Mr.Pankaj grew tense.He looked into the bathroom but it was empty.He hurried outside to see where she had gone.The lodge had a beautiful fountain and a lawn at the entrance.He scanned carefully.His heart skipped a beat when he saw Shruthi sitting on a bench and staring at the lawn.
He looked at her carefully.He first thought that she was up to something but after a few seconds he realized that she looked depressed.He went near her.
"What are you doing here?",asked Pankaj.
She looked at him absent mindedly.
"I couldn't sleep.You were gone some where so I came here",she said.
"Couldn't sleep without Vishwa near you",asked Pankaj.
Shruthi gave him a disgusted look.
"Dad I am your daughter.Don't treat me like a dirt on your shirt",she said angrily.
"There is nothing wrong in what I asked ",said her dad.
"We only share the apartment and not our beds and you know some thing,I am still a virgin.If you don't believe me you can take the medical tests anywhere,anytime",she said with blazing eyes.
He looked away and said,"I am sorry.I did not mean to hurt you but I am being reasonable"
"Your problem is that I lived with a guy in the same apartment.Isn't it?I know it is not something to be proud of but did you give me a chance to explain.We live together but we were like strangers.He goes jogging everyday morning and I don't see him when I get up.I don't know when he returns because I have to get ready and go to my office",she said and took a breath.
Pankaj remained quiet.
"The whole day we are in office indulged in our own job.I return home by 8 or 9 pm.He rarely comes home that time.Otherwise I don't know when he comes because I go to my room and sleep early",she said.
"His day of "off" is different from my day of "off" so there is no chance of us to spend our weekends together.It is only twice or thrice in the whole year that Sara, Vishwa and I have gone out",she said and looked at him.
He was not convinced yet so she sighed heavily.
"Dad would you behave the same way if my room mate was a girl?",she asked.
"Absolutely not but none of the parents approve of their daughter living with a guy.It is not reasonable for you to convince me about what you did is not wrong.",said Pankaj.
She fell silent.
"Would you in future allow your daughter to stay with a guy?",asked Pankaj.
"No",she replied.
"There you are.You will not because you know that it is impossible to have blind trust on a boy and girl living together.Trusting them is like placing a scorpion near a baby and believing it won't sting the baby",said Pankaj.
Shruthi knew that what she did was not justifiable but why can't he believe what she said.Why is it impossible for two people of opposite gender to have control over their emotions when they were alone together.She knew the answer but she was not ready to admit it.It was because none of the youngsters were like that at present.Living together predominantly referred to being physically together.
"Dad need not believe in the live-in culture but he could believe her.After all she was his daughter.He knows about her.How could he suspect his own blood.He was the one who taught her morals of life.How could she forget all those.Most of all,how does he expect her to break the promise she made to him",she thought.
Pankaj waved his hand in front of her.
She blinked at him.
"Don't think too much.You have done something that I cannot forgive.Explain the whole day and try to convince me,I will still say what you did is wrong.I don't want to listen to your reasons.Everyone has their own reasons.You have the reason for staying there and I have my reason to be angry with you.You cannot break a huge rock in a single day so don't try to.Time has the power to heal anything.Now come and sleep,"he said and walked towards the room.
"Time can heal anything",she repeated.
She was reminded of what Sara had told her.She thought about Vishwa.She wondered what he was doing.She wanted to propose to him.She would have felt happy if she had told him what was actually on her mind but now there was no way she could see him again.The thought of being away from him permanenly burned her heart.Her heart longed to tell him that she loved him.She started sobbing silently.She could not bear the pain.She was reminded of his happy face.She wanted the earth to open and swallow her.She wanted to be invisible.She hoped that some day she got a chance to apologize to him for leaving him without a word.She could call him from some land line and inform him but she did not want to do it.She wanted to keep her promise.It was the least she could do to convince her dad.Tears streamed down her cheeks.Her sobs became louder.She cried like she had no tomorrow.
Mr.Pankaj watched his daughter crying from the window.His heart started aching.He wanyed to hug her and comfort her.He wanted to tell her that she was the last person on earth whom he trusts very much but he felt angry and betrayed.He could not stand her mistakes and the way she reasoned them.
"Cry all you want now but one day you will realize that I had done this for your own good.You may hate me now but my love for you will never fade away",he thought.
