Kadhambari

Prologue

Appa,

I won't be near you when you find this letter. Please don't cry pa. I know how you yearned for me to call you Appa all these years.

I'm sorry pa for making you suffer.

I know pa. I have been enough trouble to our family knowingly or unknowingly.

But never in my life I intended to hurt any of you in any way.

I'm really blessed to have such wonderful people to call family. I wish I had been born to you.

I may not be your biological daughter but you and ma never let me feel that way. Especially Anna. (Elder brother)

Even though I pushed you all, never reciprocated the love that you gave me, it was only out of fear.

Fear of loving someone again and later losing them.

And today my fear is turning into reality.

Till date you never failed to shower me with your care and affection.

You know pa, I remember the name my biological parents gave me. I don't want to mention it. But the name means Goddess of Power.

But I have always been a weakling, a coward all these years. I had nightmares pa. Nightmares of that dreadful night.

None of you knew except for Anna. I made him promise me not to let you know.

Everything broke me from within. Everything made me weak. I don't know why but I accepted my defeat without even fighting in the first place.

But then everything changed. I got you. You are my family and I can't let anything happen to you when I know that I am the reason.

I have been tired of staying inside the shell and let people try and break it.

I might not have the power yet but I have gained the courage to face my problems myself. I will not fail your upbringing ma and pa. Believe me.

But it is now or never. I have to do this. Though this is not the way I want it to happen.

I know death is not the solution to any problem. But please forgive me pa for choosing this path. Take care of ma. She needs you.

Don't worry about me pa. I will always be around you.

Please forgive me for what I am doing now. I will always remain to be your daughter.

I love you pa. I love ma. I love Anna.
I love my family.

Your Kadhambari.

****************************

Poongundran stared at the letter with tear filled eyes. He caressed the name of his daughter who was an unexpected gift from God. He kissed the name he gave her lovingly.

He then carefully folded the letter. He stood up from the bed and walked to the cupboard. He opened the cupboard and took out a tiny treasure chest box.

He opened the box and took out the small golden anklets and placed the letter at the bottom of the box. He then placed the anklets back in the box and closed it.

He hid the box well behind a large pile of clothes and closed the cupboard.

He moved back to the bed and sat at a corner. He removed his spectacles and pressed his eyes with his thumb and index finger.

He wiped his tears and pinched the bridge of his nose and released a breath which he did not know for how long he was holding.

When he heard the sound of bells tingling, indicating that his wife was doing pooja, he got up immediately from the bed and rushed to the hall.

When he reached there, Anumegha had completed doing aarthi to God in the pooja room and entered the hall to do aarthi to the photo that hung on the wall.

As she took steps towards the photo her hands started to tremble lightly. She slowly raised the aarthi in her hand towards the photo only to be stopped be another hand whose touch is the one which always gives her a feeling of peace.

She turned to her husband with glossy eyes to find him smiling with tears. She was confused to see the smile on his face which her family had lost 2 months back.

Poongundran then averted his gaze to the photo and his wife followed his line of sight to look at the sindoor (vermillion) on the glass of the photo.

Before she could comprehend what is happening, her husband wipped the sindoor off the glass and removed the garland that hung across the photo and threw it away.

She turned to him with horror, anger, confusion and other mixed emotions at the act of her husband, expecting an explanation from him.

But to her shock again he hugged her tightly and wisphered in a hoarse voice " Namma maga uyiroda irukaa". (Our daughter is alive).