“Sorry, Suresh…we couldn’t save him. He popped up one too many, had severely damaged his internals” Dr Shekhar tried to console his shell-shocked friend.
Suresh couldn’t imagine his father was no more, he and his siblings had lost their mother only a month back, it was diffficult for him to handle this sudden blow.
The septuagenarian Sudhanshu had killed himself dosing heavy on sleeping pills the night before, he hadn’t recovered from Sunanda’s death, the love of his life, his beautiful wife of 50 years. Her massive cardiac arrest and she dying in his arms was a painful memory which wasn’t erasing off Sudhanshu.
He slipped into deep depression and was very sure of the extreme step of killing himself.
“...the body will be taken for post mortem, today being Saturday, I think you will only get the body for cremation not before Monday, you can inform Ramesh, Nandini and Ragini to start, they can reach well in time” Shekhar was Suresh’s school buddy and knew his siblings.
“Shekhar, I don’t know how to break this news to them….I am shocked” said a pensive Suresh.
“Suresh, listen…uncle and aunty were an epitome of how a beautiful relation should be….i don’t think anyone of us can emulate them, so cherish it. They were an example of true love and companionship; I somehow think however painful it may sound his passing this way was the most beautiful manner their story could have ended” Shekhar reminded Suresh of the happier times his father and mother lived.
All of Sudhanshu’s children had huddled up in the living room of Suresh’s home, the siblings had rushed from their respective cities as soon as they heard about the tragic demise of their father.
“I think they just couldn’t see anyone else than each other for their entire lives” Ramesh was so true when he said this. Nandini’s tears hadn’t stopped. None of the children had fully recovered from their mother’s death and handling one more death was too much, too soon. Though they had families of their own with grown up children the bond between them and their parents were a thing to watch.
Sudhanshu was a travelling salesman by profession and whenever he was not travelling for work the family man made sure his wife and kids got most of his time. He used to recount every detail of his day to his wife before they retired for the night. They were so much in love that on impulse both had once tattooed “SuSu” on each other’s arms when visiting a village fair.
“Conversation is the biggest key to a successful marriage, never forget that” Sudhanshu used to always advise his much-married kids.
“Do you know baba and amma used to write to each other everyday when he used to travel away for work…everyday, can you imagine??” Ragini said, the youngest had once tried to sneak out and read one of the letters for which she got a scolding of her life, those are extremely private, her mother used to admonish her. The thought brought a smile to her face.
“I am sure it has life lessons for our future generations” Ramesh proceeded towards Sudhanshu’s room to get them. It wasn’t tough to find them, since Sunanda’ death the letters lie near to his dad’s bedside desk.
“Have you carried enough woollen’s, wear gloves, don’t forget to cover your ears” Ramesh was reading aloud every letter and the mood was turning very sombre, their mom was very caring about their father and his well-being was her utmost priority, likewise it was his too.
“…my love and lots and lots of kisses to Kamlesh, tell him, I miss him a lot” The last line of their mom’s letter raised eyebrows of all the kids. The date was 23-02-1974, just a few months after their marriage. Every letter written since then to each other had a mention of Kamlesh in some or the other way
“Yes, he misses you every second,
dying to meet you” Sudhanshu wrote in his reply.
“I know..he blooms like a lotus
when I hold him, why do u think I named him Kamlesh” Sunanda had written to him wid a love sign.
“I know you love him more than Suresh and Ramesh” said another letter of Sudhanshu, Suresh checked the date of the letter, his sisters weren’t born then, he was baffled.
Sunanda used to become very poetic when she used to write about Kamlesh, a part unmissable in all the letters.
None of them recalled anyone by this name who was very close to them or their parents.
The question on everyone’s face was the same.
“Who is Kamlesh…???” who is this one who was amma's favourite whom she has kissed and had received her love more than anyone of us.
Ramesh perused through the letters again “Look, they mention about him more when baba used to go to his Kanpur office, I think we may have a connection there”
“Ohh yes, amma had also travelled with him to Kanpur for a day or two” said Nandini recollecting when her parents had visited together.
“Look here….this letter mentions about it “Kamlesh has become very naughty lately, he isn't the little shy one anymore..hahaha” amma talks about him”
The siblings were pretty sure that they had left out a prominent person in their lives who was very dear to their parents.
“Kamlesh needs to be found out and informed about baba’s death” Suresh told his siblings though he wasn’t sure about how they were going to find him for the letter was very vague and prosy about Kamlesh.
The cremation was set in the evening, friends and relatives had started pouring in and Sudhanshu’s mortal remains were kept at the porch. Prayers and hymns were being chanted and the priest was preparing his body to be taken to the crematorium
Suresh handed over the envelope containing the death certificate and the post mortem report needed at the crematorium to his younger brother.
“Make enough copies of them, will need it in the bank and post offices”
The brothers still couldn’t believe they were holding documents declaring the death of their father.
Ramesh opened the envelope and uncreased the folds. He couldn’t hold his tears reading the cause of death saying “overdose of sleeping pills causing major internal organ failure”
The post mortem report also mentioned the cause in more detail among other details, Ramesh unwillingly though kept on reading it.
“No external injury marks seen anywhere on the body”
“Tattoo seen on the right wrist with “SuSu” inscribed inside a heart shaped figure”
“Tattoo seen below the navel with “Kamlesh” inscribed and an arrow pointing downwards.
The last line of the PM report
left Ramesh stunned….!!!!
