Madhuvanthi's home

It was a small town in Northern India. It was already dusk getting dark and there was a mild drizzle. Madhuvanthi with her two year old girl in her arms knocked the door of a nondescript house twice.She was around twenty­­-seven and looked younger for her age.There was no response.She knocked again a little forcefully. She worried that this not going to be as smooth as she expected.It took long time for the door to open. She saw the tall figure of the man with an unshaven face and drooping mustache looking at her quizzically as if wondering why she was there.
“What do you want? Why have you come here?” he asked in a voice bereft of emotion.There was no warmth in his tone nor any smile in his face.It was wooden.
“I have your grand daughter with me here.I have no place to go.”
“Yes, I heard that Vinod had been killed in the skirmish at the border.The sarkar should have given you enough money.Go to your folks.Why do you come here when you have not cared to visit us all these four years?”
“It is not my fault that Vinod kept away from you for his own grouse.I have no one in my side.She is your grand daughter after all.”
He looked straight in her eyes and said in measured and icy tone that cut her heart rapier like,”You are not wanted here. He married you against our wishes and from that day we had washed our hands off him.The girl in your arm is nobody to us.You say she is my grand daughter.Who knows ?”
She was shocked to see Vinod’s mother keeping mum at this blasphemous and vieled accusation.She hung her head in shame and cried inconsolably even as the little girl tried to wipe the tears off her cheeks. She became numb at this cruel barb and searched for words to answer.He will neither understand nor accept if she had said that she was always advising Vinod to patch up with his parents and forgive their anger in throwing him out.He would not listen and swear that he would have no truck with them.He always said that he loved only one in that family and it was his younger brother.
“I have no place to go.I am young and cannot stay alone without harm coming to me.I have this girl who is your grand daughter.I swear upon that.Please allow me to stay here.I will be a slave in this house,please; I beg you, do not throw me out. I will contribute a portion of my pension.Please permit me to reside here.I want my child to grow in the comfort and security of a home.”
“No,”he bellowed.”You have no place here.Get out before I throw you out of the compound.I don’t care what happens to you or your ill- gotten child.”The woman by his side with stony face did not budge her little finger.
“Stop this nonsense.I have been hearing all your blabber all this time to see what extent you both are cruel and depraved.I will not let down my bhabbi and the child.I know Vinod meant no illwill for you both till you treated him shabbily.What he did was right and I would have done the same” roared Viren, the younger brother of Vinod.
The old man shouted back”Will you dare talk against our wishes? I will throw you also out without a penny.Do remember that.Mind your business and get back”
“To hell with your money.If Bhabi is willing I will marry her , as is our custom, and take care of both for life.We are walking out of this wretched place once and for all.You keep your wealth with you..’
Dazed as she was Madhuvanthi clasped the extended hand of Viren and moved towards the gate even as the old couple were rendered speechless at the sudden turn of events.