The Invincible Moonsheen – Part-52 (Telugu Original “Venutiragani Vennela” by Dr K.Geeta)

The Invincible Moonsheen

Part – 52

(Telugu Original “Venutiragani Vennela” by Dr K.Geeta)

English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar

(The previous story briefed)

Samira, who is four months pregnant, comes to America to meet Udayini, her mother’s friend who runs “Sahaya”—an organization that helps women. Samira expresses her desire to get a divorce and explains the circumstances that led to this decision. Udayini asks Samira to listen to “Tanmayi’s” story before making up her mind.
Tanmayi and Sekhar meet at a relative’s wedding and get married with their elders’ blessings. Right after the wedding, Sekhar’s true colors come to light. A baby boy is born in the first year. Despite facing hardships with Sekhar, Tanmayi completes her M.A. at the university and registers for a Ph.D. After fighting with Sekhar for many days, Tanmayi finally separates from him. She gets a job as a lecturer near Hyderabad. Her childhood friend, Prabhu, unexpectedly crosses paths with her again and proposes marriage. Tanmayi requests a year’s time, setting a condition that they should not meet in the interim.

***

When Tanmayi regained consciousness, she was lying on a bench to one side of the staff room. Thaiba was standing next to her, fanning her. A group of lecturers had gathered around. Seeing Tanmayi open her eyes, everyone breathed a sigh of relief at once.

“What is this, Madam? You should have stayed home for four more days,” the Principal said, looking relieved.

Siddharth arrived, bringing a nurse along with him.

“The moment you collapsed, Sir rushed to the hospital to fetch help,” Thaiba said.

Tanmayi looked at Siddharth with gratitude. Recovering fully after a while, she set out for home, with Thaiba accompanying her. As Siddharth walked them to the gate and helped them into an auto, he said, “I was terrified until the nurse assured me that everything was fine. But really, Tanmayi! What was the hurry to come to college right now? Take my advice and rest for another week.”

On the way, Thaiba took out a letter and placed it in her hand. “What is it, Madam? You collapsed right while reading this. Is everything alright?” she asked.

Tanmayi sighed and nodded her head. The final sentence she had read in Prabhu’s letter kept haunting her:

“Even if I tell my folks, they will never agree. That’s why I have come to a decision now…”

As soon as she reached home, she collapsed weakly onto the bed. Her parents had left the previous day, as they urgently needed to handle some land lease matters back in their village.

Tanmayi recalled the incident that happened before they left.

Bhanumurthy had approached his daughter and said, “Think about it once, dear. For the sake of the child, wouldn’t it be better if you lived with Sekhar?”

Even though Jyothi didn’t like the idea at all, she remained silent, thinking it was better than her daughter marrying someone else.

How can they even think like this? Tanmayi thought. How can she ever live with Sekhar again? He belongs to someone else now. He is a father to someone else’s children.

Ugh. The very thought disgusted her. Looking at his face would make her skin crawl. Moreover, Tanmayi hadn’t yet recovered from the incident on the day Prabhu visited. Her father, who had never raised a hand against her, had grabbed her by the throat. What major mistake had she made? In fact, she had been distant with her father since that day. Unable to hold back, she had asked him directly.

“You only care about your own happiness, but have you thought about the boy?” her father had barked.

“What has happened to him now?” she asked defiantly.

“What has happened? The man who is coming into your life might become a husband to you. But can he ever be a father to the boy?” Bhanumurthy retorted.

“Whether Prabhu can be a father to the boy or not, I don’t know. But it’s better than the boy growing up under the shadow of a wicked man like Sekhar. Can a man who failed to be a good husband ever be a good father?” she shot back.

“I don’t have answers to your absurd arguments. We are telling you this for your own good. Whether you listen or not is up to you,” Bhanumurthy said.

The final words, “up to you,” sounded as harsh to Tanmayi as saying, “it’s your funeral.”

And now, this letter. Actually, she hadn’t read the letter completely.

“Since parents on both sides are refusing to agree, I have come to a decision.”

Just trying to guess what it was made her feel dizzy with fear. Was his love so weak that he would leave her helpless like this? Somehow, her heart refused to accept it. She always felt his love was strong—no, that was the absolute truth! Then why was this happening? Why was it happening only to her?

Was it her fault? When he was pursuing her initially, she was the one who set the one-year deadline. And now, she couldn’t bear the thought of him moving on with his life. Wiping her tears, she began reading the letter once more. Usually, she would read every letter of his by pressing the love-filled words to her heart and showering them with kisses. Now, try as she might, she couldn’t stop her tears. By the time she reached the last paragraph of the first page, exhaustion overwhelmed her again.

“Without telling me, my family went ahead and arranged an alliance, and they just called to say the engagement is tomorrow. I realized there was no other choice but to come there and explain our situation directly. Though I have arrived, I lack the courage to face you. On one hand, I understand your parents are not in favor. On the other hand, my folks will never agree even if I tell them. That’s why I have come to a decision…”

She loved him with all her heart. What is the real meaning of love, anyway? Isn’t it wishing for the happiness of the person you love? If so, why was she in so much pain?

“Prabhu! As someone who loves you, I will always wish for your well-being and happiness. But I don’t understand how walking away from me brings you happiness. Is it fair for you to enter my peaceful life, sweep me off my feet with your love, and then back out like this?” Wiping her flowing tears, she turned to the second page.

“Tanu! I have decided to stop worrying about the consequences of the decision I am about to take. Let happen what may. I want to leave everything here and come away immediately. I feel like growing wings and flying over just to see you. Let me know as soon as your parents leave. Honestly, I want to see you right away. I cannot give you up or distance myself from you for anyone’s sake. Most importantly, I can never live happily anywhere leaving you alone there. Though I have loved you since childhood, I couldn’t claim you at the right time. Now, under no circumstances will I let go of the chance to share my life with you. Whether our families and the world around us accept it or not, I cannot leave you. Don’t you know? I surrendered my heart to you long ago. You are me, and I am you. Ah, my mind is finally at peace after writing this to you. All this is fine, but you must recover quickly. Don’t forget to eat your meals on time.”

Tanmayi showered the letter with kisses through tears of joy. She knew her Prabhu would never do her an injustice. Still, how foolish of her to panic halfway through the letter! Doubting Prabhu’s love was like doubting herself. His honesty was constantly evident in every beat of the heart that throbbed for her. Why was she thinking so crazily?

She got up and washed her face with cold water. Looking in the mirror, she placed a small bindi on her forehead.

Her thin cheeks had grown gaunt, losing their radiance from the bitter experiences that were hard to swallow throughout her life, and her eyes were exhausted from constant weeping.

Time was when she would look at her radiant face in the mirror and admire herself while putting on a large bindi from a liquid tilak bottle.

She walked over to the marigold plants blooming profusely near the front gate.

“Unknown friend! Just like these flowers, grant me a beautiful life, however small it may be,” she prayed with her eyes closed.

Despite the physical weakness, an unexpected surge of energy coursed through her legs. She walked to the nearby public PCO booth and called Prabhu’s office.

“Arre Madam, where are you going? Wait, I will take you,” Thaiba said, following her.

“You aren’t fully well yet, take care Madam. Wherever you want to go, I will take you…” Looking at the chattering Thaiba, Tanmayi felt a wave of gratitude. She wondered what would have become of her life in this unfamiliar place if it weren’t for this girl. She held Thaiba’s hand and said, “Thank you.”

“Oh, stop it Madam,” Thaiba replied, blushing.

Hearing Prabhu’s voice from the other end of the phone, tears welled up in Tanmayi’s eyes once again.

“Can you come over just once?” was all she managed to say.

Seeing Prabhu walk through the gate, Tanmayi felt all her strength return. As he drew near, she embraced him tightly and closed her eyes.

Holding her close to his chest, he kissed the top of her head. Raising her chin, he wiped her eyelids which were heavy and wet with tears. “Let’s go, Tanu! Let’s get married. Don’t object anymore,” Prabhu said.

Tanmayi felt as if a shower of moonlit flowers had suddenly rained upon her head.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she held him even tighter and said happily, “Alright. But only if I am able to stand up for an hour.”

“Oh dear! Sit down first,” he said anxiously.

Leaning against him as she sat down, she closed her eyes weekly.

“But if we get married without telling them, won’t your parents be hurt?” she asked thoughtfully.

“Even so, do you think it’s right to hurt you? If I do as they say, they might be happy, but you and I will have to suffer for the rest of our lives. True, our marriage will hurt them for a few days. But I firmly believe that if you and I conduct ourselves in a way that makes them forget that pain, it will heal quickly. Tanu! I always want to take good care of my parents. You won’t object, right?” he asked, extending his hand.

Placing her palm in his, she said, “Of course not.”

Gently stroking her hair in the silence, he said, “You recover fully first. Don’t worry about anything. I will stay right here from now on. I will take safe care of you.”

Tanmayi nodded silently. She no longer had the strength left in her life to fight any battle alone. She said as much in a low voice.

“Shh… you don’t have to fight anything alone anymore, I am here for you,” he said, taking a deep breath.

“But what about your people…” Just as Tanmayi was about to say something, Prabhu adjusted a pillow for her to lean back on and said, “Shh… sleep peacefully for a while. Don’t think about anything.”

In Prabhu’s presence, Tanmayi recovered completely within a month and regained her health. Tanmayi was amazed by the care and attention he showed her in every single matter, right from taking her medicines to eating her food. Throughout that month, he cooked and fed her like a mother, and shielded her like a protective wall, making her forget the absence of her father.

That evening, as soon as he returned from the office, he said, “I have found out all the details from the registry office. We just need two witness signatures.”

“We can ask Siddharth and his wife. Is any friend of yours coming?” Tanmayi asked.

Prabhu shook his head sideways. Tanmayi understood that his inability to share this with his family was causing him deep sorrow. Even though he was ready for the marriage to set her life right and to make their love win, seeing the turmoil raging in his heart made Tanmayi feel that perhaps they were doing something wrong.

She mentioned the same to Siddharth the next day.

“Yes… I can understand his mental state. His decision not to invite even his friends is probably out of fear that someone might pass the word to his house, causing unnecessary chaos. Or perhaps it is his intention that the news shouldn’t reach them through someone else, but that he should inform them personally. Let him think as much as he wants and grapple with his thoughts before the wedding. In my view, it’s better to process this before marriage than to regret it later. Whatever it is, I don’t think you need to take this to heart,” Siddharth said.

Yet, that thought continued to make Tanmayi shudder. She couldn’t understand where all this would lead. Most importantly, she began to fear what the boy’s future would look like. If she made a wrong decision now, there would be no meaning in her wanting to set her life right.

As Siddharth had said, “There is nothing wrong in hoping for a blissful life.”

But if it backfired by mistake, she would end up destroying her own son’s future with her own hands.

That evening, as soon as Prabhu arrived, she said, “Shall we go up to the terrace?”

As it was just about sunset, the sky had turned a deep crimson. It was a very small terrace, useful only for drying clothes.

Standing in a corner and gazing at the sky, she said sadly, “Maybe it’s better to think it over once more, Prabhu.”

“I only think until I take a decision. After that, I never look back. Come fair or foul, I abide by that decision for the rest of my life,” he said firmly.

Witnessing his resolute determination at that twilight hour, Tanmayi felt deep in her heart that they were not making a mistake, and that life with him would be filled with happiness.

*****

(Continued next month)