off her, but instead leant over him to nurse her shattered heart.
He looked at his daughter now and hugged her. The world went topsy turvy. He couldn't understand where the land was or where the air was ; all her cared about was holding on to her at that moment. If he left her, she would go away forever.
He felt a hand on his back and turned to find ACP Pradyuman standing behin him. He felt a strange anger bubble inide him at his sight, and he felt not even the slightest consolation when he saw that the ACP himself had tears in his eyes as well.
"Aap usse kal subah leke jaa sakte hai aur jo bhi vidhiyaan hi use puri kar sakte hai."
He gave him a blank look. At that moment, he cared about nothing. He felt like killing the bastard who was responsible for his daughter's death. His thoughts must have reflected on his face, for at that moment, ACP Pradyuman said
"Tasha ke khooni ko hum pakad chuke hai aur yeh mera waada hai aapse ki usse main kadi se kadi saza dilwaakar rahunga." He looked just as angry as he felt at the moment, yet those words did no consolation for him. On the contrary he felt enraged. Holding his wife by his arm, he left the room after planting a kiss on his daughter's cold forehead, and left the hospital,not knowing what was he do to with his life now.
The following day, they brought the body home, where throughout the morning, people came to pay their homage. He just stood at one corner looking at his girl. He could still remember the first time she had told him "Da". What an overwhelming moment it had been. Or the first time she caught his finger. Or the first time she cried in his arms. Or the first time he taught her to ride a bike. Or the times when she would come first and ask for a party. Or her birthday's where she always asked to go shopping with gusto. But all he could remember was the first time he held her in his arms - that little life of his beating in his palms.
He could still remember the time she got her badge. She had turned the entire house upside down in the joy of being accepted as a Sub Inspector under her inspiration. He had felt so proud that day, he even did so today. But somewhere, he felt that the price she paid was way too high, that she did not deserve to die that young.
She was not the only one who died that day. She had taken along half if him as well. After the rituals came to an end, he returned to a now barren home, where there could never be a spark of joy or laughter ever again.
Knock. Knock.
He got up from the chair and looked at the time simultaneously. Exactly 11. Damn, the boy was always on time. And surely enough, as soon as he opened the door, Vivek's face could be seen clearly, a small smile on his face.
"Vivek, tumhaari yeh baat manni padegi, tum koi din late nahi aate. Tasha hamesha yeh baat mujhse kehti thi par main kabhi manta nahi tha."
"Kya Uncle, ab saari baatein yahi par karenge kya! Andar toh bulayiye."
Smiling at him, he moved aside. As Vivek entered the house, he shut the door gently and followed suit. A lot had changed in two years. He had not kept in touch with anyone of her colleagues except Vivek. He still remembered the first time that Vivek had visited him after her death. He was shaking from head to foot and was having a panic attack at that moment. He was the only one apart from him, who had taken her death that hard.
And that was the basis of their relationship. Each weekend, they would meet up and discuss various things about her, her likes, dislikes, incidents from the past, and at that moment, she felt so close to him, she might as well have been in the room, throwing reproachful glances at the two of them. This had helped both him and Vivek cope with her death faster and better, and his wife certainly recovered from the trauma quicker seeing that her husband had finally sought his way of salvation in his mind.
As he sat down, his wife came up and joined the two of them. Even though he had been transferred to the Bangalore branch, he still found time once in three weeks to come and visit them. As the conversation continued, he looked up at one of the frames where his daughter's laughter-filled face looked back at him. He had promised once that he would protect her always and that's what he decided to continue. Even though she was not with him in flesh, he decided to protect her memory by celebrating her everyday., until his last breath.
As it's pretty easy, the main character's POV here is of Tasha's father, and he is a criminal lawyer.
Hope I've done justice to this, and it's not a waste of time. Constructive criticism will be more than welcome.