Ratneshwari

Chapter 41

The next morning, Shivan woke up early. Ratneshwari was still sleeping. He got up from the bed without disturbing her. He took a bath and went for a walk.

When he came back, the maid was cooking breakfast. She said to Shivan,"Sir, how is Madam?" Shivan said,"She is fine now." Shivan was about to leave when she called him again. She said,"Sir, will she recover?" Shivan could not say anything. He looked at her and hurried towards his room. The maid got her answer. She resumed her work.

The maid was an old lady. In the seventy two years of life, that God had given her, she learnt to read the minds of people from the stains on the kitchen utensils. She had worked for numerous families. Many stories were buried in her heart. She was wondering whether it was time to add another story to her heart.

Shivan came out of the bathroom after taking a bath. Ratneshwari was still sleeping. She had become very weak. But still, she used to wake up early. His heart skipped a beat. He thought,"Why is she still sleeping? Did she......" He ran towards her. He kept his hand near her nostrils. One cannot imagine how happy he was when he felt her breath. Ratneshwari began to stir. She opened her eyes and found Shivan sitting beside her. Shivan helped her with her morning chores.

Ratneshwari said to him,"Shiv, I feel very weak." Shivan realised that she was burning with fever. He said to her,"Don't worry. You will be fine. Let's eat something now." Shivan tried to feed her but she did not eat anything. Shivan caressed her head and said,"Okay then. If you don't want to eat anything now, then don't eat. But after sometime, the maid will feed you. You will have to eat then."

(The same afternoon) 

Shivan returned home in the afternoon. Ratneshwari was not well. This was troubling his mind. So, he had taken a half-day leave.

He went to talk to the maid.

"Did you feed my wife?"

"No, Sir."

"Why did you not feed her?"

"I tried a lot. She did not even take a morsel of food in the morning. I tried to feed her again. I fed her a little. But after a few moments, she vomited. Sir, she is very sick today. She cannot even get up."

"Okay then. I have bought some apples. Please cut them. I will see if I can feed her some apples."

Shivan went to his room and saw Ratneshwari. She smiled when she saw him. With great difficulty, she said,"Shiv, you came home early today." Shivan said,"Yes, I took a half day leave today." He changed his clothes and went to the kitchen to bring the cut apples.

He brought a plate full of apples and kept the plate on the table. He helped Ratneshwari to get up and sit on the bed. He wiped her face with a wet cloth and gave her some water to drink. Then, he said to her,"Ratna, you have fever today. But still, you have not eaten anything since morning. If you don't eat, then how will you recover? Here are some sliced apples. You have to eat them. I will feed you."

Shivan fed her a few pieces.

After that, she said to him,"Shiv, can we do one thing?" Shivan said,"What do you want to do?" Ratneshwari looked at him and said,"Can we click some photos? I have many photos with you. They were clicked on our wedding. But you did not smile while taking the photos." Shivan looked at her innocent face. He looked into her eyes. She used to have beautiful eyebrows. But the cancer had taken them away. Even after so many years, her eyes had retained their innocence and her heart had preserved the love she had for him.

Oh cursed love! Are you not the one who has caused her great pain?

Shivan nodded his head. He brought his phone. Ratneshwari said,"Wait! Let me wear my wig first. When I recover completely and get my hair back, we will click photos again."  They clicked a lot of selfies together. He showed them to her. He liked the way she smiled on seeing them. "Am I seeing this smiling face for the last time?", he said to himself.

Suddenly, Ratneshwari held his hand tightly. She said,"Shiv, can you give me a hug?" Shivan was confused. She said to him,"I am feeling restless. I just want to hug you." Shivan hugged her. She took his hand and kissed it lightly. She said,"Please stay with me for sometime."

Ratneshwari's fever subsided by evening. Shivan asked her to take some rest. She was sleeping while he was working on his laptop.

(That night)

Shivan was sitting in the drawing room and watching TV. The bell rang. He switched off the TV and went to open the door. He was surprised when he opened the door. It was Prakash.

"Hey Prakash!"

"Hello DSP Sir!"

"How are you?"

"I am fine. Will you not ask me to enter your house?"

"Oh yes. Come inside."

Shivan took him to the drawing room. He asked him to sit.

"So, how are you doing?"

"You know everything about me."

"Anyways, how is Ratneshwari?"

"She is fine."

"I have brought something for both of you. I really wanted to attend your wedding. But you got married all of a sudden....."

"So, did you bring the wedding gifts?".

"Oh yes! Here is a shirt for you. I brought this sari for Ratneshwari."

"She will be very happy. This is her favourite colour."

"That's good."

"She is sleeping. Wait for a few minutes. I will wake her up. Then you can meet her. She will be very happy to meet you."

Shivan went to his bedroom. Ratneshwari was sleeping. Shivan smiled when he saw her face. He caressed her head. He whispered into her ear,"Ratna, wake up. Prakash has come to visit us. He wants to meet you." Ratneshwari did not respond. Shivan shook her a little. He was terrified. He touched her hands. They had become cold. He shook her more and called her name,"Ratna....Ratnaaa....wake up Ratna...wake up....."

Still, he got no response from her. A chill ran down his spine. He kissed her forehead. He said,"Ratna, wake up. Prakash has come to meet you. He has brought wedding gifts for us.  Wake up! Just wake up! We will go on a date to the restaurant. We will also watch a movie together. And yes, I will take you to the temple. God will listen to you. You will be fine. We will have a child. If we have a boy, we will name him Chandran and if we have a girl, we will name her Nila. Just wake up! Ratnaaaaa.... Just wake up!"

Prakash rushed to the room when he heard Shivan's screams. Shivan was shaking Ratneshwari vigorously and screaming. He was asking her to wake up. Prakash checked her pulse. He did not feel the pulse. Her body had turned cold. He could not even feel her breath. Prakash looked at Shivan who was still trying to wake her up. He separated Shivan from Ratneshwari. Shivan tried to push him and go to her. With great difficulty, Prakash took him to the other room.

Shivan felt that the world had collapsed in front of him. There was nowhere he could go. Ratneshwari, his breath was gone. How could he live?

He lied on the floor and cried his heart out. Prakash came to see him after half an hour. He said to him,"Shivan, you need to perform her last rites. I have informed your aunt. She will inform your family members."

Shivan got up and went to see Ratneshwari. The maid had done whatever was necessary. Her face was covered. Shivan lifted the cloth to have a look at her face.