THE TRUNK - (A SHORT STORY)

It was a long journey from rags to riches. I remember the day when I set my foot out of my house with my wife Kiran and daughter Kajal. My parents had more affinity towards my younger sibling and I being the eldest many a times sidelined. Still remember the day when I had a heated argument with my father and mother over expenditure. My father would not allow my younger brothers to spend more on the household expenditure. Almost all the household expenditure was borne my self. Towards the month end I would be left with nothing. 

Even I could not buy good dress for my Kajal and keep my small family happy. So I decided to leave the house when my father refused to accept that household expenditure was all borne by me.

 I along with my wife and kid moved to Mumbai and stayed with my chacha (Father’s brother) they did not have any Children and was very fond of me. When one door shuts the next door opens…. God never leaves anyone on road.

They had a small one bedroom Flat where we adjusted. I will give full marks to my wife for being very supportive through out the difficult times. Never groaned for what little luxury in life we had. Always encouraged me that one day we will have the best life.

My chacha had a very small shop of ready made garments. He was never interested in investing more and expanding business. Because he would say he earns enough for him and his wife. So I joined him and slowly the business started to grow. The business flourished well in another six years. We earned good money and started a new shop in Vashi. I solely managed the business at Vashi and when we were comfortably placed with our new shop we sold out the old shop and along with chacha we shifted our base to Vashi. I would say chacha as god since he helped me well. My father was arrogant and his own brother was so good. My chacha always said that my father was a very selfish man. By now our family also grew bigger. Kiran gave birth to our son, Krish.

One day I received a call saying that father expired. I along with chacha, Chachi and my kids went to our native place. But before reaching there the funeral was over. My mother was crying when she saw me and my kids it’s so many years passed I had met my mother. Though she would support my father in the arguments, I knew that she loved me somewhere in her heart.

After all the rituals I returned back to Mumbai and told mother that I did not want anything of the property or money. So it was shared among my brothers.

As time passed by from one shop we went on to buy one more big shop of two floors. One floor of the shop was exclusively for ladies and kids wear well managed by my wife and lower floor for gents.

In the coming years, I lost my chacha, then my mother and last my chachi. Now the life was only for us. Kiran and I had the best and special bond. Our children grew up in luxurious way. Every point of time we told them how the life was for us and how it changed.

My daughter went to UK as nurse and my son did business management and helped me in our business. Sooner it was time for my Kajal to get married. She married the man of her Choice. She married an Indian Christian, John. John’s family was very much liberal and there was no problem from their side. Even I and kiran did not oppose because it was kajal’s decision. She is now big enough to know what is right and what is wrong.

Then fine day Kiran left me alone in this world. She died of a heart attack. I lost the one half of my body. The woman who had known me so well, the woman who was part of my difficult phase left me alone when I needed her the most. I was almost touching sixty and all the plan of older age collapsed. I became alone.

Slowly I gave all my shop responsibly to my son and started living a secluded life. My son got married and purchased new flat. So he along with his wife was living separately.

When time came for partition of the wealth and property, my son and daughter came along with their spouses. I presented the shop to son and flat to daughter. But this was not enough also they did not agree about the partition. There were heated arguments saying each should get equal share and that I did not share things equally. I was completely a broken man. Wish my kiran was here with me…….

The things did not end here. They never agreed to the partition I provided them. They filed case in the court. The case went on and each hearing I would go to see how the advocates of each my son and daughter would argue.

In one of the arguments, my son and daughter had come to the court. There my daughter mentioned about one trunk. She said that I would everyday go to my bedroom and open a trunk. She said that the wealth in the trunk should be equally distributed among her and brother.

After hearing that I was shocked, that’s because the trunk was very special for me. The trunk can never be partitioned and I thought of fighting out for my trunk. However as the argument was so strong from daughter’s side that the court ordered the Trunk to be sealed and brought to the court and the wealth would be divided equally among them. I was crying aloud and shouting at top of the voice that this trunk is my wealth and no one had the right to touch it. However court said that its verdict on trunk should be respected. I was lost… Feeling very feeble…..longing to leave this earth… and be with my kiran………Kiran was so lucky…she never had to see these days…..

Next hearing was  bad for me because I had to part with my secret…part with my trunk…As expected after brief argument on trunk the judge ordered the trunk to be opened… atlast the trunk was opened and what was inside the trunk?... everyone was looking with great expectations…. The person opened the trunk and removed one by one all the ingredients… first some old snaps… some new snaps than some clothes…other than that nothing was inside… every one surprised…. Even my son and daughter…..nobody could say anything….. I slowly went upto the items and held the snaps in hand and explained…these are snaps of my parents and siblings….my wedding snap…..snaps of my kids growing…..some of the people who witnessed the incidence had wet eyes by now….

The pair of shirt and pant, the cotton sari and the small kid’s dress of my daughter were the only clothes we wore when we left my father’s house… …….The other ones are the clothes we worn for our wedding… my kurtha and my wife’s wedding sari….apart from this we never had anything to take from my father’s house……

Turning to Kajal I said… you two my own blood fighting for every wealth…. Do you know why I used to open this trunk everyday... I open this trunk everyday so that whenever I am growing big wealth wise, I should never forget the path which I came…. I wanted to ensure that I didn’t become rich automatically…. My condition was rags…. Then to riches… if you remember when your mother was there, we would both open the trunk together… and refresh our bad patch in life then I cried loudly without control…. And suddenly  I fell to the ground… gasping for air with deep pain in my chest…thats all I remember……..

By

GOANZ…..