The Denial Of Death

Chapter 23

Suhani took a step back. She couldn't comprehend what she had just heard.

"What did you say?" Suhani asked.

"Suhani.. Yaad karo uss raat kya hua tha.. Tum samajh jaogi" Sumedh said.

"What do you mean by we are dead? How are we dead?" Suhani asked "Hum yaha rehte hai.. Sab kuch jaise jinda log karte hai waisa sab.. Aisa kaise bol sakte ho tum?"

"Ek baar accept karke toh dekho... Tab tum dekh paogi jo main abhi dekh raha hoo" Sumedh said

Suhani furrowed her brows. She shook her head in denial "Aisa nahi ho sakta. Mujhe yaad hai ki.." She stopped.

"Hame nahi hai yaad Suhani.. Hume nahi hai yaad ki Samar kaise mara.. Hame nahi hai yaad ki uska antim sanskar hamne kaise aur kaha kiya.. Hame yaad nahi hai kyu ki yeh sab kabhi hua hi nahi hai" Sumedh told.

Suhani kept looking at him with moist eyes.

"How's this possible?" Suhani asked "Aur phir wo sab log jo hame dikh rahe the? Wo log jo hamare ghar me reh rahe the?"

"Sabke jawab milenge tumhe par dhire dhire" Sumedh said "First I want you to remember everything that happened.. Uss raat aur uske kuch din pehle se"

Suhani looked down "I don't want to" She said "Shit I don't know why but I don't want to"

"You don't want to because you don't want to accept the reality. We can not escape it Suhani.. We will have to face the reality someday" Sumedh said.

"Sumedh.. I am scared" Suhani caught his hand.

"Don't be" Sumedh said "Nothing can harm you now Suhani. You wanted this right?"

"I wanted to be with my baby" Suhani said.

"He's alive Suhani" Sumedh told.

Suhani was lost in her thoughts.

"Kya yaad aa raha hai tumhe?" Sumedh asked.

"Kuch bhi nahi" She answered.

"Tum apni aankhe band karo aur yaad karo. Tumhe yaad aayega" Sumedh said.

Suhani was reluctant. She was looking everywhere as if someone would come and help her. As if all of this is a bad dream and she would wake up.

"Trust me Suhani" Sumedh squeezed her hand.

Suhani closed her eyes.

*****

20th February 2020

Sumedh came back home after a long day and threw himself on sofa. Samar was crying and Suhani was trying to calm him down.

"Samar itna kyu ro rahe ho baccha" Suhani said "Kya hua hai tumhe?"

She was trying everything she could. It wasn't a stomach ache or ear pain. He wasn't hungry. He didn't had fever. But still he was wailing in pain.

"Sumedh mujhe bilkul samajh nahi aa raha hai ise kya hua hai" Suhani came out from bedroom. Sumedh had a really bad headache and Samar's cry was worsening it.

"Wo uske favorite toy ke liye ro raha hoga Suhani. Wo use wapis kar do" Sumedh said.

"Wo bahot chhota hai Sumedh aisi baatein samjhne ke liye" Suhani said "Aur waise bhi wo toy mujhe pasand nahi bahot manhus sa hai"

Suhani was becoming extremely superstitious and that was making Sumedh irritated. He didn't like Suhani's superstitious outlook towards everything.

From past few months Suhani noticed changes in Sumedh's behaviour. He was impatient and angrier. At first she thought that it's work stress but slowly she started believing that someone is performing black magic to take him away from her.