Here's a short story written by me... Happy Reading!!
A NEW DAWN
It was just another day. Tired after a long day at school, Sidhant walked home from the bus stop. He flung his bag on the bed, switched on the air conditioner and lay down on the bed. He was alone at home. His dad, Sanjay had gone for an official tour to China. Mom Shabana had gone to office and would return home at 7. Sister Suhavini had gone to college and would return late in the evening. So he had five hours all to himself. He went up to the dining table where the maid had warmed the food. However he was not in the mood to eat. Not after what had happened in school today. It was recess time and he was making his way to the canteen. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see-- a senior was demanding money from him. Scared, yet determined not to give his money he forcefully tried to remove the hand. This angered the senior who took him to his gang of friends. “So you are not gonna give us money, are you?” “No” “Well then you leave us with no option but to beat you up” “You cant do that. I’ll report you to the headmistress” All the seniors laughed. At the back of his eye Sidhant saw the headmistress walking by with another teacher not even bothering to give a glance to what the commotion was all about. Sidhant was beaten, slapped, kicked and punched. At the end of it he was bleeding from the nose and aching all over. All his friends were watching the “tamasha” yet no one came forward to help. He made his way to the school sanatorium where he lied that he had fallen while playing football. He barely ate the food in front of him. He wanted someone to tend to his wounds, to take care of him, to give him assurance yet he knew that would not be possible because everyone in his family was leading separate lives without interfering in the others’. Sidhant would sometimes not see his father’s face for days on end. Weekends were awkward days because no one actually knew what to talk to each other. Though they did go out for movies and for eating out yet Sidhant never felt as if they were really enjoying. It was mostly a chore, whose responsibility his father took, of taking them out at least once a month just for the sake of doing so. ****** ****Sidhant had got his result today. He was in class nine and had stood second in class with a total percentage of 92%. His scores in Math had really improved and all his teachers were very happy with him. Yet Sidhant wasn’t feeling any excitement on showing his report to his family. Previously, no one had really bothered to take a second glance at his report and apart from the customary “well done” “keep it up” there wasn’t any real joy for him and he doubted whether this time would be any better or—worse. He came home to an empty house as usual. Dad was back from his tour but was coming late as he had a few conferences to attend. Suhavini had said that she would not be coming home tonight as she was spending the night at her friends place. That just left Sidhant and his mother. Of all the people in his family, he felt his mother was the one who took at least a perfunctory interest in him, his school, his studies and thus Sidhant felt closest to his mother. She came by 7:30 and by the weary look on her face, he knew that she was tired. “Hi Mom, how was your day?” asked Sidhant No response. Dejected, he went back to his room hoping that maybe after her bath she might answer him. Alas, it was of no avail. “Mom I got my report today” “Show it to me tomorrow, I am very tired today” she said and went to bed. Hugely disappointed, Sidhant trudged back to his room. This was the worst response he had got in years. And if Mom had responded like this he had absolutely no hope from his father or sister. Months passed like this and Sidhant did not find any change in his life. Even on his fifteenth birthday, he did not call any of his friends and the day passed like any other. He had become very quiet in school, his grades fell and he wandered around by himself. The atmosphere at home went from bad to worse. His father’s touring increased and Sidhant did not see his face for weeks now. He brought him many expensive games and gadgets from abroad but even they did not fascinate Sidhant anymore. All he wanted was time but he could not get any from anyone. His sister would come home after midnight from parties and more than once Sidhant had smelt alcohol on her but no one seemed to care. His mom too, became very busy in her work and came home later than usual. Sidhant found himself eating alone even at the dinner table. His teachers were worried—what had happened to the bright and cheerful Sidhant we knew? As much as Sidhant tried to involve himself with his friends and take an interest in his studies he could not bring himself to it. His thoughts were only about his family. He felt that his mom, dad and sister were closer to their friends and colleagues than they were to each other. **** It was Sidhant’s 16th birthday. He had no expectations. His father had given him a play station the night before, as he was to leave for Hong Kong in the morning. Sidhant was not interested in it. It was lying unwrapped in some corner of his room. The day at school passed as usual. Some of his classmates who remembered it was his birthday wished him and Sidhant was grateful to them. As for the others, he did not care. He came home as usual and then headed for his two and a half hour tuition. As he reached home he saw that the house was pitch dark. Probably the maid had gone home switching all the lights off. As he switched them on, he saw his father, mother, sister and lots of his relatives standing with gifts. “But Dad, didn’t you have to go to Hong Kong?” “Oh, I cancelled it. Nothing’s more important than my son’s birthday” His mom came towards him. “ I am really sorry Sidhant. I have not given you any of my time nor have I taken interest in your studies. I promise that I’ll devote more time to you from now on.” “Me too.” chorused his father. How much time would they actually give, Sidhant did not know, but his day was made. He was looking forward to a new dawn... |
