Chapter 52: Snatching Freedom
At the kitchen table Ratno was helping Shiv and Sangram, who now went to school in Chajjuwara. with their homework when Jaggi and Sameer walked in.
"What took you so long," she asked.
"We stopped off at Bhondu Travels. I've also decided to get a passport to go to England," said Jaggi.
"Well....," said Ratno about to unleash at when she heard Jagat clearing his throat in the yard.
In the morning Jagat had insisted on walking to college "to exercise his anguish by planting his soles on mother earth." Asking Sameer to fetch him a glass of water he dropped into the empty chair at the earing table. Seeing the table crowded Ratno asked Sangram and Shiv who had eaten their super to go study in the drawing room.
"Jaggi puttar, you and Sameer must go to Qaadian and disperse Eesa Chacha's ashes at the khooh and help Dhumma and Gamma Chacha with whatever needs doing," said Jagat taking off his turban and moving his right palm over the balding head.
"Yes papa, will do. By the way I, too, would like to go to England."
"Silly me, all along I thought you're gone to see off Eesa by you, too, had been conspiring, as if one wasn't enough."
"Papa has dreams for you and you're shattering them," said Ratno seeing Jagat hadn't touched his food she had placed before him.
"What about our dreams?" Jaggi asked.
Elbows resting on the table, hands bracketing the balding head, Jagat sat staring at his food.
"At the moment both of you're angry. We should talk later," said Jaggi as he walked out of the kitchen; Sameer followed him through the yard.
"The garden no longer interests papa," said Sameer looking at the neglected plants.
"Why would it? He can no longer trust what he's already nurtured; neither the country nor his children," said Jaggi walking by the browned rose waiting to be liberated from slow death garden scissors in the hands of deadheaded.
Ratno implored Jagat to eat something, anything, "can't stop living because the sons don't listen," He picked up a cold roti which Ratno snatched and placed on the tava stoking the fire below. They ate, saying not a word to each other.
"Go to bed. A full day of college tomorrow," said Ratno pulling Jagat by the hand to prompt him out of the chair. She straightened out on the sofa in the front room. Both of them awake and restless when well past midnight the door of the drawing room opened ajar from the outside.
"Oh Mom we entered this way to avoid making noise. Are you alright?" asked Jaggi.
"Two grown sons out past midnight, not knowing where or why, how can I be alright?"
"Oh, we walked over to the cinema to watch Sangram the film all college kids are raving about. In it nothing seemed of this land except the faces and the language; no filth, no poverty, no injustice or corruption, an absolute escape," said Jaggi as Ratno rubbed sleep in her eyes.
"An escape, yes an escape to England is what you're looking for? So what if the bloody movie was an escape, the poor need no reminders on the big screen of the misery their lives are," yelled Jagat from the top of the stairs. He wanted to come down to the drawing room to argue his position but thought better of it because it could turn ugly.
A few days later the family from Qaadian and Chajjuwara gathered at railway platform to bid Sameer goodbye. A few minutes before the arrival of the train the hugs began with Puro tearing up. Dhumma, Gamma, Gogi, and all others took turns embracing Sameer and tearing up. Ratno held Sameer in her arms and let go only as the train arrived at the platform and wiped her tears; Sameer walked over to his father and they hugged. For the second time in his life Sameer saw tears rolling down Jagat's cheeks; first was when Preeti died. The train swished away, Sameer waving goodbye through the window bars until he could no longer see them and nor they him.
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