Starting Life Afresh, Part–II

This continues the Story “Starting Life Afresh”, published by “StoryBerrys” on  20th October 2023.

(Prior Story: Shankar and Sangeetha were colleagues at Polytechnic and co-faculty for a lab class. They loved each other. They went to the USA for post-graduation at the same university and lived together. On completion, they returned and joined as  Polytechnic faculty. They wanted to marry. Sangeetha’s parents were against their marriage and chose a bridegroom. Sangeetha convinced   Shankar to go to the USA and start their life. Sangeetha booked two flight tickets to the USA and was waiting at the airport for Shankar. Shankar did not turn up. Sangeetha went home and married the boy chosen by her parents.)

Continuation of Story….

Shankar was eager to meet Sangeetha at the airport. Shankar requested his friend Arjun to drop him at the airport. They both started to the airport from Shankar’s home. Shankar carried two dresses, a laptop, toothpaste and a brush in a handbag. He kept his mobile in his shirt pocket and his wallet containing credit and debit cards in the pants back pocket. It was an hour’s journey to the airport. It was before dawn.

Arjun was driving the motorcycle, and Shankar was the pillion rider. Arjun knew that Shankar and Sangeetha were going to the USA to lead a combined life away from their parents. Shankar explained to Arjun how he and Sangeetha enjoyed life during their post-graduate study in the USA. Shankar was joyful in reminiscing about spending time on the beach on weekends, where people from nearby places came in their cars with family. Some were playing beach volleyball, some were enjoying sunbathing, some were resting under umbrellas after a sea bath, and some were getting their children a bath. Shankar explained his love life with Sangeetha in the USA to Arjun while Arjun was driving, talking to each other and enjoying the ride.

Arjun was driving and listening to Shankar, sometimes nodding and turning his face towards Shankar in amazement. In such a state of excitement, Arjun was speeding the motorcycle, and within a split second, the motorcycle bumped into a stationed sand lorry from behind. Neither Arjun nor Shankar could notice the stationed lorry full of sand. It is usual for sand lorry people to park on the roadside and wait for construction customers in the morning to purchase sand.

Arjun bounced, his head hit the angle iron used for locking the lorry on the back side, and he was bleeding heavily. Arjun was not wearing a helmet. Shankar fell to the right in the middle of the road. A speeding truck passed over the two legs of Shankar, separating them from the body. The handle and the front wheel got crushed and fell on the road.

All the sand lorry owners, drivers, cleaners and passersby assembled at the accident site. Noticing they were in danger, all the drivers quickly removed their vehicles from the accident site. One of the passersby informed the police, and they came with an ambulance to the accident site and shifted Arjun and Shankar, with his two separate part legs, to the nearby hospital. The doctors at the hospital pronounced Arjun dead and treated Shankar’s bleeding legs. The doctors advised to shift him to an orthopaedic hospital for further treatment.

The police searched the dresses of both Arjun and Shankar. They could find Arjun’s wallet, mobile and Shankar’s wallet. Shankar’s mobile phone fell in the middle of the road, and a passing vehicle crushed it.

The police informed Arjun’s friends with the contact numbers on the mobile,  and they responded and took the body for cremation after the post-mortem. They took care of Shankar’s treatment. Doctors saved Shankar from death and put him on artificial legs. These artificial limbs are the latest developments using electronics, computer science, robotics, and artificial intelligence technologies. These are linked to the nervous system of the body’s legs and work on the mind’s instructions. Shankar spent his savings on hospital treatment and artificial limbs. It took about six months for this process.

He is now a physically disabled person. He decided to lead a new life, forgetting the past. He went to a temple town to start life afresh with the blessings of the superior force, the Lord of Lords, the Almighty God. He applied for a bank loan and started  Sangeetha Restaurant. Within a short period, the hotel became well-known in the area and to the visitors to the temple town. The restaurant’s special is its butter dosa. People mainly come to the restaurant to have butter dosa.

One day, Sangeetha and her parents visited the temple town to take the blessings of the lord. After the darshan, they went to the Sangeetha restaurant for breakfast. 

 The Waiter asked, “Madam, what is your order for the breakfast items. We have Idly, Dosa, Puri, and Upma, and our special is Butter Dosa.”

Sangeetha asked the Waiter, “What is special about Butter Dosa?”

 The Waiter said to Sangeetha, “It is a special dish prepared by the owner of this restaurant, and people come here especially to have Butter Dosa.”

Sangeetha said, “Okay, order three Butter Dosa.”

In a loud voice, the Waiter ordered, “Three Sangeetha Dosa.”

Sangeetha called the Waiter and asked, “I ordered Butter Dosa, and you ordered Sangeetha Dosa. Why did you place an order for a different one?”

The waiter told Sangeetha, “Our owner has given the name for the Butter Dosa Sangeetha Dosa, and the ingredients are only known to him, and the restaurant’s name is also Sangeetha Restaurant.”

They got the Sangeetha dosas, and when Sangeetha started eating, she felt the taste of dosa as if she had eaten it several times before.

She then remembered that this taste of dosa was the same as that of the one prepared by Shankar in the USA when they were studying and living together.

Sangeetha asked the Waiter, “Can we meet the restaurant owner.”

The Waiter said to Sangeetha, “He stays alone upstairs. Normally, he will not meet people. I will contact him and let you know.”

The Waiter contacted Shankar on mobile.

 Shankar asked the Waiter, “Get them upstairs.”

Sangeetha and her parents went upstairs with the Waiter in the lift.

Shankar was verifying the accounts of the previous day at the table. Shankar raised his head from the papers and saw the visitors. He moved his wheelchair towards the sofa with folded hands. He asked them, “Please, be seated on the sofa.”

Shankar asked the visitors, “What can I do for you? He pretended not to recognise Sangeetha.”

Sangeetha’s father said, “We want to express our appreciation for your restaurant’s butter dosa. It is extraordinary. We liked it. My daughter Sangeetha is all praise for the dosa and especially wanted to share her appreciation to you.”

Sangeetha interrupted her father, saying, “I know him; he is my friend Shankar.”

  Sangeetha’s father was dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. Sangeetha’s mother kept silent.   For Sangeetha’s parents, it is their first time meeting Shankar. They know that Sangeetha’s friend is Shankar but have not seen him.

Shankar was reluctant and had no intention of continuing further and said, “I am thankful to all the three of you for taking pains to come upstairs and appreciate the  Dosa.” 

Sangeetha took the initiative to talk to Shankar and asked, “What happened to you? Why are you in a wheelchair? What happened to your job?”

 With these words, Sangeetha started weeping.

Shankar unable to express the ghastly accident, kept mum.

Shankar recovered from grief and asked Sangeetha, “How is your husband and life?”

At this point, Sangeetha’s mother said, “Today, we are grieving for the fate of Sangeetha. We never expected this to happen to her. We can’t expect destiny. We are visiting devotional places to relieve my daughter of grief, and this temple town is the last one.”

Shankar interrupted and asked, “What is the problem?”

Sangeetha’s mother and father were weeping. Sangeetha had tears in her eyes with grief on her face.

Sangeetha’s father opened up and said, “This happened a year back. We went to a function of a relative and returned. We were all in the car. Sangeetha’s husband was driving. It was late-night hours. We were anxious to return home. All of a sudden, a speeding truck coming in the opposite direction hit our car on the left side, and Sangeetha’s husband died on the spot.”

Everyone in the room became silent. They had no words for the deadly grief of Sangeetha.

Shankar said to Sangeetha, “I am sorry for the death of your husband.”

Sangeetha said, “It is one year past. There is bad luck hunting me. I am afraid to imagine the next turn in my life.”

She continued in a philosophical tone, “It is all destiny decides. I have no say in it. Everything is as per HIS plan. I am just a toy in His hands. I do not know the next decision of the Lord.”   

Sangeetha continued with tears in her eyes, “I am desperate. I became a socially handicapped widow, and you are a physically disabled person. Why are these happening to us? I am in grief to see you in this disabled position.”  

 She further asked Shankar, “Tell me, how are your legs broken? How did this happen?”

Shankar, remembering the death of his friend Arjun, tears fell down his cheeks, kept mum and left into the adjoining room in his wheelchair. Sangeetha followed him.

Sangeetha came near his wheelchair, put her hand on his head, and rested it on her chest, caressing it and asking how this accident happened.

With Sangeetha’s intimacy, Shankar got emotional and started weeping uncontrollably.

Sangeetha was caressing. After a few minutes, Shankar recovered. Sangeetha helped him get up with his artificial legs. Shankar took his hospital file at the time of admission of his accident from the cupboard and gave it to Sangeetha.

Sangeetha looked at the date and time of admission. It was the same day and date they planned to leave for the USA and when Sangeetha was waiting at the airport. She further glanced at the photographs of the body with broken legs. Sangeetha went into tears.

Sangeetha cursed herself for not enquiring about Shankar’s whereabouts when he did not turn up at the airport or answer her phone calls.

 With tears in his eyes, Shankar told Sangeetha, “After recovering from the accident, I enquired and learned that you got married.

Sangeetha put her hand on his head and said, “Dear Shankar, it is my mistake not imagining that something might have happened to you for not turning up at the airport. Even after that, I did not care to enquire about your whereabouts. I am sorry; I made an inexcusable mistake, putting myself and yourself in lifelong trouble.”

In the meantime, Sangeetha’s father glanced at the hospital file. He understood his mistake in forcibly arranging Sangeetha’s marriage. He felt emotional and that he spoiled Sangeetha and Shankar’s beautiful lives. 

 Sangeetha’s parents could understand that Shankar is living in the reminisces of Sangeetha from the names Shankar gave to the restaurant and dosa and wanted to give them a new lease on life. Sangeetha’s father discussed the same with his wife.

Sangeetha’s mother agreed, saying, “I am also a party to your earlier decision. The waves of destiny made us make such a hasty decision. Today, we will pray to the Almighty to help us give Sangeetha and Shankar a new, happy life.”

Sangeetha’s parents went to the adjoining room. They found Sangeetha consoling Shankar, sitting by his side on the cot.

Sangeetha’s parents took Sangeetha’s hand and clubbed it with the hand of Shankar, blessing them to lead a combined life.

Sangeetha’s parents left for their home city the following day, leaving Sangeetha and Shankar together. That was the end of their devotional tour. God blessed Sangeetha and her parents.

Sangeetha and Shankar “Started Their Life Afresh.”

PRABHAKAR MUSIPATLA