The Invincible Moonsheen
Part – 2
(Telugu Original “Venutiragani Vennela” by Dr K.Geeta)
English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar
(The previous story briefed)
Samira is Razi’s daughter. Udayini and Razi are childhood friends. Her mother tells her daughter that she must meet Udayini, who lives in the same area in America. Udayani runs a women’s aid organization called “Sahaya”. Samira gets a very good impression after seeing Udayani and their house. Samira, who is four months pregnant, tells Udayini that she has to get a divorce.
***
“What bothers you, Samira?” Udayani asked persuasively,
“What can I say, Auntie, there’s no single reason in particular, they’re countless, I’m a girl of this generation. I haven’t had any need to put up with everything. He just wants me to surrender. He was not my acquaintance before I knew what he was, as he was not my friend to understand him, I did not love him to endure with love no matter what he did. It’s irritating to listen to things like ‘He’s your wedlock husband’ and such obsolete rubbish dialogues. She went on her details hurriedly and stopped suddenly and said,
“Oops! Aren’t I eating away all of your time?”
“Samira! Do not separate me from using such words like ‘your time’ again and again! I will not bother you by giving you any advice without knowing about your life, drink this milk first …”
‘By the bye today I made your favorite ivy gourd fry’ said Udayini.
“How do you know I like ivy gourd fry?” Said Samira in surprise.
She laughed and said, “I just discovered it”
“Oh! grant me some undeterred smiles from you, Aunty! I will get rid of all these problems,” said Samira.
“Umm… What happened to you, Samira? She asked thoughtfully.
“I’m blind where to start, Auntie,” Samira said.
“You said you didn’t know him before, did you?” Udayini said.
“Yeah…Auntie, I’ll tell you from the start of this fix” She leaned backward in her chair.
“Dad found out about him through the Marriage Bureau, and when the photos were exchanged and okayed I saw him on Skype for the first time. We were both in the US. He’s in Illinois and I’m in Texas. We shared our views in ten minutes through Skype exclusively on studies. You know, I’m very ambitious. He asked me why I was studying Second MS, I asked him why he did not do his MS. He recounted lots of his problems with his job. I have to finish my MS in another semester so, I said I had no idea about getting married immediately. He said he does not want to take more time to settle down. It’s a good fix… The pressure in our house started by describing it as a great match for both parties…”
She stopped suddenly as if she changed her mind to say something different. Then she said, “It’s not like this Auntie… I’ll tell you what happened to us after we got married…please listen to me Auntie,” said Samira.
***
“What an egoistic father You’ve had! It seems he knows nothing except puffing up you” said Sai, intending to hide in sleeves, targeting me, watching the people coming on stage offering blessings.
“Just because he’s flattering only me, instead of you?” Samira retaliated by laughing, looking randomly out of nowhere.
“Look, dear sir, Samira is our only daughter. We didn’t have any concern about whether male or a female child when we brought her up. We came to the city only for her studies. This apartment, the lands…and every property I owned by my hard toiling belong to her. I wish both of you should be prosperous with tripled earnings and lead a happy life with your offspring.” Dhanunjay said with Sai.
When Samira was about to say something, suddenly, Sai who was sitting beside her said whispering, ” Your father seems very greedy for money.”
I kept quiet.
Then the episode of nuptials came in.
Samira doesn’t like the bustling around the nuptials.
“Hey, man! Why do you make a fuss about my father, cracking lectures? Mind your tongue” Samira said seriously to Sai who was approaching her in the bedroom.
When that man was so hectic that he couldn’t hear her words, she felt horrified.
The next morning when his mother was setting tables for lunch Sai sarcastically said, “Haven’t you know that you should help your Mother in law? Why are you just sitting idly at the table?
” I don’t know what is around me here in your home, I do simply like this at my home,” She said audibly to all and started busily checking mails.
“They didn’t train up on the customs at home, it’s our ill luck to have her learn here”
Samira heard those words from the kitchen.
“Mom! Do you know what unusual praises were poured on her by her father, the whole yesterday? My daughter’s Goddess of Wisdom, wherever she puts her foot, it rains gold… Oh! it’s rather an episode of flattering his daughter…” crushing the chicken bone with a loud noise, Sai chorused his mother’s comments.
The rattling sound of his bone-crushing is rather awkward to Samira, his words are more disgusting.
In an hour, Samira ran out of the house and dashed to her home by picking up an Auto.
“What Samira, where is He…?” Razi asked, looking over at her, but Samira, not caring at her words, whisked into her room straight away.
Razi followed her, who had fallen across the bed in her shorts and T-shirt, and started pampering her, “You’re a maiden bride Baby.., wear a sari, it’s not fair before relatives”
Samira turned out her face looking at her mother quite different from the usual.
Razi who came after one hour, watching her still in the same posture, sat beside her and patted her on her hair soothing.
“Mom! whose responsibility is it to set tables in their house? Is it theirs or a newlywed bride? She suddenly wrapped up her hands around her Mom.
” Why the dining table issue now?” tilting her head, as if something understood…”It’s okay…Dear… shouldn’t mess with such petty issues as if you were at our home, get up, Sai is sitting there in the hall.”
I don’t know what Sai had told him, Dhananjay walked in and said, ” What is this darling? Is it fair to come like this without intimating them? At least you could have called me then.”
On the way back, Sai warned her saying, “If you go next time without formal information about your leave, you will never be allowed to go back again in your life.”
The next day, while going to Tirupati, Razi said to her daughter with the tears welled up in her eyes,” Be patient a week dear, everything will be alright once you get back to the USA, these things happen in newly married houses, however, don’t go against them in any way.”
She simply kept quiet.
Things take their course speedily.
As soon as they stepped in, Sai said,
“I got a job in California. You should transfer your due semester there by any means to the any University of California, By the way, to whom do you have to make prosperous? My sincere advice is better to drop your studies and learn the customs and etiquette, and my Mom comes next month here”
Samira has reminded of her mother’s words before she came here.
“Samira! till now you’re our loving girl, but hereafter you are also a girl of another’s household. In the beginning everything there is different from our customs, gradually you should accommodate yourself to the newer circumstances. You’re highly qualified, there is no need to tell you to understand them, I hope! Is it? Meet Udayini once there without missing…”
***
Looking detachedly outside into the void Samira said, “I have been dismissing you for so many days, Auntie… I ponder over my thoughts all the time. There is no other way than divorce. You are a friend of my Mom. After meeting you I sensed a friendly feeling in your presence and I let out all this. I do not feel like talking to him. Samira took a deep breath.
“Umm… are his parents here right now? Udayini asked thoughtfully.
“Nope, they came a month ago. But they went to the East coast to see their daughter as her delivery time is nearer. This boy is a Key doll, every instruction is delivered from time to time” She sighed.
“I took all these six months to get acquainted with the family and him as my mother suggested, yet I am afraid my future life would also fall on the same track. And more above this, this baby…” she ran her palm on her belly.
“I just don’t want to bring up my child around this mess of such people,” Samira said stubbornly.
Staring at the rays dancing on the glass panes Udayini said,” Lives are strange Samira, we can’t understand anything so easily as we assumed, sometimes we feel we understand everything but when we go for a decision we lost”
Udayini walked to Samira and patting her shoulders said, “I’ll tell about Tanmayi story, This story may help you to define your identity and guide you in the proper direction”
*****
(Continued next month)
A post graduate in English literature and language and in Economics. A few of my translations were published. I translated the poems of Dr. Andesri , Denchanala, Ayila Saida Chary and Urmila from Telugu to English. I write articles and reviews to magazines and news papers. To the field of poetry I am rather a new face.