*~ The Act of the Devil*~

Sid stood waiting at the bus stop late at night after completing his overtime at work. It was raining profusely and bus service was understandably affected. He cast his eyes on the rain pouring down from the heavens and into the overflowing puddles on the road. He imagined children splashing, thrashing and frolicking in the monsoon downpour. He sighed deeply and forced himself to think of other things. But alas! The human mind is programmed to think the thoughts which the individual wants to eliminate from his consciousness. It was no wonder then that Sid was thinking of children. After all, today was the 28th of June, a date which Sid would always remember as “that date.” 

His bus arrived and he got into it. The conductor had to literally yell in Sid’s face to bring his attention to the fact that the bus fare had to be paid. He paid it distractedly and sank back into his seat, forgetting to collect the change from the conductor. 

In his mind’s eye, the events of two years ago were unfolding before him. He remembered the call he had received from Urvashi that fateful evening. Her worried tone instantly told him something was amiss. She was his girlfriend of almost three years, and they had even been thinking of tying the knot once her fashion designing commitments abroad were done. Yup, she was one of those superwomen of the 21st century who considered her career as her top priority. She had tasted much deserved success and would be traveling to and fro from Europe to meet other fashion designers there and design clothes for a reputed MNC brand. Sid was extremely proud of her. 

Her frightened tone over the phone made him anxious as he knew it would take something really big to unsettle a tough cookie like Urvashi. Little did he know at that point that all his beliefs, faith and indeed- his entire value system- would be thrown out the window. 

Urvashi went on to disclose the source of her worry: she had discovered a few days earlier that she was pregnant. Of course, no one knew of it yet but there would be hell to pay once her parents caught wind of it. Then, just like that, she told him of her decision to abort the child as it would complicate life and would render all her hard work in vain. What with the MNC contract and all that. 

Sid could not believe his ears. He told her they could sort things out, make everything alright and have a happy family. Abortion amounted to murder for him; it was a sinful pact with devil. Taking the life of an innocent who had not yet opened his eyes to the world went against his values. Tears were shed, arguments were fought and harsh words were exchanged. The result: Urvashi remained adamant and went through with the “medical termination of pregnancy”. Sid and Urvashi never spoke again.

But today, exactly two years after that horrific phone call, Sid was lost in his thoughts. His mind played harrowing tricks on him; painfully forcing him to think of the ifs and buts. He thought of his baby; how his features would have been; how he would have cried and how he would have been pacified with his favourite toys. How his little child could have blessed his world and help him rediscover and relearn the joys of the world through his eyes. But then the melancholy of the facts hit him hard: those features of his chld would never be formed, those toys would never be bought and those eyes would never open to make sense of the world. God’s most beautiful gift had been discarded like an unwanted accessory. His entire being cringes at the violence of the events. Sid’s regret knew no bounds. Afterall, he knew there was no forgiving the Act of The Devil. 

~*The Joy Of Life*~

It is the darkest & eeriest part of the night. Incessant rainfall, coupled with stormy winds, lashed at the windows.  He paced around the waiting area in the hospital, hoping against hope that everything would turn out alright. Like all people with loved ones in the hospital wards,  he was a touch nervous and a tad apprehensive. Hospitals are the breeding grounds for such emotions.

Nobody can ever understand what the people waiting outside the hospital rooms go through. Words are simply not enough. Just as he was beginning to wonder about his wife inside the room, a nurse emerged and came up to him, her face the very embodiment of stoicism. “She’s alright Mr. Rishi”, the nurse said, “congratulations you have just become the father of an adorable pair of twins !!” The boy , girl and mother are perfectly healthy, recuperating as we speak.”

The tiny neurons carrying emotion gushed through his body as he took this all in. He was quick to thank the Almighty for his blessings on the family. He brushed happy tears from his eyes. A goofy grin lit up his face. His feet were dancing to a tune of their own.

As he entered the ward for the first time, he looked at the little bundles of joy and let out an amazed gasp. His children were an extension, a continuation of himself.  He soon realised that this was the dawn of a fresh morning in his life.  Rishi knew that from this moment on he would be seeing the world through his children’s eyes.

He wondered what kind of a father he would turn out to be. The magnitude of the responsibilities was not lost on him. He was responsible for nurturing two little angels and “bringing them up right.” Should he be autocratic ? Liberal? Playful ? Or a hard taskmaster ?

When Rishi took his children into his arms for the first time, he realised that the parental style was simply incidental to what his main role was: providing LOVE.

He thought of what his son’s first words would be. When would his daughter take her first steps? Would his son be a batsman, or a bowler? Would he even like to play cricket with his old man?

Rishi did not have too much time to dwell on this as the rigours of parenthood kept him extremely busy. Sleep soon became a thing of the past and parental duties occupied every nanosecond in the day. Forget a 60 hour week. This was a 168 hour week, 52 weeks in a year, for the rest of his life. But it was the most satisfying job Rishi had ever undertaken.

The only real worry Rishi now faced related to a problem that would occur many years later : when his daughter would grow up and all the boys would chase her