Forgiveness

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  It was like a dream come true Uma when she got married to the handsome and kindhearted gentleman Swaminathan. Soon she was blessed with a beautiful daughter whom the couple named Padmini. After a couple of years, they welcomed another daughter Rukmini into their family. Both of them were extremely proud of their daughters who were equally bright and talented. But the thing that touched Uma's heart was the love that the siblings had for each other. When six-month-old Rukmini wailed on being vaccinated, it brought tears to Padmini's eyes as well as she couldn't stand the sight of her younger sister's sufferings. Three-year-old Rukmini refused to have lunch and kept waiting until her elder sister returned from school. One day, when Rukmini accidentally broke Uma's favourite vase, Padmini took the blame on herself to shield her sister from mother's wrath. When Rukmini was twelve, she met with an accident while returning from school and suffered from a fractured leg. She was in severe pain and no amount of painkillers could relieve her. When Padmini came to know about it, she left her exam half-way and rushed to meet her sister. She placed Rukmini's head on her lap and sung a lullaby which made Rukmini forget about her pain and drift to sleep.  A couple of years later, Uma fell seriously ill and was on death-throes. She called both the girls to her and placed their hands on each other.

"Be there for each other all your life,” Uma said in a faint voice. “Because in the end, there won't be anyone else for you other than the two of you."

With those words, she bade farewell to the world. 

           

   A decade passed after Uma's death and Swaminathan decide to get his daughters married. Rukmini was married to an affluent businessman while Padmini got married to a school teacher. A few days later, Swaminathan organized a party to welcome both his sons-in-law to the family. Rukmini who was clad in an expensive Kanchipuram saree and embellished with gold and diamonds became the centre of attraction of the event. While all of their relatives looked upon Padmini dressed in a plain saree with sneering contempt. Rukmini was on cloud nine as her relatives showered her generously with words of praise. She developed a strong feeling of repulsion towards Padmini as she thought that Padmini will never be able to match her status. The mere sight of her sister, who was once the apple of her eyes, started evoking the feeling of immense disgust. 

             

    Padmini was left aghast by the sudden change in the behaviour of her loving and caring sister. After a few days, shock paved way for vengeance and she decided to return Rukmini in her own coins. She asked her husband to start a business in the city and by the grace of God, he became one of the ace businessmen in the town within a few years. Swaminathan, who was absolutely unaware of the sibling rivalry divided his property equally among the sisters and set out on a pilgrimage. Hence the sisters were forced to build their houses on the ancestral plot close to each other. As both families couldn't stand to face each other, they built a huge boundary wall right on the middle of the plot. 

               

   As time passed by, their children grew -up, got married and left their nests. A few years later, their husbands also died and both the old ladies were left to perish in the melancholy of solitude. On a rainy night, a clap of thunder struck the boundary wall and made a huge crevice in it. The next morning, Padmini sat on her verandah watching puddles of water in her courtyard. A sudden impulse made her fetch a piece of paper and make a boat of it. She placed the boat on the water. Then she made two little dolls with another piece of paper and placed them on the boat.

"Who are they?" A child's voice echoed in Padmini's ears which she recognized as Rukmini's.

"You and me," she heard her own voice when she was a girl of six.
         

    Padmini's heart craved to meet Rukmini and she took a few steps towards Rukmini's house. But her stride halted midway as she thought of Rukmini glaring at her with the venom of hatred pouring out of eyes like those torrential rains. Her gaze fell upon the crevice in the wall and she peeped stealthily through it. She saw Rukmini shivering on her bed near the window. Her feeble moans melted the iron walls of rancour in Padmini's heart which had been concealing the ocean of love for her sibling all these years. Padmini forgave Rukmini and ran to her. She placed Rukmini's head on her lap and sung the same age-old lullaby which made Rukmini forget all her maladies and drift to a peaceful sleep once again.

'I'm Writing Bravely for the Write Tribe Festival of Words - March 2019

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